other Massive Articles of Iron or Steel.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 6th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888:
other Massive Articles of Iron or Steel.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communi-
cated to me from abroad by La Compagnie Anonyme des Forges de Châtillon et
Commentry of Paris in the Republic of France to be as follows:
This Invention relates to the tempering of Armour plates and other massive articles
of iron and steel in baths of molten metal such as lead.
The vessel containing the bath of molten metal is constructed of sheet iron or thin
plates lined with fire bricks or with a suitable composition the seams of the plates
being preferably arranged transversely to the length of the vessel the sides ends and
bottom of which are curved or rounded the upper edges forming a flange which retains
the lining in position. The vessel is surrounded by masonry angle irons of H section
being placed at the sides and bottom of the vessel in such a manner as to form
passages in which air is caused to circulate for the purpose of externally cooling the
vessel which can be readily removed for repairs.
In order to enable articles of different shapes to be conveniently treated in the
same vessel without the employment of an unnecessarily large quantity of molten
metal in the bath the parts of the vessel not occupied by the article to be tempered
are filled up with blocks of cast iron or other suitable material arranged along the
sides or ends of the vessel according to the shape of the article.
When the tempering bath is composed of lead or other metal of greater density
than the article to be tempered it is necessary to provide means for submerging the
article in the bath. For this purpose weights may be attached or applied to the

page_text: article but in certain cases it is preferable to employ a plate connected by rods to a
weight connected to racks and pinions and worms and worm wheels or other equivalent
mechanical devices controlled by a brake. This weight with the brake apparatus is
capable of travelling horizontally on wheels so as to be brought over the tempering
vessel when required. After the article to be tempered has been placed in the bath,
the weight is drawn over the vessel and allowed to descend by means of the break
wheel which regulates its descent and enables it to be held suspended at the desired
elevation. The plate is thus caused to push the article below the surface of the bath.
The tempering process being completed the weight is elevated by means of a crane
or hoist and is retained at the required height by means of the brake. The apparatus
can then be rolled away from the vessel so as to leave the ground clear for the removal
of the article tempered.
This tempering process is employed in substitution for forging in the manufacture
of armour plates and other massive articles of iron or steel the grain of cast steel
being thereby modified or converted in such a manner as to impart to it the strength
that it would receive by the forging.
D
1
100

page_text: Improved Means and Apparatus for Tempering Armour Plates and
other Massive Articles of Iron or Steel.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been communi-
cated to me from abroad by La Compagnie Anonyme des Forges de Châtillon et
Commentry of Paris in the Republic of France 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 the tempering of armour plates and other massive or
bulky articles of iron and steel in baths of molten metal according to the method or
process described in the Specification to former Letters Patent granted to me and
dated August 24th A.D. 1886 No. 10823 whereby a more homogeneous tempering is.
obtained and the production of internal and other cracks or flaws commonly resulting
from the tempering of bulky articles is obviated.
The present invention consists in improvements in the apparatus and means
employed in carrying out this process in practice as hereinafter described and
according to this Invention the usual hammering or forging process is dispensed with
the structure of the metal being changed in such a manner as to impart the desired
strength and tenacity to the metal by means of the metallic bath alone.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood 1 shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in transverse vertical section
the improved construction of the tank or vessel containing the tempering bath
according to this invention in combination with a furnace for heating the article to be
tempered and Figure 2 shows the vessel in longitudinal section.
Figure 3 represents a horizontal section of the tempering vessels taken along the
line 1-2-3-4 Figure 1.
This vessel marked W in the drawing is composed of a casing W₁ of thin plates
or sheet iron lined with firebricks R or fireclay or other suitable refractory material as
shown in the accompanying drawings. This casing may be made of sheet iron welded
in one piece but to facilitate construction it is preferably made of plates with double
rivetted joints each plate being of sufficient length to pass beneath the vessel and
extend from one edge to the other so that all the seams are in a direction transverse
to the length of the vessel.
The fireproof lining R at the bottom and sides is of curved form and may be held
in position by any suitable means such as an inwardly projecting rim or flange on the
casing W. The object of this arrangement being to prevent the lining falling
inwards and being displaced. by the metallic bath.

