IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-BARS FOR FURNACES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Jordan, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-BARS FOR FURNACES."
Scaled the 2nd June 1868, and dated the 30th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Jordan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th March 1868.
I, JOHN JORDAN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-BARS POR FURNACES," to be as follows:-
The principal feature of novelty in this Invention consists in con-
structing fire-bars with their upper surface forming a series of steps
graduating downwards from the furnace doors towards the bridge, such
steps being by preference shallower towards the furnace front and
deeper towards the bridge. The vertical faces or "risers" of the steps
are left open or perforated, so that the air has a free access to the

page_text: fuel, and the fire may be worked when necessary through these openings
or perforations. The flat or horizontal faces of the steps may be either
solid or perforated. The transverse section of the bar is that of an
inverted trough, the horizontal portion being either flat, curved, or
angulated as may be preferred.
In some cases I propose to use a combination of these forms, that
is to say, to make the horizontal face of the front or shallower steps
flat, and to give a more or less obtuse angulated form to the horizontal
faces of the deeper steps as they recede from the furnace doors. These
step faced fire-bars when worked by any well-known suitable mechanism
may be used with advantage so as to be self-feeding, and to work the
fuel constantly or intermittently forwards automatically.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Jordan in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
JORDAN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Jordan, Her special licence
that I, the said John Jordan, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Jordan, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-BARS FOR FURNACES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Jordan, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 Jordan, do hereby declare
the nature of my "said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying
Sheets of Drawings, that is to say:-
The principal feature of novelty consists in the construction of fire-
bars having their upper surfaces forming a series of steps graduating
downwards from the furnace front towards the bridge, such steps being
by preference deeper at the furnace front, and shallower towards the
bridge. The vertical faces or "risers" of the steps are by preference
left entirely open or may be perforated, so that the air has a free
access to the fuel, and the fire may be worked when necessary through
these openings or perforations. The flat or horizontal faces of the
steps may be either solid or perforated, and made of the same material
as the body of the bar, or capable of being detached, and may be of
steel, or fire-brick, or any refractory material. The transverse section
of the bar is that of an inverted trough or tee shape, the horizontal
Iongitudinal portion being cither flat, curved, or angulated, as may be
preferred.
In some cases I propose to use a combination of these forms, that
is to say, to make the horizontal faces of the front steps flat, and to
give a more or less obtuse angulated form to the horizontal faces of
the deeper steps. These step faced fire-bars are capable of being; worked.
by any well-known suitable mechanism, and are then made to be
self-feeding and self-cleaning, and to work the fuel constantly or inter-
mittently forwards automatically.
In order that such suitable mechanism may be used I propose to
fix or bolt sccurely the two side bars in their places.. These two side
bars being thus fixed are used as framing to carry or support the:
mechanism used to give motion to the other fire-bars forming the
furnace. By these means I obviate the necessity of using separate
framing to carry the mechanism which moves the bars in order to work

page_text: forward the fuel automatically. Finally, the steps or gradations in the
step faced fire-bars can be proportioned so as to burn coals of different
characters, whether bituminous or anthracite. The bituminous coal
requiring the vertical air spaces more regularly spaced in the length of
the fire-bar than the anthracite.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Im-
provements in the Construction of Fire-bars for Furnaces," I will now.
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is
to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect.
And in order that the same may be distinctly understood I have
annexed hereunto two Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
In Sheet One of the annexed Drawings Figure 1 is an end elevation
of a flue boiler showing the application of my improved fire-bars
thereto; and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the furnace
showing the step faced fire-bar in elevation.
In the left-hand flue in Figure 1 the fire-bars are shown in end
elevation. In the right-hand flue the left-hand half shows a section
through the line A, A, in Figure 2, and the right-hand half shows
a section taken through the line B, B, in Figure 2.
a, a, is the front plate of the boiler; b, b, the bridge; c, c, the
hopper for coals; and d, d, the register plate; e, e, represents my
improved step faced fire-bars, the two outside bars e*, e*, being bolted
or fixed firmly in their places, and serving as a framing to carry or
support the shaft f, f, the rest being free to move. The fire-bars are
of an inverted trough form in cross section, as seen at Figure 1, the
vertical faces or risers being left open as at g, g, for the purpose of
admitting air to the fuel. The movable fire-bars are supported on cross
bearers h, h, the shaft f, f, carries a number of eccentrics i, i (one for
each movable bar) set alternately in opposite directions, and working
in jaws k, k, formed on the under side of the front end of the fire-bars;
for that purpose a ratchet wheel is keyed on one end of the shaft f,f,
and by means of a lever and catch rotary motion is imparted thereto
in any convenient manner, the action of the eccentrics on the step faced
bars causing them constantly to feed the fuel forwards, and prevent
the formation of clinkers.

page_text: Figure 3 (Sheet 1) is a side elevation of a short stepped bar, suitable
for coal of a bituminous character, the arrows showing the positions of
the air spaces.
Figure 4 (Sheet 1) shows side elevation, plan, and vertical section of
a step faced firc-bar with snugs a, a, in the air spaces at the side for
burning coals of a harder or anthracite character, the deeper steps being
towards the front.
In Sheet 2 of the Drawings Figures 5 and 6 arc side elevations of
step faced fire-bars with self-cleaning snugs a, a, for anthracite coal
requiring a slow combustion.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are cross sections of trough and tee-
formed bars showing the flat, curved, and angulated forms of the
horizontal face a, a, representing the steps, and b, b, the air spaces in
cach Figure.
"
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention
for "Improvements in the Construction of Fire-bars for Furnaces,'
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion
that I claim as my Invention the construction of fire-bars with a series
of steps graduating downwards from the front towards the bridge, and
having air spaces in the vertical faces or "risers" thereof, the horizontal
faces being either solid or perforated, and either flat, curved, or
angulated substantially as and for the purposes herein-before more
particularly set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jordan, have hereunto
set my hand and scal. this Twenty-fourth day of June, in the