THE MANUFACTURE OF A NEW OR IMPROVED METALLIC ALLOY
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Mushet, of Coleford, in the County of
Gloucester, Metallurgist, for the Invention of "THE MANUFACTURE OF A
NEW OR IMPROVED METALLIC ALLOY."
Sealed the 7th December 1860, and dated the 20th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Mushet at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
September 1860.
I, ROBERT MUSHET, of Coleford, in the County of Gloucester, Metallurgist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "THE MANUFACTURE
OF A NEW OR IMPROVED METALLIC ALLOY," to be as follows:-
When ores of titanium, which in addition to titanic acid, contain a large
proportion of oxide of iron, and may, therefore, be considered as compound
ores of titanium and iron are strongly heated in close retorts, cementing
furnaces, or chambers exposed to the influence or action of solid or gaseous
carbon or other deoxidising substances or agents, the said ores are gradually
deprived of their oxygen, or the greater part thereof, and are then mainly in
the state of metallic titanium and iron combined, more or less mixed with
silica and such other earthy matters as may have been originally associated

page_text: with these compound ores of titanium and iron. Iserine and ilmenite are
titanium ores of the kind described. If the metallised compound of iron and
titanium thus obtained is now introduced into a melting pot or crucible placed
in a suitable melting furnace, and heated therein until the said compound of
titanium and iron is melted an alloy of titanium and iron is obtained free from
earthy impurities. The pot or crucible is now withdrawn from the melting
furnace, and the melted alloy is poured into a suitable ingot or other mould.
To facilitate the fusion of the deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron,
which is essentially a compound of titanium and iron, I mix with the said
compound, and I introduce with it into the melting pot or crucible, a quantity
of carbonaceous matter; the greater the proportion of carbonaceous matter
thus introduced along with the said deoxidised compound ore of titanium and
iron the more readily will the compound of titanium and iron enter into fusion
and the harder will be the resulting alloy.
The essence of my Invention consists in manufacturing alloys of iron and
titanium by melting deoxidised compound ores of titanium and iron, which
contain besides titanium a large proportion of iron, in melting pots or crucibles
placed in a suitable melting furnace, so that the metallized titanium and iron
in the said deoxidised ore may unite in fusion, and form an alloy of titanium
and iron; and in order to facilitate the fusion, and for the purpose of regulating
the hardness of the said alloy, I introduce carbonaceous matter along with the
deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron into the melting pot or crucible.
The compound ores of titanium and iron which I prefer to use are those
known as ilmenite and iserine. The latter is found to contain from six to
eight per centum of metallic titanium combined with oxygen. This compound
ore of titanium and iron is found in great abundance at Taranaki, near the Port
of New Plymouth, in New Zealand, existing there in the state of an exceedingly
fine iron sand.
In order to prepare the iserine or iron sand of New Zealand for my process
I proceed as follows:-To every one hundred pounds of the iserine or iron
sand I add from twenty pounds to twenty-five pounds weight of finely pulverized
charcoal, and I mix these substances thoroughly; I next introduce the mixture
thus obtained into a retort or converting furnace chamber, which is then closed
so as to prevent access of air, and raised to a white heat, ranging from 80 to
100 degrees of Wedgewood's pyrometer, at which temperature it is maintained
until the deoxidisation of the compound ore of titanium and iron has been
effected, which will be in the course of from about seventy-two to ninety-six
hours, according to the size of the retort or cementing chamber. The