page_text: The vessel W is placed in a pit or enclosed in solid masonry F and is supported
upon angle irons a of H section arranged in such a manner as to form a series of
passages a¹ at the sides and bottom of the vessel. These passages communicate at one
side of the vessel with a trunk G supplied with air by a fan or blower (not shown in
the drawing) which causes the air to circulate in the passages a' in the direction.
indicated by the arrows in Figure 3 for the purpose of cooling the external surface of
the bottom and sides of the vessel W.
The space underneath the vessel W is constructed to collect or receive any lead
which may percolate or leak through the joints. With this object the bottom of the
space is inclined as indicated in Figure 1 and communicates with a suitable
passage P at the side of the pit. As indicated in Figure 1 the tempering bath is
arranged at the side of a reheating furnace S for heating the articles and the furnace
and the bath are provided with covers T which can be readily removed and replaced
in position for the purpose of introducing or removing the articles and transferring
them from the furnace to the bath. With this object the covers T are mounted on
wheels or rollers & travelling on rails t¹ as indicated in Figure 1 and in the detail
Figures 4 and 5 drawn to a larger scale.
Figure 6 is a transverse section of a tempering vessel W in which the space not
occupied by the slabs or plates or other articles to be tempered is filled up with
blocks O of cast iron or other suitable material in order to reduce the volume of metal
required for the bath and Figures 7 to 10 illustrate in plan examples of different
methods of arranging the blocks O in order to accommodate the vessel to slabs or
plates of different shapes and sizes. These blocks O must be of sufficient height to
prevent their floating in the metallic bath, if the bath is of greater density than the
cast iron blocks. Taking lead for an example the height of the blocks O will require
to be at least 1% times that of the bath.
When the metallic bath is composed of load or other metal of greater density than
the article to be tempered the complete immersion of the article may be obtained by
the employment of a weight which can be applied to the article before it is heated
immediately before or after it is placed in the bath, but for articles of certain shapes
it is preferable to employ the apparatus shown in Figures 11, 12 and 13 of the
accompanying drawings. Figures 11 and 12 show the apparatus in side elevation
and plan respectively and Figure 13 represents an end elevation of the same. This
apparatus consists of a frame A mounted on 4 wheels or rollers B moving on the same
rails as the moveable cover T herein before referred to. This frame carries a weight C
which has a vertical movement and is sufficiently heavy to ensure the immersion of
the article which is pressed downwards by 9 rods D fixed at their lower ends to a
plate E. Four racks H fixed at each of the angles of the weight C gear with four
pinions 1 fixed in pairs on two shafts J. J. carried by the frame A. Each of the
shafts J is provided at one extremity with a worn wheel K engaging with two endless
screws or worms k (Figures 11 and 13) on a shaft L on which is fixed a brake
pulley M. By means of this arrangement the weight C is caused to move parallel
with itself when raised or lowered. After the article to be tempered such as the
arınour plate indicated at X Figure 13 has been lowered into the bath in the tank or
vessel W the frame A is drawn over the tank by means of a winch. The brake on
the wheel M is then slackened so as to allow the weight C to descend gradually its
rate of motion being readily controlled by the brake wheel M worms k, worm wheels K
pinions I and racks H and by tightening the brake the descent of the weight ( and
plate E can be stopped when the article has been pushed down or submerged below
the surface of the bath to the required extent. When the tomporing is completed a
ring N is hooked to the chain of a travelling crane or loist by which means the
weight is raised the brake wheel being thereby caused to rotate in the opposite
direction to that in which it rotated during the descent and the weight C is thus
elevated until the underpart of the plate E is high enough to clear the edge of the
tank the brake is then fixed to maintain the weight at this elevation and the
travelling platform or frame A is moved to the position it previously occupied.
It has been ascertained that this method of treatment.or tempering in a bath of

page_text: molten metal when applied to the preparation of massive and bulky articles such as
armour plates for example cast in soft or mild steel produces exactly the same results
as the ordinary forging or hammering process and according to the present invention
this improved process takes the place of forging in the manufacture of the aforesaid
articles inasmuch as the grain or structure of the cast steel is caused to undergo such
modifications or transformations as to impart to it the same strength that it would
receive by the forging.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. Constructing tanks or vessels for containing the metallic baths used in tempering
metal articles such as armour plates according to the process herein before referred to,
of sheet iron or thin plates lined with firebrick or equivalent refractory material and
supporting and insulating the said tanks or vessels in such a manner as to form
channels in which air may be caused to circulate for the purpose of cooling the
external surfaces thereof substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
to the process
2nd. In tempering metal articles such as armour plates accord for the purpose
hereinbefore referred to the employment of filling pieces or blocks
of filling up those parts of the tempering tank or vessel which are not occupied by
the article to be tempered and thus obtaining a bath of the required depth with a
smaller quantity of tempering metal than would otherwise be required substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 6 to 10 of the accompanying
drawings.
3rd. In tempering metal articles such as armour plates according to the process
hereinbefore referred to and when by reason of its lesser density the article has a
tendency to float or partially project above the surface of the bath, submerging the
said article or forcing it down below the surface of the bath by means of mechanism
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described with reference to
figures 11, 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings.
4th. The improved means and apparatus whereby the grain or structure of armour
plates and other massive articles of iron or steel is enabled to be so modified or
changed by tempering in a metallic bath as to impart to the said articles the same
degree of strength that they would receive by the usual forging process this latter
process being consequently enabled to be dispensed with entirely in the manufacture
of these articles according to this invention all substantially as hereinbefore described.
5th. The combinations and arrangements of parts constituting the improved plant
or appliances for tempering armour plates and other massive or bulky articles of iron
or steel substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 6th day of January 1888