IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BARS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaiah Kendrick, of Walworth, in the County of
Surrey, Steam Boiler Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FURNACES AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BARS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 9th July 1867, and dated the 11th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaiah Kendrick at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
January 1867.
I, ISAIAH KENDRICK, of Walworth, in the County of Surrey, Steam Boiler
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BARS FOR THE SAME,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to furnaces in which the fuel is gradually carried from
the front towards the back of the fire-place.
My Invention mainly consists in the manufacture and employment, as
hereafter described, of fire-bars or blocks of fire-bars which are caused to
move gradually towards the back of the fire-place, and then fall into the ash-

page_text: pit, from which they are gradually returned.to the front of the ash-pit and are
again put into position by the attendant, all as hereafter described. My fire-
bars preferably constructed in rectangular blocks, say 9 inches in length,
and six in breadth, each block containing, say, six bars, more or less, according
to the boiler to which the furnace is to be applied. These blocks of fire-bars
are placed in rows (say 5 rows, more or less), so as to move along T iron or
other slides or guides above the ash-pit, the blocks in each row by preference
breaking joint in a zig-zag manner with the blocks in the next adjoining row
or rows. In front of these blocks I fit what may be termed a pusher which
moves in slides or guides, and extends across the front of the furnace, and the
back face of which is constructed to receive the ends of the foremost fire-bar
block of each row; if, for instance, there are five rows of blocks the pusher
may have three projections, which with the two plain parts between them corre-
spond with the position of the 5 foremost blocks, which, as before stated, break
joint with each other. This pusher has a to-and-fro motion imparted to it by an
oscillating rod or eccentric, or by any other convenient mechanical appliance,
and it takes, say 35 minutes, more or less, to complete its backward and
forward stroke. To the pusher or to the appliance which moves it are
connected the front ends of two or more horizontal rods which extend the
whole length of the fire-bars and ash-pit, and are connected at their back ends
to a plate shaped to correspond with the ash-pit; these rods and plate move
to and fro with the pusher. At the back end of the series of fire-bars is a
water tube.and a fire-bridge which the fuel cannot pass, and beyond the
tube and beneath the bridge is an opening down which the blocks fall into the
ash-pit. The under side of the fire-bridge is inclined so that should a block
adhere to that next in front of it they are separated by the former coming
against the inclination.
The operation is as follows:-Supposing the whole of the surface or space
between the pusher and the water tube filled with five rows of fire-bar blocks
breaking joint with each other, and the pusher and plate before mentioned at
the fore part of their stroke, the pusher will in its backward motion push the
whole of the blocks with the fuel gradually backward, and 5 of them, one of
each row will pass under the water tube and fall down into the ash-pit in front
of the plate, which has by this time moved to the end of its back stroke.
In the forward stroke of the pusher and plate the fallen blocks and some
of the ashes will be brought forward by the plate towards the front, and an
empty space or room will be left on the block slides between the pusher and
the foremost block; the attendant then places 5 other blocks into this space,

