IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING STEEL INGOTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gjers of Middlesbrough on Tees, in the North
Riding of the County of York, Iron Master for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND CONNECTED WITH MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING STEEL INGOTS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gjers at the Office,
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th February 1883.
JOHN GJERS, of Middlesbrough-on-Tees in the North Riding of the County of
York, Iron Master, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR TREATING STEEL INGOTS
"
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the kind described in the
specification of former Letters Patent granted to ine dated March 7th. 1882 and
numbered 1089. In that specification is described the conversion of steel ingots
into a finished or partly finished state, without reheating them in a furnace; by
the aid of what are therein called " soaking pits." These are upright pits each of
a cross section slightly larger than that of the ingot, and of a depth slightly greater
than the length of the ingot.
In that specification it is further described that each ingot immediately after
being stripped from the mould is placed in one of these pits, and after the mouth
of the pit has been closed by a cover or lid, is there allowed to stand and soak
until its heat is distributed, and it assumes a suitable temperature throughout for
It is also
being rolled or otherwise pressed into a bloom or finished article.
explained that a portion of the heat of the ingot is communicated to the
brick work of the pit, and tends to maintain it at a temperature equal to that at
which the ingot should leave the pit, so that should an ingot from any cause arrive
at the pit short of heat, its temperature will be raised by heat from the walls of
the pit itself, the refractory mass wherein the pit is formed acting as an
accumulator of heat.
The covers described in my former specification above referred to include a top
cover and in some cases also a false cover of a size slightly smaller than the cross
section of the pit, this cover being lowered down upon the top of the ingot before
the ordinary cover is put on.

page_text: Now according to my present invention, in order to afford additional security
against the liability of the top of the ingot in the pit to acquire a lower
temperature than the rest, I construct the mouth of the pit so as to receive and
support independently two covers, an inner one and an outer one. The inner cover
is supported in a position somewhat above the level of the top of the ingot, and
after an ingot has been taken out, whilst the pit is waiting to receive another, the
covers are replaced and thus the inner one is kept hot, and will not afterwards
have a cooling effect upon the top of the ingot.
Also by the above described arrangement of two independently supported covers
there is formed a top chamber that can be filled with material such as sand or
ashes that will not readily conduct heat thus assisting to maintain the interior of
the pit at a bigh temperature during the cessation of work.
In works such as open hearth steel-works where few ingots are made in a shift
or where the pits may be required to contain the ingots for a long time or be empty
a long time I provide a refractory cover supported some distance below the top of
the pit so as to form the bottom of a chamber whereof the walls of the pit constitute
the sides, and this chamber is filled with material such as sand or ashes that will
not readily conduct heat, thus constituting an efficient closure to the pit
Or in lieu of forming a chamber to be filled with sand or ashes as described I
construct the cover as a mass of brick of great depth suspended to a metal cover.
In working the walls of the pits, particularly near the bottom are liable to
become injured by the extremely high temperature and to some extent by abrasion
Now, in order to repair the pit walls without the delay incidental to laying off
or completely cooling them I use an apparatus constructed of wrought or cast iron
in the form of a box having in plan the shape of the cross section of the pit and
the sides of which at the upper part form a pyramid or such like figure provided
with means for attachment to a crane whereby the apparatus is lowered into the
damaged pit. Then some suitable refractory material such as fire clay or ganister
in a pugged state is thrown down and is guided by the inclined top sides of the
apparatus into position and is rammed into the recesses of the damaged walls the
apparatus being moved upward as required by the crane.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Gjers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th August
1883.
JOHN GJERS of Middlesbrough on Tees in the North Riding of the County of
York Iron Master. IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR TREATING STEEL INGOTS.
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the kind described in the
specification of former Letters Patent granted to me dated March 7th 1882 and
numbered 1089. In that specification is described the conversion of steel ingots
into a finished or partly finished state, without reheating them in a furnace, by the
aid of what are therein called "soaking-pits." These are upright pits each of a
cross section slightly larger than that of the ingot, and of a depth slightly greater
than the length of the ingot.
In that specification it is further described that each ingot immediately after
being stripped from the mould is placed in one of these pits, and after the mouth
of the pit has been closed by a cover or lid is there allowed to stand and soak until
its beat is distributed, and it assumes a suitable temperature throughout for being
rolled or otherwise pressed into a bloom or finished article. It is also explained
that a portion of the heat of the ingot is communicated to the brickwork of the
pit and tends to maintain it at a temperature equal to that at which the ingot
should leave the pit so that should an ingot from any cause arrive at the pit short
of heat, its temperature will be raised by heat from the walls of the pit itself,
the refractory mass wherein the pit is formed acting as an accumulator of heat.
The covers described in my former specification above referred to include a top
cover and in some cases also a false cover of a size slightly smaller than the cross
section of the pit, this cover being lowered down upon the top of the ingot before
the ordinary cover is put on.
Now according to my present invention, in order to afford additional security
against the liability of the top of the ingot in the pit to acquire a lower
temperature than the rest, I construct the mouth of the pit so as to receive and
support independently two covers, an inner one and an outer one. The inner cover
is supported in a position somewhat above the level of the top of the ingot and
after an ingot has been taken out whilst the pit is waiting to receive another, the
covers are replaced and thus the inner one is kept hot, and will not afterwards
have a cooling effect upon the top of the ingot.
Also by the above described arrangement of two independently supported covers
there is formed a top chamber which ordinarily filled with air or gas is a bad
conductor of heat and which may also be filled with material such as sand or ashes
that will not readily conduct heat thus assisting to maintain the interior of the pit
at a high temperature during the cessation of work or at other times when found
desirable.
Fig. 1 of the drawings represents in sectional elevation three vertical soaking
pits with double covers according to my present invention. It will be seen that
the mouth of each pit a is constructed of an enlarged cross section with two ledges
shoulders or seats b and c, the lower one c of which supports the inner cover d in
postion somewhat above the level of the top of the ingot a The other ledge
shoulder or seat 6 supports the outer cover f at the top of the mouth of the pit.
The enlarged mouth of the pit may be lined with metal such as cast iron or cast
steel as shewn and the top covers may advantageously be of the same material
and the lower covers of the same material or of brick or pot.

