Improvements in Metal Alloys.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 9th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metal Alloys.
I, JOSÉ BAXERES ALZUGARAY of 70 and 71 Bishopsgate Street Within, in
the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
This invention relates to metal alloys and may be carried into effect by fusing
together aluminium and antimony the former predominating, or antimony and
aluminium the former predominating; the percentages of each may be varied
according to circumstances say for example from one per cent. to ninety-nine per cent.
of either of the metals.
The alloy may be mixed with another metal or alloy for the purpose of modifying
it producing in the result an alloy more or less rich in aluminium or antimony.
These alloys can be made either by fusing together the pure metals or the salts
or compounds of these metals and this can be done with or without the admixture
of carbon.
These alloys may be employed for a variety of purposes, a few of which would
be stereotype plates, engraving plates, printing characters, types, bearing metal and
the like.
Dated this 9th day of February 1891
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metal Alloys.
I, JOSÉ BAXERES ALZUGARAY of 70 and 71 Bishopsgate Street Within, 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 :-
This invention relates to metal alloys and may be carried into effect by fusing
together aluminium and antimony the former predominating, or antimony and
aluminium the former predominating; the percentages of each may be varied
according to circumstances say for example from one per cent. to ninety-nine per cent.
of either of the metals.
The alloy may be mixed with another metal or alloy for the purpose of modifying
it producing in the result an alloy more or less rich in aluminium or antimony.
These alloys can be made either by fusing together the pure metals or the salts
or compounds of these metals (or by adding aluminium to an alloy containing
antimony, or vice versa) and this can be done with or without the admixture of
carbon.
Hitherto alloys of aluminium and antimony do not appear to have been obtained,
as far as I have been able to ascertain by referring to Frémy's "Encyclopédie
chimique," Würtz's Dictionary with its two supplements, and numerous other works
on chemistry at my disposal, in none of which such alloys are mentioned, except in
Sir Joseph W. Richard's Treatise on Aluminium (1891, 2nd edition, page 39) where
I find the following passage,-
"Aluminium seems to have but little tendency to mix with either antimony or
lead. Messrs. Tissier Bros. state that they have been unable to obtain a homo-
geneous alloy of the two metals."
Having however been under the necessity of trying to combine aluminium with

page_text: antimony, I have found that the two metals may be readily made to mix in various
proportions.
Whether aluminium is added to molten antimony, or antimony to molten
aluminium, whatever the proportions, it will in all cases be found that the resulting
mass is apt to become pasty, so that the temperature must be raised to restore its
fluidity. Alloys thus obtained are perfectly homogeneous.
One of these alloys is distinguishable by rather peculiar properties. In order to
obtain it, antimony is melted in a crucible or preferably in one of Perrot's furnaces
and puddled with an aluminium stick, the temperature being gradually raised
during the operation. The mass will thus become by degrees thicker and thicker
until at last it suddenly solidifies.
In
Or the process may be reversed, and antimony added to molten aluminium
stirring the mixture the while until solidification takes place in the same way.
either case the alloy produced is readily removable from the crucible after cooling
without requiring the vessel to be broken. This thoroughly homogeneous alloy has
the appearance of a dark grey mass which when broken presents a blackish grey
fracture, abundantly interspersed with the brilliant faces of numerous little crystals.
This alloy is absolutely infusible even at the highest temperature attainable in
Perrot's furnace. This is a particularly remarkable feature considering that each
of the metals of which the alloy is composed melt at comparatively low temperatures
(viz. antimony at 440° C. and aluminium at 600° C.).
very
It will however be noted that in many cases aluminium even if employed in a
small proportion (e.g. under 5%) imparts to the alloy the singular property
of very considerably raising the melting point of the metal or metals with which it
is combined.
The proportions of the metals to be used for the alloy are not strictly uniform,
but may vary within narrow limits (one or two tenths per cent.). But the following
may be taken as a general standard.
These alloys may be employed for a variety of purposes a few of which would be
stereotype plates, engraving plates, printing characters, types, bearing metal and
the like.
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,―
1. An alloy of aluminium and antimony.
2. The combination in a metal alloy of aluminium and antimony.