IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF IRON, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Tooth, of Rhodeswell Road, Stepney,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF IRON, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF STEEL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Tooth at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th June 1864.
I, WILLIAM HENRY TOOTH, of Rhodeswell Road, Stepney, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF IRON, AND IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STEEL," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in the refining of crude cast iron, and the partial or
complete conversion of the same into steel, or hard steely iron, or wrought
iron, by the use of certain gases which are to be blown into or through the
molten cast iron placed in suitable vessels for the purpose: The gases which
I use for the purposes of my Invention are carburetted hydrogen, carbonic
acid, carbonic oxide, and cyanogen. These gases are forced or blown under
pressure into and through the crude iron for the purpose of carrying off the
impurities and leaving refined iron. The refined iron thus obtained may be
used for all purposes for which iron is usually employed, or it may be con-

page_text: verted into steel. The iron may be decarbonized to the extent required by
blowing through the molten mass carbonic acid gas, which will be decomposed,
the oxygen contained in the acid combining with the carbon contained in the
iron, and the result will be carbonic oxide gas and iron decarbonized to an
extent depending upon the time during which the carbonic acid gas has been
blown through and had time to act on the molten mass. If steel or hard
steely iron is required cyanogen gas may be blown through the mass until the
result is obtained. These gases may be used in smelting, melting, and
refining iron, and also in the manufacture of steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Tooth in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS: SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY TOOTH, of Rhodeswell Road, Stepney, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Henry Tooth, Her special license that I, the said William
Henry Tooth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Henry Tooth, 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 AND REFINING OF IRON, AND
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that. I,
the said William Henry Tooth, by an instrument in writing, under my hand
and seal, should particularly. describe and ascertain the nature of the, said
Invention, and in what manner the same was; to be performed, and, cause the
some 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 William Henry Tooth, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and, in what manner the same. is; to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in the refining of crude cast iron, and the partial or
complete conversion of the same into steel, or hard steely iron, or wrought
iron by the use of certain gases or substances which are to be blown into or
through the molten cast iron placed in suitable vessels for the purpose. These
gases or substances by combining with the impurities contained in the crude
cast iron will eliminate such impurities therefrom, and will produce refined,
iron. The gases or substances to be used will depend upon the nature of the
impurities to be removed, and the effect required to be produced on the iron or
steel. Those I generally use for the purposes of my Invention are carburetted.
hydrogen, carbonic acid, carbonic oxide, and cyanogen. If it be required to
remove silica fluoric acid gas may be used. These gases are to be forced or
blown under pressure into and through the crude iron when in a molten state,.
for the purpose of carrying off the sulphur, phosphorus, and the other impurities,
and leaving refined iron. The refined iron thus obtained may be used for all
purposes for which iron is usually employed, or it may be converted into steel.
The iron may be decarbonized to the extent required for this purpose by
blowing through the molten mass carbonic acid gas, which will be decomposed,
the oxygen contained in the acid gas combining with carbon contained in the
iron, and the result will be carbonic oxide gas, and leaving the iron de-
carbonized to an extent depending upon the time during which the carbonic
acid gas has been blown through and had time to act on the molten mass. If
steel or hard steely iron is required, cyanogen gas may be afterwards blown.
through the mass until the desired result is obtained.
It will be apparent that these gases may be blown or forced into and
through molten cast iron contained in any suitable vessel, but the apparatus
which I intend to operate in is shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a vertical section of the apparatus, which is composed
of a large crucible A provided with flanges a, a, at top, so that it may rest
on the brickwork B of the furnace. The crucible is provided with a tapping
hole b at the bottom, to which is fitted a fire-clay pipe or spout c to convey the
metal away from the interior when it is tapped out. The crucible A is also
fitted with a fire-clay tube or pipe C passing down the centre of the crucible.
to within a few inches of the bottom, leaving a space of from three to four
inches between the outside of the tube C and the inside of the crucible: The
tube C may be made with a flange at the top to correspond with the flange on
the crucible, and on the top of the crucible is fitted a cast-iron plate d, and
the whole is bolted together. On to the iron plate d is fitted a vertical pipe e,

page_text: which, if required, may be lined with fire-clay, as shewn in the Drawing, and
through which the gases are forced down into the fire-clay tube C, and into
the crucible, and are caused to pass through the molten metal and ascend
through the space between the outside of the tube C and the inside of the
crucible. Openings F, F, are made in the plate d, and the crucible through
which the gases escape from the interior of the crucible after they have passed
through the molten metal. A number of these crucibles arranged in any
convenient manner are fixed in a furnace, as shewn in the plan view, Fig. 2,
Sheet I., and are heated with coke in the same way as ordinary steel pots are
heated, or they may be placed in seggars, similar to those used in glass
furnaces..
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of another form of apparatus in which molten iron
The
may be operated upon by gases blown or forced in or through the same.
iron is melted in a cupola made of a decarbonized iron cylinder, constructed
either in one piece, or built up in segments, the object being to dispense with
all materials containing silica, or to prevent them from coming into contact
with the iron during the process of refining. To this cupola I adapt tuyere
pipes, for the purpose of injecting the purifying gases, or for injecting
pulverized felspar, carbonate of ammonia, and fluoric acid. The refined
molten iron is run from the cupola either into the crucibles already described,
or into the apparatus shewn at Fig. 3, Sheet II. This apparatus is composed.
of a moveable horizontal vessel G, either round, square, hexagonal, or
octagonal on the sides. The vessel G is mounted on a vertical shaft, to
which a reciprocating rotary motion is communicated by means of a suitable
gearing, as shewn in the Figures, and the lower part of the vessel is immersed
in water contained in the tank H, for the purpose of keeping it cool. This
tank is mounted on wheels h, h, so that the tank H with the vessel G may be
run in and out on the rails i, i. Two, three, or more of these furnaces are
arranged round a central fire-place or furnace, from or through which the
gases pass into a dome J, from whence they pass or are directed down under
the inverted bridges j, j, on to or through the molten metal, which thereby in
conjunction with the motion of the vessel becomes decarbonized or converted
into puddled steel or wrought iron. It will be evident that even if the gases,
do not penetrate below the surface of the molten metal the constant change
of this surface by the motion of the vessel G will tend to bring the molecules
of iron into contact with the purifying or converting gases or substances, and
thereby effect the desired result.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture
and Refining of Iron, and in the Manufacture of Steel," and having explained

page_text: the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured
to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, refining crude cast iron, and the partial
or complete conversion of the same into steel, or hard steely iron by blowing
or forcing through or on to the molten iron gases or substances which will
combine with and carry off the impurities, or will change the nature of the
metal, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Tooth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
WILLIAM H. TOOTH. (L.S.)