IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Gilbert Martien, of Newark, New Jersey,
United States of America, but now residing in London, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Gilbert Martien
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th October 1855.
I, JOSEPH GILBERT MARTIEN, of Newark, New Jersey, in the United States
of America, but now residing in London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND
STEEL" to be as follows; and consists in heating malleable sponge, better
known as puddled or welded lumps, balls, and loops, or otherwise, whether such
be made direct from the ore or any oxyds of iron by the Catalonian system,
or from ore or any oxyds of iron deoxydized with carbonaceous matter, and
with or without other matter mixed therewith, in tubes or vessels of any kind,
externally heated, or by the direct agency of deoxydizing gases, in part or in
whole, or by exposure to the more direct action of the heat in open chambers
or furnaces of any kind, or from carburets of iron, known as pig iron, and cast
metal and oxyds, or deoxydized iron with or without a mixture of carbonaceous
or other matter therewith.

page_text: I prefer (more especially) treating the malleable sponge made direct from
the ore or any oxyds of iron by deoxydation in connexion with carbonaceous
matter mixed with or without. other matter, to a welding heat, and manipu-
lated into lumps or balls of malleable metal, containing more or less carbona-
ceous matter, as may be desired. The said malleable lumps, balls, and loops
are subjected to the purifying and peculiar agency of water, (either cold or
heated) by immersion in their heated state directly as they come from the
furnace, or prior to material loss of heat. Instead of immersion, the water
may be poured or caused to flow on and over the said sponge in any suitable
manner, and it may have mixed therewith chlorinė, saline, alkaline, or other
matter. In some cases, prior to immersing the said sponge and while it is in
its intensely heated state, I compress it more or less, thereby relieving it of a
portion of fluid and impure matter; and immediately thereafter, with as little
exposure to the atmosphere as possible, sever the said sponge (by a severing
machine) into small parts, which fall or pass directly into a bath of water, either
cold or heated, and it may have mixed therewith chlorine, saline, alkaline, or
other matter, or the water may be poured or caused to flow on and over the said
small parts, or, if desired, the said sponge may be severed by the machine, and
compression omitted. I also sever into small parts the said immersed lumps,
balls, and loops in a cold state, for the purpose of heating the same for cast steel
in the form of ingots, or any other shape, for articles of use possessing the hard-
ness and all the properties peculiar to cast steel or to cast metal, and which may
be subjected to an annealing process, and which I call annealed steel or steel
articles; the same result will be obtained for the purpose of treating the same
for cast steel in the form of ingots, &c., subjecting the same malleable sponge
after it has been severed in its heated state to the purifying process of water,
in the manner mentioned, with or without compression; or the said malleable
sponge may be severed in its licated state without being treated with water, as
before stated, and also with or without compression; also in treating the said
prepared sponge for cast steel, or cast steel articles for use, with or without
annealing, I subject it to the melting process in any suitable manner, with a
mixture of carbonaceous and other matter, or otherwise; according to the
nature of the metal or the articles desired for use, or the same may be smelted
as stated without severing. The said purified sponge severed, compressed, or
otherwise, may be heated in a reverberatory furnace with proper manipulation
for wrought iron, or for an iron possessing the properties and nature of spring
steel.
1 ...
Instead of employing water for the purposes as herein described;" steam inay
be used, a receptacle for which is to be made of any desired form or material;

page_text: and of sufficient strength. to. bear, the required pressure, with an opening to
admit, the lumps, balls,. or loops severed,. compressed, or otherwise, and an
adjustable cover of simple arrangement. The said box is also provided with a
pipe to admit steam therein, and a gauge valve to regulate the pressure and
escape of the steam, or any other means may be adopted, so that the said
sponge in lump, balls, or loops, severed, compresse:l, or otherwise in its heated
state, is subjected to steaming.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Gilbert Martien in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
GILBERT MARTIEN, of Newark, New Jersey, United States of America, but
now residing in London, send greeting..
..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Gilbert Martien, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Gilbert Martien, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Joseph Gibert Martien, 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, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Gilbert Martien, 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 per-
formed, 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 I, the said Joseph Gilbert Martien, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-

page_text: Various processes for making wrought iron and steel direct from the ore by
subjecting the oxydes in a pulverised state to the action of heat in connection
with carbonaceous matter, and also by the agency of deoxydising gases, and
subjecting the deoxydised ore to a welding heat, and manipulating the same
into lumps of iron, is more or less understood in the trade; also the puddling
of cast iron with or without other matter into malleable lumps is well known.
It is also well known that lumps of iron made by welding particles of deoxy-
dised ore, and also lumps made by the process of puddling, are more or less in
a spongy state.
Now, the nature of my Invention consists in subjecting such malleable
sponge in lumps (or in a severed state, as herein-after described), whether it
be made direct from the ore or from cast iron, in part or wholly, to the puri-
fying and peculiar agency of water or its elements, in a natural or heated
state, directly after it has been drawn from the furnace in which it was made,
that is, previous to material loss of heat therefrom; also, in adding to the
water to which such sponge is subjected chlorine, saline, or alkaline matter or
matters, separately or in combination, by which treatment such sponge is much
improved for after use in wrought iron, and for an iron possessing the pro-
perties of steel; and for this purpose I prefer lumps of welded particles of
ore which have been deoxydised by means of and in contact with carbona-
ceous matter, and with a surplus of carbonaceous matter, that is, more than
sufficient to reduce the ore and take up and dispel the oxygen of the ore, as
the surplus carbon acts beneficially in expediting the manipulation and pro-
duction of steel, and especially when such sponge is to be melted direct for
cast steel.
In carrying out my Invention, I arrange a trough convenient to the furnace
and of sufficient size to hold the proper supply of water, so that the lumps may
be passed direct from the furnace, and immersed in the bath a few inches
below the surface of the water. When it is found desirable to use chlorine,
saline, or alkaline matters, as before mentioned, I prefer chloride of sodium,
soda, potash, borax, or borates, in such proportions and combinations as may
be required by the nature and disposition of the material under operation, and
with due regard to the use to which it is to be applied.
Instead of passing the lumps direct to the bath, they may first be subjected to
a severing machine, and the severed parts be directly submitted to the action
of water, as before described, with as little exposure to the atmosphere as
possible. I prefer, however, subjecting the lumps to the action of water prior
to severation, and to sever them in the cold state when severation is desirable.
If the sponge after such treatment be found to contain much unconsumed

page_text: carbonaceous matter, I subject it to washing, especially when it is desired to
convert it into bars or plates of soft iron. Steam in its natural or heated state
may also be applied to the sponge by subjecting it in a vessel provided for the
purpose, but I do not recommend it. The said purified and treated sponge is
susceptible of being melted direct into cast steel, by subjecting it to proper
heat in pots, or by any known process of melting; but in so doing, fluxes
may in some cases be necessary to be added in the melting, and must be
varied according to the steel required.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which it is or may be carried into effect, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, submitting malleable sponge to the action of water or its elements
in a natural or heated state, and with or without other matter mixed there-
with; and also the addition of chlorine, saline, or alkaline matter or matters
to the water, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Gilbert Martien, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred & fifty-six.
Witness,
J. AVERY, Patent Agent,
32, Essex Street, Strand, London.
J. G. MARTIEN. (L.S.)