Improvements in Apparatus for Stirring and Drawing the Charge of Gas and other Retorts.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 4th. July, 1892-Accepted, 20th Aug.,
1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stirring and Drawing the Charge of
Gas and other Retorts.
I, WILLIAM FOULIS of 45 John Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for stirring and drawing
the charge of gas and other retorts, and consists in additions to, and modifications
of, the apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 12016 of
31st July 1890 granted to me.
The present invention has for its object to so arrange and construct the apparatus
or machine that it is more rigid and also (owing to the larger bearing surfaces of
its moving parts) more effective in its action. The arrangement also enables the
working parts to be easily got at when required for oiling, repairing and such like.
In carrying out my said invention I mount to the top side of the I iron or steel
bar, an iron or steel plate, which has also mounted at its underside two stiffening
angle iron or steel bars which may extend the whole length of the plate or not as
desired. The said I iron or steel bar has the slipper or carriage mounted on its
lower side in such a manner as to enable it to be reciprocated backwards and
forwards by the two horizontal acting hydraulic cylinders and rams as hitherto,
but which, in this case, are mounted on the top side of the plate which is formed
with two longitudinal slots or openings, through which the pulleys on the end of
the rams work, the said slots also act as guides for the front ends of the said rams
which are formed with suitably shaped guide or slipper blocks. Also in accordance
with the present invention I provide the front end of the raising and lowering
cylinder's ram with a guide or slipper block which works on the upright standard
of the apparatus, which as well as the plate has wooden or other buffers attached
so as to terminate the strokes of the rams and slipper or carriage. Near the
front end of the I or steel bar I mount preferably a hardened steel block in such
a manner as to guide the rake rod or it may be stirrer rod or rods, during their
backwards and forwards movements. I also so shape the race of the automatic
drop plate, that when the apparatus is not in use the plate will be nearly in a
horizontal plane and so permit of vehicles and such like passing underneath the
front end of the apparatus.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood and easily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which I have shewn an apparatus for drawing the charge of a retort,
it being understood that when the apparatus is for stirring the charge the rod or
rods which act as the stirrers are substituted for the rake and rake rod as hereafter
explained.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a plan and Figure 3 an end elevation of my
apparatus or machine.
Figure 4 is a sectional detail drawn to a large scale and Figures 5, 6, 7 & 8 are
detail views of parts of my said apparatus.
Referring to the said drawings, (throughout which the same reference letters
denote similar parts) I bolt or otherwise secure to the top side of the I iron or
steel bar A, an iron or steel plate A' (shewn more particularly in Figures 3 and 4).
The said plate A' is also provided with two stiffening bars of angle iron or
steel A2, A3, preferably extending about half the length of the plate, as shewn in

page_text: Figures 1 and 2, though if desired they may extend the full length on either side.
The slipper or carriage E to which is attached the rear end of the rake rod H, is
mounted on the lower side of the bar A, in such a manner that it can be
reciprocated backwards by means of the two hydraulic cylinders F, F', which in
this case are mounted on the top side of the plate A' as shewn; the front ends of
the rams F2, F3, of which are provided with slipper or guide blocks F (shewn
more particularly in elevations at right angles to each other in Figures 5 and 6)
which work in two longitudinal slots or openings a' formed in the plate A¹; the
said slots a¹ also permit of the pulleys ff working through so as to enable the
cylinders to actuate the carriage E by means of the chains or ropes f₁f which
are connected at one of their ends to snugs f provided on the front ends of the
cylinders F, F, and at the other of their ends to snugs e formed on the carriage E.
The rear end of said carriage E, when it reaches the end of its backward stroke,
comes against the wooden, rubber or other buffer e¹ and the same is the case with
regard to the pulleys f³, 14, against the buffers a² a³ on reaching the end of their
outward stroke, thus preventing said parts going too far; the said buffers e¹, a²
and a being suitably secured to the bar A and plate A¹.
The said bar A, plate A' and their connections are suspended near their centre
by means of a raising and lowering chain or rope L whose one end is secured to
the top end of a saddle bracket K which in this case is attached to the snugs f
ou the cylinders. The said chain or rope L after passing around the guide
pulley L mounted on the upright framing B of the apparatus, and around the
guide pulley L' of the raising and lowering cylinder M is adjustably attached by
means of the screw m² to the snug m of the cylinder. The front end of the ram N
of the said cylinder M is also provided with a slipper or guide block arrangement N¹
(as shewn more particularly in sectional elevations at right angles to each other in
Figures 7 and 8) consisting of the projection n and plate n¹ with filling-in piece n²
and bolts n the said parts all working against the upright framing B of the
apparatus which is preferably composed of angle iron or steel.
The said bar A and plate A' are supported near their rear ends by means of a
carrier Q and rope or chain R which is adjustably connected to the carrier Qand
after passing around the guide pulleys R' is spliced or otherwise attached to the
main raising and lowering chain L (as at Figure 1). The said carrier Qis
composed of a cross stay o the two ends of which are provided with dead eyes q³
to which the ends of two balancing chains or ropes R' are attached and which
after passing around the guide pulleys R³ are adjustably connected at their other
ends to the saddle bracket K, as shewn in Figure 3. The said cross stay of the
carrier Q is also attached, at either end, to the ends of two crank levers S¹ which
are mounted on the rocking shafts and carried by the two upright links or
brackets Q whose lower ends are secured to the plate A'. The said rocking
shaft is also provided with an operating handle S, and valve regulating lever T
as hitherto, so that the operator on actuating the handle S opens or reverses the
valve U, actuates the rake J, and depresses or raises the front end of the bar A
as desired.
8
In order to guide the rake rod H more effectually I mount near the front end
of the bar A a guide block A, preferably made of hardened steel, so as to take up
the strain of the rod H. The drop plate X is also mounted in such a manner and
its race Y is so shaped that when the machine is out of action and the bar A, and
plate A', raised to their highest position, the said drop plate X will lie up in a
horizontal plane and so be out of the way. The whole arrangement thus forms a
very effective, smooth working and strong apparatus for withdrawing the charge
of retorts.
When my apparatus is constructed as a stirrer I substitute a rod or rods for
the rake and rake rod, and I dispense with the means for raising and lowering the
front end of the bar A, and connections. The stirring operation is effected by
means of the raising and lowering cylinder M as hitherto.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting a retort
drawing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the annexed
drawings.
2nd. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting a retort
stirring apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described.
3rd. In retort drawing and stirring apparatus the combination with an I iron or
steel bar A, of a plate A', and stiffening bars A2, A3, substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
4th. In retort drawing and stirring apparatus the combination with means for
reciprocating, raising and lowering a rake or stirrer, of guide blocks F, slots or
openings a', buffers a² and a³, guide block arrangement N¹, and block A',
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
5th. In a retort drawing apparatus, the combination with a reciprocating rake
of means whereby the same may be raised or depressed at its front end
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of July 1892.
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.