IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-BARS AND GRATES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Wenner, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-BARS
AND GRATES." -A communication from abroad by Ernest Mehl, of
Augsburg, Bavaria.
Sealed the 31st December 1870, and dated the 14th July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Wenner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th July 1870.
I, ALFRED WENNER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-BARS AND GRATES," a communication, from Ernest Mehl, of Augs-
burg, Bavaria, to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to fire-bars of about 12% inches (323
millimètres) in length ¼ inch (6 millimètres) wide at the top, 0.16 inch
(4 millimetres) at the bottom, and 3 inches (76 millimetres) in height.
The open space between two fire-bars being of a clear width of 0.08 inch
(2 millimetres) at the surface, and 0.16 inch (4 millimètres) at the
bottom of the grate.

page_text: The fire-bars rest on cross bars of suitable section only inch (6
millimetres) wide at the top part on which the bars rest, and on account
of the peculiar formation there is no possibility for the accumulation of
hot cinders in any place, and the atmospheric air has free access under
and through the fire-bars which prevents them from getting hot. The
grate is formed by the fire-bars so that it can freely expand lengthways
without obstruction and without altering the open spaces for the admis-
sion of the atmospheric air.
The principal point of my Invention is the peculiar_formation of the
fire-bars and the way in which they are placed on the cross bars, and in
this manner the whole grate forms one even surface and does not present
any projecting parts which would interfere with the free working of the
grate by the stoker and on which the scoria or slag could stick fast.
By the above described arrangement of my furnace the most even
distribution of the admitted air is actually effected, and thus not only
the liveliness of the fire greatly augmented, but also the complete com-
bustion of the fuel with absence of smoke made possible. On account
of the space between two fire-bars being only 0.08 inch (2 millimetres)
there is no possibility of small coal (or other small fuel) falling through
the grate unburnt. On the whole surface of the grate there is nowhere
any large space where the atmospheric air has not free admission and
from which the cinders could not freely drop off. Moreover, the fire-
bars cannot get bent by the heat as they never get red hot, owing to
their narrow width (or small section) and the atmospheric air surrounding
and cooling them from all parts. The several cross bars (supporting the
fire-bars), which are made of a deep section and thus reach far down,
effect a more vertical than horizontal direction of the combustion air
(even with a strong draught), which materially heightens the useful
effect of the fuel burnt.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
WENNER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alfred Wenner, Her special licence, that I, the
said Alfred Wenner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Wenner, 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 FIRE-BARS AND
GRATES," a communication to me from abroad by Ernest Mehl, of Augs-
burg, Bavaria, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Wenner, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Wenner, do licreby 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, that is to say:-
Most of the furnaces hitherto applied to steam boilers or other heating
apparatus are more or less subject to one serious fault, namely, that the
atmospheric air necessary to support combustion is not equally distributed
over the furnace grate, in some places the air having too easy access and
in other places none at all. Narrow bars have been applied to remedy this.
fault, but the more it has been overcome by the application and adaptation
of narrow fire-bars the greater the difficulty has become of keeping the
furnace in good working order, and in most cases the narrow bars have
been removed and replaced by strong broad fire-bars, notwithstanding:
this has necessitated the burning of large coals only.
Now by the new improvements these defects are removed, and not
only can large coals be more economically burnt than hitherto, but it is
also possible to burn the very smallest coal or other fuel with as much
advantage, as large coal.

page_text: My said improvements comprise the construction of fire-bars of, say,
123 inches (323 millimetres) in length, ¼ inch (6 millimetres) wide at
the top, and 0-16 inch (4 millimetres) at the bottom, and 3 inches (76 milli-
metres) in height. The open space between any two bars being of a clear
width of 0.08 inch (2 millimetres) at the surface, or 0.16 (4 millimetres)
at the bottom of the grate. These dimensions may, however, be varied
if in practice that may be found desirable, the relative proportions being
always kept in view. The fire-bars rest on cross bars of suitable section,
and only ¼ inch (6 millimetres) wide at the top part, on which the bars
rest, and on account of the peculiar formation there is no possibility for
the accumulation of hot cinders in any place, and the atmospheric air
has free access under and through the fire-bars, which prevents them
from getting hot. The grate is so formed that it can freely expand
lengthways without obstruction or without altering the open spaces for
the admission of atmospheric air.
The principal point of my Invention is the peculiar formation of the
fire-bars and the way in which they are placed on the cross bars, and in
this manner the whole grate forms one even surface and does not present
any projecting parts which would interfere with the free working of the
grate by the stoker, and on which the scoria or slag could stick fast, all
which will be apparent on inspection of the accompanying Drawings.
By the above-described arrangement of my furnace the most even
distribution of the admitted air is actually effected, and thus not only
the liveliness of the fire greatly augmented, but also the complete com-
bustion of the fuel with absence of smoke made possible. On account
of the space between two fire-bars being only 0.08 inch (2 millimetres)
in width there is no chance of small coal (or rather small fuel) falling
through the grate unburnt. On the whole surface of the grate there is
nowhere any large space where the atmospheric air has not free admission,
and from which the cinders could not freely drop off. Moreover, the
fire-bars cannot get burnt by the heat, as they never get red-hot, owing
to their narrow width (or small section) and the atmospheric air sur-
rounding and cooling them from all parts. The several cross bars
(supporting the fire-bars) are made of a deep section, and thus reach
far down and give a more vertical than horizontal direction to the com-
bustion of the air (even with a strong draught), which materially
heightens the useful effect of the fuel burnt.
The Drawings accompanying this Specification exhibit my improve-

page_text: ments by a side view with parts in section (Fig. 1), and a transverse
section of the fire-bars (Fig. 2); also by a top plan of the fire-bars
(Fig. 3), and a transverse section (Fig. 4). In these Figures A denotes
the fire-bars and B the cross bars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed or
carried into practical effect, I hereby declare that I claim the improve-
ments in fire-bars and grates as herein-before described and as exemplified
by the Drawings accompanying these Presents.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Wenner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
OSCAR WENNER,
ALF. WENNER. (L.S.)