Improved Methods or Processes of Treating or Purifying Alloys of Iron and Manganese and other Metals for Use when so Purified in Admixture with other Materials.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Oct., 1888
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Improved Methods or Processes of Treating or Purifying Alloys of
Iron and Manganese and other Metals for Use when so Purified
in Admixture with other Materials.
I, JOSEPH BEDFORD of Haymarket Chambers, Sheffield in the county of York,
Mineral and Metal Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to
be as follows:
This invention relates especially to the treatment of alloys of iron with manganese
or of iron with chromium, or with tungsten, or with titanium or any other metal or
metals now used in metallurgical processes and known as spiegel-eisen or ferro-
manganese, as chrome-eisen or ferro-chromium or titanic iron.
All such alloys contain other metals in admixture or in combination or more
commonly elements which are not metals and usually termed "metalloids" such as
carbon, silicon, sulphur and phospherous and my object is to purify such crude alloys
from any or all of these but more particularly to decarburize or that is to say to
eliminate carbon and especially as regards spiegel-eisen and ferro-manganese.
I am aware that patents have been granted for the purification of pig iron and
mixtures of pig iron with scrap iron or scrap steel as in the well known processes of
Bessemer, Siemens, Thomas and Gilchrist, and others. But it is not with such
material that I propose to deal. My object is to produce an alloy, for instance,
consisting as nearly as possible of iron and manganese, of iron and chromium or other
similar alloys, which purified or decarbonized alloy shall be as free as possible from
all other undesirable metalloids especially carbon.
This I effect by the use of a suitable furnace such as a cupola or other furnace
blown with blast: reverberatory or open hearth furnaces worked either with or
without regenerative chambers and heated with coal, coke, gas, oil or other method
in present use such as blast convertors on Bessemer's system, or any modification of
such furnaces or convertors and they may be either fixed or rotatory.
The lining sides and roofs of such furnaces or convertors hereafter described as
furnaces are to be made of the basic material as now in use in the Thomas and

page_text: Gilchrist process, or any part of such furnace or furnaces may be of gannister or
silica brick of alumina brick of Stourbridge or other ordinary fire brick or of the
mineral known as * Bauxite " or of the aluminous pisolitic ore of the North of
Ireland or any other suitable material such as chrome iron ore, or titanic-ore, or
magnetic iron ore, or manganese ore, magnesia magnesian limestone or dolomite.
Into furnaces so lined I introduce a charge of hæmatite iron ore, manganiferous iron
ore, oxide of manganese, chrome ore, titanic ore or any other suitable ore of the metals
specified whether containing iron or not, or 1 introduce quick-lime or any suitable
alkaline alkaline earthy or earthy substances.
Upon such bed, whether previously heated or not, I charge a properly proportioned
weight of the crude alloys of manganese, or other metals as before specified or
mixtures of any or all of them and either at the same time, or at any subsequent
period of the operation, and either or any of the materials charged at the outset as
just mentioned. The whole is then to be melted with or without stirring and when
sufficiently melted or prepared with or without additions of extra materials is to be
run into bars, pigs, ingots, plates or castings or other convenient shape.
Such material may be used direct as a finished metallurgical product or (which I
especially claim) as a purified or decarbonized alloy to be used as an addition to the
unfinished products of present processes and to take the place of such alloys when
used in their crude state.
But, as by the use of such purified alloys, the quality of such finished metals, or
steel may be rendered too soft for certain purposes, I claim the use of such purified
alloys either in admixture with such crude alloys, or to prevent such mistakes as may
occur from such mixture being carelessly or improperly made, do, by addition to
my molten purified alloy, of such proportions of the crude alloy as may be found
necessary, obtain in a proper form, a semipurified or partially recarburized alloy, for
this purpose or I can arrest the process when the purification has gone as far as the
desired point.
So that, supposing an alloy containing 70 per cent. manganese, 6 per cent. of carbon
and about 24 per cent. of iron is to be so treated, I can either arrest the progress of
the operation when the carbon is partially or wholly gone, or I can add such
proportions of such crude alloy or the alloy of any other metal so as to replace or
introduce any other elements, metalloid or metal.
Such alloys are used in the manufacture of iron, steel, brass, bronze and gun metal
and I know that in such cases it is absolutely necessary to use such alloys as are as pure
and more especially as free from carbon as it is possible to obtain them and this
according to my invention I do with rapidity and cheapness.
In using the word "ore" above, my intention is to cover the use of any minerals,
whether oxides, sulphides, carbonates, chlorides or other compounds.
Dated this 13th day of December 1887.
JOSEPH BEDFORD.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.

