IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Griffiths of Abergavenny in the County of
Monmouth for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Griffiths at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1883.
THOMAS GRIFFITHS of Abergavenny in the County of Monmouth IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL.:
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus employed
in the manufacture of iron and steel.
In the specification of Letters Patent granted to William John Clapp and myself
dated March 28. 1881 N° 1372 was described a method of closing and opening the
passage through the tuyeres by means of plugs or stoppers formed to fit seats at
the rear ends of the tuyeres such plugs or stoppers being provided with pistons
fitting cylinders which pistons were acted upon in one direction to force the plugs
or stoppers against their seats to close the tuyeres and in the other direction to
remove the plugs or stoppers from their seats and thereby open the passage through
the tuyeres.
According to my present invention I dispense with the use of plugs, pistons and
cylinders for closing the passage through the tuyeres and I afford facility for
repairing or renewing the blocks, which receive the tuyeres, from the outside of the
convertor thereby avoiding the necessity which hitherto existed for cooling the
convertor and for repairing the same from the interor thereof.
In carrying my Invention into effect, I employ at the rear end of each tuyere a
sliding valve or cover fitting against the end of the tuyere which valve may be
mounted on an axis of motion so as to move in a circular path or it may be
caused to move in a right line by suitable guides and connections. Each of these
sliding valves or covers works within a blast box or chamber, fixed to the outside
of the convertor and the flanges of said blast box or chamber are made large.
enough to be fixed around the margin of a large hole which I form in the convertor
Price 271

page_text: shell, so that by removing the said blast box or chamber from the convertor a
passage is left sufficiently large to enable the block or blocks receiving the tuyere
to be removed and renewed from the exterior of the convertor whilst by removing
merely the cover of such box a passage is left sufficiently large to enable the tuyere
to be renewed.
The valve or cover for opening or closing the passage through the tuyere is
operated by a shaft which has fixed thereon a lever and the several levers are
connected by short chains to a chain passing around the convertor over suitable
guides. By pulling this chain in one direction all the valves are simultaneously
acted upon so as to open the passage through the tuyeres whilst the valves are
caused to act in the contrary direction by suitably weighting, the same or the levers
operating the same.
Other means may however be employed for simultaneously operating these
valves. The small chains above referred to are hooked to the large chain so as to
afford facility for closing any single tuyere by simply unhooking the small chain
connected therewith.
I make the tuyere somewhat longer than the block or blocks receiving the same,
and I make such block or blocks somewhat short of the outer shell of the convertor
in order to leave an air space between the said parts, by which means in the event
of the joints becoming imperfect the blast by penetrating such joints will keep the
metal out of the same. The blast boxes are connected with the main blast pipe by
any usual or suitable connections.
I form the tuyeres as heretofore with passages passing directly through the same
but according to my present Invention I also form small lateral openings in the
same near the outer ends thereof and communicating with the central passage so
as to permit a small blast to pass into the tuyeres when the main blast is shut off
by means of the valves.
At the back of each tuyere I form a tapped opening in the cover of each blast
box and I screw therein a tube through which a view can when required be
obtained of the tuyere and said tube can also be used if required for forcing the
valve against the end of the tuyere.
I also in lieu of removing the cinder through the charging aperture provide two
or more small holes at different levels so as to enable the cinder to be removed from
time to time at different levels as may be required without removing the plug or
stopper from the charging aperture.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Griffiths in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd September 1883.
"
THOMAS GRIFFITHS of Abergavenny in the County of Monmouth "IMPROVEMENTS.
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus employed
in the manufacture of iron and steel.
In the specification of Letters Patent granted to William John Clapp and
myself dated March 28th 1881 N° 1372 was described a method of closing and
opening the passage through the tuyeres by means of plugs or stoppers formed to
fit seats at the rear ends of the tuyeres such plugs or stoppers being provided with
pistons fitting cylinders which, pistons were acted upon in one direction to force
the plugs or stoppers against their seats to close the tuyeres and in the other
direction to remove the plugs or stoppers from their seats and thereby open the
passage through the tuyeres.
According to my present invention I dispense with the use of plugs pistons and
cylinders for closing the passage through the tuyeres and I afford facility for
repairing or renewing the blocks, which receive the tuyeres, from the outside of the
convertor thereby avoiding the necessity which hitherto existed for cooling the
convertor and for repairing-the same from the interior thereof.
