Improvements in and relating to Incandescent Gas Lamps.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1897-Accepted, 12th June, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Incandescent Gas Lamps.
I, JOSEPH BLASCO DE LÉRY, of 58 Pine Street, New York, in the County and State
of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 incandescent gas lighting, the primary object being to
provide a burner and lamp which shall meet the requirements of a street light in
that the incandescing element shall be of such construction as to resist the shocks
from storms and the jarring from heavy traffic. The provisions for accomplishing
this object also adapt the burner for uso anywhere where it is subjected to forces
which tend to destroy the mantle or incandescing body. A further object of the
invention is to provide a burner which will shed its rays of light downward and
laterally without interference from any portions of the burner or fixture itself.
The cheapest and most generally used incandescing material is a web of textile
material usually in the form of a tube or hood, this, largely, because the cotton or
other fibre originally forming the base of the hood can be knitted or woven cheaply
and when so made is porous or sieve-like and permits the flame to permeate or pass
through it. The incandescing element has also been made in the form of pencils
individually supported and grouped together, and in the form of blocks, but these have
been found to be expensive and not durable. One of the main difficulties experienced
with an incandescent element in the form of the web or hood is that it is very fragile
and is consequently easily injured or destroyed. By my invention I obtain all the
advantages of an incandescing element constructed of webbing, because I use the
same webbing, and I impart strength to it by folding the web upon itself a number of
times or use a number of layers of it secured together in such a manner that the
several layers mutually support one another, thereby obtaining in the single structure
the combined strength of the entire number of layers of material. The burner is
formed by making the tufts in this manner and mounting them side by side in a ring.
An exposed edge of this ring of tufts is then subjected to a series of small flames from
a Bunsen burner which raises the edge of the tufts to incandescence and forms a
continuous ring of pure white light. The burner from which the jets of flame emanate
is a cylindrical drum of less diameter than the ring of incandescent material and
located only slightly below the ring so that the rays of light from the latter may
project uninterruptedly downward and outward.
My invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawing, in which
Figure 1. is a perspective view of the burner;
Figure 2 is a section of the burner with parts in dotted line;
Fig. 3 is a plan of the rings supporting the incandescent material;
Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged views of the layers of incandescent material showing two
ways of placing them together before they are tufted,
Figs. 6 and 7 show two ways of securing the incandescing material to the
fixture, and
Fig. 8 illustrates a modified form of fixture.
a represents a cylindrical drum into which gas and air is admitted by a pipo a'
constructed in accordance with a plan of a Bunsen burner. Around the sides of the
drum are a number of perforations a through which the gas and air may flow to feed
jets of flame that project radially from the sides of the drum.

page_text: Above the burner is supported a frame consisting of two concentric rings 6 and
sustained by arms 62 radiating from a hub 63 adjustably supported upon a post
projecting from the top of the drum a.
These
The incandescing material c is supported by the rings band 61. It is formed in
the following manner: A textile fabric is made into a web by knitting or weaving
process the web is then treated with a solution of rare earths. From this web are
then cut strips which are to be folded together, as shewn in Fig. 4, or small sheets
which are placed together as shewn in Fig. 5: thus forming a number of bunches
of material each consisting of a series of layers, sheets, or thicknesses.
bunches are then secured to the rings 1, 1, and one pressed against the other so
that each bunch will become a tuft and the series of tufis forming a continuous
ring of the incandescing material. A preferred way of securing each bunch to the
ring is to bend it midway, and saddle it over the two rings, thus bringing the
two ends together beneath the rings where they may be secured by a few stitches
immediately under the rings. The downwardly projecting edges of the tufts should
be of the same length all round. Other methods of securing the tufts may be
adopted they might be forced between the two rings as shewn in Fig. 6 or bound
thereto with wire, or in any other way secured, so long as the several layers of which
they are composed rest against and support each other. One ring might also be
used and the incandescing material secured as shewn in Fig. 6. In Fig. 8, a series of
spokes or bars are shewn between the two rings b, 1. A bunch of incandescing
material may be saddled over each of these bars, of such thicknesses that the adjoining
bunches will press against each other and thus hold the series in place.
:
When the burner is lighted, the cotton or other fibre forming the base for the
incandescing material, is first burned out, and thereafter when the burner is lighted
the lower edges of all the layers in the tufted ring become incandescent. The jets of
flame projecting outward from the sides of the drum impinge against the lower edges
of the incandescing ring, thus forming a source of light over-hanging the drum on all
sides, the downwardly inclined rays from which are uninterrupted by the burner or the
fixture on which it is mounted.
It will be seen that the short stubby sheets of the incandescing material projecting
downward from the two rings, supported by each other, will afford considerable
resistance to any shocks or jarring which the burner may in use be subjected to, and
for that reason the burner will be very durable.
It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular manner of
making the tufts herein described, nor in fact is it limited to making a series of
tufts. Substantially the same results may be obtained by making each bunch extend
entirely around the ring.
The tufts may be formed by shirring the layers before they are attached to the
rings, but it is quite as convenient to shir them afterwards by squeezing them
together in the manner described. The shirring separates the layers from each other
at the lower edges and permits the heat to rise between them and so increase the area
of incandescence.
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 :-
1. In an incandescent gas lamp, the construction and arrangement of the incan-
descing fabric or material in layers bound together to be mutually supporting,
substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. In an incandescent gas lamp, the construction and arrangement of the incan-
descing fabric or material in layers which are bound together at one edge whilst the
opposite edge is free to be mutually supporting.
3. In an incandescent gas lamp, an incandescing element consisting of a plurality
of layers or sheets of incandescing material bound together and mutually supporting
one another, in combination with a burner arranged to direct its flame or flames

page_text: against the edges of said layers of incandescing material, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4. In an incandescent gas lamp, an incandescing material in the form of a plurality
of layers, sheets or thicknesses bound together to be mutually supporting and
arranged in the form of a ring in combination with a concentric gas drum having
lateral perforations directing flames outwardly and against the edges of said layers of
incandescent material, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
5. In an incandescent gas lamp the combination of a ring of incandescing material
arranged in a horizontal plane, and a series of gas outlets or jets arranged concen-
trically inside of said ring and directing its flames radially against the ring of
incandescing material, substantially as herein before described.
6. In an incandescent gas lamp, an incandescing element formed by treating a
textile fabric with rare earths or other incandescing material, then arranging said
fabric in layers bound together to be mutually supporting and shirred, substantially
as described.
7. In an incandescent gas burner, a support for the incandescing material consisting
of two concentric rings having radial bars or spokes connecting them upon which
bunches of incandescing material are supported, substantially as herein before described
and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of April A.D. 1897.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.