Fireplace - danro (English spelling)

Japanese: 暖炉 - だんろ（英語表記）fireplace

It is a heating system that is integrated into a building, with a mechanism for radiating heat from an open fire using firewood as a heat source and emitting harmful smoke through a chimney. It is often installed on a wall, and this type is also called a wall-mounted fireplace, or a British fireplace because it was commonly used in the UK.

[Harunori Yoshida]

History of development

Fireplaces originated as a primitive heating method common to all ethnic groups, in which a fire was lit in a hearth in the center of the room and the smoke was released through an opening at the top. They developed in Europe from the 12th century onwards, when buildings began to shift to fireproof construction such as stone and brick. This meant that it became possible to move the central fire closer to the fire-resistant wall, and eventually developed into the modern fireplace, in which the fireplace and chimney are integrated and built into the wall. Reasons for moving the fire closer to the wall include the inconvenience of having it in the center when rooms were made into private compartments, and the installation of a chimney that used the wall. Therefore, in halls used by many people, the heating method of placing the fire in the center continued to be used.

The important points in the development of fireplaces are the complete evacuation of smoke and the effective use of heat energy. Various ideas were devised to prevent smoke from escaping from the 15th century onwards, and they were fully perfected, but in terms of energy efficiency, they were insufficient, and the efficiency remained at 20-30% because hot smoke was released as is. In Germany, Northern Europe and Russia, which have cold climates, ideas were devised to eliminate the shortcomings of fireplaces and to fully recover heat from the smoke by circulating the smoke inside without opening the fire, thereby increasing the thermal efficiency to 60-80%. Examples of this are the German Kachelhofen and the Russian Pechka. These have the effect of storing heat, so they have the advantage of maintaining the heating effect even if fuel is added less frequently. Meanwhile, in America, the Pennsylvania fireplace (later called the Franklin stove) made entirely of steel plates was invented in the 18th century, and has since developed into a highly efficient stove made of steel plates. Additionally, the use of fireplaces in Japan began after the Meiji period when Western architecture was introduced, but they never became widespread enough to be introduced into non-Western architecture.

In addition to its function of heating, fireplaces also served as the decorative center of a room, equivalent to the Japanese alcove, with paintings and other furnishings placed above the fireplace and mantelpieces around it that were decorated according to the era, such as in the Rococo or Baroque style. In modern times, fireplaces have essentially lost their role due to their low efficiency, the shift to gas and electricity as fuel, the hassle of disposing of ash, and the development of central heating, but the psychological satisfaction of watching the fire and feeling warm, as well as their role as an element of interior planning, have not disappeared, and fireplaces are still sometimes installed as a hobby today.

[Harunori Yoshida]

structure

A fireplace consists of the following main parts: (1) Hearth: The floor where the fire is lit, protruding 40 to 50 centimeters into the room. (2) Furnace chamber: The part formed by the hearth and the walls surrounding it. Heat radiates from this wall to provide warmth. (3) Damper: A movable control valve located between the flue and the hearth. (4) Smoke shelf: A horizontal surface just behind the damper, which, together with the damper, prevents cold air from the flue from entering the room. (5) Smoke chamber: A hood-like space at the bottom of the flue where smoke is temporarily stored at the beginning of the fire. (6) Flue: A tube for exhausting smoke, with a cross-sectional area of 1/7 to 1/10 of the area of the fire opening. (7) Ash outlet: An opening for disposing of ash. This may not be installed if there is no space on the floor below.

