IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF 'FETLING FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND YIELD OF IRON IN THE PROCESS OF REDUCTION
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Greener, of Darlington, in the County of
Durham, Mining Engineer, and William Ellis, of Darlington, aforesaid,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND
IN THE PRODUCTION OF 'FETLING FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND YIELD OF
IRON IN THE PROCESS OF REDUCTION."
Sealed the 12th November 1867, and dated the 29th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Greener and
William Ellis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 29th July 1867.
We, THOMAS GREENER, of Darlington, in the County of Durham, Mining
Engineer, and WILLIAM ELLIS, of Darlington, aforesaid, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON,
AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF FETLING' FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND YIELD OF
IRON IN THE PROCESS OF REDUCTION," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in employing certain substances or materials which,
when melted, will be capable of being used as a "fetling" or lining for
puddling furnaces, the same being of such a quality as will add to the value of
the iron produced, and also increase the yield thereof. The materials to be
thus used should be such as are not injurious to iron; those which have been
adopted are the hæmatite ores of Cumberland and Lancashire, but any other

page_text: ores or materials which are free or comparatively free from sulphur and
phosphorus, and which contain a large excess of the oxides of iron, may be
employed. The ore or other material should be ground to a powder and
thrown on the bottom of the heating furnace when required, the same being
used in lieu of the sand or silica ordinarily employed. A shallow well should
be made in the furnace, the same to commence as far in the throat of the
furnace as possible, and to extend into the neck thereof. The well should be
capable of holding the quantity melted from the bottom as well as the cinder
from the heated iron for one or two heats, as circumstances may require, as
the longer the substance is exposed to heat the better in most cases it will
suit the purpose which it is intended to effect. The melted mass should be
kept in the well for at least one or two hours, then tapped into a small iron
waggon, and allowed to cool previous to being used; by this method all the
rich cinder from the iron in the heating furnace will be preserved, and should
be mixed with what runs from the bottom, and will form a pure and valuable
"fetling." The puddlers tap from this "fetling" will work well in the blast
furnace and produce a good common quality of forge pig iron, or if burned
into what is commonly called and known as "bull-dog," ground fine, and
mixed with, say, one-fourth part of limestone and one-tenth part of coal or
coke dust, will prove an excellent "fetling" for furnaces used for working
common iron, and will improve both the quality and yield of the iron
produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Greener and William Ellis in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, THомAя
GREENER, of Darlington, in the County of Durham, Mining Engineer, and
WILLIAM ELLIS, of Darlington aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, 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 us, the said
Thomas Greener and William Ellis, Her. special licence that we, the said Thomas
Greener and William Ellis, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Thomas Greener and William Ellis, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON,
AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF FETLING FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND YIELD OF
IRON IN THE PROCESS OF REDUCTION," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Thomas Greener and William Ellis, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Greener and William Ellis,
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, that is to say :-
Our said Invention consists in combining certain substances or materials,
which when melted are capable of being used as a "fetling," or lining for
puddling furnaces, and the use of which will add to the value and increase
the yield of the iron produced. For these purposes it is of great importance
that the materials employed in making the bottoms of the mill furnace or
heating furnace, in which the substances intended to be used as above-men-
tioned for "fetling" are to be prepared, should not contain any substance or sub>
stances the presence of which would be injurious to the iron. The hæmatite
ores of Cumberland and Lancashire, Swedish magnetic ore, and the iron sands
of New Zealand and elsewhere, are especially adapted for the purposes of our
said Invention, but any other substances which are free or comparatively free
from sulphur and phosphorus, and which contain a large excess of the oxides
of iron, may be employed. The ore or other material having been ground to a
powder is thrown on the bottom of the heating or mill furnace to the depth
of two or three inches or other suitable depth; a dry bottom is thus formed
of material that does not act injuriously upon the iron, and is used in lieu of
the sand or cinder ordinarily employed. The furnace is charged, and the
heat applied in the manner usual in working reverberatory furnaces employed
in the reduction of iron. A hollow or well may be made in the throat or flue
of the mill or heating furnace, the same commencing as far in the throat of
the furnace as possible, and extending into the neck thereof. The well should
be capable of holding the quantity of melted ore from the pulverised material
thrown on the bottom of the furnace, as well as the cinder from the heated

page_text: iron for one or two heats as circumstances may require, for it is found that
in some cases the longer the substance employed is exposed to heat, the better
it will suit the purpose which it is intended to effect. The molten mass
may be kept in the well for at least one or two hours, then tapped, or it may
be allowed to run continuously in the same manner as it is now run from
sand bottoms; it may run into a small iron waggon or other suitable
receptacle, and be allowed to cool previous to being used. By this method all
the rich cinder from the iron which is now mixed with melted silica or other
impurities in the heating furnace will be preserved and mixed with the melted
ore which runs from the bottom, the mixture forming a pure and valuable
"fetling." If it be found that too great cementation takes place in the furnace
it may be advisable to mix about one-fifth part of charcoal or coke dust as free
as possible from impurity with about four-fifths of the ore. The shape of the
furnace employed for these operations is of little importance, but it is requisite
that the crown or "velvetree" of the furnace be kept low, and that as much
heat as possible should be thrown over that part of the furnace where the
"fetling" runs or is tapped. It will be found that the "puddler's tap " or
"
"
tap cinder" which is left in the puddling furnace in which a "fetling i
formed in accordance with our said Invention has been employed, will work
well in the blast furnace and produce a good common quality of forge pig
iron, or if burned by the well-known methods so as to form the refractory
substance commonly called and known as "bull-dog," it will when reduced to
a state of fine division and mixed with about one-fourth part of limestone and
one-tenth part of coal or coke dust form an excellent "fetling" for furnaces
used for working iron of common quality, and will be found to improve both
the quality and yield of the metal produced. The above-mentioned propor-
tions must however be considered as approximative only, as it may be
necessary to vary the same to suit the different qualities of cinder from the
puddling furnace.
Having thus declared and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which it is to be performed, we would observe in conclusion
that what we consider novel and original, and therefore claim as constituting
the Invention secured to us by the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent are,
First, the use for the bottoms of heating or mill furnaces of ores or substances
containing oxide of iron or the equivalents of such substances, in the manner
herein-before described.
Secondly, the method herein-before described of securing the cinder obtained
from the iron in the heating furnace by a dry bottom, and the use of such

page_text: cinder for "fetling" for puddling furnaces alone or combined with other
substances as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Greener and William Ellis,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
E. P. H. VAUGHAN,
54, Chancery Lane,
Patent Agent.
THOMAS GREENER. (L.B.)
WILLIAM ELLIS.
(L.S.)