A New or Improved Process for the Production of Automatic Gas and Vapour Igniters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1898-Accepted, 27th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Process for the Production of Automatic Gas and
Vapour Igniters.
We, ADOLPH MÜLLER and OSWALD GAREIS, Directors of the Society Müller
and Gareis, G.m.b.H., 120, Alexandrinenstrasse, Berlin, Germany, 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:-
-
The object of this invention is a process for the production of an automatic
igniter for gas and other volatile hydrogen carburet, use being made of the known
property of finely divided platinum or palladium to effect an automatic ignition of
the same by absorption of oxygen and other gases. In the methods hitherto
employed for the production of such automatic igniters there has been the drawback
that there was in part some restriction in the quantity of the platinum or palla-
dium solution used, and in part by the fact that the ignition could only be effected
at a proportionately high temperature, so that an absolutely certain acting of the
igniter so produced was not possible. If, for example, a highly porous mineral
like meerschaum be employed for receiving the solution of the platinum metal, the
quantity of ineffective mineral as compared with the platinum black, is altogether
disproportionately large, so that ignition is only possible with difficulty. More-
over, the porousness of the meerschaum, or of any other mineral used in place
thereof is by no means entirely uniform, so that the particular igniting body dis-
plays different igniting power at different spots. When the ignition is effected,
there is further, an action of the silicate on the finely divided metal, with a result-
ing formation of metallic silicates, whilst again, the mineral itself undergoes
"slagging" and, surrounding the metal which has not yet undergone a change,
renders it ineffective.
This disadvantage is shared also by any automatic igniter in which the metals
of the rare earths of the thorium and zirconium groups are employed as basis for
the reception of the solution of platinum metal as is the case in Dr. Killings
igniter, for which a composition of thor-platinum (thorium and platinum) is used.
The resulting oxides of these earths are very similar to silicic acid, to which they
stand in close chemical relationship, and form with the platinum metal a product
similar to silicate. This igniter also is not effective at a low temperature.
the fol-
These disadvantages are obviated in the present invention, in
lowing manner; As basis for the reception
black
of the platinum
or a similar finely divided metal, the oxides of substances similar to
silicon
which
of metals
are no longer taken, but the oxides
not readily fusible as aluminium, and beryllium, and similar metals
of this group, the oxides of which have the character of an acid as well as
of a base and therefore cannot enter into combination with the platinum metal.
are

page_text: These oxides have further the property of forming, under a glowing heat, a solid
homogeneous resistant mass in which the platinum metal lies in a finely divided
state.
The process of production of the igniters is; organic tissue of any kind is firstly
steeped in the solution of the platinum metal and then steeped in a solution of an
aluminium and beryllium metal or with the solution of another metal having a
close relationship to aluminium, the impregnated tissue being then burned under
glowing heat, whereby the oxides of aluminium etc. metal and the platinum black
are produced.
The quantity of platinum metal in relation to the other materials within the
igniters can be increased by using a stronger solution in the first instance so that
the ignition can take place at a temperature of 0° and even below that, because
the facility of igniting increases with the quantity of platinum black present.
These oxides further contain oxygen in a form capable of considerable re-action,
like the oxides having close relationship to silicic acid and thus support the action
(or effect) of the platinum black or sponge.
In most cases a proportion of 15 parts of aluminium black to 100 parts of plati-
num black within the igniters is found to be advantageous.
With this igniting body, the argillaceous earth skeleton forming the base for
the reception of platinum black is preserved unaltered, whereas with the applica-
tion of thorium earths a grey metallic substance is produced which with the reduc-
tion of the quantity of thorium to, for example, a per centage of 30% of thorium
oxide, no longer shows an igniting capacity.
The igniting body just described is used in combination with one or more plati-
num wires for the production of automatic igniters for gas and other volatile
hydrogen carburets, being introduced inside the chimney.
In the known automatically igniting incandescence bodies there is the disad-
vantage that when the mantle becomes defective, the apparatus for effecting the
ignition is also lost. In the new invention, the igniter can be applied to the
mantle in such a manner, that the igniter can be used again, even when the
mantle has become unserviceable.
This is effected by hanging the platinum wire, to which the igniting body is
fixed, above the mantle.
The accompanying drawing illustrates 2 primers A bound togetlier by several
thin platinum wires B, and the essential feature in this is the combination of
the long platinum wire B with one or more primers A with a view to being hung
inside the chimney C or above the mantle holder D. The wire B which is made
of platinum metal also becomes incandescent through the incandescence of the
primer resulting from the action of the gases, and thereby produces the ignition
of the last-named.
It is to be seen from this that by the combination of the hanging wire B and
the igniting body A and the separation hereby effected of the active igniting
body from the mantle E, an important advantage is secured, in so far that in this
way, any desired incandescent mantle can be converted into such a mantle with
automatic ignition and, after the mantle has become defective, the igniting appara-
tus may be again employed for a new mantle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. The new or improved process for the production of automatic igniters (with
the use of finely divided platinum, palladium, or similar metal) the feature of
which is that the organic tissue of any kind serving for the production of the
igniting body beyond being steeped in the solution of the platinum metal is also
steeped with the solution of an aluminium, beryllium metal, or with the
and
or
solution of another metal having a close relationship to aluminium, and then
glowed as set forth,

page_text: 2. Igniting bodies according to the process in Claim 1, distinguished by being
hung in the chimney on wire made of metals belonging to the platinum group.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1898.
R. CORE GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Adolph Müller and Oswald Gareis,