IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE EXTRACTION OF METALS FROM THEIR ORES, AND BURNING LIME, CEMENT, BRICKS, AND LIKE MATERIALS, AND FURNACES AND MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Stone, of King William Street, in the City of
London, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO THE EXTRACTION OF METALS FROM THEIR ORES, AND
BURNING LIME, CEMENT, BRICKS, AND LIKE MATERIALS, AND FURNACES AND
MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Stone at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st May 1880.
ROBERT STONE, of King William Street, in the City of London, in the County of
Middlesex. " IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE EXTRACTION OF METALS
FROM THEIR ORES, AND BURNING LIME, CEMENT, BRICKS, AND LIKE MATERIALS,
AND FURNACES AND MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
According to my Invention I construct oblong, square, or round furnaces of any
suitable dimensions for the extraction of metals from their ores, or for burning
lime, cement, bricks, or other material, and my Invention consists in forming
underneath such furnaces a space or provision for a large body or volume of hot or
cold air, to be forced by a suitable blowing apparatus direct from the bottom of the
space underneath the furnace in a powerful volume up against the body of the
material to be operated upon. The cold or hot blast enters the space below the
furnace at a considerable distance below the material under treatment, so that a
broadcast body of forced air acts on the material, as against the present practice of
using a pointed or directed blast. When applying my Invention to smelting
purposes, I place in the empty spaces underneath the furnaces inclined slabs of
terra cotta, fire clay, or any material that will stand the heat of the liquid metal
which runs down from slab to slab when in a melted state. While the metal is in
such melted state I introduce at one or several points refining substances or
chemicals, or liquids, such as peat, or other charcoal, saltpetre, borax, or other
chemical of a refining nature, or petroleum or other liquid of a refining nature.
Over the refining slabs I construct fireproof furnace bars of suitable fire clay or
Di 077

page_text: terra cotta, and on these furnace bars I load the materials at one or several points.
The forced blast or body of air passes over and is directed on the melted metal
flowing down the inclined slabs, and acts in conjunction with the fining materials
used, which may be applied by the blast. After passing over the inclined slabs the
blast acts on the ore being smelted in the furnace, and the spent blast is then used
for annealing purposes. This system is a great improvement upon existing systems
of applying a blast during the smelting of metals, inasmuch as the blast or body of
forced air is operating with the refining materials on a thin layer of flowing metal
instead of a heavy body of metal. The heavy blast also keeps back the scum or
surface impurities from the surface of the flowing metal, allowing the pure metal to
flow into a receiver, from which it may be drawn and run into bars or shapes, or
into dies, or through rolling mills; and during such process I apply a blast under
the dies or shapes to assist in annealing the metal while in the dies or shapes. In
the sides or top of the furnace I make doors or provisions to lead the blast from
the furnaces under floors, which I use to roast or dry the materials, whether ores
or cement, lime or bricks. When applying my Invention to the burning of cement,
or lime, or bricks, or gypsum, or like materials that are not reduced by heat to
a moulten state I dispense with the inclined slabs and make the furnace bars so
that they will drop or open and discharge the material into the space below, from
which it can be removed. These traps, bars, and levers, are so constructed so as to
prevent inconvenience in discharging by expansion, or contraction, or friction.
