US1363215A - Gravity-kiln - Google Patents

Description

T. F. ANDERSON.

GRAVITY KILN. APPLICATION FILED MAYzS, |920.

1,363,21 5, PaIenIea me. 2s, 1920.

JQMII T l V /y dna/@215011 W/TNESS L y v OFFICE.

GRAVITY-KILN.

Application led May 25, 1920.

To all whom it man concern Be it known that I, TrIoMas F. Alanna soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Liverpool, in the county of Columbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gravity-Kilns, of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of vthis invention is to pro;-u vide an improved gravity kiln, particularly adapted for iiringclay products and in fact any articles falling within the general iield of ceramics.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide such an improved kiln with a construction particularly characterized by the fact that the longitudinal axis of the chamber within which the articles are fired extends in an upright direction, that is, at a substantial angle with the horizontal, even to the eX- tent of being perpendicular if as desired, in order that when said chamber is charged the articles pass through said chamber under the direct influence of gravity, and without needing the aid of other means for propelling them.

This kiln may comprise either one or more substantially tubular ovens inclosing firing chambers of any suitable cross-section, and having the walls thereof constructed of ireproof material such as fire-brick, and substantially at their midsection exposed to the influence of heat within a furnace, which it has been found especially advantageous to construct around the periphery of the said chamber or chambers at a point between the inlet and outlet ports.

`With these general objects in view, the invention in practice comprises further details of construction hereinafter described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of one embodiment of the invent-ion; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line .9F-2 of Fig. 1.

Referringto the drawings, a kiln is illustrated which comprises a single tubular tiring-chamber, surrounded at one point by a furnace which in turn is shown as having a pair of independent furnace sections with but one smokestack or outlet for the gases of combustion. Furthermore, these two Asections may as herein shown comprise two l grates from which the heated air currents pass toward each other bei-ore entering and rising through the stack.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Dec. 28, 1920.

serial No. 384,426.

rEhe furnace can perhaps best be described as Vcomprising a central section l of the foundation, having laterally extending wings 2 in which latter are positioned grates 3 upoii which the usual fire is laid. These grates as shown in F ig. 2 may obviously extend throughout the length of the furnace from rront to rear, or as shown in Fig. l the grate upon each side of the preferably tubular firing-chamber a may be subdivided into a forward section 3f and a rearward section 3".

ln either case the exposed ends of the grates are inclosed above their level by fire doors 5 and below their level by ash doors 6, operable independently of each other. .above the said gratos brick arches 7 support the upper' body portion of the furnace construction, while beneath said grates the furnacev rests upon any suitable support 8 which in this instance is shown Vas comprising a floor, through which extends the lower end portion 9 of the liring-chainber t, normally closed by any desired type of door l0, having' suitable means represented by the weight llfor maintaining the same in closed position, said door' also being provided if desired with an aperture or grating as an inlet for air currents, which in passing upwardly through the chamber cause the articles to dry and kthen rise evenly and gradually in temperature throughout their respective masses before entering the zone of greatest heat.

Above the furnace may extend an upper floor i2 or suitable platform, above which extends. the upper end portion 13 of the chamber 2, and through which portion the articles to be fired are fed into said chamber, after removing the cover la. Said chamber is furthermore provided with a branch l5, which extends upwardly through the said upper floor and serves to create a flow of air through the firing-chamber and thus carry oft' the moisture from the articles being iired,'as' well as conveying an equal' firing temperature tothe entire lot of said articles throughout their mass.

The central portion ofthe tubular oven tiring chamber as hereinbefore stated passes through a heat Zone and is surrounded by a flue 16, lined by iirebrick l? and from the sides of which the said oven is positioned in substantially uniform spaced relation by means of midfeathers or ribs 18, formed of spaced firebriclr or other non-inflammable lio material. The heat of the furnace after starting from the fire-grates, passes around of the furnace, until stopped by the door l0, or other form of closure provided for the purpose; or there may be first placed in the said chamber any suitable form of means to temporarily restrain the said articles from falling below the zone of greatest heat until .thev have been thoroughly iired.

