Boilers and the like Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1887
Complete Left, 27th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 29th July, 1887
Boilers and the like Purposes.
I, EDMUND PALMER of 6 Burngreave Road, Sheffield, in the County of York,
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRICKS AND FIRE BRIDGES FOR THE FURNACES OF STEAM BOILERS AND THe like
PURPOSES to be as follows:-
"
Fire Bridges for the purposes herein described are generally constructed by building
several courses of ordinary sized Fire Bricks into the required form, and in cases
of bridges for the internal or external Furnaces of cylindrical steam Boilers, the
top courses of bricks on the bridge of each Furnace have to be cut or trimmed to the
required form so as to leave the necessary space or spaces between the Crown of
the Furnace and the bridge; the cutting, trimming, and setting of such brick work
necessarily occupying considerable time, and bridges so constructed have been found
in practice to be liable to be broken and knocked down by the firemen during the
operations of Stoking.
The object of my Invention is to provide the means by which such fire Bridges
may be rendered more durable, and at the same time more readily fixed in position
than is the case by the means at present generally employed.
I effect this by constructing the fire bridge in two specially formed fire bricks or
blocks, (hereinafter called blocks,) each block being of the same size and form, and
when placed in position having one vertical central joint, the separate balves being
provided with an elongated vertical recess which form a cavity when the two blocks
are together, for the reception of a fire brick Key, by which they are secured; when
the key is in position its outer end is flush with the top of the bridge and in its
centre.
Two blocks with their key such as are herein described form a complete fire bridge,
which can be set into position and the joints made good with fire clay or other cement

page_text: in much less time than is the case by the means generally employed as herein pre-
viously described, and a fire bridge. so constructed has been found by experiment to
be more durable and better able to withstand rough usage during the operations of
stoking.
In large Furnaces such as are found under externally fired steam Boilers, and in
some kinds of Marine Boilers, it might be found inconvenient to make the fire bridge
or bridges of such furnaces in two Blocks only, in such cases the bridge may be formed
of three or more such blocks, all of which may be secured together with fire brick
Keys substantially as herein previously described.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bricks and Fire Bridges for the Furnaces of Steam
Boilers and the like Purposes.
I, EDMUND PALMER, of 6 Burngreave Road, Sheffield, in the County of York,
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRICKS AND FIRE BRIDGES FOR THE FURNACES OF STEAM BOILERS AND THE LIKE
PURPOSES," and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Fire Bridges for the purposes herein described are generally constructed by building
several courses of ordinary sized Fire Bricks into the required form, and in cases of
bridges for the internal or external Furnaces of Cylindrical Steam Boilers, the top
courses of Bricks on the bridge of each Furnace have to be cut or trimmed to the
required form so as to leave the necessary space or spaces between the Crown of the
Furnace and the bridge; the cutting, trimming and setting of such brick work
necessarily occupying considerable time, and bridges so constructed have been found
in practice to be liable to be broken and knocked down by the firemen during the
operations of Stoking.
The object of my Invention is to provide the means by which such fire bridges may
be rendered more durable, and at the same time more readily fixed in position than is
the case by the means at present generally employed.
I effect this by constructing the fire bridge in two specially formed fire Bricks or
blocks, (hereinafter called Blocks,) each block being of the same size and form, and
when placed in position having one vertical central joint, the separate halves being
provided with an elongated vertical recess which forms a cavity when the two blocks
are together, for the reception of a fire brick key, by which they are secured; when
the key is in position its outer end is flush with the top of the bridge and in its
centre.
Two blocks with their key such as are herein described form a complete fire bridge,
which can be set into position and the joints made good with fire clay or other cement
in much less time than is the case by the means generally employed as herein pre-
viously described, and a fire bridge so constructed has been found by experiment
to be more durable and better able to withstand the rough usage during the operations
of stoking.
In large Furnaces such as are found under externally fired steam Boilers, and in
some kinds of Marine Boilers, it might be found inconvenient to make the fire bridge
or bridges of such furnaces in two Blocks only, in such cases the bridge may bo
formed of three or more such Blocks, all of which may be secured together with fire
brick Keys substantially as herein previously described.
Although my Invention is applicable to the Furnaces of a variety of forms of
Steam Boilers and the like purposes, an illustration of its application to the Furnace

page_text: of an internally fired Steam Boiler, and to the Furnace of an externally fired Steam
Boiler will suffice, such illustrations are given on the accompanying two sheets of
Drawings in which,-
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, Represents two of the specially formed blocks with a fire brick Key
adapted to an internally fired Steam Boiler.
Fig. 2, Sheet 1, Represents a longitudinal section of a portion of the Furnace of
an internally fired Steam Boiler, fitted with an improved fire bridge constructed of
two blocks and a key as represented in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, Sheet 1, Being a cross section of the same.
Fig. 1, Sheet 2, Represents three of the specially formed blocks with two fire brick
keys adapted to an externally fired Steam Boiler.
Fig. 2, Sheet 2, Represents a longitudinal section of a portion of the Furnace of
an externally fired Steam Boiler fitted with an improved fire bridge constructed of
three blocks and two keys as represented in Fig. 1. Sheet 2.
Fig. 3, Sheet 2, Being a cross section of the same.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views on both sheets
of Drawings.
a a. Is the fire brick block or blocks.
bb. Is the fire brick key or keys.
c.c. Is the vertical joint or joints.
d. Is the fire bridge and fire bar bearer.
ee. Is the fire bar or fire Bars.
f. Is the brickwork below the fire bridge.
gg. Is the plate or plates of the Furnace of an internally fired Steam Boiler.
hh. Is the plate or plates of the shell of an externally fired Steam Boiler.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is.
(1) Constructing specially formed fire bricks or fire blocks in combination with a
fire brick key or fire brick keys by means of which two or more such fire bricks or
fire blocks may be secured together when in position so as to form a fire bridge
for the Furnace or Furnaces of Steam Boilers, substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
(2) Constructing the fire bridge of the Furnace or Furnaces of Steam Boilers of
two or more specially formed fire bricks or fire blocks in combination with a fire brick
key or fire brick keys by means of which such fire bricks or fire blocks may be secured
together when in position substantially as herein described and illustrated.
(3) The combined improvements in bricks and fire bridges for the Furnaces of
Steam Boilers and the like purposes substantially as herein described and set forth.
Dated this 4th day of June 1887.