Improvements in the Manufacture or Production of Silicium-copper.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture or Production of Silicium-copper.
We, WALTHER FELD, and GEORG VON KNORRE, both of Charlottenburg, near
Berlin, Germany, Chemists, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a method for producing copper containing a certain
percentage of silicium and obtaining a product, which is hard, tough, and strong
and is suitable for casting.
For the production of silicium copper according to this invention the raw
materials are smelted with suitable silicious material such as fossil meal (infusorial
earth) and with substances from which free chlorine or fluorine can be evolved in
such a manner that by the influence of these last mentioned substances the fossil
meal is decomposed and chloride or fluoride of silicium (as the case may be)
formed, the vapours of which are decomposed to produce the copper alloy or
silicium copper. The most suitable substance for discharging or evolving chlorine
is common salt (sodium chloride) after which follow in order of merit cupric
chloride, chloride of magnesium, chloride of potassium (silvine) chloride of
calcium etc. etc.
1st. an
Of the substances suitable for discharging or evolving fluorine for the purpose
mentioned, the most suitable is fluor spar. In the following description the manu-
facture or production of silicium copper according to this invention is explained by
the aid of two examples, in one of which the result is obtained by using a chlorine
combination and in the other by using a fluorine combination viz. fluor spar.
intimate mixture consisting of 150 parts of copper containing as little iron as possible
or 190 parts of cupric oxide, 50 parts of fossil meal and 30 parts of common salt are
mixed and stirred with sufficient tar to form a plastic mass. This mixture or mass is
divided into pieces of suitable size, say about two or three inches in diameter, and
placed in a crucible or in a sealing furnace, wood or coal dust being strewn between
the pieces to prevent their adhering to one another.
After the charge has been strewn over with coal dust, in order to prevent the tar
from burning, the crucible or the mass in the sealing furnace is exposed to a low red
heat until the tar is completely carbonised.
The pieces thus treated will become quite solid and will contain sufficient finely
distributed coal for the reduction of the mixture. In order to avoid the injurious
influence of the sulphur contained in mineral coal, it is advantageous to pile up the
pieces thus treated, in charcoal and a slag forming flux of quartz and lime and smelt
them down in a reverberatory furnace or in a shaft furnace with the aid of a blast. If
a shaft furnace be used sodium silicate will be formed in its upper part by the action
of the common salt on the fossil meal, whilst chlorine will be freed. Owing to the
presence of a reducing agent viz., the coal, this chlorine combines with another part
of the fossil meal with the formation of chloride of silicium which in turn is de-
composed by the copper with the production of silicium copper and the disengagement
of chlorine. Owing to the presence of coal, the chlorine thus freed, again acts on the
excess of fossil meal in the manner hereinbefore described. Finally the chlorine
escapes with the waste-gases in the free state and partly also as chloride of
silicium.
In the lower part of the furnace the easily fusible silicium copper is smelted
together while the slag present protects it from oxidation. The effect of the sulphur
contained in the tar is neutralized by the chlorine escaping during the reduction.
When tar containing 0.8 % sulphur was used, no injurious influence on the product

page_text: obtained by this process was observed; also chlorine was not detected in any case in
the silicium copper produced.
By adhering to the proportions hereinbefore mentioned a silicium copper alloy is
produced containing about 8% silicium. In lieu of common salt, equivalent quantities
of chloride of copper, chloride of potassium, chloride of magnesium or chloride of
calcium may be used with the same result.
2nd. Fluor spar promotes the production of silicium copper, in the same manner as
common salt and the other chlorides herein before mentioned but the product thus
obtained contains a smaller amount of silicium than when common salt is used. When
using fluor spar an intimate mixture of 75 parts of copper or 95 of cupric oxide,
30 parts of fluor spar and 30 parts of fossil meal are stirred up with tar, and the
plastic mass thus obtained is treated in the manner herein before described with
reference to the first example. The result is a product containing about
7% silicium.
According as the proportions of the substances mentioned comprising the mixture
are altered, a product either richer or poorer in silicium is obtained.
A certain amount of silicium in copper and its alloys renders such copper or alloy
easily fusible and better suited for casting, whilst at the same time increasing its or
their hardness, toughness and strength. The silicium copper produced in the manner
hereinbefore described is well adapted for making alloys which have to excel in the
above mentioned qualities.
The silicium copper alloys form an excellent material for casting bells, for making
works of art, parts of machinery, cannons, wire-ropes, cartridge shells and similar
articles, that require to have great resisting power to fit them for the purpose for
which they are used.
The peculiar quality of silicium to extract from copper the last residuum of oxygen
. contained therein renders it a suitable material for use in the refining of copper..
Dated this 29th day of October 1888.
•
WALTHER FELD,
Per L. W.
GEORG VON KNORRE,
Per L. W.
'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture or Production of Silicium Copper.
We, WALTHER FELD, Chemist, and GEORG VON KNORRE, Doctor of Philosophy and
Chemist, both of Charlottenburg, near Berlin, Germany do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a method for producing copper containing a certain
percentage of silicium and obtaining a product, which is hard, tough and strong and
is suitable for casting.
