IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT IRON. AND IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Stone, of West Bromwich, in the County
Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
WROUGHT IRON. AND IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Stone at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st May 1874.
I, JAMES STONE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT IRON, AND IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
In carrying out my improvements in the manufacture of wrought iron
I employ two furnaces and a refinery. Each furnace has a fire-grate,
and either one or two chambers. In one furnace (which may be a blast
furnace) I melt the iron, then run it into the refinery and refine it with
blast, compressed air, steam, gas, coal, coke, or charcoal, and when it is
refined I run the iron into the puddling furnace and puddle it in the
ordinary way.

page_text: The furnaces and refineries I use are different to ordinary furnaces and
refineries, those with a grate and one chamber constructed and arranged
in accordance with my Invention being much smaller than any of the
melting and puddling furnaces now in use, and those arranged with one
grate and two chambers, according to my Invention, being capable of
producing a much larger quantity of wrought iron than by means of
furnaces of the ordinary construction.
By the construction and arrangement of my improved furnaces and
refineries I can work two charges of iron in the furnaces with one grate
and one chamber, and four charges in the furnaces with one grate and
two chambers at the same time, thus effecting a great saving in fuel,
fettling, and labour, the working of such furnaces being continuous,
thus avoiding loss of heat by cooling between the successive operations.
and processes, as heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Stone in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STONE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Stone, Her special license
that I, the said James Stone, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Stone, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time, and at all times thereafter. during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF WROUGHT IRON, AND IN FURNACES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Stone, my exécutors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one

page_text: of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Stone, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In carrying out my improvements in the manufacture of wrought iron
I employ two furnaces and a refinery. Each furnace has a fire-grate,
and either one or two chambers. In one furnace (which may either be
a blast, cupola, or other form of melting furnace), I melt the iron then
run it into the refinery and refine it by means of blast, compressed air,
steam, gas, coal, coke, charcoal, or other fuel, and when it is sufficiently
refined, as is well understood by the refiner, I run it into the puddling
furnace and puddle it in the ordinary way.
:
The furnaces and refineries I use differ from ordinary. furnaces and
refineries, those, with a grate and one chamber constructed and arranged
for working in accordance with my Invention, being much smaller than
any of the melting and puddling furnaces now in use when the iron is
puddled without being previously refined. The furnaces and refineries
arranged with one grate and two chambers, as herein-after described,
according to my Invention, are capable of producing a much larger
quantity of wrought iron than by means of furnaces of the ordinary con-
struction and of improved quality.
As it is not advantageous for a puddler to operate upon more than
from four to five hundredweight of iron in the puddling furnace I limit
the size of the melting furnace and of the refinery to the quantity of
iron which it is intended to puddle in each division of the puddling
furnace, and if there is only one puddling chamber then I find it
desirable to construct the melting furnace and refinery suitable' for
melting the requisite quantity only of metal for producing from four to
five hundredweight of puddled iron. But when the puddling furnace is
divided into two chambers worked by two puddlers, as herein-after
described, then the melting furnace and refinery must be capable of
melting and refining the quantity of iron required for each puddler in
each separate chamber..
:

page_text: By the construction and arrangement of my improved furnaces and
refineries I can work two charges of iron simultaneously in the furnaces,
arranged with one grate and one chamber, one charge being in process
of melting whilst the other charge is being puddled, four charges being
worked simultaneously in the furnaces arranged with one grate and two
chambers, as herein-after described, at the same time, i.c., two charges
(one in cach chamber) being in the process of melting whilst the other
two charges (one in cach chamber) are being puddled, thus effecting a
great saving in fuel, fettling, time, and labour, the working of such
furnaces being continuous, thus avoiding loss of heat by cooling between
the successive operations and processes, as heretofore practiced.
T
T11

page_text: taneously to a blast conducted through the tuyeres 63, 6³, of compressed
air, steam, or gas, according to the quality or character of the iron
under treatment. A suitable quantity of coke, charcoal, or other fuel is
placed in the chambers b', b², of the refinery B before the iron is run
into it, the use of the fuel being for the purpose of heating the refinery
before the melted iron is run into it, and the coke, charcoal, or other
fuel used for this purpose also keeps up the temperature of the iron
during the refining process.
When it is desired to produce iron of superior quality I use wood,
peat, or peat charcoal, in place of coal or coke, for keeping up the heat
in the refinery during the refining process, the additional cost of such
fuel being compensated for in the quality of the refined iron produced.
When the iron is sufficiently refined, as is well understood, by the
refiner it is run from the refinery by means of the inclined troughs or
runners 6, 6', simultaneously into the two chambers c¹, c², of the
puddling furnace C, where it is puddled in the ordinary manner, as is
well understood. The improved condition of the iron resulting from the
combined successive operations renders it more fit for puddling, thereby
saving a large per centage of fettling, fuel, time, and labour.
It will of course be understood that after the metal is run out of the
refinery a fresh supply of fuel is introduced into it before the next charge
from the melting cupola, blast, or other furnace is run into it, and as the
puddling operation occupies more time than the refining process sufficient
time is afforded for reheating the refinery before the next charge of iron
is run into it.
The size of the melting and puddling furnaces which I employ in
carrying out my improvements are adapted to the size of the refinery
used in combination therewith, as they should not be larger than is
found requisite to melt and puddle economically the quantity of iron
required for charging the refinery.
In constructing the refinery B I make the refining chambers of fire-
clay or with water blocks, as is well understood. The capacity of the
refining chambers will depend upon the size of the puddling furnace,
the dimensions shown in the Drawings being suitable for refining and
puddling a charge of from four to five hundredweight or thereabouts in
each of the two chambers.

