IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL FROM CRUDE OR PIG IRON, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wise, of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City
of Westminster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF IRON AND STEEL FROM CRUDE OR PIG IRON, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad by Knut
Victor Berg, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th October 1880.
"
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL FROM CRUDE OR
PIG IRON, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.'
(A communication from abroad by Knut Victor Berg, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom
of Sweden.)
This Invention consists in a new method of converting crude or pig iron, which
for distinction I call focus-converting, and the process is carried out in the following
manner:-
A bath of molton crude or pig iron is provided on the hearth of a furnace, and
rich gas, together with the air necessary for its combustion, is caused to enter the
furnace with great velocity, and in such a manner that a sharply limited flame, the
focus flame, is formed, which is directed against the surface of the molten iron. By
its velocity the focus-flame removes the slag from the surface of the molten crude
or pig iron, and owing to its concentrated heat and oxydising power, causes the
conversion of such crude or pig iron (under the phenomenon of boiling) to steel or
malleable iron, and this may be effected without any manipulation or admixture,
unless for some special reason desirable.
In one form of the apparatus the furnace consists of a casing of iron plates lined
with refractory material, and having a bed or hearth rammed of refractory material.
There is an opening through which the pig iron is put into the furnace, and samples
are taken out for judging the progress of the process. The refined metal is tapped
through another opening which, during the process, is closed with fire clay or

page_text: similar material. There are also two openings by which the furnace is connected
with regenerators for the gas and air. A channel or passage conducts the air from
each air regenerator to a gas channel, into which opens another channel or passage
wherein the gas and the air are still further mixed on their way to the furnace.
The focus-flame required for this converting method is obtained by directing the
air blast with a sufficient velocity through the gas, and into a common mixing and
conducting tube for the gas and air, whereby the mixing becomes intimate and the
combustion perfect.
In carrying out the process the crude or pig iron may be introduced in a molten
state from the blast furnace, or some remelting furnace, or it may be melted in the
converting furnace itself.
When the pig iron has come to a fusible state in the furnace, no other manipu-
lation is required for converting, but by increasing or diminishing of the pressure
on the gas and air to change the nature of the flame according to whether it is to
have an oxydizing or a reducing action, and, if regenerators are employed, to change
the valves us usual. When the samples taken out and examined shew that the
product has attained the desired composition and quality, the metal is cast in the
usual way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Lloyd Wise in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 1881.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL FROM CRUDE OR
PIG IRON, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
(A communication from abroad by Knut Victor Berg, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom
of Sweden.)
This Invention consists in a new method of converting crude or pig iron, which
for distinction is herein called focus converting, and the process is carried out in the
following manner:-A bath of molten crude or pig iron is provided on the hearth
of a furnace, and rich gas, together with the air necessary for its combustion, is
caused to enter the furnace with great velocity, and in such a manner that a
sharply limited flame, the focus-flame, is formed, which is directed against the
surface of the molten iron. By its velocity the focus-flame removes the slag from
the surface of the molten crude or pig iron, and owing to its concentrated heat and
oxydising power, causes the conversion of such crude or pig iron (under the
phenomenon of boiling) to steel or malleable iron, and this may be effected without
any manipulation or admixture, unless such be for some special reason desirable.
In the accompanying Drawings which show apparatus arranged to operate on the
principle of this Invention,―