For the production of silicium copper according to this invention the raw material
is smelted with suitable silicious substance such as fossil meal (infusorial earth) and
-with substances from which free chlorine or fluorine can be evolved in such a manner
that by the influence of these last mentioned substances the fossil meal is decomposed
or rendered soluble and chloride or fluoride of silicium (as the case may be) is formed,
the vapours of which are decomposed to produce the copper alloy or silicium
copper.
The most suitable substance for discharging or evolving chlorine is common salt
(sodium chloride) after which follow in order of merit cupric chloride, chloride of
magnesium, chloride of potassium (sylvine) chloride of calcium etc. etc. Of the
-substances suitable for discharging or evolving fluorine for the purpose mentioned,
the most suitable is fluor-spar.
In the following description the method of manufacturing or producing silicium-
copper according to this invention is explained by the aid of two examples, in one of

page_text: which the result is obtained by using a chlorine combination and in the other. by
using a fluorine combination viz., fluor-spar.
1st. An intimate mixture consisting of 150 parts of copper containing as little iron
as possible, or 190 parts of cupric oxide, 50 parts of fossil, meal, and 30 parts of
common salt, is mixed and stirred with sufficient tar to form a plastic mass. This
mixture or mass is divided into pieces of suitable size, say about two or three inches
in diameter, and placed in a crucible or in an annealing or scaling furnace, wood or
coal dust being strewn over the pieces to prevent them adhering to one another.
After the charge has been strewn over with coal dust the crucible or the mass in the
annealing furnace is exposed (in order to prevent the tar from burning) to a low red
heat until the tar is completely carbonised. The pieces thus treated will become quite
solid and will contain sufficient finely distributed coal for the reduction of the mixture.
In order to neutralize the injurious influence of the sulphur contained in mineral coal;
it is advantageous to pile up the pieces, treated as described, in charcoal and a slag
forming flux of quartz and lime and smelt them down in a reverberatory furnace or in
a shaft furnace with the aid of a blast. If a shaft furnace be used sodium silicate will
be formed in its upper part by the action of the common salt on the fossil meal, whilst
chlorine will be freed. Owing to the presence of coal, this silicate renders another
part of the fossil meal soluble, with the formation of chloride of silicum which is in
turn decomposed by the copper with the production of silicium copper and the dis-
engagement of chlorine.
Owing to the presence of coal, the chlorine thus freed again acts on the excess of
fossil ineal, in the manner herein before described and renders it soluble.
Finally the chlorine escapes with the waste gases in the free state and partly also as
chloride of silicium.
In the lower part of the furnace the easily fusible silicium copper is smelted together,
while the slag present protects it from oxidation. Any injurious action that might
result from the sulphur contained in the tar is neutralised by the chlorine escaping
during the reduction. When tar containing 0.8% of sulphur was used, no injurious
influence on the product obtained by this process was observable. Chlorine was not
detected in any case in the silicium copper produced.
By adhering to the proportions of substances hereinbefore mentioned a silicium-
copper alloy is produced containing about 8% silicium. In lieu of common salt,
equivalent quantities of chloride of copper, chloride of potassium, chloride of magnesium
or chloride of calcium may be used with the same result.
2nd. Fluor-spar promotes the production of silicium-copper in the same manner as
common salt and the other chlorides already mentioned but the product thus obtained
contains a smaller amount of silicium than when cominon salt is used. When using
fluor-spar, an intimate mixture of 75 parts of copper or 95 of cupric oxide, 30 parts of
fluor spar and 30 parts of fossil meal, is stirred with tar, and the plastic mass thus
obtained is treated in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to the first
example. The result is a product containing about 7% of silicium.
According as the proportions of the substances composing the mixture are
altered, a product either richer or poorer in silicium than that hereinbefore
mentioned, will be obtainable.
A certain amount of silicium in copper and its alloy renders the same easily
fusible and well suited for casting whilst at the same time it increases the hardness,
toughness and strength of the copper or copper alloy. The silicium copper produced
in the way just described is well adapted for making alloys, which have to excel in
respect to the above qualities.
The silicium-copper alloys form an excellent material for casting bells, for making
works of art, parts of machinery, cannon, wire-ropes, cartridge shells and similar
articles, that require to have great resisting power to fit them to the purpose for
which they are to be used.
The peculiar quality of silicium to extract from copper the last residuum of
oxygen contained therein, renders silicium a suitable material for use in the refining
of copper.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The manufacture or production of silicium copper by smelting a mixture
comprising copper or cupric oxide, a reducing agent such as coal or tar and a
silicious substance such as fossil meal with a substance capable of discharging or
evolving chlorine (such as common salt, chloride of copper, chloride of magnesium,
chloride of potassium, or chloride of calcium) in a reverberatory furnace or in a
shaft furnace, substantially as herein described."
2. The manufacture or production of silicium-copper by smelting a mixture
comprising copper or cupric oxide, a reducing agent such as coal or tar, and a
silicious substance such as fossil meal with a substance capable of discharging or
evolving fluorine (such as fluor-spar) in a reverberatory furnace or in a shaft
furnace, substantially as herein described.
WALTHER FELD,
Per L. W.
G. VON KNORRE,
Per L. W.