Improvements in Casting Armour Plates and Moulds therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Casting Armour Plates and Moulds therefor.
We, WILLIAM BEARDMORE, of Parkhead Forge, Glasgow in the County of
Lanark, Steel Manufacturer, and HENRY VINCENT HOLDEN, of No. 24 Coleman Street,
in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the casting of armour plates in two or more layers of
metal of different qualities in respect of hardness and toughness.
For this purpose we provide a mould box the bottom of which may be somewhat
arched upwards so as to form below it a cavity through which air can be blown
tc cool it. We also lay over the bottom a number of pipes through which air can
be blown. We ram, over the bottom and pipes, suitable loam to form a mould
limng, and we continue the lining up the sides and ends of the mould box. At the
bottom, preferably on each side, we ram in with the lining a refractory pipe git
having lateral outlets and communicating with a vertical runner. Also at a certain
height, we provide preferably at each end of the mould an outlet like a tapping
hole, so as to allow the fused metal first poured into the mould to overflow when
it attains the desired height. At this height we provide in the lining on each side
another git pipe with lateral outlets it may be at several levels and a runner for
each pipe and, having plugged the overflow holes, we pour the second layer of
metal.
In like manner when there is to be a third layer, we provide overflow outlets for
the second layer, and suitable git pipes and runners for the third layer. The metal
first poured is hard metal, the lower surface of which, owing to the cooling of the
bottom of the mould, becomes shortly set.
The second layer of softer metal being poured from the sides over the first, which
in its upper part still remains to a certain extent fluid, flows gently over it uniting
with it; and in like manner the third layer unites with the second.
We prefer to place the mould in the bed of a gas furnace so that the upper
layer of metal may be kept for some time hot and fluid, so as to subside bodily as
the metal below shrinks and to allow free escape of gases.
The furnace, or its roof, may be so constructed that it can be raised and
removed so as to allow convenient removal of the casting.
The casting thus produced, consisting of the harder metal with the layer or pair
of layers of softer and tougher metal above it, can be rolled or forged to the
desired thickness to constitute a composite armour plate.
Dated this 15th day of October 1896.
ABEL & IMKAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Casting Armour Plates and Moulds therefor.
We, WILLIAM BEARDMORE, of Parkhead Forge, Glasgow in the County of
Lanark, Steel Manufacturer, and HENRY VINCENT HOLDEN, of No. 24 Coleman Street,
in the City of London, Engineer, 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:-
Our invention relates to the casting of armour plates in two or more layers of
metal of different qualities in respect of hardness and toughness.
For this purpose we provide a mould box as we shall describe referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, Figure 2 is a transverse section and Figure 3
is a plan of a mould box according to our invention.
Within a metal casing A we form a lining 13 of suitable refractory material.
Through the bottom lining pass from side to side a number of pipes C through
which cold air is blown from a main 1), the air passing away by another main E.
We prefer to supply a number of the pipes C at the middle part of the mould box
from a branch F which rises from the main D) before the valve G, so that these
middle pipes may have air blown through them when the valve G is more or less
closed preventing or lessening passage of air through the pipes nearer each end
of the mould box. At one end of the mould box we provide a main git H leading
to a lateral passage h opening into the mould box near its bottom. And we provide
another git K which has lateral branches L at several levels each having outlet
holes inclining a little upwards.
Molten steel of a kind to receive hard temper is first poured into the mould by
the git H and passage h till it attains the desired level. This may be determined
by pouring a calculated weight of metal, or there may be an outlet like a tapping
hole allowing overflow when the metal has attained the desired level. The bottom
of the mould being kept cool by the air passing through the pipes C, the layer of
metal shortly begins to set from the bottom upward but in order that the middle
part, which is farthest from the ends of the mould box, may cool uniformly
with the end parts, the middle pipes supplied by the branch F have their full
blast of air while the pipes nearer the ends may have their supply more or less
reduced by the valve G. When the first layer of metal is cooled to the proper
degree, metal of a softer quality is poured in by the git K and this flowing along
the lateral passage L and out by the numerous holes flows gently over the surface
of the first layer, uniting with it but without such disturbance as would cause
mixture of the two metals to any sensible depth. Other layers may in like manner
be poured in by the git K, and finally a considerable head of metal to fill up the
space above the line M may be introduced by the git K and lateral passages N,
this head of metal serving to give soundness to the metal below the line M, and
being cut off to the line M when the ingot is set.
When it is desired to cast a composite plate without a head of metal above the.
line M, the mould box is made only sufficiently deep to contain metal up to that
line and it is placed in the bed of a gas furnace, the flame of which playing on the
surface of the molten metal keeps it hot and fluid while the metal below shrinks,
so that it can subside without forming shrinkage cavities while gases freely escape.
When this arrangement is adopted the furnace roof is preferably so constructed
that it can be raised and removed so as to allow convenient removal of the cast
ingot. The casting produced as above described either with a head which is cut
off, or without a head, consists of a lower layer of metal which can take a hard

page_text: temper, and of softer and tougher metal above. It can be rolled or forged to the
desired form and thickness to constitute a composite armour plate, its front
surface being hardened by chilling in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. The herein described method of casting a composite armour plate, by first
pouring from a lateral git into a mould having its bottom cooled, a layer of steel
capable of being hardened and then after partial cooling of the layer pouring into
the mould, by lateral gits, metal of softer and tougher quality.
2. For operating as set forth in the preceding claim, a mould box having air
pipes imbedded in its bottom lining and having gits with lateral outlets opening
into the box at various levels, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of July 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.