IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF IRON ORE (CRUDE IRON) FOR THE PRODUCTION OF IRON and Steel
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustav Brüninghaus, of Dortmund, in the Kingdom
of Prussia, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF
IRON ORE (CRUDE IRON) FOR THE PRODUCTION OF IRON and Steel,"
IRON ORE (CRUDE IRON) FOR THE PRODUCTION OF IRON ANd Steel.”
Sealed the 9th March 1858, and dated the 10th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustav Brüninghaus at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th September 1857.
I, GUSTAV BRUNINGHAUS, of Dortmund, in the Kingdom of Prussia, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT OF IRON ORE (CRUDE IRON) FOR THE PRODUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL,"
to be as follows:-
In the manufacture, of iron, chemical reagents have been sometimes used
with more or less success in the puddling process, and they recently have
found application in the refining process, but until now they have not, to the
best of my belief, been used for the manufacture of malleable steel and iron,
which is the object of the present process. The effect of chemical reagents
is very imperfect, however, in its use for the puddling process, as the separation
of earthy and other deleterious matter cannot take place in any complete way,
because they remain incorporated with the metal and the produced wrought
iron; and my improvements relate to manufacturing malleable products from
crude fluid iron directly by means of chemical reagents. Pig (crude.) iron.

page_text: a
running out from the blast furnace, or from a remelting common cupola or
reverberatory furnace, is introduced in sufficient large mass into a basin
established near the blast or other furnaces, protected by fire-proof matter as
usual, and surrounded by sand, cinders, or other materials, to avoid the escape
of heat. Before the introduction of fluid metal the basin must be heated to
degree sufficient to prevent the ascension and overflowing of the mass of
metal whilst entering in a fluid state; no further heat will be wanted because
the process by means of chemical reactions produces a quantity of heat
sufficient to keep the metal in a fluid state until the chemical actions have
ceased. All crude fluid iron running from the blast furnace must be con-
sidered as a combination of iron, carbon, and other earthy and deleterious
matter, and it is impossible to manufacture it into malleable products without
removing such extraneous alloy, which until the present time has only been
performed by systems of manufacturing which are very expensive, besides
material faults and imperfections in point of quality being connected therewith.
It is, therefore, a discovery of the greatest importance to make malleable
products directly out of crude fluid iron simply by the introduction of
chemical reagents, which, by their decomposition and combination with the
deleterious matter or alloy remove such deleterious matter, as well as a
large quantity of carbon, as much as may be required. These reagents, by
being decomposed in close contact with the fluid metal, supply a convenient
quantity of oxygen, &c. As soon as such union of the molecules of metal
and reagents is established, one part of the oxygen as well as the hydrogen
of the reactives enter into a combination with the carbon, the sulphur, and
the phosphorous of the metal. These combinations, such as hydrogen,
sulphur, carbonated hydrogen, phosphorated hydrogen, carbonic gas, carbonic
acid, acid of sulphur, acid of phosphorous, &c., not being able to re-enter
into combination with the metal, necessarily evaporate by volatilization, or
enter into composition with the scoria formed by the oxides of the silicon, the
aluminium, the calcium, &c., resulting from the union of the silicium, the
aluminium, the calcium, &c. with the other part of the oxygen of the reagent.
These different chemical transactions, producing an immense quantity of heat,
which is allowed to rise not only to the degree of molten steel, but to attain
and surpass even the degree of fluid malleable iron, although a great loss of
heat will, no doubt, be caused by the introduction of the reagents into the
fluid mass, as well as by the radiation of heat at the same time, I shall thus
have it in my power to continue the operation of this process to a high degree
of lecarbonization of the iron fit for malleable products, whilst the quantity of
the reactive necessary for the process will depend on the quality and quantity

page_text: of the crude fluid iron on the ingredients of the reactives employed, and on
the temper required for the malleable product, whether it be nearer to the
nature of steel or of malleable iron. The actions of the process having ceased;
the iron, still in a fluid state, is directed from the basin into prepared forms,
moulds, &c., for its reception: With regard to the manner of introducing the
reactives into the molten mass, there are different ways to perform it.
This process of manufacturing malleable products of different qualities
directly out of crude fluid iron will be found much superior to methods
hitherto employed with regard to the quality of the metal produced, as well
as in the economy of time, expense, and labour. It essentially consists in the
application of chemical reagents to the crude fluid iron in such manner as to
produce perfect purification and conversion of the mass acted upon, rendering
it suitable for malleable ingots, either approaching more the temper and
quality of steel, semi-steel, or malleable iron, in the exact ratio of the required
and effected degree of carbonization.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Gustav Brüninghaus in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GUSTAV
BRUNINGHAUS, of Dortmund, in the Kingdom of Prussia, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Gustav Brüninghaus, Her special licence that I, the said Gustav
Brüninghaus, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Gustav Brüninghaus, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF IRON ORE (CRUDE IRON) FOR THE PRO-
DUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Gustav Brüninghaus, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and, seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
'

