IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jacob Geoghegan Willans at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd September 1876.
JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS, of No. 9, Saint Stephen's Crescent, in the County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL."
My Invention relates,―
Firstly To the adding of carbon, also other substances to fluid iron or steel
Secondly. To the production of an improved cast iron.
And, thirdly. To the reduction of iron ores and oxides to the metallic condition
without melting them.
Cast iron containing carbon and other substances, such as manganese, silicon, or
other alloy, is now added to fluid iron and steel, by which carbon is added to
them The amount of carbon in cast iron being limited, a large proportion of cast
iron must be added if much addition of carbon, be required, whereby other sub-
stances contained in the cast iron are also necessarily added. My improvement in
this respect is to carbonise cast iron or steel granules or particles by mixing them
up with a hydrocarbonaceous substance (such as pitch, tar, oil, farinaceous or
bituminous substance, and such like), and to heat the mixture to about a red heat
in a retort, vessel, or chamber, without access of air. The metal granules will thus
be coated with adhering carbon; I add these carbonized granles to the fluid iron or
steel (sometimes by means of blast or other gaseous current) The quantity of
carbon absorbed into the fluid iron or steel will thus be greater than if the original
cast iron alone was added.
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If it be desired to add or apply deoxidised iron ore or other metals or substances
to the fluid iron or steel I apply the material or substance containing it coated with
carbon as I do granulated iron.
Cast irons containing much silicon or phosphorus are at present unsuitable for
the production of superior wrought iron and castings. The same pig iron if
properly refined in the ordinary coke refinery or by other means will lose the
greater portion of its silicon, and if similar or other pig iron be converted into
wrought iron by the usual process the greater portion of its phosphorus as well as
silicon will be removed.
My Invention in this respect is to melt down in a cupola furnace a mixture of
refined cast iron and of wrought iron. The amount of silicon and phosphorus in
the resulting metal may thus be proportioned to equal the average of these sub-

page_text: stances in cold blast all mine pig irons, and owing to the contact of the wrought
iron with the coke or other fuel the metal will contain sufficient carbon to fit it for
use in the foundry or puddling furnace.
My Invention, lastly, relates to the reducing of iron ores or oxides to a metallic
condition without melting them. Hitherto this has been effected by mixing
carbonaceous matter therewith, and heating them in close vessels, or by having the
ore or oxide in a retort heated externally, and into which a reducing gas was
admitted. It has also been suggested to heat the interior of the retort or chamber
in which the ore is placed by the combustion of part of the gas, leaving the
remainder in a highly heated condition, but adulterated with watery vapour or
carbonic acid to act upon the ore.
My improvement is to bring a reducing gas, such as carbonic oxide or hydrogen
or compounds of hydrogen and carbon, or their mixtures up to the necessary
temperature at which the iron ore or oxide becomes acted upon before it be
admitted into contact with them without any such admixture of air as would
support combustion, so that the vessel containing the ore or oxide be not necessarily
heated, either externally by fuel, or internally by the partial combustion of the gas;
or I have the ore or oxide sufficiently heated before it be put into the place where
the reducing gas at less temperature in an unignited state be admitted.
I prefer to pass the gas through a heater (such as is now used for heating the
blast furnaces will answer), so that it be heated sufficiently to deprive the iron ore
or oxide with which it be afterwards brought into contact of the entire or greater
part of its oxygen.
In order to facilitate the more uniform action of reducing gas on iron ore or
oxide I employ a rotating (preferably inclined) cylinder or vessel, into which small
ore or oxide is placed; I have a gas pipe with sufficient opening for the exit of the
gas inserted into the cylinder, and around which the cylinder and its contents
(however heated) revolve. The position of the ore particles are, thus continually
changed, and the gas brought more equally amongst them.
•
When the ore or oxide be sufficiently deprived of its oxygen it may be transferred
from the cylinder into vessels to cool without access of air for after use as iron in a
divisional state in the manufacture of iron & steel, or for other purposes; or it
may be transferred whilst still hot into chambers or vessels to be welded or melted
into malleable iron or steel; I sometimes add carbon or finely granulated cast iron
to the reduced ore or oxide before welding or melting it