IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF MAKING IRON OR STEEL CASTINGS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN DEVONSHIRE ELLIS of Thurnscoe Hall near Rotherham in the county
of York, Managing Director of Mess" John Brown & Co Limited, Atlas Works,
Sheffield, in the said County of York do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF MAKING IRON OR STEEL
CASTINGS to be as follows:-
Whereas in making ordinary castings in Iron or Steel it has always been found
necessary to have a considerable quantity of extra metal to form a head at the top
of the casting in consequence of the metal being drawn away from the centre and
causing a vacancy by the contraction of the casting in cooling a great additional
cost is incurred by the necessary use of so much extra metal and a great
uncertainty still exists as to the soundness of the casting.
Now I have found that by fixing (or inserting) a feeder or tube composed of
fireclay or other suitable non-conducting material on (or in) the top of the mould
which has been prepared for the casting and heating such feeder to a temperature
sufficiently high to keep the metal in the feeder in a molten state and then filling
the mould and feeder with the metal and keeping the feeder at the said temperature
until the metal has become solidified in the mould a perfectly sound casting can be
thereby obtained with a diminished quantity of metal to form a head and with
increased certainty.
The said feeder may be heated either in a fluc or furnace by which it is
surrounded or by gas or in any other suitable manner.
When a flue is employed for the purpose it is or may be arranged so as to extend
over a series of moulds with the feeder at (or in) the top of each mould such¯flue
being of a suitable section to surround the feeder.
Also when a furnace is employed it may be of such form and so arranged as to
surround the feeder with the heat proceeding from it.
The requisite temperature within the feeder may likewise be maintained by
means of a heated blast applied at the upper part of it either on the outside or
the inside of the said feeder.

page_text: I JOHN DEVONSHIRE ELLIS of Thurnscoe Hall near Rotherham in the County
of York Managing Director of Mess John Brown & Co Limited Atlas Works
Sheffield in the said County of York do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF MAKING IRON OR STEEL
CASTINGS and in what manner, the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Whereas in making ordinary castings in Iron or Steel it has always been found
necessary to have a considerable quantity of extra metal to form a head at the top
of the casting in consequence of the metal being drawn away from the centre and
causing a vacancy by the contraction of the casting in cooling a great additional
cost is incurred by the necessary use of so much extra metal and a great uncertainty
still exists as to the soundness of the casting.
Now I have found that by fixing a feeder or tube composed of fireclay or other
suitable material on the top of the moulding box which has been prepared for the
casting and heating such feeder to a temperature sufficiently high to keep the metal
in the feeder in a molten state and then filling the moulding box and feeder with
the metal and keeping the feeder at the said temperature until the metal has
become solidified in the moulding box a perfectly sound casting can be thereby
obtained with a diminished quantity of metal to form a head and with increased
certainty. The said feeder may be heated either in a flue or furnace by which it is
surrounded or by gas.
When a flue is employed for the purpose it is or may be arranged so as to extend
over a series of moulding boxes with a feeder at the top of each moulding box
such flue being of a suitable section to surround the feeders. Also when a furnace
is employed it may be of such form and so arranged as to surround the feeder with
the heat proceeding from it.
In order however that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect. I will describe it more particularly by the aid of the
accompanying Drawing in which is reprosented a feed tube with the means of
heating it applied to a moulding box for casting.
A is the moulding box B the feed tube C the furnace for beating the feed tube
Da blast jet applied under the fire bars.
The feed tube B is surrounded by a wrought iron casing lined with suitable
material (sufficient space being left for the fuel) fitted at the top of the moulding
box and is extended downwards so as to rest upon the sand in the moulding box.
The form of the moulding box A will be varied according to the particular
casting required to be produced.
In order to produce a casting that is perfectly solid, and without the use of a
considerable quantity of metal for forming a head the iron or steel is run through
the feed tube B into the moulding box and feed tube until these are filled or nearly 4
so, the feed tube having been heated as hereinbefore stated to a high temperaturo
and kept at such heat until the metal in the moulding box is solidified.
The feed tube must be of such a length and diameter is to be capable of holding
sufficient metal to feed the casting whilst cooling and may be cylindrical or
tapered.
The feed tube may be leated to a temperature sufficiently high to keep the metal
at the melting point by its being surrounded (as shown in the drawing) by a
furnace consisting of an iron box lined with suitable material and filled with coal

page_text: or coke with a blast or by its being enclosed in a flue heated by gas or otherwise
so long as the arrangement admits of the feed tube being heated and maintained
at the proper temperature by coal coke or gas.
When a flue is used it may be so arranged as to extend over a series of moulding
boxes its diameter being sufficient to contain the feed tubes.
By the above modes of obtaining the required heat of the feed tube as fast as
the metal in the moulding box contracts in cooling a portion of the molten metal
in the feed tube runs into the moulding box thereby producing a solid casting.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the Invention is not
confined to any particular form of moulding box or kind of casting nor to any
particular mode of applying the feed tube to the moulding box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I hereby declare that
what I claim is :-
The method of making iron or steel castings by adapting and applying feed
tubes to the moulding boxes in such a manner and with such means of raising and
maintaining the temperature in the feed tubes that the usual large quantity of
extra metal to form a head is considerably reduced and a sound casting produced
or obtained substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 1st day of November One thousand eight hundred and eighty four.