page_text: deoxidized compound ore of titanium and iron thus obtained is the compound
I employ for my process. The furnace I prefer to employ for deoxidizing the
iserine or other compound ore of titanium and iron is an ordinary steel con-
verting furnace furnished with converting or cementing pots or chambers in
the usual manner, and constructed of the most refractory fire-stone or fire-
bricks, so as to enable the said furnace to withstand the intense heat which I
apply in order to deoxidise the compound ores of titanium and iron. When the
converting furnace is cool I withdraw the deoxidised ore, and I crush or
stamp it if agglutinated so as to reduce it to a tolerably fine powder. To every
forty pounds of the powdered deoxidized compound ore of titanium and iron I
add from one ounce to sixteen ounces of powdered charcoal, which I mix with
the said ore, and I then introduce the mixture into a melting pot or crucible
placed in a suitable melting furnace; I heat these substances therein until they
are melted, and I then withdraw the crucible or melting pot from the furnace,
and the alloy of titanium and iron into a suitable ingot or other mould;
I do not, however, limit myself to these proportions of charcoal.
pour
I wish it to be understood that the greater the proportion of carbonaceous
matter which is added to the deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron
the more readily will the alloy of titanium and iron enter into fusion, and the
harder will it prove to be. In practice I find that it answers well to mix the
produced deoxidized compound ore of titanium and iron with pitch or resin
before the said deoxidized ore is introduced into the melting pot. In this case
I find it convenient to grind the pitch or resin along with the deoxidized ore
so as to mix these substances intimately; I introduce this mixture of deoxidised
compound ore of titanium and iron and pitch or resin into a melting pot
placed in a suitable melting furnace, and I heat the said compound therein
until it is melted, and I pour the alloy of titanium and iron thus obtained into
a suitable ingot or other mould. The greater the proportion of pitch or resin
added to the deoxidized ore, the harder will be the resulting alloy of titanium
and iron. The ingots of the alloy of titanium and iron thus obtained may be
heated, and either drawn under a hammer or rolled through rollers into bars,
rods, or sheets, as may be required. Should the ingots of titanium and iron
be found to crack in drawing or rolling a small quantity of manganese may be
added to the deoxidized compound ore of titanium and iron and pitch or
resin, in order to render the alloy ductile and tough under the hammer; I also
sometimes add scraps of good charcoal, or other iron and scrap steel to toughen
the alloy in drawing or rolling.
The melting pots or crucibles which I prefer to use, and the furnaces I

page_text: employ for melting the alloy are those commonly used by manufacturers of
cast steel, and the manner of conducting the melting operation is similar to
that adopted by melters of cast steel.
Other ores of titanium, containing besides titanic acid a large proportion of
oxide of iron, may be similarly treated, and when deoxidized may be melted
into an alloy of titanium and iron, or an artificial mixture of titanic acid and
oxide of iron may be deoxidised, and then melted into an alloy of titanium
and iron. But the iserine of New Zealand being found in a state of powder,
and being for all practical purposes free from impurities, is the most suitable
ore of titanium and iron for my process with which I am at this time
acquainted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Mushet in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
MUSHET, of Coleford, in the County of Gloucester, Metallurgist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Mushet, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Mushet,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Robert Mushet, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "THE
MANUFACTURE OF A NEW OR IMPROVED METALLIC ALLOY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Mushet, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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 Robert Mushet, 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:-
When ores of titanium which, in addition to titanic acid, contain a large
proportion of oxide of iron, and may therefore be considered as compound ores
of titanium and iron, are strongly heated in close retorts, cementing furnaces or
chambers exposed to the influence or action of carbon, or a gaseous compound
containing unoxidised or only partially oxidised carbon or other deoxidising
substances or agents, the said ores are gradually deprived of their oxygen, or
the greater part thereof, and are then mainly in the state of metallic titanium
and iron combined, more or less mixed with silica and such other earthy
matters as may have been originally associated with these compound ores of
titanium and iron. Iserine and ilmenite are titanium ores of the kind
described.
If the metallized compound of iron and titaninm thus obtained is introduced
into a melting pot or crucible placed in a suitable melting furnace, and heated
therein until the said compound of titanium and iron is melted, an alloy of
titanium and iron is obtained free from earthy impurities. When the fusion
is completed the pot or crucible may be withdrawn from the melting furnace,
and the melted alloy poured into a suitable ingot mould or other mould.
To facilitate the fusion of the deoxidised compound ore of titanium and
iron, which is essentially a compound of titanium and iron, I mix with the
said compound, and I introduce with it into the melting pot or crucible a
quantity of carbonaceous matter, the greater the proportion of carbonaceous
matter thus introduced along with the said deoxodised compound ore of titanium
and iron the more readily will the compound of titanium and iron enter into
fusion, and the harder will be the resulting alloy.
The essence of my Invention consists in manufacturing alloys of titanium
and iron by melting such deoxidised compound ores of titanium and iron as
contain, besides titanium, a large proportion of iron, in melting pots or crucibles
placed in a suitable melting furnace, so that the metallized titanium and iron
in the said deoxidised ore may unite in fusion and form an alloy of titanium
and iron, and in order to facilitate the fusion, and for the purpose of regulating
the hardness of the said alloy, I introduce carbonaceous matter along with the
deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron into the melting pot or crucible.
The compound ores of titanium and iron which I prefer to use are those known
as ilmenite and iserine. The latter is found to contain from six to eight per

