The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-05-02
Tue Robert Proce So for Iron and
Steel.

!. Il. h0DPTt, Oh oteuay, FRANCE. mace some
experiments which were the starting point
of the new process, and the news OF his
experiments came to The ears Of }. w.
| Bookwalter the manufacturer at Spring
| field. Ohio. When he heard of this dis
covery Mr.. Bookwalter Immediately went
to see Roberts experiments, and he Sc.
cured the right to the process ia the
United States. Returning to his factory
In Springfield. he built an experimental
plant and improved and expanded upon the
idea of the inventor After twelve months
of experimenting he has perfected the in
vention and within month or two his
first patent has been issued
The process Is so simple that every iron
worker will wonder that he did not discov-
er it long ago. 1t can be explained by
comparing it with the Bessemer process.
The popularity and the defect of the Besse-
mer process is that the air is blown perpen
itin constant agitation, and therefore mix
ing all the impurities with the iron. II
the current OF air be blown long enough to
burn out all the silicon and carbon, the
oxygen VIII also attack the IRON, and the
resulting product will be weak and oxi-
died iron. To remedy this the Besse-
mer system introduces some ore of iron,
such as ferrO- manganese, containing
large amount of carbon, and certain
amount of this peculiar ore is necessary to
no ha tn
the Bessener product. The Bessemer
converter blows the air from below the
mass Of iron.
In the new converter, on the other hand
the blast is over the edge of the iron, hOr-
izontally, and produces rotary motion in
the metal, causing most violent agita
ton, which presents every portion of the
metal to the blast and at the same time
blows the Stag and other impurities which
are floating on the surface to the farther
Side of the conv erter.
It will be seen that this converter is
simply mechanical m cans Of doing what
the puddler does by hand, turning the iron
over and over and presenting all parts OF
the molten mass to the air, and exposing
only small portion of it at a time to the
blast, the oxygen will attack neither the
iron nor the carbon, and SO long as there
is carbon the oxygen will not attack the
iron. BY the new process all the sill
con. and practically all the CARBON can be
burned. out of the iron. or only the silicon
may be burned out and the carbon left,
and the impurities removed by gathering
on the surface of the molten metal, leav
ing steel when the blast is stopped.
Thus, by the new process every grade
of iron can be made, from the purest
wrought iron to the highly carbonated
STEEL 1t covers the whole catalogue of
products of iron ore. The new process is
like the Bessemer process is this-no fuel
is necessary in converting the melted cast
iron into the finished product, which by
the Bessemer process is Bessemer steel,
and by the new PROCESS is any grade of
iron or steel that may be desired, wheth.
er metal for machine Its or metal to be
made into surgeons tools. The develop
ment of the Bessemer process has pre-
pared the way for this new process. The
perfection of the converter, and of the
blast machinery, and all those appliances
which distinguishes the Bessemer works
of to-day from the early ones, are neces-
saIy in the new process. The marvellous
feat of mechanical engineering which was
hardly less noteworthy achievement Of
Sir Henry Bessemer than the discovery of
his process itself is as useful to the new
process as to his. A Bessemer converter
weighs, with its contents, from twenty to
thirty tons, ard it is moved by a gentle
effort, and it receives d blast SO powerful
that the whole mass Of molten metal is
heated to the highest temperature that has
hitherto been used in the practical me-
chanical arts. In the materials of its
man ufacture. and in the appliances for it's
manipulation, The new converter has the
same essential necessities as the old.
Since the metal which comes from the
Robert converter can be pure iron, a low
or mild steel, OF steel high in carbon,
from this converter Can be poured every
grade of metal that is used by the smith or
a rolling mill. And this range of metal
includes iron that is now made by the pGd-
ding process, which is the iron used by
the smith and manufactured by the rolling
mill into all forms of bar and sheet iron;
the steel now made by the Bessemer con-
verter, which is used for railroad iron. for
iron beams and Orders for buildings, for
ship building, and all forms of massive
| iron; the mild steel which is used for boil
ers and those processes requiring soft
and tough steel: and crucible steel, FROM
which are made the tools and all the finer
products Of the mechanic. This means
that every grade of iron OR steel that has
hitherto been used for railroad bars and
ship plates can now be produced by the
same method; and that all products of the
ore may be produced by mechanical pro-
cess, and so cheaply as to give greater
stimulus to the use Of iron and steel than
any previous invention. Since the blast of
air in the Robert process does not support
the enormous mass of iron as in the Besse
mer process, the blast is vastly less, and
the entire plant including engines and all
IQo necessary uldCulueiy 1Oi 6ilc piUuuC-
ton of 100 tons q day OF any grade of iron
or steel, can be built for less than $4,000,
or one-third the cost of the Bessemer
plant of the same capacity. The tuyeres
of a Bessemer converter must be renewed
after fifteen blasts. The tuyeres Of the
new last for $50 blasts The Bessemer
converter must be refined after very few
blasts; the Robert after 900 blasts. BY
the new process the metal is heated much
hotter than by the Bessemer process and
| is therefore much more fluid; but this
quality, added to the freedom from i'm
purities, enables the new converter to
pour the metal directly into the billet
which is TO be rolled into the desire form,
whereas the Bessener product is SO i'm
pure that it is cast first into IA inch
! ingot, and then 'brokt II down." as it is
called. being ro]lel throu III a succession
of rolls which reduce the ingot to four
inches square. The new system makes
possible the saving of about four dollars
ton in the making of the billet.
The COST Of making all grades of iron OF
or iS no fu I}nh OF ON