A New Manufacture of Fiorous iron.
Year: 1886

page_text: A New Manufacture of Fiorous iron.
We, ALBERT DE LAUDE LONG, of Yarm Lane, Stockton on Tees, in the County of
Durham, Proprietor of Iron Works, and RICHARD HOWSON of Southfield Terrace,
Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to a new manufacture of fibrous iron of special and
superior quality. We employ as the material basis of such manufacture what is known
as mild steel, that is to say melted steel containing so low a percentage of carbon as to
acquire the essential properties of wrought iron. Instead of casting such steel into ingots,
we cast it in such a way as to obtain it in a comminuted or granulated form. We then
heat a mass of granulations so obtained in a furnace with a cinder bottom, and ball it
We then remove it from the furnace and bloom it in the same manner, as is
up.
practiced with ordinary puddled iron, and finally roll it into bars, plates, or other forms
of finished iron.
By this invention we obtain at comparatively small cost a superior quality of fibrous
iron distinguished in its mode of manufacture from puddled iron, as well as from mild
steel rolled from the ingot..
We do not confine ourselves to any particular mode of manufacturing the cast steel.
This may be effected either by the Bessemer, the Siemens Martin, or other process,
and either the acid or basic method of treatment is applicable to the invention.
Moreover we do not confine ourselves to any particular process or apparatus for
granulating the steel. This may be done by any of those methods which have already
been practiced for, granulating cast iron and other metallic substances.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Applicants' Agent.

page_text: We ALBERTO DE LAUDE LONG of Yarm Lane Stockton-on-Tees in the County of
Durham, Proprietor of Iron Works and RICHARD Howson, of Southfield Terrace,
Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
It consists of a new manufacture of fibrous iron of special and superior quality.
We employ as the material basis of such manufacture what is known as mild stcel,
that is to say melted steel containing a comparatively low percentage of carbon, and
acquiring thereby much of the softness and ductility of wrought iron.
Instead of casting such steel into ingots we cast it in such a way as to obtain it in a
comminuted or granulated form. We then heat a mass of granulations so obtained in
a furnace with a cinder bottom, and ball it up which being done, it only remains to
bloom it in the same manner as is practised with ordinary puddled iron, and finally roll
it into bars, plates, or other forms of finished iron.
It will be noted that, inasmuch as the product thus manufactured really partakes
more of the nature of iron than of steel, we have therefore named it "fibrous iron."
Nevertheless the term "fibrous mild steel," or fibrous steel" is not inapplicable to it,
because the early stage of the process is in fact that of the manufacture of what is
called "cast steel," the hardness or softness of which is determined by the percentage
of carbon with which it is allied. It must be understood at the same time that we do
not confine ourselves to any particular proportion of combined carbon.
With regard to the production of the cast steel previous to its granulation, we do
not confine ourselves to any particular process, but we may mention that both the
Bessemer and the Siemens Martin processes, with either the acid or the basic mode of
treatment, are equally applicable for the supply of good material as the basis of
manufacture according to this invention.
Moreover in reference to the method of, or apparatus for granulating the steel-this
may be done by dropping it into water after the manner of manufacturing shot, or by
means of a dash wheel with water, as heretofore sometimes practised for granulating
cast iron but other methods may also be devised, such as dropping it into melted slag,
or rabbling it with slag in a suitable furnace. Inasmuch however as the mode of
granulation forms no part of this invention, we do not confine ourselves to any par-
ticular system or form of apparatus therefor.
:
The melted steel having been reduced to a granulated condition, we have above
stated that the next stage of the process is to ball it up (or weld the granulations into a
compact mass) in a furnace with a cinder bottom. By this it will be understood that
the hearth of the furnace should be well covered with a melted cinder, slag, or glass,
the exact composition of which is not material to the invention, provided it is com-
paratively fusible, and not injurious to the metal. The object of its presence is
1st. that it may cover the metallic grains during the process of heating, and thus
protect them from oxidation, and 2nd. that it may interiningle with the granulations,

page_text: and pervade the interstices of the entire mass when it is balled up. It is in fact this
spongy condition of the balled up mass which gives the final product its special quality
of fibrousness as distinguished from the homageneousness of steel when cast in the
ingot form.
The remaining processes of hammering or squeezing and rolling are so well under-
stood that it will be unnecessary here to refer to them in detail.
By the invention thus described we obtain a new merchantable product, distinguished
in its mode of manufacture on the one hand from puddled iron, and on the other from
steel rolled from the ingot, but at the same time combining in itself all the useful
properties of puddled iron with the purity and tenacity of steel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner it is to be performed, we declare that what we' claim is :-
The manufacture of a superior and special quality of fibrous iron (which may be
otherwise called fibrous steel) by first granulating cast steel, and then welding together
the granulated material and treating it after the manner of a puddled ball.
ALBERT DE LAUDE LONG.
RICHARD HOWSON.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.