However, with the construction as shown, without such av means as last referred to, after the larticles within the heat zone are lcompletely fired, those articles at thebottomrof the chamber are removed in prede termined quantities at regular intervals unvtil the fired articles reach the lower outlet, the unired articles being replaced in the chamber at the top, and the succeeding articles removed for shipment, or for further treatment as may be required by the type of articles being handled. Thereafter, the raw articles are entered at the top and the same articles after being completely red are taken with substantially continuous regularity from the lower outlet, thus entirely eliminating the common necessity of charging a kiln, ring the same, and then permitting it to cool again before the charge can be removed and another charge ing serted, and the kiln relieated to the required high temperature.

In describing this improved kiln, and illustrating the same by means of the drawings, reference has been made to obtaining the necessary heat to fire the porcelain articles by the burning of ordinary coal upon one or more grates. However, while this is preferably proper, the invention contemplates as well the use of any suitablefuel whatsoever, as for instance natural gas, fuel oil, coal dust, and the like, and the slight alteration of the mechanical construction necessary to' make the substitution possible a tubular oven chamber, having an inlet and an outlet, said chamber extending in a slanting direction sufficient to cause solidarticles therein to progress by force of gravity only toward said outlet, a source of heat, a heatconveying channel surrounding a portion of said chamber between the ends thereof, and a flue extending upwardly directly from the said portion of said channel and removed from the inlet to said chamber.

2. A kiln, comprising the combination of a substantially rectilinear tubular oven chamber, having openings in its opposite end portions, a source of heat, a heat conveying channel surrounding an intermediate portion of said chamber, and a flue to carry off the gases of combustion leading upwardly from the said intermediate portion of said channel and spaced from the upper end of the latter.

3. A kiln, comprising the combination of a substantially rectilinear tubular oven chamber having a slant sufficient to cause bodies therein to progress only by force of gravity toward the lower end thereof, a source of heat, a heatchannel surrounding -a portion of said chamber, and a due leading from said channel directly upwardly and in spaced relation with the nearer endv of said chamber. l

4. A' kiln, comprising the combination of a substantially rectilinear tubular oven chamber having a slant sufiicient to cause bodies therein to progress only by force of gravity toward the lower end thereof, a heat channel surrounding the central portion of said chamber, a flue leading from the said central portion of said channel upwardly and in spaced relation with the nearer end of said chamber, and a grate adapted to support a hre to supply heat to said channel. V

5. A kiln, comprising the combination of a substantially rectilinear tubular oven chamber having a slant suicient to cause bodies therein to progress only by force of gravity toward the lower end thereof, a

heat channel surrounding a portion only of said chamber, a flue leading from said chan nel directly upwardly and in spaced relation with the nearer end of said chamber, and a plurality 4of sources of heat leading 'into said channel at spaced regions.

6. A kiln, comprising the combination of a substantially rectilinear tubular oven chamber having a slant sufficient to cause bodies therein to progress only by force of gravity toward the lower end thereof, a heat channel surrounding a portion of said chamber, a flue leading from said channel upwardly and in spaced relation with the nearer end of said chamber, and a plurality of grates adapted to support nre, and passageways arranged to conduct heat from said grates into said channel at points angularly disposed about'the periphery thereof.

7. A kiln, comprising the combination of a slanting tubular oven chamber of circular cross-section and having an inlet and an outlet, a source of heat, and a flue operative to convey drafts from said heat source toward and around the central portion of said oven chamber in opposite directions, then together above said chamber and directly upwardly from said chamber.

8. A kiln, comprising the combination of a slanting tubular oven of circular crosssection, a chamber also circular in crosssection through Which said oven extends, a source of heat, and a flue operative to con- Vey drafts from said heat source into said chamber and around the opposite sides of said oven, and means to carry off said drafts from said chamber and leading upwardly therefrom.

9. A kiln, comprisingthe combination of a slanting tubular oven of circular crosssection, a chamber also circular in crosssection through which said oven extends,l a plurality of sources of heat, a flue from one source operative to convey drafts directly into a side of said chamber, a iue operative to convey drafts from another source into the lower portion of said chamber whence the last-mentioned drafts encircle said oven in opposite directions, and means to convey all drafts from the upper portion of said chamber.

signature.

THOMAS F. ANDERSON.

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