page_text: and the blocks are again moved backward as before until 5 more fall into the
ash-pit, and the operation is repeated continuously. The movement of the
pusher allows ample time, say a quarter of an hour, for the attendant to place
the new blocks. The pusher may be formed so as to cause the five blocks to
fall one after another, or two or more together. Sometimes in addition to
the plate at the back end of the horizontal rods I hinge one or more other
plates to other parts of these rods to assist in bringing the blocks and ashes to
the front of the ash-pit; these other plates are hinged so as in their back
movement to ride over the blocks behind them.
I prefer to combine the arrangements before described with a series of fire-
bridges which will cause the flame to take a serpentine course from side. to
side, or up and down. The fuel may be fed by a hopper or otherwise behind
the pusher.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Isaiah Kendrick in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAIAH
KENDRICK, of Walworth, in the County of Surrey, Steam Boiler Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Isaiah Kendrick, Her special licence that I, the said Isaiah Kendrick,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Isaiah
Kendrick, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, 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
FURNACES AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-BARS FOR THE SAME,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Isaiah Kendrick, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: 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 Isaiah Kendrick, do hereby declare the
nature of said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement therefore, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention relates to furnaces in which the fuel is gradually carried from
the front towards the back of the fire-place.
My Invention mainly consists in the manufacture and employment as
hereafter described of fire-bars or blocks of fire-bars, which are caused to
move gradually towards the back of the fire-place and then fall into the ash-
pit, from which they are gradually returned to the front of the ash-pit and
are again put into position by the attendant, all as hereafter described. My
fire-bars are preferably constructed in rectangular blocks, say, nine inches in
Jength and six in breadth, each block containing, say, six bars, more or less,
according to the boiler to which the furnace is to be applied. These blocks of
fire-bars are placed in rows, (say five rows, more or less,) so as to move along
T-iron or other slides or guides above the ash-pit, the blocks in each row by
preference breaking joint in a zig-zag manner with the blocks in the next
adjoining row or rows. In front of these blocks I fit what may be termed a
pusher, which moves in slides or guides and extends across the front of the
furnace, and the back face of which is constructed to receive the end of the
foremost fire-bar block of each row; if, for instance, there are five rows of
blocks, the pusher may have 3 projections, which with the two plain parts
between them correspond with the position of the five foremost blocks, which, as
before stated, break joint with each other. This pusher has a to-and-fro motion
imparted to it by an oscillating rod or excentric, or by any other convenient
mechanical appliance, and it takes, say, thirty-five minutes, more or less, to
complete its backward and forward stroke. To the pusher or to the appliance
which moves it are connected the front ends of two or more horizontal rods
which extend the whole length of the fire-bars and ash-pit, and are connected
at their back ends to a plate shaped to correspond with the ash-pit; these
rods and plate move to and fro with the pusher. At the back end of the
series of fire-bars is a water tube and a fire-bridge, which the fuel cannot pass,
and beyond the tube and beneath the bridge is an opening down which the
blocks fall into the ash-pit.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a vertical section, and Figure 2
a horizontal section through the line x, x, of Figure 1 of a furnace constructed
according to my Invention shown applied to a Cornish boiler.
A is the central flue of the Cornish boiler; B is the front of the boiler
casing; C is the ash-pit; D, D, are transverse bars secured to the sides of
the flue A; these bars support longitudinal slide guides or T-irons E;
F, F, are the rectangular blocks of fire-bars placed in five rows, each block
being composed of six bars. One of these blocks is on an enlarged scale in
plan in Figure 3, in side elevation in Figure 4, and in transverse section in
Figure 5; they are formed at their sides with or without grooves a to slide
along the horizontal arms of the guides. As before mentioned the blocks F
of one row break joint with the blocks in the next adjoining row or rows.
G is what I have herein-before termed a pusher, or it may be called a
propeller; this appliance extends across the front of the furnace, and its
back face is constructed to receive the end of the foremost block F of each
row. It has a to-and-fro motion imparted to it by a reversing screw H or
other convenient mechanical appliance, and it takes, say, thirty-five minutes
to complete its backward and forward stroke. To the pusher G (or to
the levers I) are connected the front ends of two horizontal rods K which
extend the whole length of the fire-bars and ash-pit, and are connected at
their back ends to a plate L shaped to correspond with the ash-pit; theso
rods K and plate L move to and fro with the pusher; M is a water
tube, and N is a fire-bridge which the fuel cannot pass; O is an opening
beneath the bridge N, down which opening the blocks F fall into the ash-pit.
The under side of the fire-bridge is inclined, so that should a block adhere
to that next in front of it they are separated by the former coming against
the inclination.
The operation is as follows:--Supposing the whole of the surface or space
between the pusher G and the water tube M filled with the five rows of fire-
bar blocks F breaking joint with each other, and the pusher G and plate Lat
the fore part of their stroke, as shown in the Figures, the pusher G will in its
backward motion push the whole of the blocks F with the fuel gradually
backward, and five of them, one of each row will pass under the water tube M
and fall down the opening O into the ash-pit C in front of the plate L, which
has by this time moved to the end of its back stroke. In the forward stroke
of the pusher G and plate L the fallen blocks and some of the ashes will
be brought forward by the plate L towards the front, and an empty space or
room will be left on the block slides E between the pusher and the foremost

page_text: block; the attendant then places five other blocks into this space, and tho
blocks are again moved backward as before until five more fall into the ash-
pit, and the operation is repeated. The movement of the pusher G allows
ample time, say a quarter of an hour, for the attendant to place the new
blocks. The pusher may be formed so as to cause the five blocks to fall one
after another, or two or more together; the pusher shown in the Figures is
formed so as to cause them to fall one after another. Sometimes in addition
to the plate L at the back end of the horizontal rods K I hinge one or more
other plates P to other parts of these rods to assist in bringing the blocks and
ashes to the front of the ash-pit; these other plates are hinged so as in their
backward movement to ride over the blocks behind them. I prefer to
combine the arrangements before described with a series of fire-bridges which
will cause the flame to take a serpentine course from side to side, or up and
down. The fuel may be fed by a hopper Q, or otherwise behind the pusher.
The blocks F are preferred to be formed with projections 6 at their ends, and
other projections c at their sides to prevent their coming into too close contact
with each other while on their slides E.
By the arrangement of furnaces as above described small coal or other
fuel may be advantageously used, and a total consumption of the smoke
thereby effected.
I do not limit myself to any particular arrangement for imparting a to-and-
fro motion to the pusher G and rods K, or to any particular description of
pusher or appliance for moving the blocks E gradually to the back of the
furnace.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the employment in furnaces of fire-bars or blocks of fire-bars which
are caused to move gradually towards the back of the fire-place and then fall
into the ash-pit, from which they are returned to the front of the ash-pit,
substantially as herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second, constructing furnaces with slides or guides for the fire-bars or
blocks of fire-bars, substantially as herein-before described and represented in
the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the general combination of parts of furnaces arranged and acting
substantially as herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourth, the manufacture of fire-bars or blocks of fire-bars, substantially as

page_text: and for the purpose herein-before described and represented in the ac-
companying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaiah Kendrick, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eleventh day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
ISAIAH KENDRICK. (L.s.)