Improvements in Brick-kilns.
Year: 1892

page_text: United States of America)
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick-kilns.
We, JOSEPH CONLEY and JAMES MORRIS WOLFE, citizens of the United
States of America, residing at Tarkio, in the County of Atchison and State of
Missouri, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
This invention relates to improvements in circular brick-burning furnaces,
the object thereof being to provide a circular kiln, which consists of several
chambers or sections which can be connected with each other and with a central
chimney, so that each section can be connected to a common furnace for heating or
water-smoking the bricks, after which the bricks are burned by fuel fed in through
the top of the kiln into passage-ways made by stacking the bricks within the kiln,
the said passage-ways communicating with flues having dampers, by means of which
air may be fed to the fuel, the top of the kiln adjoining the passage-way supporting
pots with covers for closing said passage-ways, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,
and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a plan view taken below the ground-level of the kiln.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line ff of Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is an enlarged part sectional view with the bricks stacked within the
kiln.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan above the ground flues.
A designates a central chimney, which is connected by a series of flues to an
annular space B, in which the bricks to be burned are placed, this space being
adapted to be divided into sections by temporary vertical paper partitions, which
extend from the base to the top, being connected to boards at the base, the board
portions of said partitions being removable through the doorways or openings b.
There are two or more of these doors in the outer permanent wall a of the kiln and
two or more in the inner permanent wall a' near the center of the kiln.
C designates a furnace having grate-bars and ash-pits, which are formed within
the permanent wall a, of the kiln, which at this point is increased in thickness, said
furnace being used in starting the fires and igniting the fuel, which is fed through
pots placed on the top of the kiln and which communicate with passage-ways leading
to air-supply ducts, as will hereinafter be fully set forth.
It will be observed that when the fire is started in the furnace C it can be con-
fined to the first section of the kiln or to any succeeding section by properly
manipulating the dampers above the underground flues and by the withdrawal of
the boards e, through the doors b, formed in the outer wall.
ff designate transverse flues, which extend from the outer wall to the chimney,
said flues communicating with the sections B of the kiln through apertures in the
floor covered by dampers, said dampers being operated either from the space at the
center of the kiln or from the exterior thereof.

page_text: .
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g designates a circular flue, which is provided with damper-openings, and from
this flue radiate short flues, h, provided with dampers, while between the same are
located flues, i, which extend from the outer wall a, to the inner wall a', said flues
also having dampers operated either within or without the kiln. Flues f to be used
also as cold-air flues are provided having openings through the outer wall and
dampers K. The opening through which cold air is admitted to flue f, is
designated by the letter n. The inner wall a¹ is extended at a point opposite the
furnace C, so as to provide a short flue d', which communicates with the flue f, and
is used in starting the fires.
In practice the bricks are stacked in the compartments B as shewn in Fig. 3 and
the paper partitions properly placed. The fire is then started and after the bricks
in the first section of the kiln are sufficiently heated fuel is fed through the pots to
the apertures formed by the bricks in stacking the same, and the fuel is ignited by
the furnace. As the bricks are stacked to form ledges, the fuel, which is preferably
slack coal, will catch on said ledges and distribute the heat, the air-supply being
through one set of flues and down the other flues to the chimney. If at any time
there is too much fire in any section and the burning of the bricks is progressing
too rapidly, cold air may be admitted through the flues, f, by closing the dampers K
and opening doors n. After one section of bricks has been burned the board, e, at
the bottom of the partition is removed and the bricks in the next section water-
smoked and burned in a similar manner. It will be noted that the fuel used for
burning the bricks in the first section of the kiln is utilized to a great extent in
heating the bricks in the adjacent section, thus utilizing the full effect of the fuel
and providing a means for continuously burning bricks, the cold-air flues providing
means for cooling the bricks after being burned.
The kiln is provided with a wall E, which is a temporary wall to be taken out as
soon as the fire has been advanced from the place of starting and the burned bricks
are sufficiently cooled to be removed. Hence we never have to start the fire at
the furnace, but once, as we keep building in new material at least two or three
sections in advance of the fire, thus completing the circuit of kiln as often as
desirable without again starting the fires from the furnace. In a kiln thus con-
structed the bricks at the bottom, which have to sustain the greatest pressure, are
first burned.
We are aware that prior to our invention it has been proposed to provide a brick
or pottery kiln with underground flues; but such flues are usually provided with
independent furnaces and entire bottom of kila perforated; and we do not claim,
broadly, the providing of a brick-kiln with underground flues through which the
products of combustion from the furnace pass to a central chimney; but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a circular kiln for burning bricks, the combination of the outer and inner
circular walls and a central chimney, said walls having doorways through which
access can be had to the space between the inner and outer walls, said space being
connected by flues with the central chimney, substantially as shown, and for the
purpose set forth.
2. The combination, in a circular kiln, of the inner and outer walls a and a¹, a
central chimney A, connected with the space between the inner and outer walls by
flues having dampers s, and a single furnace C, substantially as shown, and for the
purpose set forth.
3. In a brick-burning furnace or kiln, the combination of the inner and outer
walls a and a¹, having doorways through the same, flues with apertures and dampers
above the same, a furnace C, communicating with the space B, in which the bricks
are placed to be burned, and a temporary partition-wall E, adjacent to the furnace,
extending from the outer to the inner wall, substantially as shown, and for the
purpose set forth.

page_text: 4. In a furnace for burning brick, the combination of the inner and outer walls a
and a', flues having dampers communicating with the central chimney and with a
space B, in which the bricks to be burned are placed, flues f, extending through
the walls a and a', and provided with apertures and dampers for communicating
5 with the compartment B, a temporary partition-wall E between the walls a and a
and adjacent to the furnace C, and means, substantially as set forth, for dividing
the space B into separate compartments, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 19th day of September 1892.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.