Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Loft 13th Sent 1837 Accented 4th Dec
1897
Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Loft 13th Sept 1827 Accepted, 4th Dec
1897
I, MAURICE MARC MARCUS chemist of 29 Cours du Midi, of Lyon in the Départe-
ment du Rhône and republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to a means of dissolving iron prepared according
to a process to be described later on, in a metallic bath especially in copper tin
and aluminium.
The iron is placed in pieces preferably of the shape of a horse shoe, which are
well cleaned and scoured bright in a concentrated solution of uria.
Then a mixture of carbonate and bi-carbonate of ammonia is added in the
form of a powder and the the receiver closed air-tight, whereupon the substance
are allowed to re-act.
Nascent uria is formed, which deposits itself on the iron, changes it and renders
it capable of forming metallurgical compounds, which it would completely resist
without this treatment.
After the iron has remained in the solution described above from twenty four
to twenty-six hours it is taken out and placed either in a crucible or a furnace.
or in a muffle and brought to a red heat.
When this point has been reached, copper is added.
When the latter is melted the contents of the crucible are poured into some
other crucible. The product thus obtained is an almost precipitated copper; it
retains all the qualities belonging to copper but is of greater hardness and has a
greater power of resistance and while if was before a very soft-body which clogged
the files it becomes hard and clogs the files to a much less degree.
The iron, which was at the same time in the crucible loses a little of its weight
by the treatment mentioned above and undergoes a slight change of shape.
The copper obtained in this manner can be forged hardened and sharpened and
possesses twice the power of resisting fracture.
Its hardness has increased in the proportion of 1 to 3 without its malleability
or ductility or flexibility being diminished thereby.
The copper can be replaced by tin and treated in the same manner described
above.
The tin then becomes much harder and more capable of resistance; its melting
point is a little higher but it can nevertheless be melted in the hearth and cast
in ladles with the adventage that it is much harder, less brittle and more capable
of resisting strain, expansion and blows.
If aluminium it treated in the same manner, the result is not the well known
ferro-aluminium but an aluminium which gains in quality as much as tin and
which chiefly becomes more ductile and harder.
The present process has not been employed anywhere up to the present and
must therefore be considered as entirely new.
Iron, which has already been employed once can be used several times again'

page_text: by subjecting it anew to the same process or preparation as the first time i.e. by
placing it in the same bath as mentioned at the commencement of this description.
If the metals thus obtained are melted together with, red, copper the result is
a bróize which possesses the quality of not only being as hard as the sordinary
bronzes used in mechanics for bearings but, is also melleable, ductile and hardly
oxidizes at all.
It is no longer a copper but a bronze having qualities we venture to say that
no other bronze hitherto known possesses.
If used in small quantities and in a certain form e.g. as powder, the metals
obtained according to my process may be used for refining the metallurgical baths
as for instance for the liquid iron or lead used for casting.
By the addition of these metals the air bubbles which so easily form in cast-
ing are avoided and the casting itself becomes more melliable.
As regards lead the addition of my metal alloys causes the casting to become
harder and at the same time much closer; it also offers a much greater resistance
to the attacks of acids.
The latter quality is very valuable for the lead apparatus used in the manu-
facture of sulphuric acid, chlorine and other corroding acids.
Dated this 10th day of December 1896.
For MAURICE MARC MARCUS.
Bernh. Brockhues.
I, MARCUS MARC MARCUS, chemiste of 29 cours du midi at Lyon in the
departement of Rhone and republic of France 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:-
The present invention relates to a means of dissolving iron prepared according
to a process to be described later on (carbonated iron) in a metallic bath especially
in melted copper tin and aluminium.
In a concentrated solution of urea in water the iron is placed in pieces well
cleaned and sequred bright, preferably for the purpose that their surface is as
great as possible and that the pieces piled one upon another not lie close together.
To the solution of urea in water is added the double quantity, as of urea, of
carbonate of ammonia namely a mixture of 75 percent carbonate and 25 percent
bicarbonate of ammonia, preferably in form of powder. After that the receiver
is closed air-tightly and the substances enclosed therein are allowed a longer time
to react.
Now in the liquor urea is formed in statu nascenti.
This latter is chemically active contrary to the urea added to the liquor, this
urea being passive and neutral to the most other chemical substances and com-
binations. In the case in question the urea in statu nascenti effects the forma-
tion of a layer upon the iron resembling a patina.
After the iron has remained in the above described solution from twenty-four
to twenty-six hours a sufficient quantity of patina is formed and now the iron
is taken out and placed either in a crucible or a furnace or in a muffle or the like
and brought to a red heat. By this operation the urea in the layer of patina
on the iron is decomposed and a layer of carbonate of iron remains, which differs
from the ordinary carbonate of iron by the utmost fine distribution of the par-
ticles of coal and further by the fact that here the carbonate iron is formed in