In the further carrying out of my Invention, and where it is necessary to press
the materials to be treated into blocks or brickets suitable for placing in the
furnace, I grind the materials, such as ores, cements, lime, by passing the same
through corrugated rollers inserted into each other running at a high speed, or
through a machine of construction similar to millstones, with cast or wrought iron
frames and hardened faces of steel, or chilled iron inlaid in strips so as to be
removed when worn. I prefer that one stone or grinder should run reverse to the
other at different speeds, instead of one stone being stationary and the other
running; or I grind by a drum with rise and fall slips of steel inserted in it to run
against a concave. These slides pass over the drum without contact, to prevent
friction, and can be replaced as they wear away; or I can grind against a concave
with a plain drum, or I use a male cone working in a female cone running in
reverse directions, or a cone running in a cylinder in reverse directions. After the
material is ground, to form it into brickets or blocks suitable for burning, I pass it
through a moulding machine consisting of a double plunger fitted under a hopper
and worked by cams, one plunger having prior action to the other, namely,
exerting horizontal pressure, and the other plunger exerting vertical pressure, and
discharging the bricket or block when sufficiently pressed; or the pressing machine
may consist of a rotating drum, the periphery of which is divided into recesses
corresponding with the shape of block to be produced. In this machine the
material is fed into the recesses and the pressure is applied against false bottoms in
recesses, and cams are used to press the material against the false bottoms. A
plain roller or drum is placed over the boxes to force the material into the boxes
as the machine rotates, and after pressure by a cam with falling weights the
pressed blocks are discharged onto a travelling carrier. The pressing dies in the
recesses are each provided with separate oil boxes, so that the working may be
smooth and the blocks easily discharged. The rollers which force the material
into the recesses may also be provided with projections to exert pressure in
conjunction with the dies in the recesses.
The blower which I prefer to use in connection with my smelting and burning
furnaces, before described, consists of a casing in which revolve rotating wings,
either singly or in duplicate. The rotating wings are mounted on a shaft and
driven at a very high speed, and the outer surfaces of the wings are of a concave
form faced with an india rubber edging, which works up against an india rubber
convex as the wings rotate. Air is sucked in through a perforated casing and

page_text: issues with great force through a discharge pipe, from whence it is led to the
smelting or burning furnace.
In mixing the material in the manufacture of cement before burning, the cement,
slurry, or compost while in a liquid state is well mixed with coke or breeze and
then dried on floors, and is thrown direct from the floors into the furnaces for
burning. Also of a machine for making barrells to hold the ground material; this
machine is made with open and closing iron staves with a wedge projection on the
back of each stave, and a loose ring forces them together, by screw or otherwise,
to form the barrell; also open frames upon ends or cages are prepared to hold a
sufficient quantity of hoopes which will complete the barrell when forced on.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Stone in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
November 1880.
ROBERT STONE, of King William Street, in the City of London, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE EXTRACTION OF METALS
FROM THEIR ORES, AND BURNING LIME, CEMENT, BRICKS, AND LIKE MATERIALS,
AND FURNACES AND MATERIALS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
My Invention relates to certain improvements in extracting metals from their
ores, and burning lime, cement, bricks, and like materials, and in furnaces and
machinery employed therefor; and the following is a full, clear, and exact
description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheets of Drawings,
making a part of this Specification, and to the letters and figures of reference
marked thereon.
According to my Invention I construct oblong, square, round, or other shaped
furnaces, of any suitable dimensions, for the extraction of metals from their ores,
or for burning lime, cement, bricks, or other material; and my Invention consists
in forming underneath such furnaces a space or provision for a large body or
volume of hot or cold air, to be forced by a suitable blowing apparatus direct from
the space underneath the furnaco in a powerful volume up through the body of
the material to be operated upon. The cold or hot blast enters the space a, Fig. 1,
below the furnace, and at a considerable distance below the material under
treatment; so that a broad-cast body of compressed air acts on the material,
this arrangement differing from the present practice of using tuyères or small
concentrated orifices for directing and confining the blast. This my improved
mode of applying the blast is also applicable to ordinary kilns now in use by means
of slight alterations thereto, thereby rendering them capable of burning breeze
