The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-04-24
Manufacture of Basic PIG rpan.

The English correspondent of the american
Manufacturer, has the following reference to
making Basic Pig Iron:
was present on the night of the 18th after
posting my last letter at meeting of the Sou Ii
Staffordshre Institute of Iron and Steel Work
Managers, at Dudley. paper that think hi
be interesting to the readers of the Americ, ~
Manufacturer read upon the subject ol
basic pig iron manufacture, the author being
Mr. Herbert Pilkington, +. c. S., NJ. I. Mech. r.,
vicepresidento of the Institute he addressed. I e
alluded to the rapid extension of the bias
process, both with the BesSemer, SiemenS, and
other types of furnaces and prophesied that t. e
manufacture OF steel OF wrought iron from this
process will be of much greater importance in
the future He pointed to the progress OF the
basic process in Germany owing to the absence
from that country of hematite ores of suitab e
quality and the cost Of importing those ores OF
BeSSemer pig iron.
Wnen first introduce the basic proce was
considered suitable for aim )st any kind of pig
iron, provided only tnat contained = enJy oI
phosphorus. Great fuctuation was helu 60 be
O5 to Is per cent: the phosphorus from Is to 80
per cent, the sulphur from COS to Oh per cent;
and the manganese from 05 to 2.5 per cent
At experiments made by syndicate selected
pigs were about the year 1882 used of the follow
Strong forge.
Manganese from L to LIT
Silicon ........................1.l7 to LII
Sulphur ................. ...... .0.0S to 0.05
Phosphorus ........................2.9 1 to 40
Common white or mottled cinder pig was used
in Staffordshire for this process for some con
siderable time. OF this the following may be
taken as typical analysis:
Manganese .---.......... 80
Silicon. ~ 10 SU
sulphur ..-..---.----.-.-.-..... U ~ 10 w
Il am not aware remarked Mr.. Pilkington
with a grim humor that tickled his audience,
that such feat as this was ever attempted IN
any other district" The author went on to
show that such pig as this was very soon found
to be unsuitable, the wear and tear being en-
steel produced. In Cleveland in the early days
of the process ordinary gray Cleveland iron was
cent of phosphorus; the silion being over per
cent. Going on to refer to present day practice,
Mr.. Pilkingtnn said that the make OF basic pigs
at Cleveland today varied at different works
about as follows:
Manganese ..............-.. ...---.-.r:- ~
Silicon ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 04 to L.
Phosphorus 10 TO 90
THE PRACTICE IN ENGLAND AND ON THE CONT
NENT.
The gathering was much interested in the ap'
pended analyses of basic pigs at works to day in
England and on the Continent:
stafrordshire. Wales borough France many Y
Slp4a : ::.ss5 g - 8 SO g g
Phosphorus.2s4 $40 26O 200 200
ton, after presenting the above table, that diff
ferent steel works have different requirements;
but, speaking generally, in this aistrlce basic
sulphur. Over per cent silicon or 0.l0 per cent
sulphur would be objected to. and half that
Whether it would not bebetter to work with less
phosphorus | must leave entirely to steel
Makers
As to the necessary Stag, Mr. Pilkington says
he has always found it an advantage to add ores
to the charge that are of basic character and
so reduce the use Of added lime to minimum.
Two such ores would be obtained from Lincoln
shire and Oxfordshire.
On the important question of the use of man
ganeSe, the authority to whom we are referring
has found it infinitely better to use Il man
ganiferous carbonate low i'll silicon, than rich
manganese ores, which often contained upwards
20 to 5 per cent of silica. As the tapcinder of
StaffordShire contains little manganese, the
addition of per cent of MOlard ore containing
II per cent of manganesel to the furnace charge.
is usually sufficient to produce per cent OF
manganese in the pig. The precise action OF
manganese in the Stag, our author defines as
here: that it exists as silicate of manganese,
the manganese replacing lime, and therefore
leaving so much more lime free to carry of sui
phur.
The difficulties of basic pig making in mid
England were touched upon both by the author
and during the discussion. 1t pointed out
that it was easy enough to make good basic pig
with hard oven coke (such for instance at Dur
ham coke), but it was not possible to keep fur
mace working very long with Stag containing
so per cent of lime when soft PAS coke and coal
used These fuels produce a large amount
of dust, and considerable difficulty often ensues
The hope expressed that the attempts
that are being made in the Midlands to
produce good hard coke would be persevered