page_text: In works such as open hearth steel works where few ingots are made in a shift
or where the pits may be required to contain the ingots for a long time or be empty
a long time, I provide a refractory cover supported some distance below the top of
the pit so as to form the bottom of a chamber whereof the walls of the pit
constitute the sides, and this chamber is filled with material such as sand or ashes
that will not readily conduct heat, thus constituting an efficient closure to the pit
and serving to keep the interior thereof at the requisite high temperature. A
soaking pit or chamber with this part of my present invention applied thereto is
shewn in sectional elevation at the left of Fig. 2.
g is the cover of refractory material such as brick supported by shoulders or
ledges at a position slightly above the top of the ingot h, the space above the top
of the cover being occupied by sand or similar material as shown.
In lieu of forming a chamber to be filled with sand or ashes as just described I
in some cases construct the cover as a block or mass of brick of great depth
suspended to a metal cover.
The right hand portion of Fig. 2 illustrates in vertical section a pit with this
improvement applied thereto.
Around the mouth of the pit the top of the brickwork is covered by a cast iron
plato i rabbeted at j to receive and form a seat for a plate of suitable metal such
as cast iron constructed with a fillet to receive the upper end of the deep
block of brick m which is rabetted as shewn so that the shoulder formed by the
rabbet bears against the under edge of the quadrangular fillet ; within which
however and the upper end of the block m sufficient space is left to allow for an
air space. Also with the same object space is left between the top surface of the
block m and the under surface of the metal plate k nn are two bolts with eyes
or handles at their upper ends and screw threads at their lower ends, these bolts are
passed through the block, so that their screwed ends enter the recesses o and the
bolts are tightened by nuts within the recesses o which are then filled with
refractory material.
In working, the walls of the pits, particularly near the bottom are liable to
become injured by the extremely high temperature and to some extent by abrasion.
.Now in order to repair the pit walls without the delay incidental to laying off
or completely cooling them I use an apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3 constructed of
wrought or cast iron in the form of a box p having in plan the shape of the cross
section of the pit and the sides of which, at the upper part form a pyramid p' or
such like figure provided with means for attachment to a crane whereby the
apparatus is lowered into the damaged pit. Then some suitable refractory material
such as fireclay or ganister in a pugged state is thrown down and is guided by the
inclined top sides p₁ of the apparatus into position and is rammed into the
recesses of the damaged walls the apparatus being moved upward as required by
the crane.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the manner in which
it is to be performed I claim
1. A pit for equalizing the beat of steel ingots constructed in a mass of
brickwork with an upper part or mouth constructed to support a cover above the
level of the top of the ingot, and also to support at a short distance above the said
cover a second cover so as to enclose a space between the two covers substantially
as described for the purpose specified.
2. A pit for equalizing the heat of steel ingots constructed in a mass of
brickwork with an upper part or mouth constructed to support a cover above the
level of the top of the ingot, the said cover and upper part also forming a chamber
that can be filled with material such as sand or ashes that will not readily conduct
heat substantially as described.
3. An apparatus for equalizing the temperature of steel ingots comprising a
vertical pit formed in a mass of brickwork, or its equivalent, and a cover
comprising a metal plate and a deep block of brick or its equivalent suspended to
the said metal plate substantially as described,

page_text: 4. The method of repairing the walls of vertical soaking pits by the use of an
apparatus constructed of metal in the form of a box having in plan the shape of
the cross section of the pit, and the sides of which apparatus at the upper part
form a pyramid or such like figure, provided with means for attachment to a crane
the said apparatus being lowered into the pit so that its inclined top sides serve to
guide refractory material into the space or spaces between the body of the apparatus
P and the damaged walls of the pit wherein the said material is rammed
substantially as described.
In Witness whereof I the said John Gjers have hereunto set my hand and seal
this eleventh day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and eighty three.