page_text: Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section in line
x-y-z of Fig. 3.
Fig. 2 is a cross section in line o-p of Fig. 3, and
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan in line r-s-t-u of Fig. 1.
A is the furnace proper, which consists of a casing of iron plates lined with
refractory bricks, and having a bed or hearth rammed of refractory materials, or
the furnace may be rammed entirely. This furnace is provided with wheels to
allow of its removal along suitable rails laid out on the ground or floor. B is an
opening through which the pig iron is put into the furnace, and samples are taken
out for judging the course of the process; this opening is closed by a cover C. The
refined metal is tapped through the opening D, which, during the process is stopped.
up or closed with fireclay or similar material. E and E are two openings by'
which the furnace is in connection with the regenerators. F and F are the
regenerators for the gas; G and G', those for the igniting air. The channel H
conducts the air from the regenerator to the gas channel I. In the other side of
this gas channel opposite to H opens the channel K, in which the gas and the air
are still further mixed on their way to the furnace A. H', I', and K', denote the
corresponding mixing air and gas channels on the other side of the furnace. These
channels serve alternately either to conduct the air and gas from the regenerators,
or the products of combustion into them. L and L¹ are iron rings which are
fastened over the seams between E and K, E' and K¹ when the furnace is brought
to its place; they may be tightened still further by clay or similar materials.
The focus-flame required for this converting method is obtained by directing the
igniting blast with a sufficient velocity through the gas, and into a common mixing
and conducting tube for the gas and air, whereby the mixing becomes intimate and
the combustion perfect.
The velocity of the gas and air allows of building the channels K and K¹ longer
or shorter, according to requirement, and when the furnace is removed for repairs
or for any other purpose, if desirable, the two channels K and K' may be connected
by a tube lined with refractory materials, and thus the gas mixture will be con-
ducted into the opposite regenerators and there burned, so that the heat of the
regenerators will be kept up.
The Figures 1, 2, and 3, show the gas and air channels I and H in their simplest
form. They can however be modified in different ways. Thus the blast may pass
through two or several gas channels, one after the other, as is shown in plan view
in Fig. 4 (the letters in this and the following Figures 5, 6, and 7, denote the same
parts as in Figures 1, 2, and 3.)
Fig. 5 shews another arrangement by which only a part of the air is heated in
regenerators, from which it enters the channel M. at the same time as another part
of the air with still greater pressure enters through the tube N, either from some
other hot blast oven, or directly from the blowing engine. The air currents continue
afterwards together through H and further on, as before described, through the gas
channel I and the channel K into the furnace. The air channel H may also be
divided into a greater or less number of small tubes, as in Fig. 6, which represents
a plan view of part of a stationary furnace with two focus-flames side by side.
this case the tubes, if desirable, may be cooled in the usual way by air or water led
around them.
In
The gas may also be taken without regenerating directly from the producer to
the channel or channels I, and be ignited by cold or hot blast. Fig. 7 shews a plan
view of an arrangement for the subdivision of the blast in this case.
The focus-flame may also be produced by only using pressure for either the air or
the gas, the other being introduced by suction. The apparatus may also be
employed without pressure on either of them, but in that case the furnace must be
in connection with a chimney shaft or equivalent.
Under certain circumstances air and gas may change places in the igniting
apparatus, that is to say, F and F¹ may become the regenerators for the air, and
G, G, those for the gas. The conducting channel K and the inlet E may be of

page_text: uniform width, or be increasing or decreasing in width, and in cross section may
be of any desired form, or the form may be different at different points in the
length, according to the extension which is required to be given to the focus-flame.
They may be made straight or crooked, more or less sloping, or obliquely constructed,
and may be in parts with one or more joints, or may be continuous.
The furnace, which in the Drawing is shewn as moveable on wheels, may also be
moved in some other suitable way, or may be stationary. Its dimensions and form
are to be determined according to the quantity of the charge, the requirements of
gas, the number of focus-flames, and the manner in which these are introduced from
the end, sides, or top of the furnace. It may be provided with one or several
openings for tapping, repairs, or management. In the Drawing is shown the
position of the regenerators that is preferred, but their arrangement may vary
according to localities.
In carrying out the process the pig iron may either be introduced in a molten
state from the blast furnace or some remelting furnace, or it may be melted in the
converting furnace itself.
When the pig iron has come to a fusible state in the furnaces, the only manipu-
lation needful for the converting is by increasing or diminishing the pressure on
the gas and air, to change the nature of the flame according to whether it is to
have an oxydising or a reducing action, and, if regenerators are employed, the valves
must be reversed at intervals as usual. When the samples taken out and examined
show that the product has attained the desired composition and quality, the metal
is cast in the usual way.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and explained the manner of
carrying it into practical effect as communicated to me as aforesaid, I hereby declare
that what I claim is,―
1. The method of converting crude or pig iron into steel or malleable iron by the
use of a sharply limited or focus-flame or flames directed against the surface of the
molten iron, substantially as described, and this without any admixture or manipu-
lation, save and except where for some special reason such admixture or manipu-
lation may be desirable.
•
2. The arrangement of air and gas channels, substantially as described with
reference to H, I, K, and H', 11, K₁, in Figs. 1 and 3 of the Drawing, also the
modifications described with reference respectively to Fig. 4, to Fig. 5, to Fig. 6, and
to Fig. 7, by which arrangements a large quantity of gas is introduced, concentrated,
and completely burnt in a furnace at high temperature, and by which any desired
direction, form, and extension may be given to the focus-flaine or flames.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lloyd Wise, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, A.D. 1881.