page_text: what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Gustav Brüninghaus, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the manufacture of iron chemical reagents have been sometimes used
with more or less success in the puddling process, and they recently have found
application in the refining process, but until now they have not to the best of
my belief been used for the manufacture of malleable steel and iron, which is
the object of the present process. The effect of chemical reagents is very
imperfect however in its use for the puddling process, as the separation of
earthy and other deleterious matter cannot take place in any complete way,
and my improvements relate to manufacturing malleable products from
crude fluid iron directly by means of chemical reagents. Pig (crude) iron
running out from the blast furnace or from a remelting common cupola or
reverberatory furnace is introduced in sufficient large mass into a basin or
basins established near the blast or other furnaces. It will be useful to
protect such basins by fireproof matter as usual, and to surround them by
sand, cinders, or other materials, to avoid the escape of heat. Also before the
introduction of fluid metal, the basins may be heated to a degree sufficient to
prevent irregularities and failures, whilst the mass of metal is entering in a
fluid state no further heat will be wanted, because the process by means of
chemical reactions produces a quantity of heat sufficient to keep the metal in
a fluid state until the chemical actions have ceased. All crude fluid iron
running from the blast furnace must be considered as a combination of iron,
carbon, and other earthy and deleterious matter, and it is impossible to manufac-
ture it into malleable products without removing such extraneous alloy, which
until the present time has only been performed by systems of manufacturing,
which are very expensive, besides material faults and imperfections in point
of quality being connected therewith. It is therefore a discovery of the
greatest importance, to make malleable products directly out of crude fluid
iron, simply by the introduction of chemical reagents (as alum, sulphate of
iron, manganese, &c. &c.), which by their decomposition and combination
with the deleterious matter or alloy, remove such deleterious matter as well
as a large quantity of carbon, as much as may be required. These reagents
by being decomposed in close contact with the fluid metal, supply a conve-
nient quantity of oxygen, &c. As soon as such union of the molecules of metal

page_text: and reagents is established, one part of the oxygen as well as the hydrogen
of the reactives enters into a combination with the carbon, the 'sulphur, and
the phosphorous of the metal. These combinations, such as hydrogen, sulphur,
carbonated hydrogen, phosphorated hydrogen, carbonic gas, carbonic acid,
acid of sulphur, acid of phosphorous, &c., not being able to re-enter into
combination with the metal, necessarily evaporate by volatilization, or enter
into composition with the scoriæ formed by the oxides of the silicon, the
aluminium, the calcium, &c., resulting from the union of the silicon, the
aluminium, the calcium, &c., with the other part of the oxygen of the reagent.
These different chemical transactions producing an immense quantity of heat
which is allowed to rise not only to the degree of molten steel, but to attain
and surpass even the-degree of fluid malleable iron, although no doubt a great
loss of heat will be caused by the introduction of the reagents into the fluid
mass as well as by the radiation of heat, at the same time I shall thus have it
in my power to continue the operation of this process to a high degree of
decarbonization of the iron fit for malleable products, whilst the quantity of the
reactive necessary for the process will depend on the quality and quantity of
the crude fluid iron on the ingredients of the reactives employed, and on the
temper required for the malleable product, whether it be nearer to the nature
of steel or of malleable iron. Should the crude iron not contain a sufficient
quantity of base oxides such as calcium, &c., for the formation of scoriæ, I
introduce such oxides in order to avoid considerable loss of iron. The actions of
the process having ceased, the iron still in a fluid state is directed from the
basin into prepared forms, moulds, &c., for its reception. With regard to the
manner of introducing the reactives into the molten mass there are different
ways to perform it, but it is very desirable, in order to a happy result of the
process, to bring the reactives into as close contact as possible with the mole-
cules of the crude fluid iron. Moveable pipes (tuyeres) for instance, may be
successfully used, by the means of which it is possible by any mechanical
power to introduce the reactives at any moment into every part of the liquid
mass, also the reactives wholly or partially may be put on the bottom of the
basins, and the metal treated in one basin may be poured out into another
one for its final treatment, &c.
"
This process of manufacturing malleable products of different qualities
directly out of crude fluid iron will be found much superior to methods
hitherto employed with regard to the quality of the metal produced, as well
as in the economy of time, expense, and labour, it essentially consists in the
application of chemical reagents to the crude fluid iron in such manner as to
produce perfect purification and conversion of the mass acted upon, rendering

page_text: it suitable for malleable ingots, either approaching more the temper and quality
of steel, semi-steel, or malleable iron, in the exact ratio of the required and
effected degree of decarbonization.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
I carry the same into effect,' I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details referred to, so long as the iron ore (crude iron) is
treated for the production of iron and steel in manner substantially as herein
explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gastav Brüninghaus, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
FRIEDRICH WENKES.
GUSTAV BRUNINGHAUS. (L.S.)