Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Wire, Sheet- metal, and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sent., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 29th June, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Wire, Sheet-
metal, and the like.
I, CARL FRIEDRICH CLAUS, of 88 Yeldham Road, Hammersmith, in the
County of Middlesex, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of wire, sheet-metal and the like.
In the manufacture of iron or steel wire as hitherto practised, the first operation
is the production of what is termed "wire-rod" from bars or billets; this operation
consists in first heating the bars or billets to the required temperature, and then
rolling them, whilst hot, between suitable rolls. By passing the bar through a
succession of such rolls, its diameter is gradually diminished, until the said bar is
formed into "wire-rod." The whole of this process of rolling is carried on at such
a speed that, when the "wire-rod" is finished, the metal is still red hot. The
operation of reducing the "wire-rod" to a smaller diameter is not, as heretofore
practised, effected by rolling. The "wire-rod" obtained by rolling is allowed
to become cold and the further diminution of its diameter is effected, whilst the
metal is cold, by the process of drawing. Before the process of drawing can be
proceeded with, however, it is necessary to remove the oxide or scale with which
the metal has become covered during the heating and hot rolling of the bar.
The removal of this oxide or scale is effected by various means, one of which is
the process of pickling by means of acids. After the wire has been drawn
down several numbers of the wire-gauge, the metal becomes so hard that the
drawing cannot be continued any further. The wire has, therefore, to be annealed
and softened until it is sufficiently ductile to be drawn smaller. By the heating
of the wire for the purpose of annealing, the surface of the wire again becomes
covered with oxide, to remove which, the operation of pickling has again to be
resorted to. The wire can then be drawn two or three numbers smaller, after
which it is again so hard that further drawing is impracticable. If, therefore,
a wire of a fine gauge is to be obtained, these operations of annealing and pickling
have to be resorted to a considerable number of times, thus entailing great loss of
time and labor, and of metal by the oxidation and subsequent pickling. To
prevent the oxidation of the metal during the so frequently to be repeated
operation of annealing, and to obviate the necessity for pickling, various means
have been devised and patented. One of the methods adopted is to carry on the
process of annealing in an atmosphere of reducing gases, ordinary coal-gas and
also hydrogen-gas being amongst those mentioned.
By the use of these gases, oxidation of the metal might be prevented during
the operation of annealing, but, so far as I am aware, no means have heretofore
been devised or suggested for obviating the necessity for the frequent annealing of
the metal or for dispensing with the process of annealing altogether. Moreover
the process of making wire from metal bars has hitherto been discontinuous, that
is to say, it has comprised separate operations of rolling and drawing and the
heating or annealing of the metal before each of the said operations.
Now, according to the present invention, I provide for converting the oxide on
the wire-rod into iron sponge as hereinafter mentioned, so that I am enabled to
draw or roll the "wire-rod" to form wire of the desired gauge, by a continuous
operation or process without repeated annealing or reheating of the metal.
I have stated above that the "wire-rod," when finished, is covered with a layer
of oxide of iron or scale. Now I have discovered that if the "wire-rod" covered
with oxide of iron is exposed, in a heated state, to the action of water-gas or
hydrogen-gas or similar gases free from sulphur compounds, not only may the
"

page_text: operation of pickling be dispensed with, but the necessity for the frequent repetition
of the annealing process is obviated, that is to say, the rod may be drawn down to
fine wire without either further annealing or pickling. By the action of the said
water-gas, hydrogen or similar gas upon the oxide, a layer of spongy metal is
formed on the surface of the rod, which, on the said rod being passed through the
draw-plates, becomes gradually consolidated or compressed into solid metal.
If the reducing gases employed contain sulphur compounds, the layer of spongy
metal will be simply stripped off by the draw-plates, making the surface of the
rod or wire rough and rendering the wire liable to break. This is the case
whether the rod, or the drawn wire in the subsequent stage of manufacture, is
treated in the manner above described.
In the Provisional Specification accompanying my application for Letters Patent
No. 4279 dated 10th March 1891, I have described a process whereby I ain
enabled to purify water-gas from sulphur compounds, which process consists in
conducting the hot crude water-gas as it leaves the producer, through a series of
vessels containing pieces of metallic iron or copper preferably in the form of
spongy iron or copper. I find it advantageous to treat, by this process, the water-
gas which I use for reducing the oxide in my present process.
In carrying my present invention into practice, I treat, in the following manner,
wire-rods, wire or sheets of iron, copper or other metals or alloys, in order to
dispense with the process of annealing, that is to say :-The wire-rod, as soon as
.it leaves the hot rolls and whilst still hot, is either passed at full length into pipes
or tubes which can be closed up after being charged, and a current of water-gas
or hydrogen-gas freed from sulphur compounds by the process above referred to
or in any other convenient manner, or of hydrogen-gas produced by the process
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to me and dated
1st January 1889 No. 50 is passed through the said tubes; or the rod is wound
up whilst hot into coils and these coils are inserted quickly into suitably shaped
receptacles wherein they are exposed to the action of a current of the said gases
until they are cool enough to be removed. Or the said rod is passed through a
chamber through which a current of the said gases is flowing and is then conducted
to and passed through the draw-plates.
