IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS FURNACES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Paul and William Sanderson, of Glasgow,
in tho County of Lanark, North Britain, Glass Manufacturers, for
the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS FURNACES.”
Sealed the 13th May 1875, and dated the 11th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Paul and
William Sanderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th March 1875.
We, ROBERT Paul and WILLIAM SANDERSON, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Glass Manufacturers, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GLASS FURNACES,"
to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of glass furnace
designed to economise fuel, to obtain a more efficient action of the heat,
and to reduce the quantity of flames or heated gases issuing at the
working holes.

page_text: opposite sides. The grate bars are at about the level of the working
holes (which are at the two other sides of the tank) being thus higher
than usual, so that the tops of the fire spaces are considerably above the
tank. The fire gases pass into the reverberatory chambers of which
the tank is the bottom, by wide flues or arched passages descending
from the tops of the fire spaces, so that they are directed downwards
upon the surface of the glass, and thus made more rapid and efficient
in their action. The desired impinging action is further insured and
controlled by constructing outlet flues in the sides of the reverberatory
or tank chamber. Within the chamber these outlet flues consist of
vertical grooves or channels formed in the sides, and they are continued
through the roof or arch of the chamber into the cone, short chimneys
being constructed on the roof if found requisite for inducing draught.
The grooves or outlet channels within the chamber have slabs of fire-
clay or other refractory material arranged in front of them, and sus-
pended by chains or otherwise, so that they can be raised more or less
up into recesses formed for them in the roof, and thus expose cach
channel just at the surface of the melted glass, or as much above the
surface as may be found desirable. The draught will cause the fire
gases to proceed towards these outlets, in doing which they must a
move closely in contact with the glass, whilst they will have much
less tendency to issue at the working holes than in ordinary arrange-
ments.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Paul and William Sanderson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT 30
PAUL and WILLIAM SANDERSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Glass Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Maiesty Queen Victoria. bv Her

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Robert Paul and William Sanderson, Her
special licence that we, the said Robert Paul and William Sanderson,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Robert Paul and William Sanderson, our 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 GLASS FURNACES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Robert Paul and
William Sanderson, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, 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, 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 we, the said Robert Paul and William
Sanderson, do hereby declare the nature of our 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,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Our said Invention relates to an improved construction of glass
furnace designed to economise fuel, to obtain a more efficient action of
the heat, and to reduce the quantity of flames or heated gases issuing
at the working holes.
In a glass furnace of the tank kind embodying our improvements tho
fire gases pass into the reverberatory chamber, of which the tank is
the bottom, by wide flues or arched passages inclined downwards
towards the tank, the fire gases being thus directed downwards upon
the surface of the glass, and thereby made more rapid and efficient
in their action. The desired impinging action is further insured and
controlled by constructing a number of outlet flues in the sides of the
reverberatory or tank chamber, and the amount of opening of theso
outlets above the glass is made variable by means of slides or dampers
admitting of the action being regulated with great nicety and facility.

page_text: And in orde that our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood we hereunto append a Sheet
of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and repre-
<senting a glass melting furnace as made with our improvements. In
these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings are vertical sections as at right
angles to each other, and Figure 3 is a horizontal section. In this
modification two fire-grates or spaces 4 are placed externally to the
tank 5, and at the middles of two opposite sides. The fire-bars 6 are 1
at about the level of the working holes 7 (which are at the two other
sides of the tank 5) being thus higher than usual, so that the tops of the
fire spaces 4 are considerably above the arched roof 8 of the tank. The
fire gases pass into the reverberatory chamber, of which the tank 5
forms the bottom, by arched passages or flues 9 descending from the
tops of the fire spaces 4 towards the tank 5.
In the modification shown in the Drawings there are six outlet
flucs 10 which within the chamber consist of vertical grooves or
channels formed in the sides 11 of the tank, and which are continued
through the roof or arch 8 of the chamber into the cone 12, short
chimneys 13 being constructed to induce the requisite draught. The
grooves or outlet channels 10 within the chamber havo slabs 14 of fire-
clay or other refractory material arranged in front of them, and sus-
pended by chains 15 or otherwise, so that they can be raised more or
less up into recesses formed for them in the roof 8, and thus uncover
cach channel or outlet 10 just at the surface of the melted glass, or as
much above the surface as may be found desirable. The downward
inclination of the fire-bridge flues or passages 9 causes the fire gases
to tend to impinge on the surface of the glass, whilst the draught will
cause the fire gases to proceed towards the outlets 10, in doing which
they must move closely in contact with the glass, so that they will have
much less tendency to issue at the working holes 7 than in ordinary

page_text: We fit dampers 16 at the tops of the small chimneys 13 to give
additional controlling power over the draught, their use being advan-
tageous when the fires are being replenished at the same time that the
bottle makers are at work. On the upper dampers 16 being then raised
any, smoke from the fresh fuel is carried rapidly off without issuing
at the working holes or contaminating the glass. By these means
à purer glass is obtained, and the bottle makers are never disturbed
or inconvenienced.
:
1
Our improvements effect a considerable economy of fuel because the
heat of the fire gases is taken out of them to so great an extent in
consequence of their being led down upon and along the surface of the
metal or melted glass.
.
In some cases the tank or reverberatory chamber 5 may be heated.
by means of a single fire-grate or furnace 4, the employing of a number
of outlets 10 with their slides 14 giving sufficient power of distributing
the fire gas currents so as to obtain a uniform action on tho glass.
The placing of the fire-bars 6 at or near the relative height at which
they are shown in the Drawings, secures practical advantages in itself
independently of the downward- direction of tho passages 9, as it
prevents the sides 11 of the tank near the fires from being, as in
arrangements heretofore in use, both internally and externally acted
on by the heat.
Instead of the outlets 10 being formed in the actual sides 11 of
the tank, they may be formed at the top of those sides 11, the chimneys 13
being still in the positions shown with the outlets 10 entering their
bottom ends horizontally.
When the external dampers 16 are used the internal slides 14 may
sometimes be dispensed with; we however prefer to employ both.
.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves
to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what we
believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to
us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
i
1. The construction of glass furnace wherein the fire gases enter the
reverberatory or tank chamber in a downwardly inclined direction, and
leave by outlets distributed round and formed at the sides of the tank,

page_text: such outlets being provided with regulating slides (14), or dampers
(16), or both, all substantially as and for the purposes herein-before
described.
2. The placing of the fire-bars (6) at or near the level of the
top of the tank sides, as and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Paul, on behalf of myself
and the said William Sanderson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ROBERT PAUL. (L.S.)