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Reverberatory Furnace: the Air Furnace for Melting Cast Iron (Bolland, 1893)
An air furnace melts iron apart from the fuel: coal burns on a grate at one end, and the flame is thrown down from a low arched roof onto the iron on the bed, then leaves by a tall chimney. The iron stays cleaner than in a cupola, so founders used it for guns, rolls, heavy scrap and lumps too big for the cupola.
This furnace is 30 ft 6 in long and 7 ft wide outside, 5 ft wide inside, cased in bolted wrought-iron plates.
Source: S. Bolland, The Iron Founder Supplement (1893), pp. 55-67. Unknown: brick sizes, plate thickness. Picture: Fig. 14 of the book.
Expert
Unknown
Instructions
1
1
Lay the foundation
Lay the foundation
Build the foundation solid of common material up to the firebrick, shaped so the firebrick bed slopes down from the chimney end to the reservoir. Keep the bricks from B to C 6 in below the finished bottom, to leave room for the sand bed.
Materials for this step:
Brick1 foundationTools needed:
Trowel
Unknown Dimensions2
2
Build the fireplace, bridge and roof
Build the fireplace, bridge and roof
Build the fireplace the full width of the furnace (5 ft inside, grate 5 ft long). Set the bridge wall at least 2 ft 3 in from the face of the grate bars. Build bridge, sides, roof and fireplace of the most refractory firebrick. Arch the roof the whole length, low, so it throws the flame down onto the bed; fill above the arches with common material. Leave the side charging hole (5 x 4 ft), the top hole (furnace width x 6 ft), the puddling hole over the reservoir, a sight hole and the tap hole.
Materials for this step:
Fireclay Bricks1 lining, bridge, roof
Refractory Clay Mortar1 settingBrick1 filling above the arch
Unknown Metal1 grate barsTools needed:
Trowel3
3
Case it in plates and bolt it
Case it in plates and bolt it
Case the whole structure in wrought-iron plates, held at the corners with angle-irons. Run eight chief anchor bolts from side to side, clear of all working parts. Join everything with bolts, not rivets, so any plate can come off for repairs. Line the charging doors with firebrick.
Materials for this step:
Iron Plate1 casing, doors
Wrought Iron Rod8 anchor boltsUnknown Metal1 angle-irons, door framesFireclay Bricks1 door liningsTools needed:
Unknown Dimensions4
4
Build the chimney
Build the chimney
Build the chimney square, 30 to 40 ft high, with an inside course of firebrick (Fig. 14: 2 ft 6 in square inside). Make its area a little larger than the fireplace. Put a damper on top that can be worked from the bottom: it alone sets the draught. It can stand apart on a sole plate on four columns.
Materials for this step:
Fireclay Bricks1 inside courseBrick1 chimneyUnknown Metal1 damperTools needed:
Trowel5
5
Make the sand bottom
Make the sand bottom
Make the bottom from B round the reservoir to C with 8 parts fire-sand to 1 of clay and 1 of ground coke. Fire it well for one to two hours before the first charge; it should last ten heats. Fill the tap hole with fire-sand and a little coal dust, which will not cake when hot.
Materials for this step:
Sand8 parts
Clay1 part
Metallurgical Coke1 part, groundTools needed:
Bituminous Coal6
6
Charge and melt
Charge and melt
Fire with soft, non-caking bituminous coal and keep a full grate; clinker quickly and leave no holes for cold air. Charge all the iron at the start: first layer of pigs lengthwise and a little apart, next layers across, open so the flame passes. Set heavy pieces on firebricks so the flame plays all round them. Through the puddling hole, dip test pieces and skim the iron clean. To blend two grades, thrust green saplings into the melt. Close the damper before tapping. Look the furnace over after every heat.
Tools needed:
Bituminous Coal
Pig Iron Ingots
Hardwood Sapling
Perforated SkimmerMaterials
9- 1 chimneyPlaceholder
- 1 inside coursePlaceholder
- 1 settingPlaceholder
- 1 damperPlaceholder
- 1 casing, doorsPlaceholder
- 8 anchor boltsPlaceholder
- 8 partsPlaceholder
- 1 partPlaceholder
- 1 part, groundPlaceholder
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