IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bird, Manager of Chance's Fire Clay and
Brick Works, Oak Farm, Kingswinford, near Dudley, for the Invention
⚫of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION, left, by the said John Bird at the Office.
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his-Petition, on the 24th January
1854
I, JOHN BIRD, Manager of Chance's Fire Clay and Brick Works, Oak Farm,
Kingswinford,,near Dudley, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING: BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES" to
be as follows:
This Invention consists of constructing a kiln in the following manner :-A
culvert.or air passage is built or formed below the bottom leading from the
o external air to the middle of the foundation of the kiln, where a central mass
of masonry is built with a space all round open to the air culvert or passage,
and the surrounding foundation is built.up to receive and support the bottom or
floor of the kiln; but in place of such floor or bottom being built solid on the.
foundation, numerous radial passages are made on which the bottom or floor is
5 laid, such passages at their inner ends, opening into the central space with
which the air culvert communicates, their outer ends opening into a hollow
lining of the kiln; consequently when the kiln is in use there is a constant
supply of air from the outer atmosphere into the central space, and through the

page_text: passages below the bottom or floor into the hollow lining of the kiln, the air
being in its passage highly heated, tending at the same time to keep the bottom
or floor and the bricks or articles immediately above it from becoming too
highly heated. The fire places are made with inclined fire bars, the lower
ones being horizontal or nearly so. The fuel is supplied by hoppers above,
There is an opening kept above each of
the fires to stoke the fire through. The ash pit is by preference closed, and
the fire is supplied with heated air from the hollow linings in the kiln by
openings above the fire bars on either side of each fire-place.
thus keeping up a continued supply.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,,filed
by the said John Bird in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
July 1854.
TO. ALL TO WHOM: THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BIRD, Manager of Chance's Fire Clay and Brick Works, Oak Farm, Kingswin-
ford, near Dudley, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight, hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
said John Bird; Her special licence that I, the said John Bird, my execu-
tors, administrators; and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Bird,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no, otliers, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the. term
therein expressed, should and lawfully. might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an: Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS FOR BURNING
BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the.
said John Bird, by an instrument in writing under. my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately.
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Bird, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say) :-

page_text: This. Invention consists of constructing a kiln in the following manner :-A
culvert or air passage is built or formed below the bottom leading from the
external air to the middle of the foundation of the kiln, where a central mass
of masonry is built with a space all round open to the air culvert or passage,
and the surrounding foundation is built up to receive and support the bottom or
floor of the kiln; but in. place of such floor or bottom being built solid on the
foundation, numerous, radial passages are made on which the bottom or floor
is laid; sucli passages at their inner ends opening into the central space with
which the air culvert communicates, their outer cuts opening into a hollow lining
of, the kiln; consequently when the kiln is in use there is a constant supply of air
from the outer atmosphere into the central space, and through the passages
below the bottom or floor into the hollow lining of the kiln, the air being in its
passage highly heated, tending at the same time to keep the bottom or floor
and the bricks or articles inmediately above it from becoming too highly heated..
The fire-places are made with inclined fire-bars, the lower one being horizontal
or nearly so. The fuel is supplied by hoppers above, thus keeping up a con-
tinued supply. There is an opening kept above each of the fires to stoke the
fire through. The ashpit is by preference closed, and the fire is supplied with.
heated air from the hollow inings in the kiln by opening above the fire, bars
on either side, of each fire-place.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed, to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a vertical section, of a kiln constructed according to my Inven-.
tion; Figure 2 shows a horizontal section taken as indicated by the dotted line:
in Figure 1, in order to shew the arrangement of the fire-places or furnaces,
and also the air passages under the flooring of the kilin; and Figure 3 is a
plan of the floor, which is composed of shaped quarries or tiles, which are
supported by the radial partitions, which divides the space below into numerous
air passages conveying to the centre of the floor. The kiln shown is of a
cylindrical form at the lower part, and semi-spherical at the upper part, which
is similar to kilns in ordinary use; and I would state that the form of the
kiln may be varied. The kiln is constructed to be heated by means of
fire-places, or, furnaces; this also may be varied, depending on, the size and.
construction or form of the kiln constructed according to my Invention.
Below the bottom a, a, of the kiln is a hollow space divided by radial walls
b, c, d, e, of bricks on edge, which walls receive and support the bottom a, a,
which is composed of tiles or quarries. At the middle of the kiln is a pier of

page_text: brick f, and around it is a cylindrical space, into which air from the exterior
passes by the air passage or culvert g. The air as it rises up from the space h
around the pier f, is divided into numerous streams by the radial walls under
the bottom a, a, of the kiln, and the air thus divided into numerous streams
enters into the spaces i, i, around the lower part of the kiln, which are left
between the lining and main outer walls of the kiln, and these hollow spaces
open into hollow spaces j, j, on the sides of the fire-places or furnaces. .k, k,
are openings at the sides of the fire-places or furnaces, by which the air passes
into the fires above the fire bars: The furnaces are all alike, and each 'consists
of two sets of fire bars, as shewn, with a hopper to keep up a supply of coal,
and when at work, the ash pit is closed with a quarry or tile luted or clayed
up to close it: By this arrangement or combination of the lower parts of a
kiln, it will be seen that when the fires have been lighted, and the ash pit
closed, there will be a constant flow of air through the culvert or air passage
to the centre of the bottom of the kiln, which air will be divided into numerous
streams under the bottom of the kiln, and such streams of air will become.
heated by abstracting heat from the bottom a, a, which is important, and
the streams of highly heated air thus obtained will pass from these radial
passages under the bottom of the kiln into the hollow lining at the sides of
the kiln, and from these spaces the heated air will pass to the fire, and thus
support air for combustion.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner. of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details herein given, so long as the peculiar character of my Invention
be retained; but what I claim is, the combination or construction of kiln
herein described.
In witness whereof, I; the said John Bird, have hereunto, set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
GEO. PITT,
4, Old Square.
JOHN BIRD. (L.S.)