instead of coke. When applying my Invention to smelting purposes I place in
the spaces underneath the furnaces inclined slabs of terra cotta, fire clay, or any
material that will stand the heat of the liquid metal, as shewn at b, Figs. 1 and 2,
down which the material runs from slab to slab when in a melted state. While
the metal is in such melted state I introduce at one or several point's refining
substances, or chemicals, or liquids, such as peat or other charcoal, saltpetre, borax,
or other chemical of a refining nature, or petroleum, or other liquid of a refining
nature. Over the refining slabs I construct fire proof furnace bars of suitable fire
clay or terra cotta, and on these furnace bars I load the material at one or several
points. The forced blast or body of air passes over and is directed on the melted
inetal flowing down the inclined slabs and acts in conjunction with the fining
materials used, which may be applied by the blast. After passing over the inclined
slabs, the blast acts on the ore being smelted in the furnace, and the spent blast is
afterwards used for annealing purposes. This system is a great improvement upon
existing systems of applying a blast during the smelting of metals, inasmuch as the
blast or body of forced air is operating with the refining materials on a thin layer
of flowing metal instead of a heavy body of metal. The heavy blast also keeps
back the scum or surface impurities from the surface of the flowing metal, allowing
the pure metal to flow into a receiver, from which it may be drawn and run into
bars or shapes, or into dies, and compressed by heavy rolls by means of a to and fro
motion, or through rolling mills, and during such process I apply a blast under the
dies or shapes to assist in annealing the metal while in the dies or shapes. In the
sides or top of the furnace I make doors or provisions to lead the blast from the
furnaces under floors, which I use to roast or dry the materials, whether ores or
cement, lime or bricks, or gypsum, or like materials that are not reduced by heat
to a molten state. I dispense with the inclined slabs, and make the furnace bars so
that they will drop or open and discharge the material into the space below, from

page_text: which it can be removed. These traps, bars, and levers are constructed so as to
prevent inconvenience in discharging by expansion, or contraction, or friction.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of one of my improved furnaces, and Fig. 2 is a
section on the line A, B, of Fig. 1. The Drawing shews the furnace constructed of
a circular form internally, and rectangular at the fire bars, and also externally
rectangular, with the rods and struts, as shewn, to keep the sides from bulging; but
such furnaces may be circular externally, if preferred, with surrounding hoops; or
of any other convenient shape. When used for coment, and analogous purposes,
where a forced draught is not required, openings are made below the furnace, as
shewn by dotted lines at c, c, c, c, Fig. 2, and at c, Fig. 1. In some cases also, whero
a natural draught is sufficient, I build my furnaces on piers, leaving open spaces on
all sides for the entrance of air. In some cases I make use of a suction draught
from the top of the furnace, or a forced blast down.
In the further carrying out of my Invention, and where it is necessary to press
the materials to be treated into blocks or brickets, suitable for placing in the
furnace, I grind the materials, such as ores, cement, lime, by passing the same
through corrugated rollers inserted into each other, running at a high speed, or
through a machine of construction similar to mill stones, with cast or wrought iron
frames and hardened faces of steel, or chilled iron inlaid in strips, so as to be
removed when worn. prefer that one stone or grinder should run reverse to the
other at different speeds, instead of one stone being stationary and the other
running, or I grind by a drum with rise and fall slips of steel inserted in it to run
against a concave. These slides pass over the drum without contact, to prevent
friction, and can be replaced as they wear away, or I can grind against a concave
with a plain drum, or I use a male cone working in a female cone running in
reverse directions, or a cone running in a cylinder in reverse directions. After the
material is ground to form it into brickets or blocks suitable for burning, I pass it
through a moulding machine, such as that illustrated at Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The
cement, peat, ore, combined with ground peat, coke, or coals, or clay, or other
material to be pressed, is passed through the passage a, Fig. 2a, into the chamber a',
Fig. 10, from which it is forced by the plungers or rams b, b, b, through the spaces c,
where it is again treated by the upright rams d, d, d, which drive and press the
material into the form of a bricket c on the table f. The ram b receives its
horizontal reciprocating movement from the cam g which operates the cross head h.
The ram d receives its vertical reciprocating movement from the cam k, which
operates the crosshead j. The cam g is driven by the shaft I, and the cam k is
driven by the shaft m.. These shafts l, m, receive motion from the gear wheels n
which are driven from the shaft p. The whole apparatus is contained within and
mounted on the frame work r, r; 8 are the main driving pulleys; t is a fly wheel.
