IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC ALLOYS OR COMPOUNDS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Alexander Dick at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1881.
GEORGE ALEXANDER DICK, of Cannon Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC ALLOYS OR COMPOUNDS."
This Invention relates, first, to an improved method of deoxidising the oxide or
oxides generally contained in copper and in the usual alloys of copper, such as
brass and gunmetal, and at the same time to greatly increase the tenacity, hardness,
or strength of such copper or its alloys by the introduction into the same of iron,
both of which objects I effect by the employment of phosphuret of iron; secondly,
to obtaining improved alloys or compounds by the addition to gunmetal and brass
of phosphuret of iron, the whole of the phosphorus or a certain amount thereof
remaining in the perfected alloy or compound; and thirdly, to the addition of
lead to the said last mentioned improved alloys or compounds, consisting of iron,
phosphorus, and gunmetal, or brass. I employ various quantities of phosphuret
of iron up to 10 per cent. according to the requirements of the manufactured
alloy or compound.
For the purposes of this Invention I use phosphuret of iron made in any
suitable way, but of ascertained proportions of iron and phosphorus, the pro-
portions of the latter varying from 4 to 50 per cent. and even higher. These
proportions must necessarily vary with the object in view; thus, if it be desired to
introduce much iron when not much oxide is to be disposed of, a phosphuret must
be used which contains much iron and little phosphorus, and vice versa. The
oxygen of such oxide is taken up in the melting process hereinafter referred to
by the phosphorus contained in the phosphuret of iron, thereby forming a slag
which can be skimmed off the molten metal, whilst the iron is alloyed with the
copper or copper and other metals present. A great advantago obtained by the
employment of phosphuret of iron is that it melts at a comparatively low
temperature, and is readily taken up by the copper or metallic alloy. The quantity
of oxide in the copper or in the gunmetal or brass being known, the requisite
amount of phosphorus to deoxidise the same will be known to chemists.
When it is desired to manufacture the before mentioned improved alloys or
compounds containing phosphorus, I employ phosphuret of iron of the nature

page_text: referred to and in the manner lastly described, and in this case such phosphuret
of iron must contain a larger proportion of phosphorus than if required for
deoxidising only. The presence of phosphorus in the perfected alloy or compound
renders the same much more fluid in its melted state, and therefore fills the moulds
more completely.
The phosphuret of iron is either melted with the copper or tin used in forming
the gunmetal or brass, or with either of the latter afterwards. Amongst other
advantages it will be found that owing to the presence of phosphorus the
perfected alloy can be remelted many times without losing any of its fluid nature
when in the melted state.
This Invention further consists in the addition before, after, or during the
addition of the phosphuret of iron of from 2 to 10 per cent. of lead to the gunmetal
or brass as used for bearings. Gunmetal however frequently contains a small
proportion of lead, and in such case allowanco must be made for the lead present
when adding lead as lastly referred to.