IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Kinnaird York, of Grange Town Iron Works,
Cardiff, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
STEEL."
Sealed the 17th December 1867, and dated the 20th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Kinnaird York at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th June 1867.
I, HENRY KINNAIRD YORK, of Grange Town Iron Works, Cardiff, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF STREL," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of steel,
and consists in manufacturing steel from cast iron by fusing a mixture
composed of iron purified and decarbonized according to the process described
in the Specification of my Patent of the 5th May 1866, No. 1291, and a
certain proportion of cast iron containing carbon or carbon and manganese,
which is commonly known as spiegel eisen..
In carrying out my Invention I adopt the following process:-I take the.
particles of the purified and decarbonized iron out of the collecting trough, as
described in the Specification of my said Patent of 5th May 1866, and I dry
them over a fire; I then sift them so as to remove any pieces or lumps of iron
above a certain size that may have been broken instead of sawn off the pig,.
and consequently too large for being properly decarbonized; I then charge

page_text: these sifted decarbonized particles into ordinary steel pots, and I add a
certain proportion of cast iron containing carbon or carbon and manganese,
commonly known as spiegel eisen. The proportion of such cast iron or
spiegel eisen to be mixed with this purified and decarbonized iron varies
from about 10 to 25% according to the nature of the result desired, the
larger per-centage of such cast iron or spiegel eisen being approached in
proportion to the hardness required in the steel; I then heat the said
mixture of purified, and decarbonized iron and such cast iron or spiegel eisen
in a suitable melting furnace; I prefer using a reverberatory furnace fed with
pit coal, as being more economical, and when thoroughly melted I pour the
steel into a mould so as to form an ingot of cast steel; this ingot can after-
wards be rolled or worked by any other means into any required form.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said Henry Kinnaird York in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
KINNAIRD. YORK, of Grange Town Iron Works, Cardiff, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Kinnaird York, Her special licence, that I, the said Henry Kinnaird
York, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Kinnaird York, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, au Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Kinnaird York, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent,

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that. I, the said Henry Kinnaird York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention bas for its object improvements in the manufacture of steel,
and consists in manufacturing steel from cast iron by fusing a mixture, com-
posed of iron. purified and decarbonized, according to the process described in
the Specification of my Patent of the 5th May 1866, No.. 1291, and a
certain proportion of cast iron containing carbon or carbon and manganese,
which is commonly known as spieg! eisen.
at a
}
In carrying out my Invention I adopt, the following process: I take pig
or cast iron previously heated and cut it up into, fine particles by means of a
number of circular saws mounted close together on the same axis and driven
high velocity; this cutting or tearing apparatus is completely cased in
so as to collect the particles of iron, and below the apparatus I place a cistern
of water, or I expose the hot particles to the oxidizing influence of a blast of
air; or in lieu of the saws other apparatus capable of cutting or tearing the
cast iron into small particles may be employed..
I take the particles of the purified and decarbonized iron out of the
collecting trough, as described in the Specification of my said Patent of 5th
May 1866, and I dry them over a fire; I then sift them so as to remove any
pieces or lumps of iron above a certain size that may have been broken instead
of sawn off the pig, and consequently too large for being properly decarbonized.
For this purpose 1 use a sieve of a suitable mesh; I have found one of 10 holes
to the linear inch very suitable for the sifting operation, but the mesh may be
greater or smaller according to the description of the cast iron used; I then
add a proportion of cast iron containing carbon or carbon and manganese,
commonly known as spiegel eisen.
For a very soft steel a mixture of 98 parts of the purified and decarbonized
iron and 2 parts of spiegel eisen is suitable; or for a very hard steel a mixture
of 75 parts of the purified and decarbonized iron and 25 parts of ordinary cast
iron may be used, and oxide of manganese may advantageously be added, as
is usual in the manufacture of cast steel; or in some cases I add both cast
iron and spiegel 'eisen to the purified and decarbonized iron. When the
mixture contains spiegel eisen I do not use oxide of manganese. By varying
the proportion in which the purified and decarbonized iron is mixed with the
spiegel eisen or other cast iron between the proportions of the two examples
above given intermediate qualities of steel may be obtained.
For the best qualities of steel cast iron of good quality is employed in

page_text: preference to spiegel eisen. I charge the mixture, whichever it may be, into
ordinary steel pots, and I then heat the said mixture of purified and decar-
bonized iron and cast iron or spiegel eisen in a suitable melting furnace, and
when thoroughly melted I pour the steel into a mould so as to form an ingot
of cast steel; this ingot can afterwards be rolled or worked by any other
means into any required form.
What I claim is the manufacture of steel by melting a mixture consisting
of spiegel eisen or other cast iron and iron purified and decarbonized by the
process set forth in the 'Specification of the Patent granted to me, and dated
the 5th day of May 1866, No. 1291.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Kinnaird York, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
HENRY KINNAIRD YORK. (L.S.)