Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel.
We, ANDREW TURNER, of 40 St. Lawrence Street, Greenock, Ironmoulder, and,
MATTHEW BARR BAIRD, of 59 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, Steel Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of iron and steel, and it is a development
of Turner, Baird & Baird's prior Patent No. 5545 of 1890.
In carrying out our present invention, we first reduce a certain quantity of the
crude or raw metal or material (which may be pig iron in the manufacture of steel)
to a molten state, in a furnace or vessel of any suitable and well-known construction.
We then introduce into this molten metal or material, a quantity of pure metal or
material, obtained or reduced by electricity. The reduction of the pure metal or
material, which may be malleable iron when steel is being manufactured, or may be
nickel, aluminium, steel, spigeleisen, ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon, or other suitable
substance, is effected, by preference, by placing or suspending over, through or
in the furnace or vessel, one or more rods of the pure metal or material, and then
passing a current of electricity, generated by a dynamo or in any well-known and
suitable manner, through the rod or rods. The heat generated by the passage of
the electric current through the rod, or rods, reduces it, and the molten material
thus produced is dropped, put or conducted into the furnace or vessel containing
the crude metal or material and is mixed therewith. The current of electricity is,
preferably, made to pass through the molten crude metal or material, and, to effect
this, one of the rods, if there are more than one, may be used as the negative
terminal, whilst another rod may be used as the positive terminal, the circuit being
closed through the molten metal or material. The negative. terminal is, by
preference, not used for melting or reducing purposes, but is applied merely
to complete the circuit. It may be fitted in connection with the molten metal or
material in any suitable manner.
There is also introduced into the molten metal or material in the furnace or
vessel, one or more blasts of air, ozone, or ozonated air, under pressure from a blowing
engine or other suitable source. The blast, or blasts, may pass through twyeres in
the vessel or furnace. When the blast, or blasts, consists of pure air, it becomes
ozonated, by the action of the electricity passing through the molten metal or
material.
By the application of ozonated air or ozone to the electrified material or metal,
it is rendered much better and purer.
The rods, suspended or fitted in or over the melting furnace or vessel, may be
hydrogenised or otherwise chemically treated, either before or during the
manufacture of the iron or steel.
The apparatus, by which the rods may be suspended, may consist of a wooden or
other holder, which is hooked to a chain or rope, which can be easily raised
or lowered in any convenient manner. In the holder is one or more brass or other
metal plates or pieces, through which the rods are passed. The electric wires from
the dynamo or battery are connected to the upper ends of the rods.
Instead of using rods, as hereinbefore described, plates of a suitable breadth and
thickness may be employed.
We may melt iron by means of a blast, or blasts, of ozone or ozonated air
in blast furnaces, cupolas &c., instead of by using, as at present, blasts of ordinary
air.
Dated this 14th day of Anil 1800

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel.
We, ANDREW TURNER, of 40 St. Lawrence Street, Greenock, Ironmoulder and
MATTHEW BARR BAIRD, of 59 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, Steel Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of iron and steel, and it is a development
of Turner, Baird & Baird's prior Patent No. 5545 of 1890.
In carrying out our present invention, we first reduce a certain quantity of the
crude or raw metal or material (which may be pig iron in the manufacture of steel)
to a molten state, in a furnace or vessel of any suitable and well-known construction.
We then introduce into this molten metal or material, a quantity of pure metal or
material, obtained or reduced by electricity. The reduction of the pure metal or
material, which may be malleable iron when steel is being manufactured, or may be
nickel, aluminium, steel, spigeleisen, ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon, or other suitable
substance, is effected, by preference, by placing or suspending over, through, or in
the furnace or vessel, one or more rods of the pure metal or material, and then
passing a current of electricity, generated by a dynamo or in any well-known and
suitable manner, through the rod or rods. The heat generated by the passage of
the electric current through the rod, or rods, reduces it, and the molten material
thus produced is dropped, put, or conducted into the furnace or vessel containing
the molten crude metal or material and is mixed therewith. The current of
electricity is, preferably, made to pass through the molten crude metal or material,
and, to effect this, one of the rods, if there are more than one, may be used as the
negative pole or terminal, whilst another rod may be used as the positive pole or
terminal the circuit being closed through the molten metal or material. The
negative pole or terminal is, by preference, not used for melting or reducing purposes,
but is applied merely to complete the circuit. It may be fitted in connection with
the molten metal or material in any suitable manner.
As it is not necessary to have two rods or series of rods to complete the circuit,
one rod or series may be dispensed with.
There is also introduced into the molten metal or material in the furnace or
vessel, one or more blasts of air, ozone or ozonated air, under pressure from a
blowing engine or other suitable_source. The blast, or blasts, may pass through
twyeres in the vessel or furnace. When the blast, or blasts, consists of pure air, it
becomes ozonated, by the action of the electricity passing through the molten metal
or material.
By the application of ozonated air or ozone to the molten material or metal, it is
rendered much better and purer.
The rods, suspended or fitted in or over the melting furnace or vessel, may be
hydrogenised or otherwise chemically treated, either before or during the manu-
facture of the iron or steel.
The apparatus, by which the rods are suspended, may consist of any well known
device such as a wooden or other holder, which is hooked to a chain or rope, capable
of being easily raised or lowered in any convenient manner. In the holder is one or
more brass or other metal plates or pieces, through which the rods are passed. The
electric wires from the dynamo, accumulator, or battery, are connected to the upper
ends of the rods.
Instead of using rods, as hereinbefore described, plates of a suitable breadth and
thickness may be employed.
We may melt iron by means of a blast, or blasts, of ozone or ozonated air in blast
furnaces, cupolas &c.;, instead of using, as at present, blasts of ordinary atmospheric
air.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of iron and steel the introduction of blasts of ozone
or ozonated air instead of atmospheric air, for the advantages hereinbefore set
forth.
2. The process of manufacturing iron and steel consisting in first reducing the
crude metal or material to a molten state, then introducing a quantity of pure
metal or material and subjecting the mixture to the action of an air, ozone, or
ozonated air-blast and electric current or currents, substantially as hereinbefore set
forth.
Dated this 11th day of February 1902
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.