page_text: .
The bottoms of the refinery chambers incline downwards towards the
tapping holes in order that the refined iron
may flow freely therefrom.
The tuyeres are placed at such an incline that the blast will impinge upon
the bottom of the chamber near its centre, and the force of the blast
must be regulated according to the depth of iron in the chamber so as
not to force or blow it out over the top. The refinery is surmounted by
a light chimney to carry off the fumes of sulphur, gas, and sparks. Thus
it will be seen that a continuous series of successive operations in the
manufacture of wrought iron from pig or other cast or crude iron can be
carried on, each operation or process being carried on simultaneously
during part of the time with the others in the melting, refining, and
puddling furnaces, thereby effecting a great saving in time and fuel, but
little, if any, loss of heat being caused by the cooling and reheating of
the furnaces between each operation.
-
In order to render the iron fluid and cause it to run freely I introduce
a suitable quantity of oxide of iron or hammer slag into the melting
furnace to act as a flux to the iron, or the flux may be melted in the
refinery by the fuel employed to heat it before the iron is run into it
from the melting cupola or other furnace. I find it advantageous to
employ sand for the bottom of the melting furnace in place of oxide of
iron on account of its cheapness, as it lasts longer and does not require
such frequent repairs.
'
The roof of the melting furnace is so formed as to produce a rever-
beratory action upon the iron in the chamber farthest from the fire-grate,
thus causing the iron to be melted therein as quickly and advan- 2
tageously as in the other chamber.
It is desirable to heat the troughs which conduct the melted iron
from the refinery to the puddling furnace by means of the slag from the
refinery or otherwise.
I would remark that I do not confine myself to the use of two 3
chambers in the melting furnace, refinery, and puddling furnaces, as
shown in the Drawings, as one or two chambers may be employed; but
I find it advantageous and economical to employ the arrangement
shown in the Drawings.
By dividing the puddling furnace with a bridge c³, as shown, each 3
puddler is able to operate independently with his part of the charco

page_text: according to its condition, the charge being thus equally divided,
whereby uniformity is maintained throughout the process.
In place of running the molten iron from the melting furnace A into
the refinery B it may be run direct from a cupola or blast furnace into
the refinery to be treated, as previously described.
I would remark that it has been proposed to run molten iron from a
blast or cupola furnace to a refinery, but the metal when refined has
been run out and allowed to cool. It has also been proposed to melt
iron in and refine it in the same refinery, and when refined it has been
run direct into the puddling furnace. Molten iron has likewise been
run from the blast furnace or cupola into a refinery, and when refined
has been run out into a ladle or ladles and carried to the puddling
furnace.
The several processes of melting, refining, and puddling iron have
also been attempted to be carried on in the same furnace, but I am not
aware that the several processes of melting, refining, and puddling iron
have been successfully worked in combination and carried on in a con-
tinuous series of successive processes so as to melt, refine, and puddle
successive charges of iron by running each charge in succession from
one process to another, as previously described in accordance with
my improvements, without allowing the iron or the furnaces and
refinery to cool between each process.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing or carrying the same into practice, what I claim is,-
First. The improved arrangement and combination of melting and
puddling furnaces with a refinery, each being adapted for working.
together in the manufacture of wrought iron, the furnaces and refinery
being connected together by means of runners so as to conduct a
charge of melted iron into the refinery and from the refinery into the
puddling furnace in succession, the processes being carried on simul-
taneously in a consecutive and continuous series without allowing the
furnaces or refinery to cool between the successive operations, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described,
and whereby a considerable saving is effected in fuel, fettling, time, and
3 labour.
Secondly. I claim the improved arrangement and combination of the

page_text: chambers a¹, a², b¹, b, c, c², the melting and puddling furnaces A, C,
being connected with the refinery B by runners a, b, or their equi-
valents, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed, whereby
a great saving is effected in the cost of fuel, fettling, time, and labour, an
improved quality of wrought iron being also produced..
Thirdly. I claim the improved method of arranging and constructing
puddling furnaces with a bridge or division c³ so as to divide the charge
of iron, the iron in each division being puddled or worked by separate
puddlers, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described
and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Lastly. I claim the improved manufacture of wrought iron, sub-
stantially in the manner and by the improved means and apparatus
herein-before described and represented in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Stone, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
JAMES STONE. (L.S.)