The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-28
Making Bessemer Steel Rails.

iS P"1oihSnt, dS III LnlS way better
commingling of the various qualities is
obtained, but the iron is sometimes
brought in the melted state directly
from the blast furnaces in which it has
been made, in large ladies mounted on
trucks running on elegated tracks into
the converting department. The iadle
must IN either case stand at consider
able height from the general level, that
the melted metal may flow through
suitable trouahs into the converting
vessels. and the cupolas are placed
still higher, so that the iron may run
from the cupolas into the large ladle.
The .'converters" or vessels are
large, tgg-shaped affairs, made prin-
cipally Of heavy plate iron, with trun-
Mons on which they turn up or down,
and they are connected with powerful
hydraulic machinery, by which they
may be made to turn as desired. The
CONVEX esS are lined very tn 'ckly with
nre bricks and other refractory mate.
rails adapted to resist the intense heat.
The bottom or lower part of the lining
is made Of perforated fire bricks (called
tuyeres}, through which the air is blown
into the converter, and this part is made
to be readily removed and replaced
when necessary. The air is conveyed
by passages extending through the
trunnions of the converter, connecting
with pipes leading from the engine.
To receive charge the converter is
turned down so that the mouth is OPP
posite the end Of the troughs or run
ners" through which the iron flows
down and pours into the converter, the
iron giving off quantities of sparks and
making brilliant spectacle, which is,
however, surpassed by that presented
when the air is let on and the converter
| turned back to the upright position, as
the powerful blast of air twenty to
twenty-five pounds pressure per square
inch) when it first bursts through the
metal, forces out showers of bright
sparks, which for moment appear to
| ill the air.
As pig iron contains about two per
cent. OF silicon and four per cent. of
carbon and as steel must be practically
free from Silicon, and have only
| about $40 of one per cent, of
| carbon, to convert the iron
| into steel the silicon and carbon must
be entirely removed. BY forcing
through the molten pig iron such i'm
mense quantities of atmospheric air,
! the carbon in the IRON combines with
the oxygen of the air, and being con-
sumed passes off in the form of gas; the
silicon being also oxydized is removed
from the iron, and when all these ele-
ments are thus expelled the material
| arrives at the condition chemically Of
pure iron, and is then really for the ad-
! ditiOn of the recarbonizing material
which returns to the charge enough
carbon TO give the steel the required
| carbOnizaliOn.
TO convert a charge requires from
fifteen to twenty minutes. At first
there is comparatively little fame pass
| inc out of the converter, but it rapidly
increases passing with a dull roar into
chimney stacks above the mouth of the
converter. As the blast continues the
flame increases more and more, and
grows in brilliancy until it rivals the
light of the sun and becomes too bright
for unaccustomed eyes, passing out OF
the stacks high into the air, lighting up
at night the vicinity; the noise having
also increased to Il roar which may be
heard at a considerable distance. After
the carbon has been expelled the flame
loOses brilliancy and drops very notice
ably, the blast is shut of and the con
verter is turned down. As the converter
is turned down the blast again sends
out a splendid shower of sparks. Al
| IL oil
introduced. This is Spieg .leisen, me
tallic combination of iron anC
manganese with carbon. 1t is melted
same as the pig iron, and quantity
proportionate to the weight of the
charge is run into the converter. 1t in
stantly Eervades the metal in the con
verter throwing off flames of peculiar
hue as the manganese and carbon com
: bine with the metal, and the charge al
! once becomes steel and is discharged
into the steel ladle.
In front If the converters are two
; semi-circular pits several feet deep, ant
in the center of each pit the powerful
hydraulic crane which supports tht
steel ladIe is placed. The steel ladle j,
swung around under the mouth of th'
converter and the steel is poured int
the ladle, after which it is swung bacl
over the cast-iron molds that are ranged
, along the side of the pit and the steel i
discharged through the bottom OF TIN
ladle into the moIds, where it soon con
geals and takes the form of ''ingOts,
containing enough steel for several rails
After the steel is poured out of the con
verter another charge of iron is run int
the same or another converter and tn
above repeated. AS there are tire
converters in the converting department
of the Pennsylvania Steel Company on
q is always ready to use, and the process
goes on day and night As soon as tn
S ingot Ioosens itself from the mold b,
contraction the mold is stripped off ant
the ingots are loaded soon as possibl
while red-hOt, onto trucks for removal
The ingots ladies, molds, and al
. | heavy articles, are handled by the ali
| of hydraulic frames, whose power
derived from powerful pumps that fur
y nish a pressure of 28O pounds to tn
square inch, the pressure being applie
by persons stationed where they can OF
serve every operation and apply tn
. pressure as it is needed.
ri When charge of ingots has bee
= loaded on the trucks n small locomotiv
d speedily moves il to the blooming mil
r, where the ingots are relocated in fur
i naces, and are then passed through tn
:, blooming rolls, which reduce the size t
d seven inches square. The ingot is the
Is cut into pieces of length required t
make rail. which, under the name {
blooms. " are conveyed toEthe rail mil
where the blooms are reheated an
!. rolled into rails" After the rails hav
coole' hey are inspected to find an
T defects, made straight and true, an
' drilled at the ends for spices Penn
syIuaniG Steel Circular.
! Perforated Paper.
] In any small stationery store or gre