page_text: centum of metallic titanium combined with oxygen, and from fifty-five to
sixty-seven per centum of metallic iron also combined with oxygen. This
compound ore of titanium and iron is found in great abundance at Taranaki,
near the port of New Plymouth in New Zealand, existing there in the state of
an exceedingly fine iron sand. This iserine, or compound ore of titanium and 5
iron vields he analysis
prepare the serine or iron sand of New Zealand for my process
I proceed as follows:-To every one hundred pounds of this iserine or iron
sand I add from twenty pounds to twenty-five pounds weight of finely
pulverised charcoal, and I mix these substances thoroughly. I next introduce
the mixture thus obtained into a retort or converting furnace chamber, which
is then closed so as to prevent access of air, and raised to a white heat, ranging
from 80 to 100 degrees of Wedgewood's pyrometer, at which temperature it
is maintained until the deoxidisation of the compound ore of titanium and iron
has been effected, which will be in the course of from seventy-two to ninety-
six hours, according to the size of the retort or cementing chamber. The
exact time, however, must be ascertained by experiment for any particular
furnace. The deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron thus obtained
is the compound I employ for my process. The furnace I prefer to employ
for deoxidising the iserine or other compound ore of titanium and iron is an
ordinary steel-converting furnace furnished with converting or cementing pots
or chambers in the usual manner, and constructed of the most refractory fire-
stone or fire-bricks, so as to enable the said furnace to withstand the intense
heat which I apply in order to deoxidise the compound ores of titanium and
iron.
When the converting furnace has cooled I withdraw the deoxidised ore,
and if it has agglutinated during the deoxidising process I crush or stamp it
so as to reduce it to a tolerably fine powder. To every forty pounds of
deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron thus prepared I add from one

page_text: ounce to sixteen ounces of powdered charcoal, which I mix with the said ore,
and I then introduce the mixture into a melting pot or crucible placed in a
suitable melting furnace. I heat these substances therein until they are
I
melted, and I then withdraw the crucible or melting pot from the furnace, and
pour the alloy of titanium and iron into a suitable ingot mould or other mould.
I do not, however, confine myself to these proportions of charcoal. I wish it
to be understood that the greater the proportion of carbonaceous matter which
is added to the deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron the more readily
will the alloy of titanium and iron enter into fusion, and the harder will it
prove to be. In practice I find that it answers well to mix the deoxidised
compound ore of titanium and iron with pitch or resin before the said deoxidised
ore is introduced into the melting pot. In this case I find it convenient to
grind the pitch or resin along with the deoxidised ore so as to mix these
substances intimately. I introduce this mixture of deoxidised compound ore
of titanium and iron, and pitch or resin, into a melting pot placed in a suitable
melting furnace, and I heat the said compound therein until it is melted, and
pour the alloy of titanium and iron thus obtained into a suitable ingot mould
or other mould. The greater the proportion of pitch or resin added to the
deoxidised ore the harder will be the resulting alloy of titanium and iron. The
ingots of the alloy of the titanium and iron thus obtained may be heated, and
either drawn under a hammer or rolled through rollers into bars, rods, or
sheets, as may be required. Should the ingots of titanium and iron be found
to crack in drawing or rolling, a small quantity of oxide of manganese may be
added to the mixture of deoxidised compound ore of titanium and iron, and
pitch or resin, in order to render the alloy ductile and tough under the hammer.
I also sometimes add scraps of good charcoal iron or other iron, and scrap
steel, to toughen the alloy in drawing or rolling. The melting pots or crucibles
which I prefer to use, and the furnaces I employ for melting the alloy, are
those commonly used by manufacturers of cast steel, and the manner of con-
ducting the melting operation is similar to that adopted by melters of cast
steel.
Although I prefer to deoxidise the compound ore of titanium and iron by
mixing the said ore with charcoal or carbon, and heating the mixture in a
close chamber as herein-before described, yet the deoxidisation of the said ore
may be effected by strongly heating it in a close chamber in an atmosphere of
coal gas, or of carbonic oxide, or of hydrogen. But these methods of deoxidi-
sation have not hitherto been found so convenient nor so economical as the
method herein first described, that is to say, by the use of charcoal or carbon.

page_text: Other ores of titanium containing, besides titanic acid, a large proportion of
oxide of iron, may be treated in the manner herein-before described with
respect to iserine, and when deoxidised may be melted into an alloy of
titanium and iron. Or an artificial mixture of titanic acid and oxide of iron
may be deoxidised, and then melted into an alloy of titanium and iron. But
the iserine of New Zealand being found in a state of powder, and being for all
practical purposes free from impurities, is the most suitable ore of titanium
and iron for my process with which I am at this time acquainted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Mushet, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witnesses,
BROOKLYN MUSHET,
Coleford,
Gloucestershire.
EDWP M. MUSHET,
Coleford,
Gloucestershire.
ROBT MUSHET. (L.S.)