In case the heat of the rod or wire is not sufficient to enable the cold gases to effect
a reduction of the oxide thereon, purified hot water-gas (as obtained for example,
according to my Specification No. 4279 of 1891) is passed through the tubes.
Or, if the rod is in a coiled up condition, it is heated up in the receptacles into
which the coils are placed, either from the outside, or by direct impact
of a flame (as described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted
to me and dated 6th September 1890, No. 14,063), or by a current of purified
hot water-gas passed through the said receptacles. In either case, after the
reduction of the oxide upon the wire-rod or wire has been effected by the means
above described, the final cooling may be effected by cold gas of the same
description. The wire-rod or wire, when once treated in this manner, may
be drawn down to fine wire, say to about one-fiftieth of an inch in diameter,
without further annealing and consequently without further treatment with gases,
the metal retaining its ductility to the end.
The improvements above described with reference to the treatment of wire-rod
or wire, are also applicable to the treatment of sheet-metal, which may thereby
be rolled down to thin sheets without annealing.
The aim of inventors has hitherto always been to carefully prevent the oxidation
of the metal. I find, however, that a slight oxidation of the surface of the metal
is advantageous rather than otherwise for the purpose of my invention; since, in
the subsequent reduction of the oxide into metallic sponge, such sponge has the
effect that the metal may be further reduced in size without resorting to the process
of annealing.
As above stated, the hot rolling of metal, as now practised, terminates when the
metal has reached the size of wire-rod, after which the process of cold drawing

page_text: has to be resorted to. Now I have discovered that wire-rod treated as hereinbefore
described, may be cold rolled to a considerable degree of fineness instead of being
drawn. I therefore, in some cases, treat the wire-rod as above described to convert
the covering of oxide into metal sponge, and then allow the metal to cool and pass
it between suitable rolls.
Dated this 29th day of Sentember 1901
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Wire, Sheet-
metal, and the like.
I, CARL FRIEDRICH CLAUS, of 88, Yeldham Road, Hammersmith, in the
County of Middlesex, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of wire, sheet-metal
and the like.
In the manufacture of iron or steel wire as hitherto practised, the first operation
is the production of "wire-rod" from bar-iron or bar-steel, and this operation
consists in rolling the bars, after they have been properly heated for the purpose
and whilst hot, between suitable rolls. By passing the bars through several sets
of such rolls in succession, the diameter of the said bars is gradually diminished
until the said bars are reduced to what is called in the trade "wire-rod."
whole of this process of rolling is carried on at such a speed, that, when the
wire-rod is finished, the metal is still red hot.
The
The wire-rod obtained by rolling as above described, is allowed to become cold,
and the further diminution of its diameter is carried out with the cold metal by
the process of wire-drawing. Before the process of wire-drawing can be proceeded
with, it is necessary to remove the oxide or scale with which the metal has become
covered during the heating and hot rolling of the same. This is effected by
various means, one of which is the process of "pickling" by means of acids.
The wire, in being drawn down several numbers of the wire-gauge, becomes so
hard that the drawing cannot be continued any further. The wire has, therefore,
to be annealed or softened until it is sufficiently ductile to be drawn smaller. By
the heating of the wire in the process of annealing, the surface of the wire again
becomes covered with oxide, to remove which the operation of "pickling" has to be
again resorted to.
The wire can then be drawn two or three numbers smaller, by which operation
it is again so hardened that further drawing is impracticable. If, therefore, a wire
of a fine gauge is to be obtained, these operations of annealing and pickling have
to be frequently repeated, thus entailing a great loss of time and labor, and also of
metal by the oxidation and subsequent pickling.
To prevent the oxidation of the metal during the so frequently to be repeated
operation of annealing, and to do away with the necessity of pickling, various
means have been proposed and patented; one of the methods adopted being to
carry on the process of annealing in an atmosphere of inert gases or of
reducing-gases, ordinary coal-gas and also hydrogen and sulphide of hydrogen
being amongst the number of gases mentioned. By the use of these gases,
s above stated, oxidation of the metal might be prevented during the fre-
quently repeated operation of annealing, but, so far as I am aware, means for
preventing the necessity of the frequent annealing itself, or to do away with the
process of annealing altogether, have not hitherto been discovered, nor has the
possibility of this being done ever been suggested.

