New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-11-24
ELIMINATING PHOSPHORUS FROM, CAST IRON.

To me Editor OF The TrtbuHe.
SIR: Some time ago reports appeared In
come Of the newspapers Of the transactions OF the Amen
can Association Troy, N Y 1t was remarked at one
Of the meetings OF that Association that any one who
would discover a method Of eliminating phosphorus
from in the Bessemer process VIII have dls
something of more value In financial direction
the original discovery Of the Bessemcr process IT.
self" Mr. Charles NJ Ness alluded TO this assertion in
your paper long ago. and suggested the elimination
Of phosphorus by tho OF silica and scates at high
During the summer and Fan Of 1863 tried some ex
perments at the Washington Navy-larf with soluble
siicate OF soda The last experiment was made upon
batch pounds OF east iron in lade as 1t came
10 the abovcnamed quantity Of east iron The sleate
entirely free from phosphorus and contained 2a
in treating the molten iron 1t was skinned on ana
portion OF il lslieatc Of Soda which was Zed was
found Ia contain phosphorus sulphur Oxides OF lrun
manganese zine, arsenic and chromium, the sulphur ne
ing greatly increased. Although the iron from THIS ex
nt in use al the NavyYard for that purpose. and
found possess greatly Increased tensile strength ana
VI" An eTperment was also made by dividing lade of
iron into two portions, treating one portion Win soe
from pattern. That portion when was realed
exhibited tensile strength OF 5000 pounds per sluarS
inch i'm excess Of the portion which was not treated
Both samples were also anay zed and that which was
treated FREQ from sulphur and phosphorus, while
that which was not contained both these elements, to-
gether with a number " metallic oxides. The tested
pieces from this aforementioned experiment are now IN
IN any one chooses take the trouble, he can carry
some monOfilcate sesquiscate OF soda To any iron
fouuCry hot adle, draw fty times ts weight
of iron from the cupola it, and agtaie the whole
with skimmer for a short time The silicate should then
he remoyed and when cold viii be found TO have become
lei black owing to its having combined with all the
oeaiIIc OXIDES the snlphuts and ph0sphnrets Of iro
the baek color being due to the formation OF scates Of
oyide Of iron and manganese Now, II all these suDsta
ces are found In the scate after It's contact with
Tho melted iron though il chemically pure before
se I the iron treated Is found to be free from such
imprtes what positive proofs can any one desire
onvnce himself of the power of silicates to remove
oyides phosphurets sulphurets &C., from metallic sub
stances .,.,,,o. a. 4. ..ouo .,,,,.o,,,,
desire 10 state that sesquisllcate Is more appropil
ate for practical than on0sllicatc, because win
,nonosiicate there Is formed some alloy OF clum and
ron while with the sesqusilcate this is obyiated
n one uses monOsilcate for experiment u Is ntle
less difficult to analyze after USE on account OF s Dehg
,nore easily soluble Slicatcs, alnIninates Dorae-
a many uorides exert very similar action under ike
circumstances Why is 1t that blacksmith uses DOrx
ihorate OF Soda in welding! Because the action OF
~ air from the De lowe uiJn III" hot IRON converts
80, ,rsac- of Ike iron into oxide OF iron, and the sal
ri,r frn,n The coal ut0 snlphuret OF iron,
- ~. I,. oGc .cil beng n excess 81 one
III - M H. of iron 20 formed, constituting boIa;o On
~ 80. 0 Iof. and these two bOIaes iDolatr OF SODA ana
rt ~ IRON combine with the sulpbnrct Of IRON, the
I tanning "A glass which coats the surface ~ the IRON
g. b acted upon and protects 1t from further action OK
H. air suinbr &c, that when the pieces are nam
mered together the glass squeeLtu OUT ny tuo ~ 80
IL boSs and leaves the PARTICLES OF pure metallic iron
G cantset hout any nterpOstion OF foreign BODY 10
dstra, the cohesive force Sicates, alunlnates, ana
huoI ~ ...aS HAIDoS VI. BAKER.
e' KiYi1aa,5urgh, Long Island, ". T., Nov. u.s. 1870