page_text: Improved Methods or Processes of Treating or Purifying Alloys of
Iron and Manganese and other Metals for Use when so Purified
in Admixture with other Materials.
I, JOSEPH BEDFORD of Haymarket Chambers, Sheffield in the County of York,
Mineral and Metal Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates especially to the treatment of alloys of iron with manganese,
or of iron with chromium, or with tungsten, or with titanium, or any other metal or
metals now used in metallurgical processes, and known as spiegel-eisen or ferro-
manganese, as chrome-eisen or ferro-chromium, or titanic iron.
All such alloys contain other metals in admixture or in combination, or more
commonly, elements which are not metals and usually termed "metalloids," such as
carbon, silicon, sulphur and phosphorus, and my object is to purify such crude alloys
from any or all of these, but more particularly to decarburize, or that is to say, to
eliminate carbon.
I am aware that patents have been granted for the purification of pig iron, and
mixtures of pig iron with scrap iron or scrap steel, as in the well known processes of
Bessemer, Siemens, Thomas and Gilchrist and others. But it is not with such material I
propose to deal. My object is to produce an alloy, for instance, consisting, as nearly as
possible, of iron and manganese, of iron and chromium, or other similar alloys as already
specified, which purified or decarburized alloys shall be as free as possible from all
other undesirable metalloids, especially carbon. This I effect by the use of a suitable
furnace, such as a cupola or any other furnace blown with blast, reverberatory or open
hearth furnaces, worked either with or without regenerative chambers and heated with
coal, coke, gas, oil, or any other method in present use, such as blast convertors on
Bessemer's system, or any modification of such furnaces or convertors, and they may
be either fixed or rotatory.
The lining, sides and roofs of such furnaces or convertors, hereafter described as
furnaces, are to be made of the basic material, as now in use in the Thomas and
Gilchrist process, or any part of such furnace or furnaces may be of ganister, or silica
brick, of alumina brick, of Stourbridge or other ordinary fire brick, or of the mineral
known as "bauxite," or of the aluminous pisolitic ore of the north of Ireland, or any
other suitable material, such as chrome iron ore, or titanic ore, or magnetic iron ore,
or manganese ore, magnesia, magnesian limestone or dolomite.
Into furnaces so lined I introduce a charge of haematite iron ore, manganiferous
iron ore, oxide of manganese, chrome ore, titanic ore, or any other suitable ore of the
metals specified, whether containing iron or not, or I introduce quick lime or other
suitable alkaline, alkaline earthy, or earthy substances.
Upon such bed, whether previously heated or not, I charge a properly proportioned
weight of the crude alloys of manganese or other metals as before specified or mixtures
of any or all of them, and either at the same time, or at any subsequent period of the
operation, and either or any of the materials charged at the outset as just mentioned.
The whole is then to be melted, with or without stirring, and when sufficiently melted

page_text: or prepared, with or without additions of extra materials, is to be run into bars, pigs,
ingots, plates, or castings, or other convenient shape.
The following is an example of the method in which I carry my invention into effect.
I charge into a basic lined furnace, of any of the forms hereinbefore referred to, and
already heated, oxides, as above specified, in a proportion of about 1 part to 20 parts
by weight of the alloy to be treated, but I vary this proportion according to the nature
and composition of the alloy. Thus, if the alloy only contains 3 per cent. of carbon,
I use less oxide than if it contains 6 per cent. On this heated oxide I charge about
20 times its weight of the alloy and keep up a high temperature so as to. melt the
entire charge. In about three hours the charge is ready to tap, when I run the decar-
burized or purified alloy into pigs, ingots or other shape as already specified.
Such material may be used direct as a finished metallurgical product, or (which I
specially claim) as a purified or decarburized alloy, to be used as an addition to the
unfinished products of present processes, and to take the place of such alloys, when
used in their crude state.
But as; by the use of such purified alloys, the quality of such finished metals, or
steel, may be rendered too soft for certain purposes, I claim the use of such purified
alloys, either in admixture with such crude alloys, or, to prevent such mistakes as may
occur from such mixture being carelessly or improperly inade, I do, by additions to my
molten purified alloy as may be found necessary, obtain, in a proper form, a semi-
purified or partially recarburized alloy for this purpose, or I can arrest the process
when the purification has gone as far as the desired point.
So that, supposing an alloy containing 70 per cent. manganese, 6 per cent. of carbon,
and about 24 per cent. of iron is to be so treated, I can either arrest the progress of
the operation when the carbon is partially or wholly gone, or I can add such pro-
portions of such crude alloy, or the alloy of any other metal, so as to replace or
introduce any other elements, metalloid or metal.
Such alloys are used in the manufacture of iron, steel, brass, bronze, and gun metal,
and I know that in such cases it is absolutely necessary to use such alloys as are as
pure, and more especially, as free from carbon, as it is possible to obtain them, and
this, according to my invention, I do with rapidity and cheapness.
In using the word "ore" above, my intention is to cover the use of any minerals,
whether oxides, sulphides, carbonates, chlorides, or other compounds.
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. The treatment, of alloys of iron with manganese, of iron with chromium, of iron
with tungsten, and of iron with titanium, in admixture, or in combination, with carbon
and other metalloids, with oxides of iron or manganese, in furnaces lined with basic or
other material, for the purpose of procuring an alloy of iron with any or either metal
free, or practically free, from carbon or other metalloids.
2. The use of alloys, purified as herein described, for admixture with baths of molten
steel during the manufacture of steel.
3. The use of alloys, purified as herein described, for admixture with metals other
than iron, such as copper or its alloys.
Dated this 12th day of September 1888.