IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT IRON AND IN FURNACES FOR- PUDDLING, BALLING, AND HEATING IRON AND STEEL OR OTHER METALS, ALONG WITH ▲ MECHANICAL PUDDLER EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Samuel Richard Smyth and
Joseph Simpson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th November 1874.
We, SAMUEL RICHARD SMYTH, Engineer, &c, and JOSEPH SIMPSON both
of 58, Fountain Street, in the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT IRON AND IN FURNACES FOR-
PUDDLING, BALLING, AND HEATING IRON AND STEEL OR OTHER METALS, ALONG WITH
▲ MECHANICAL PUDDLER EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
wrought iron, and in furnaces for puddling, balling, and heating iron
and steel or other metals, along with a mechanical puddler employed
therein.
We construct a furnace of cast or wrought iron plates which are bolted
or rivetted together, and are formed either square, round, or octagonal
in shape, and of suitable any size. These plates are bolted into four or
more upright pillars, which said pillars are secured to a sole plate fixed
on brick peirs. The said sole plate is rabbetted to a sufficient depth to

page_text: admit of a strong table of either cast or wrought iron for it to rest in.
Underneath the said table is placed a bydraulic ram and cylinder which
may be worked by an accumulator or by a force pump having all the
necessary gauges and cocks; but should it be preferred we can raise the
said table either by wheel or by screw gear. On this table is cast or
fixed two small rails, also guides for the side pillars to regulate the lift.
A flange is formed at the bottom part of the furnace projecting upwards
for the fire refractory material to rest or bed upon.
The bottom of the furnace is movable on low wheels, and is in the
shape of a truck or ladle having a bevil cone top. It is so formed that
it fits into the bevil of the lower part of the furnace; and when it is
raised up by the lift it closes the furnace. This closing is accomplished
by luting the bevil edges of the furnace bottom; both the furnace and
the ladle bottom are lined with our refractory material in bricks or
segments, as set forth in our Specification No. 3840, dated 7th November
1874.
A small hole is formed at the most convenient part of the furnace,
having a sliding door with counterbalancing apparatus for opening and
closing the puddling hole, and for the rabble shaft. The outlet flue for
waste gases is formed at the upper edge of the crown of the furnace,
leading either to the boilers or to the chimney stack, having a close
fitting damper fitted therein. On the crown of the furnace is con-
structed a flue strongly encased with iron, on which is placed a flap valvo
with pedestal and lever to act as a relief to the furnace.
At the edge of the furnace top, a strong cast-iron pipe is crected
leading from furnace to furnace, into which carburetted hydrogen
composed of (C. H.,) (or more atoms if possible), and other gases and
compounds as set forth in our Specification No. 3840, dated 7th November
1874, are forced. Descending from this pipe are two or more pipes
leading into each furnace and skewed to the requisite angle and bolted
to the side plates of the furnace. Through the refractory lining holes
are formed to the top line of metal, and these holes are skewed down-
wards towards the centre of the furnace bottom. At the upper part of
the aforesaid descending pipes stop valves are fixed so as to regulate the
supply of compounds which enter through a cone perforated cap into the
pipe beyond. At this part of the pipe a quantity of holes are formed for
the admission of the atmospheric air or oxygen in quantities necessary
to form a perfect combustion.

page_text: On the aforesaid pipes are fixed sliding collars which will slip on or off
the hole so as to regulate the supply of air or oxygen therein, which may
so be regulated that an accumulating force is created capable of making
the metal rotundate; a pressure gauge is fixed to register the pressure,
and also a pyrometer to register the internal heat outside of the furnace.
The whole principle applies to one of any number of furnaces which may
be used for the melting of pigs or for puddling or welding or balling
up of scrap iron, or for heating ingots, blooms, or uses in conjunction with
our apparatus as set forth in our Specification dated 7th November 1874,
No. 3840. Or the metals may be taken into the ladle truck bottom
either from the blast furnace, the cupola direct, or from our purifying
receiver or converting trunnion ladle (as specified in aforesaid Specifi-
cation, No. 3840, dated 7th November 1874), and wherein any size,
weight, or mass of metal may be completely manipulated, and when
finished the ladle truck bottom can be lowered and its contents delivered
on to squeezer rollers, or hammers and another ladle bottom may then
take its place and repeat the oporation.
In conjunction with the before specified furnace, we also construct a
furnace with fire grate surface, and ash pit, which furnace is formed of
iron plates on pillars attached thereto. This furnace may be fired in the
usual way, either with coke or coal, and it may be used as furnaces are
now used, or it may be used with the compounds in conjunction with
coke or coal.
We also erect, to act in conjunction with the aforesaid, our heating,
annealing, and manipulating retort ovens which arc set forth and
fully described in our Specification, No. 3840, dated 7th November 1874.
These ovens are to act with the aforesaid furnaces which have the ladle
truck bottoms, or with any other shape of furnace where the material
requires rabbling or mixing; we construct an upright iron mechanical
puddler or mixer to do away with hard physical manual labour for
this purpose.
We fix below the floor line an iron shaft which is placed horizontally
on plumber blocks, and on carrying piers. Opposite each furnace
puddling hole, there is fixed an upright pillar on the extreme end of
which there is a round iron pin, ball, or cup, to which the rabble is fixed.
The said pillar lines in a line with the furnace hole, and is fixed on the
iron shaft below by a clutch having a groove on it, and lever which
projects up the said pillar, and is held in or out of work by a slip roller.

page_text: When it is not in work the pillar is lowered below a floor plate placed on
the floor. One shaft will carry a number of pillars which obtain their
motion from the shaft, rocking right and left to the proper length of
stroke for the furnaces. The power for this motion is conveyed by a
small steam engine, or by gear from power working on to a pinion,
thence to a spur wheel below the floor line, having a crank pin on its
boss working in a slot in a lever connected and keyed on to the
horizontal shaft carrying pillars for each furnace. Or sets of furnaces
may be placed on each side of the small engine, and gearing which will
then drive both sets at once. The rabble or puddler bar has a slot hole
and a curved boss or a round cup or ball which allows a side motion
being given to the rabble. The rabble requires a tee shaped end so as to
enable a man or boy to guide it whilst the pillar moves it backwards and
forwards. The rabble bar may be changed as is now done in puddling
furnaces, but the power of the puddler is no longer required to move it
as he will simply guide it, and sufficient power being provided large
masses of metal may be treated thereby.
This our Invention acts as a self-acting mechanical puddler, and it can
be applied to any description of puddling furnace in use, whether it is for
the manufacture of iron or steel or other metal. Its use will give a
certainty that the work it performs will be accomplished with a perfection
hitherto unknown; it does away with piling or reheating; it saves at
least four heats, for by our Invention the iron may be taken direct from
the blast furnace to our puddling furnace, and may be finished as wrought
iron of the purest quality, inasmuch as it is unnecessary in working
our Invention for the metal to be cooled from its first melting until
it is finished, and it may be manipulated in any masses which are
required.