In carrying my Invention into effect I employ at the rear end of each tuyere a
sliding valve or cover fitting against the end of the tuyere which valve may be
mounted on an axis of motion so as to move in a circular path or it may be
caused to move in a right line by suitable guides and connections Each of these
sliding valves or covers works within a blast box or chamber formed or fixed on
the outside of the converter and the side frame or flanges of said blast box or
chamber are made large enough to be fixed around the margin of a large hole
which I form in the convertor shell so that by removing the cover of said blast
box or chamber from the convertor a passage is left sufficiently large to enable the
block or blocks receiving the tuyere to be removed and renewed from the exterior
of the convertor whilst by removing a smaller cover of such box a passage is left
sufficiently large to enable the tuyere to be renewed. The valve or cover for
opening or closing the passage through the tuyere is operated by a shaft which has
fixed thereon a lever and the several levers are connected by short chains to a
chain passing around the convertor over suitable guides. By pulling this chain
in one direction all the valves are simultaneously acted upon so as to open the
passage through the tuyeres whilst the valves are caused to act in the contrary
direction by suitably weighting the same or the levers operating the same. Other
means may however be employed for simultaneously operating these valves.
The small chains above referred to are hooked to the large chain so as to afford
facility for closing any single tuyere by simply unhooking the small chain
connected therewith.
•
I make the tuyere somewhat longer than the block. or blocks receiving the same
and I make such block or blocks somewhat short of the outer shell of the
convertor in order to leave an air space between the said parts, by which means in
the event of the joints becoming imperfect the blast by penetrating such joints will
keep the metal out of the same. The blast boxes are connected with the main
blast pipe by any usual or suitable connections.
I.form the tuyeres as heretofore with passages passing directly through the
same, but according to my present invention I also form small lateral openings in

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 is partly an elevation and partly a vertical
section; Figure 3 is a plan partly in section and Figures 4 and 5 are detail views of
a convertor with my present improvements applied thereto and Figures 6 7. 8. 9. 10.
11 and 12 are views representing slight modifications of parts.
=
a is the body of the convertor, b is the charging aperture, c are the tuyeres,
d is the main blast pipe surrounding the upper part of the convertor and d¹. are
branch blast pipes conveying the blast to the blast boxes or chambers e. and fis
the discharge aperture. The parts above described excepting the tuyeres c, form,
no part of my present Invention.
In carrying my present invention into effect, I employ at the rear end of each
tuyere c, a sliding valve or cover g fitting against the end of the tuyere which
valve g may as applied to Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 and 7 be mounted on an axis of
motion g¹. so as to move in a circular path or it may as shown at Figures 8 and 9
be caused to move in a right line by means of a crank g². fixed on the axis g¹ and
working in a slot g³ in the valve or cover g suitable guides 9 being formed on the
back of the valve g to act in combination with the sight tube h and thereby control
the motion of the valve g.
.
Each of these sliding valves or covers g works within a blast box or chamber e.
formed on the outside of the convertor and the flanges or side frames el. of said
blast box or chamber e are made large enough to be fixed around the margin of a
large hole which I form in the convertor shell so that by removing the cover e². of
the said blast box or chamber e from the convertor a passage is left sufficiently
large to enable the block or blocks . receiving the tuyeres c to be removed and
renewed from the exterior of the convertor whilst by removing a smaller cover e³.
carried by the cover e². by turning it back on its hinge joint e¹. or in other suitable
way a passage is left sufficiently large to enable the tuyeres c to be renewed.
The valves or covers g for opening and closing the passages through the tuyeres
are each operated by a shaft g which has fixed thereon a lever g³ and the several
levers g³. are connected by short chains j¹ to a chain passing around the convertor
over suitable guide wheels k. Each end of the chain has fixed thereto a weight j²
and a lever is connected to the chain. j, so that by raising the short end of said
lever one of the weights j² is caused to pull the chain j in one direction thereby
simultaneously acting upon all the valves g so as to open the passages through the
tuyeres c. whilst by lowering the short end of the lever . the valves g are caused to
act in the contrary direction by weights 96. (see Figure 1) fixed on the levers g³.
operating the same. Other means may however be employed for simultaneously
operating these valves g. The small chains j¹ above referred to are hooked to the
large chain so as to afford facility for closing any single tuyere by simply
unhooking the small chain 1. connected therewith when the weight go. will close
the valve g.

