IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING ALUMINIUM BRONZE
Year: 1884

page_text: I ANTHONY ZDZIARSKI of Brest-Litowsk, Russia Engineer but temporarily
residing at the Queens Hotel St Martins le Grand in the City of London do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
ALUMINIUM BRONZE" to be as follows:-
According to this Invention Aluminium Bronze is obtained from melted Kryolite
or from mixtures of Clay and a suitable flux by means of the Electric current,
melted Copper or brass being employed for the negative electrode.

page_text: I ANTHONY ZDZIARSKI of Brest-Litowsk Russia Engineer but temporarily
residing at the Queen's Hotel St Martins-le-Grand in the City of London do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING.
ALUMINIUM BRONZE" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
According to this Invention Aluminium Bronze is obtained from melted cryolite
with a suitable flux or from mixtures of other compound of aluminium and a
suitable flux, by means of a current of electricity, copper brass or other metals
being employed in a melted state for the cathode.
And in order that the said Invention may be properly understood, I will proceed
to describe a system mode or manner, in or under which the said Invention may be
carried into practical effect it being understood that I do not necessarily limit
myself to the precise materials and details of operation hereinafter given as an
example, as it will be readily understood that they may be varied without
departing from the nature of the said Invention.
I take melted cryolite mixed with a suitable flux or I take a mixture of other
compound of aluminium and a suitable flux, the same being contained in a plumbago
or wrought iron crucible or receptacle heated by any convenient arrangement of
furnace, in the bottom of which crucible or receptacle is contained the metal or
metals in conjunction with which the alloy of aluminium is to be made-The said
metal or metals in a melted state are connected by a suitable conducting wire such
as one of iron or platinum with the cathode of a powerful dynamo machine, the
anode of which is connected with carbon rods placed in the melted cryolite or
aluminium compound without contact with the melted metal contained in the
bottom of the crucible or receptacle.
The flux constituting in effect the electrolyte must be such that it will enter
very easily into combination with fluorine, liberated on the anode and it should
contain as large a percentage as possible of pure aluminium-Mixtures which fulfil
this condition may be obtained by melting the cryolite, or aluminium compound,
with carbonate of soda or carbonate of potash, or with other carbonates, the bases
of which possess a great affinity for fluorine.
The electrical current used to effect the chemical decomposition of the cryolite,
or aluminium compound, must be generated by a dynamo machine giving a
sufficient electro motive force to effect the chemical decomposition of the mixture,
cryolite or other aluminium compound and flux, into aluminium and sodium (or its
equivalent) at the negative pole, and the liberation of fluorine at the positive pole,
and to overcome the resistance of the melted mixture, and also that due to the
electromotive force of polarization.
When cryolite is used, I find that it is indispensable to separate the silica from
the cryolite, as the silica during the process would be decomposed and the liberated
silicon by entering into combination with the aluminium bronze would render it
very brittle.
When a mixture of an oxide of aluminium (Al, O₁) is employed, the flux must
be used in a quantity sufficient to give an easily fusible combination-In this case
the flux should consist of carbonate of potash or soda or both. By using this last
method the carbon at the positive pole is not so rapidly disintegrated."
All the metals which give alloys with aluminium can be used in a melted state
as the cathode for obtaining aluminiumn bronze according to this Invention-If the

page_text: metal used be not melted, (for example iron) then the aluminium can be obtained
in a very thin layer covering the surface of the metal so used.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said.
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The manufacture or obtaining of aluminium Bronze by treating cryolite or other
compound of aluminium and a flux, by means of a current of electricity, and in the
presence of copper brass or other metals substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 8th day of Nawam 1001
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
Agent for the said Anthony Zdziarski.