Forms: (4 tuer, toyer, toyere). α. 7 twire-, 9 twyer(e, twyére, twyeer. β. 8–9 tweer, 9 twear. γ. 9 tuyer(e, tuyère; tewer, tewyre. [The common current spelling of the word already entered in the forms TEW-IRON and TOW-IREN; and taken as ad. OF. toiere (1389 in Godef., Compl.), tuyere, tuhiere, touyere (1459), mod.F. tuyère. The remarkable gap between the 14th cent. instances and modern usage is partly filled by the occurrence of TWIRE-PIPE in the 17th cent.] The nozzle through which the blast is forced into a forge or furnace.
[1350–1. in Archæologia, LXIV. 158. Item in ij tuers ferri emptis ij. s. viij. d. Ibid., 159. Item in xxvj egyn faciendis pro tuers vj s. vj d., pro ege iij d. Ibid. (1354), 150. Liberabuntur … in fabrica predicta … unum angire [? andire = andiron] precii viij d. duo toyers precii xij d. Ibid., 163. In emendacione iij toyeres xij d.]
1781. More, Iron Scoria, in Phil. Trans., LXXII. 51, note. The Tweer is that opening through which the air is driven by the bellows into the body of the furnace.
1839. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., II. 233/2. The ‘Twyer’ (or aperture by which the blast is admitted) of a cupola or furnace for melting cast iron.
1839. Penny Cycl., XIII. 33/1. The three tubes leading to this hearth … which are called tuyeres, are used for introducing the blast of air.
1859. R. Hunt, Guide Mus. Pract. Geol. (ed. 2), 229. The use of hot blast at the tuyères.
1862. Catal. Internat. Exhib., II. X. 1. The horizontality of the lines of equal temperature from the tuyères upwards.
1864. Q. Jrnl. Sc., I. 492. The twyers are in the upper part of the boshes, and the blast is directed downwards.
1877. Raymond, Statist. Mines & Mining, p. viii. With the view of diminishing the waste of heat, it is customary to run the water through tuyeres and jacket just fast enough to keep it almost boiling.
1881. Young, Ev. Man his own Mechanic, § 1419. A short pipe or tuyere … acting as the nozzle of an ordinary pair of bellows.
1892. Labour Commission Gloss., Twear, the pipe which conveys the hot blast into the furnace … surrounded by a large pipe, through which passes a constant flow of cold water to keep the twear cool.
1900. Archæologia, LVII. 119. A blast of air from a bellows was admitted to the furnace through a pipe or twyer.
b. attrib. and Comb., as tuyere hole, opening, -pipe; tuyere arch, in a blast furnace, an arch through which a tuyere is admitted (Cent. Dict., 1891); tuyere-box, in a converter or the like, a detachable chamber with a number of tuyeres; tuyere coil, a water-pipe coiled about the tuyere for cooling (Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl., 1884); tuyere-house, ? a recess in the wall of a furnace where the blast is admitted: cf. HOUSE sb. 7 c; tuyere-plate: see quot.
1861. Fairbairn, Iron, 155. The *tuyere-box … is so arranged as to be easily detached. Two or more of these tuyere-boxes are provided, so that on the removal of one set of tuyeres, another box and tuyeres may be in readiness.
1836–41. Brande, Chem. (ed. 5), 762. The expansion of the boshes; but as this is more than four feet above the *tuyere hole, the blast must be delivered with great velocity.
1879. G. Gladstone, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 145/1. The blast … is let on through the twyer-hole.
1861. Fairbairn, Iron, 50. The number of blowpipe nozzles to each furnace varies…; the usual number is three, one for each of the *tuyere-houses.
1882. Rep. to Ho. Repr. Prec. Met. U. S., 580. Water … flows also around the *tuyere openings.
1674. *Twire-pipe [see TWIRE-PIPE 2].
1840. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., III. 297/2. A second layer of charcoal … is thereafter laid … under the twyére pipe.
1881. Raymond, Mining Gloss., Bloomary, a forge for making wrought iron…. The sides are iron plated,… the *tuyere-plate (through which the tuyere passes) at one side.