page_text: statu nascenti, consequently in a condition which is more disposed to chemical
affinities. Thus this carbonáte of iron is more enabled to form. chemical com-
positions.".
To the light-red-hot iron placed in a crucible or in a kiln and the like, if it
is heated in this receptacles, a soft-metal appropriated for an alloy (for example
copper) is added and melted.
After this the contents of the crucible is effused in an other vessel or a mould
and stiffens therein.
The product obtained in the manner described, has dissolved the layer of patina
on the iron and absorbed the carbonate of iron; it is consequently a soft metal
(in the present case copper), containing carbon and alloyed with iron.
The copper has preserved all the preferences which are properly to the usual
copper, but it has a greater hardness and power of resistance, and while it was
before the fusion a very soft material, clogging the files, it becomes now hard,
nearly not clogging the files, and generally it is to be manufactured accurately
as the iron.
Other metals which are appropriate for these alloys and which can be manu-
facture in the same manner and under the same conditions, as described above,
are tin and aluminium.
The tin, which has received the carbonate of iron by the same process becomes
much harder and more resistant, as ordinary tin, and its melting point is a little
higher; it can however to be melted in the hearth and casted in spoons with the
advantage that it is much harder, less brittle and more capable of resistance strain,
expansion and blows.
If the metals thus obtained are melted together with red copper the result is
a bronze, which possesses the quality of not only being as hard as the ordinary
bronzes used in mechanics for hearings and the like but is also malleable, ductile
and hardly oxidizes at all.
It is no longer a copper but a bronze having qualities we venture to say that no
other bronze hitherto known possesses.
If used in small quantities and in a certain form e.g. as powder, the metals
obtained according to my process may be used for refining the metallurgical baths
as for instance for the liquid iron or lead used for casting.
By the addition of these metals the air bubbles, which so easily form in casting
are avoided and the casting itself becomes more malleable.
If aluminium is treated in the same manner the result is not the well known
ferro-aluminium but an aluminium which gains in quality as much as tin
and which chiefly becomes more ductile and harder.
By the addition of my metal alloys to lead it is attained that the casting of
the latter becomes harder and at the same time much closer, it also offers a much
greater resistance to the attacks of acids.
The latter quality is very valuable for the lead apparatus used in the manu-
facture of sulphuric acid chlorine and other corrosive acids.
The iron-piece which rests in the crucible after the pouring out of the melted
soft-metal has now lost the layer of patina and by this a certain part of its
weight and by the same time it becomes a little change of its fashion.
It can anew be placed in the solution of urea and been used in the same manner
as described, so that the same iron is employed more than once, whilst it is sub-
mitted always new to the same process and the same preparation, as the first
time, until it is nearly consumed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
A process for making metal alloys thereby characterized, that pieces of iron
of any shape, preferably of that of a horse shoe, are placed in a concentrated
solution of urea, which contains a mixture of 75 percent carbonate of ammonia

page_text: and 25 percent of bicarbonate of ammonia, then are left therein a certain time
for the forming of a layer of carbonate of iron and that now soft metals, as copper,
tin or aluminium, are added and melted and than decanted therefrom and made
stiffen for further operations, whilst the iron not absorbed remains.
Dated this 10th day of September 1897
For MAURICE MARC MARCUS.
Bernh. Brockhues.