In removing the slurry or slag from the pits to the drying floors, or under the
force pump, I use a drag nearly or quite the width of the pit, worked by a chain
and windlass, or a screw, by which means the whole of the slurry or slag is
simultaneously forced forward, instead of removing it piecemeal by means of scoops
or shovels. The drag may also be arranged to mix the slurry or slag in the pit
before using.
Another form of moulding machine by which the material may be pressed into
brickets is illustrated at Fig. 4. This machine consists of a rotating drum A, the
periphery of which is divided into recesses B corresponding with the shape of the
block or brick to be produced. In this machine the inaterial is fed into the
recesses B, and pressure is applied to the material by the revolving drum C, the
projections D of which force the material into the recesses B. The recesses B are
provided with false bottoms, against which the material is pressed. The space
under the false bottom is filled with oil to lubricate the sides of the recesses; the
bottoms may be worked by a cam so as to discharge the material after pressure.
These cams may be also used to exert pressure to press the material in the
recesses B against the projections D. After pressure the brickets are transferred to
kilns or furnaces for drying, burning, or smelting.

page_text: The blowing apparatus which I prefer to use in connection with my systom of
smelting and burning consists, see Figs. 5, 6, and 7, of the rotating wings E, which
revolve on their shafts F, as indicated by the arrows, at a speed of about one
thousand revolutions per minute. The concave surfaces of the wings E are
provided with india rubber facings or edgings G, which work up to the india
rubber central piece H. The revolution of the wings E sucks in the air through
the perforated casing J, and the air is discharged with great force through the
blast pipe K. The fans of this blowing apparatus may be of a A shape to draw
the air down to a point.
In mixing the materials in the manufacture of cement, before burning the
cement, slurry, or compost, while in a liquid state is well mixed with coke or
breeze, and then dried on floors, and is thrown direct from the floors into the
furnaces for burning.
My Invention further consists of a machine for making barrels to hold the ground
material. This machine is made with opening and closing iron staves with a
wedge projection on the back of each stave, and a loose ring forces them together
by a screw power, or its equivalent, and so forms the barrel. Open formed iron
ends or cages are prepared to hold a sufficient quantity of loops, which will
complete the barrel when forced on. This machine will be understood upon
reference to Figs. 8 and 9, and consists of an iron truss composed of a series of iron
staves L hinged or fastened to the hoop M. The iron staves L are compressed and
forced in at the ends by screw or other clamp hoops N so as to form the shape of
the barrel. The wood staves which compose the barrel are previously placed inside
the truss, and grooves are left in the staves of the truss to put the hoops or bands
round the wooden staves.
Having now described my Invention, and shewn how the same may be put into
operation, what I claim is,-
First. The arrangement and construction of furnaces and, apparatus for the
extraction of metals from their ores, and other before mentioned purposes, and the
improved means or method of supplying air to such furnaces, as and for the
purposes substantially as herein before mentioned and described, and shewn on the
Drawings, Figs. 1 and 2.
Second. The employment of a large body or volume of air to operate upon and
meet broadcast streams of molten metal which are passing down inclined surfaces
for the purpose of removing impurities therefrom, substantially as herein described
and set forth.
Third. The employment of a volume of air as herein set forth, with substances or
liquids, such as peat or other charcoal, saltpetre, borax, petroleum, or other
substance or liquid of a refining nature to act upon and purify streams of molten
metal, substantially as herein described and set forth.
Fourth. The construction and arrangement of machines for pressing and forming
material to be treated into blocks suitable for smelting or burning, as herein
described and shewn at Figs. 1, 2, and 3, of the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth. The arrangement and construction of blowing apparatus for obtaining
large volumes of air, as herein described, and shewn at Figs. 4, 5, and 6 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Stone, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.