page_text: I have stated above that the "wire-rod" as hitherto manufactured, when it
leaves the rolling-mill, is still hot and is covered with a layer of oxide of iron or
scale. Now I have discovered that, if wire-rod covered with oxide of iron is
exposed in a heated state to the action of water-gas or hydrogen-gas or similar
gases freed from sulphur compounds, not only may the operation of pickling be
dispensed with, but the operation of frequent or repeated annealing itself, that is
to say, the rod may be drawn down to fine wire without further. annealing and
without pickling. A layer of spongy metal is, by the action of the said gases,
formed on the surface of the rod, which spongy metal, on passing through the
draw-plates, becomes gradually compressed into solid and compact metal. If,
however, the reducing-gases contain sulphur compounds, such as bi-sulphide of
carbon, the layer of spongy metal will contain sulphide of iron, and whether the
quantity thereof be large or small, the layer of spongy metal is simply stripped off
in the draw-plates, making the surface rough and causing the wire to break.
In the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to me and dated
10th March 1891, No. 4279, I have described a process whereby I am enabled to
purify water-gas from sulphur compounds, which process consists in conducting
the crude water-gas, hot as it leaves the producer, through a series of vessels
containing pieces of metallic iron or copper, preferably in the form of spongy iron
or copper.
According to my present invention, I avail myself of the above named facts in
the following manner, in order to dispense with the annealing and pickling of
wire-rods, wire, or sheets of iron, copper or other metals or alloys.
In treating wire-rod, according to my said invention, the said wire-rod, as soon as
it leaves the rolls and whilst still hot, is passed at full length into and through pipes
or tubes which are closed up after being charged, and a current of water-gas or
hydrogen-gas freed from sulphur compounds by the process above referred to, or of
hydrogen-gas as produced by the process described in the Specification of former
Letters Patent granted to me and dated 1st January 1889, No. 50, is passed through
the said tubes, entering the end at which the rod issues from the same, and passing
out at the end where the hot rod enters. Or the wire-rod as it comes from the rolls
and whilst still hot, is wound up into coils, and these coils are placed quickly into
suitably shaped receptacles, wherein they are exposed to the action of a current
of the said purified gases until they are cool enough to be removed.
In case the heat of the rod is not sufficient for the cold gases to effect a complete
reduction of the oxide thereon, purified hot water-gas (as obtained according
to my said Specification No. 4729 of 1891) is passed through the tubes. Or,
if the rod is in a coiled up condition, it is heated up in the receptacles in which
the coils are placed, either from the outside or by direct impact of a flame (as
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent dated 6th September 1890
No. 14,063) or a current of purified hot water-gas is passed through the said
receptacles. In either case, after the reduction of the oxide upon the wire-rod
has been effected by the means above described, the final cooling may be effected
by cold gas of the same description.
Wire and sheet-metal may also, with advantage, be treated in the manner above
described.
The wire-rod or the wire once thus treated, may be drawn down to fine wire,
say to about one-fiftieth (30) of an inch in diameter, without further annealing
and consequently without further treatment with gases, the metal retaining its
ductility to the last.
'
What has been stated in reference to wire-rod or wire applies equally to
the treatment of sheet-metal, which may thereby be rolled down to thin sheets
without annealing.
According to another modification of my invention, I proceed as follows, viz. :-As
above stated, the hot rolling of metal as now practised terminates when the metal
has reached a certain diameter or thickness, after which the process of cold drawing
or cold rolling has to be resorted to. Now I have discovered that wire-rod or

page_text: sheet-metal treated as above described may, without further annealing, be cold
rolled to a considerable degree of fineness. I, therefore, according to this modifica-
tion of my said invention, first produce the wire-rod or sheet metal by hot rolling,.
and, after treating the said rod or sheet-metal as above described, I further reduce
its diameter or thickness by cold rolling without further annealing; the wire thus.
produced I then, if necessary, draw down to a greater degree of fineness.
In former proposals, the aim of the inventor has always been to carefully
prevent the oxidation of the metal. I have found, however, that a slight oxida--
tion of the surface of the metal is advantageous rather than otherwise, since, in
the subsequent reduction of the oxide into metallic sponge, such sponge has the-
effect of enabling the metal to be further reduced in diameter or thickness without
resorting to the process of annealing.
Either wire or sheet-metal treated in the manner above described, that is to say, on
the surface of which the film of oxide has been converted into metallic sponge,.
may, if the surface be otherwise kept clean, be tinned or galvanized without
undergoing any further treatment, by simply immersing the same in the ordinary
bath of metal.
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 :-
:-
First. In the manufacture of wire, sheet-metal or the like, the conversion of the
oxide on the hot metal, as the latter comes from the rolls and before it cools
or whilst its heat is maintained, into metallic sponge by means of purified gas.
such as hydrogen, water-gas or other producer-gas, for the purposes above
specified.
Second. The manufacture of wire, sheet-metal or the like, by first rolling the
heated metal, then subjecting it before it cools or while its heat is maintained to
the action of purified gas such as hydrogen, water-gas or other producer-gas,
to convert the oxide formed on the metal during the hot rolling into metallic
sponge, and then continuing to work the said metal until the same is reduced to.
the required degree of fineness, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated Enis 28th day of June 1892.
Dated Enis 28th day o June 1892
D. Young & Co.,
C. F. CLAUS.
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.