[Harunori Yoshida]

"Housing Equipment Special Feature 2: Heating" ("Kenchikukai" Vol. 3, December issue, 1954, Riko Tosho)" ▽ "Architectural Institute of Japan, Design and Planning Pamphlet 10: Heating Design for Housing" (1960, Shokokusha)

[Reference items] | Stove | Heating | Pechika | Mantelpiece

Fireplace structure
©Katsuya Nishikawa ">

Fireplace structure

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

薪(まき)などを熱源とした直火(じかび)からの放射熱で採暖し、人体に害となる煙は煙突で排出する機構をもつ、建物と一体化した暖房用設備をいう。設置場所は壁に設ける場合が多いが、この形式をとくに壁付暖炉、または、イギリスで多用されたためイギリス暖炉ともよぶ。

［吉田治典］

発展の歴史

暖炉は、部屋の中央に設けた炉床hearthで火を焚(た)き、煙は上部に設けた開口から排出するという、どの民族にも共通の原始的な暖房法を起源とし、建物が石造やれんが造という耐火構造に移行しだしたヨーロッパで、12世紀以後発展したものである。つまり、中央の火を耐火性の壁際に寄せることが可能となり、ついには、火床と煙突を一体化して壁に組み込む現在の暖炉へと発展した。火を壁際にもってきた理由には、部屋の個室化に伴う中央位置の不便さ、壁を利用した煙突の設置などがある。したがって、多人数が用いるホールでは、火を中央に置いた暖房法も継続して用いられた。

　暖炉の発展に際し重要な点は、煙の完全な排出と、熱エネルギーの有効利用である。煙対策の点では、15世紀以降に種々のくふうがなされて十分完成したが、エネルギー効率の点では不十分で、高温の煙をそのまま放出してしまうため、効率は20～30％にとどまる。寒冷な気候のドイツ・北欧・ロシアでは、この暖炉の欠点をなくし、煙から熱を十分に回収するために、火を開放せず、煙を内部で循環させ、熱効率を60～80％にまで高めるくふうがなされた。ドイツのカッヘルオーフェン、ロシアのペチカがこれにあたる。これらは蓄熱の効果も有するため、燃料投入の回数が少なくても、暖房効果が持続する利点ももっている。一方、アメリカでは、18世紀に総鋼板製のペンシルベニア暖炉（のちにフランクリンストーブとよばれた）が発明され、以後、鋼板製の高効率ストーブとして発展した。また、わが国での暖炉の使用は、西洋建築が導入された明治以後になるが、西洋建築以外に導入されるほどには普及しなかった。

　暖炉は、暖房という機能のほかに、わが国の床の間にあたる、部屋の装飾の中心としての役割をもち、暖炉の上部には絵画などの調度品が置かれ、暖炉の周囲には、マントルピースとよばれる、ロココ風、バロック風など、その時代に応じた装飾が施された。近代になって、その低効率性、ガス・電気への燃料転換、灰処理の煩雑さ、中央暖房の発達などにより暖炉は実質上の役割を失ったが、火を見て暖まりを感ずる心理的充足感、およびインテリア計画の一要素としての役割は消え去っておらず、現在でも趣味的に設置することもある。

［吉田治典］

構造

暖炉は次のような主要部により構成される。(1)炉床　火を焚く床部分で、室内に40～50センチメートル突き出ている。(2)炉室　炉床と、それを取り巻く壁によりつくられる部分をいう。熱がこの壁から放射され、暖を与える。(3)ダンパー　煙道と炉床の間にある、可動な調整弁。(4)煙棚(けむりだな)　ダンパーのすぐ後ろにある水平面で、ダンパーとともに、煙道からの冷気が室内に侵入するのを防ぐ。(5)煙室　焚き始めに一時煙を蓄える、煙道の最下部にあるフード状の空間。(6)煙道　焚き口面積の1/7～1/10の断面積をもつ、煙排出用の筒。(7)灰出口　灰処理用の口。下階にスペースがない場合は設けられないこともある。

［吉田治典］

『「住宅設備特集2　暖房」（『建築界』第3巻12月号所収・1954・理工図書）』▽『日本建築学会編『設計計画パンフレット10　住宅の暖房設計』（1960・彰国社）』

[参照項目] | ストーブ | 暖房 | ペチカ | マントルピース

暖炉の構造
©西川勝也">

暖炉の構造

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