page_text: I make the tuyere c. somewhat longer than the block or blocks ȧ receiving the
same and I make such block or blocks i. somewhat short of the outer shell of the
convertor in order to leave an air space between the said parts by which means in
the event of the joints becoming imperfect the blast by penetrating such joints will
keep the molten metal out of the same. The blast boxes or chambers e aro
connected with the main blást pipe d by the branch pipes d'. as shown.
I form the tuyeres c as heretofore with passages c¹. passing directly through the
same but according to my present invention I also form small lateral openings o².
in the same, near the outer ends thereof and communicating with the central
passage c' so as to permit a small blast to pass into the tuyeres when the main
blast is shut off by means of the valves g. The valves g are formed with a small
hole g' through the centre thereof, to enable a small stream of blast to enter the
tuyere to keep the metal fluid therein when the valve or cover g is over the end of
the same.
In this case the lateral holes c². in the tuyere would be unnecessary.
At the back of each tuyere c. I form a tapped opening in the cover e² or e³. of
each blast box or chamber e and I screw therein a tube h through which a view can
when required be obtained of the tuyere and said tube h can also be used if
required for forcing the valve g against the end of the tuyere c.
I also in lieu of removing the cinder through the charging aperture 6. provide
two or more small holes m at different levels so as to enable the cinder to be
removed from time to time at different levels as may be required without removing
the plug or stopper from the charging aperture b.
At Figures 6 and 7 I have represented each block or pair of blocks i, provided
with two tuyeres c, set side by side in which case the shaft or axis g₁ is placed
between the two tuyeres and a valve g projects from each side thereof the means
for operating said shaft g' and valves g, being as before described. In the arrange-
ment shewn at Figures 6. 7. 8 and 9 I have dispensed with the small cover e³. and
use only the large cover e².
At Figures 10. 11 and 12 I have represented respectively an elevation a
vertical section and a horizontal section of parts showing my improved method of
facilitating the repair and renewal of the tuyeres c. and blocks i applied to a
convertor in which a plug or stopper g* is employed to close the passage through
the tuyere c. In this case the cover e³. has formed therein or connected thereto a
double cylinder e¹ provided with a small and a large bore to receive two
pistons g. g. through which the sight tube h which carries the plug or stopper g*
is screwed. The blast led into the box or chamber e. by the pipe d' acts upon the
small piston g6 and a blast pipe d². and passage e. lead the blast to the back of the
large piston g7; thus when blast is shut off from the passage e. the blast in the
chamber e. acts upon the small piston 98 and thereby removes the plug g*. from its
seat and opens the passage through the tuyere but when blast is admitted into the
passage e. it acts upon the large piston g7. and by reason of the increased area
thereof forces the plug g* to its seat and thereby closes the passage through the
tuyere. By removing the cover 63. with the double cylinder e. from the chamber e.
access is afforded to the tuyere c, for repairs or renewals and by removing the
cover e. sufficient opening is obtained for repairs or renewals of the blocks i as
before described. If desired the convertor can be lined to the form shewn by the
dotted linen in Figure 2.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect I would have it understood that what I claim is :-
First. The employment of sliding valves or covers g formed with or without
central holes g substantially as herein shown and described and for the purposes
stated.
Second. The combination of sliding valve or cover g axis g' lever g³ chains j. j.
weights guide rollers k and lever substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose stated.
Third. The employment of screwed sight tubes h for viewing the tuyeres, and

page_text: when required, forcing the valves g to their seats substantially as herein shown and
described.
Fourth. The peculiar construction of blast chamber e and the method of
facilitating repairs and renewals of the tuyeres c. and blocks i. substantially as
herein shown and described.
Fifth. The tuyeres.c made longer than the blocks i. receiving the same and the
small lateral openings c. in the tuyeres near their outer ends substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Sixth. Constructing the convertor with two or more small holes m. at different
levels for the removal of the cinder from time to time substantially as herein shown
and described.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Griffiths have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Fourteenth day of September in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.