Blocks of Artificial Fuel.
Year: 1885

page_text: Blocks of Artificial Fuel.
"
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BLOCKS OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL
which Invention has been communicated to me from abroad by La Société
Anonyme des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée of Paris in the Republic of
France to be as follows:-
The present Invention has for its object the employment or application in
machines or apparatus for manufacturing blocks of artificial fuol of means for
obtaining hollow or perforated blocks as hereinafter described.
The improvements are more particularly applicable to Mazeline machines
working with or without hydraulic pressure but they may evidently be applied to
any other type of machine or apparatus for making blocks of artificial fuel.
Perforated or hollow blocks of artificial fuel are produced according to this
Invention by means of pins or rods attached to cross bars arranged beneath the
moulds These bars work in corresponding slots or recesses formed in the body of
the piston or plunger which effects the compression of the block-The head of this
piston or plunger is also provided with holes which enable it to slide easily along
the aforesaid pins or rods whose upper extremities are preferably flush with the
surface of the moulding table.
It is evident that the number and shape of the rods may vary in order to obtain
perforations or hollows of any desired number and shape-A lozenge form in
section combined with grooves in the sides of the blocks enables the latter to
break readily in the fire or under the hammer-The materials being introduced
into the mould and compressed by the action of the piston or plunger in the usual
manner the pins or rods form hollows or recesses in the body of the block which
Din Q77

page_text: greatly facilitate its combustion An important advantage attending the manu-
facture of hollow blocks according to this Invention is that the cracks produced by
the escape of steam from the interior of the solid blocks are obviated; in the case
of solid blocks this escape of steam produces fissures which although they
apparently disappear on cooling nevertheless form flaws in the block diminishing
its coherence. This disadvantage is remedied by applying a high degree of
pressure so as to expel the steam from the interior of the block-The presence of
the rods or pins in the interior of the mass increases the area of surface for the
escape of this steam and greatly assists the pressure in improving the quality of
the products.

page_text: Blocks of Artificial Fuel.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which Invention has
been communicated to me from abroad by La Société Anonyme des Forges et
Chantiers de la Méditerranée of Paris in the Republic of France and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
This Invention relating to machinery or apparatus for manufacturing blocks of
artificial fuel consists in the employment of means as hereinafter described for
forming hollow spaces or perforations in the said blocks in the process of manu-
facture for purposes hereinafter explained-The Invention which is applicable to
any existing or other machinery of suitable construction is hereinafter described as
being applied to a machine of the type known as the Mazeline machine in the
modified or improved form working with hydraulic pressure according to the
improvements introduced by the Société des Forges et Chantiers or otherwise.
These machines are capable of producing solid blocks of agglomerated fuel of any
desired weight the weight of the blocks being usually from about two and a half
to 20 pounds-It is evidently desirable to make the blocks of such form and weight
as shall be most convenient for use in the marine, locomotive and various other
furnaces in which they may be employed Small blocks although less economical
as regards the manufacture, present nevertheless the advantage of being capable of
being introduced whole on to tho grate without being previously broken with a
hammer; a process producing dust which falls through the grate bars and is not
consumed. Large blocks are cheaper to make and less expensive to move and
stow, but they require to be broken with a hammer into a number of fragments
proportionate to the size of the block thus increasing the waste in dust.
The perforated blocks made by machinery or apparatus improved according to
this Invention as hereinafter explained are free from these disadvantages-If made
of such a size as to admit of their being placed entire in the furnace they burn
inore readily than solid blocks or if they require to be previously broken or divided
into fragments they break readily and with little or no waste.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a vertical section of the
revolving moulding table of an ordinary Mazeline machine arranged for making
solid blocks of fuel in the usual manner figure 4 is a corresponding plan and
£gure 3 is a transverse section of one of the cells or moulds.
Figure 5 is a vertical section figure 6 a corresponding plan and figure 7 a detail
of one of the cells or moulds of the revolving table of a Mazeline machine provided
with means for producing hollow or perforated blocks of fuel according to this
Invention.
The moulding table in either case presents a suitable number of radiating
moulds A provided with renewable linings B and compressing plungers or

page_text: '
pistons C whereby the materials are compacted pressed or moulded and finally
ejected from the moulds.
In the arrangement illustrated in figures 1. 2 and 3 the moulds are filled as the
table revolves the filling taking place say at n n figure 4 the materials being
subsequently compressed at n² and the blocks indicated at m ejected at o in the
case of the mould table illustrated in figure 6 these operations of the manufacture
are performed at the corresponding points marked respectively n' m' o'-perforated
or hollow blocks m' of artificial fuel are produced in the moulding table illustrated
in figures 5. 6 and 7 by means of pins or rods a a a attached to cross bars bbb
fixed in the bottom of the mould These bars work or slide in corresponding slots
or recesses c formed in the body of the compressing piston or plunger c¹ figures 5
and 7.
The head of this piston or plunger is covered by a plate c also provided with
holes which enable it to slide easily along the aforesaid pins or rods a whose upper
extremities are preferably flush or level with the upper surface of the mould
table B as indicated in figure 5 It is evident that the number and shape of the
rods may vary in order to obtain perforations or hollows of any desired number and
shape The lozenge form in section indicated in the drawing combined with lateral
grooves or indentations in the sides of the blocks enables the latter to break readily
in the fire or under the hammer-The materials being introduced into the moulds
at n¹ and compressed by the action of the piston or plunger in the usual manner
the pins or rods a form hollows or recesses in the body of the block as indicated
in the drawing The mould on the right hand side of figure 5 is drawn with the
plunger C in the position which it occupies when the block has been compressed to
the proper size and the plunger in the mould on the left hand side of the same.
figure has forced the block out of the mould ready for removal The manufacture
of hollow blocks according to this Invention presents the additional advantage that
the cracks produced by the escape of steam from the interior of the solid blocks
made in the ordinary way are obviated; in the case of solid blocks this escape of
steam produces fissures which although they apparently disappear on cooling
nevertheless form flaws in the block diminishing its coherence This disadvantage
is remedied by applying a high degree of pressure so as to expel the steam from
the interior of the block. The pressure of the rods or pins a a a in the interior of
the mass increases the area of surface for the escape of this steam and greatly
assists the action of the pressure in improving the quality of the products.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First In machinery or apparatus for manufacturing blocks of artificial fuel
the employment of means for forming hollow spaces or perforations in the said
blocks substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Second-In combination with a machine of the Mazeline or like type for making
blocks of artificial fuel the employment of fixed pins or rods projecting into the
moulds and a compressing piston or plunger working over the said pins or rods
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.