IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PUDDLING IRON, APPLICABLE ALSO AS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PUDDLING IRON, APPLICABLE ALSO AS
"
A communication
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th January 1870.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
5, of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PUDDLING IRON, APPLICABLE
ALSO AS TUYERES FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES GENERALLY," a communication

page_text: to be as follows:-
This Invention relates chiefly to a peculiar construction and arrange-
ment of mechanical puddler for puddling iron and converting the same
into wrought iron or steel, which apparatus is also applicable as a
tuyere or blast pipe for metallurgical furnaces generally.
According to this Invention it is proposed to combine with a tubular
stirrer, which is suspended at or near its centre of gravity so as to be
casily manœuvred, a coil of pipe, which is made to closely surround the
fore part of the stirrer, through which coil cold water is caused to
circulate for the purpose of preventing the burning of the end of the
stirrer. The stirrer itself is suspended by a flexible pipe or by a
properly jointed metallic pipe from an overhead fixed main pipe
extending along any number of furnaces and supplied with compressed
air from a blower or other source, such air passing down the interior of
the stirrer into the liquid metal in the furnace. A handle is fitted on to
the rear end of the stirrer for facilitating the working of the same, and
a stop catch is provided on the stirrer for regulating the passage of the
blast therethrough. A second stop catch is also fitted on to the cold
water pipe in a position convenient to the hand of the puddler. The
cold water is also supplied through a flexible pipe from a fixed main
over head, and is carried direct to the point of the stirrer either by
quick coils or by a straight length of pipe parallel to the stirrer itself,
and then returns by a series of close coils back to the rear: part of the
stirrer, where it communicates with a flexible pipe for carrying off the
water which has been heated by the metal in the furnace. The stirrer
may either consist of a tube extending the full length required, or this
tube may stop short of the end of the stirrer some distance, the
remaining length being composed solely of the cold water coils before
referred to closely brazed together. In order to facilitate the admixture
of any of the well-known chemical reagents employed in the manu-
facture of iron and steel in a dried and pulverized state with the metal a
closed box or receptacle is fitted on to the stirrer; and communicates
therewith, an air pipe being caused to enter the said box from tho
interior of the stirrer, so as to maintain an equal pressure therein and
facilitate thereby the descent of the ordinary dried and pulverized chemical
reagents into the tubular stirrer, whence they are forcibly expelled by
the blast into the inolten metal. The same apparatus may be used with

page_text: a reverberating furnace. for making steel, and. is. applicable as an
adjustable blast pipe or tuyere in substitution for the ordinary water.
tuyere.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said John Henry Johnson. in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th July 1870..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN HENRY
JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-.
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me,, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special,
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or 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 APPARATUS FOR PUDDLING IRON, APPLICABLE ALSO AS TUYERES:
FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES GENERALLY,' a communication to me from_
abroad by Augusto Ponsard, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon
the condition (amongst others), that I, the said, John Henry Johnson,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and scal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-;
formed, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner thê, same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings.

page_text: is to say)
The said Invention relates chicfly to a peculiar construction and
arrangement of mechanical puddler or apparatus known as a "rabble,"
which is used for puddling iron and converting the same into wrought
iron or steel, which apparatus is also applicable as a tuycre or blast pipe
for metallurgical furnaces generally..
'
According to this Invention it is proposed to combine with a tubular
stirrer which is suspended at or near its centre of gravity so as to be
easily manœuvred a coil of pipe, which is made to closely surround the
fore part of the stirrer, through which coil cold water is caused to,
circulate for the purpose of preventing the burning of the end of the
stirrer. The stirrer itself is suspended by a flexible pipe or by a properly
jointed metallic pipe from an overhead fixed main pipe extending along.
any number of furnaces and supplied with compressed air from a blower
or other source, such air passing down the interior of the stirrer into the
liquid metal in the furnace. A handle is fitted on to the rear end of the
stirrer for facilitating the working of the same, and a stop cock is
provided on the stirrer for regulating the passage of the blast there-
through. A second stop cock is also fitted on to the cold water pipe in
a position convenient to the hand of the puddler. The cold water is also
supplied through a flexible pipe from a fixed main over head, and is
carried direct to the point of the stirrer either by quick coils or by a
straight length of pipe parallel to the stirrer itself, and then returns by
a series of close coils back to the rear part of the stirrer, where it com-
municates with a flexible pipe for carrying off the water which has been
heated by the metal in the furnace. The stirrer may either consist of a
tube extending the full length required, or this tube may stop some.
distance short of the end of the stirrer, the remaining length · being ·
composed solely of the cold water coils before referred to closely brazed
together.
In order to facilitate the admixture of any of the well-known chemical
reagents employed in the manufacture of iron and steel in a dried and
pulverized state with the metal a closed box or receptacle is fitted on to
the stirrer, and communicates therewith, an air pipe being caused to
enter the said box from the interior of the stirrer, so as to maintain'
an equal pressure therein and facilitate thereby the descent of the
ordinary or any other suitable dried and pulverized chemical reagents
.

page_text: into the tubular stirrer, whence they are forcibly expelled by the blast
into the molten metal. The same apparatus may be used with a
reverberatory furnace for making steel, and, so far as regards the
arrangement of the coiled pipe, is applicable as an adjustable blast pipe
or tuyere in substitution for the ordinary water tuyère.
And in order that the said Invention' may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts.
in all the Figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings shew in section the application of
the improved rabble to a puddling furnace; Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section drawn to an enlarged scale of the rabble detached, and Figures 4
and 5 shew in longitudinal section on an enlarged scale two different
arrangements for applying cold water circulation to the rabble. This
rabble is composed, as shown in Figure 1, of an iron tube a attached
to a tube b, which carries a cock c and a handle d for the purpose of
manipulation. The tube 6 is by means of a flexible tube e placed in
communication with a conduit ffed by a blast engine, which may serve
to supply one or more puddling furnaces. The flexible tube e may be
composed of metal and jointed, or of caoutchouc, leather, or strong cloth
coated with caoutchouc, and provided with an external strengthening
covering. It is arranged so as to form also a support to the rabble, and
thus relieve the workman who has simply to conduct it into the molten
cast iron, the agitation of which is effected by the outlet of the air which
escapes from the end of the rabble. In order to prevent the tube a
from being injuriously affected by the high temperature to which it is
subjected there is suspended at the side of the air inlet tube another
flexible tube g (Figure 2) maintained constantly supplied with cold
water from a reservoir, where it is compressed under considerable
pressure. This tube is connected to the iron tube h, which is laid along
the rabble to its extremity, and then wound round it spirally and
brought back to its starting point, where it is attached to another
flexible tube i, which serves to carry away the water which has become
heated. A cock j is provided within reach of the workman for the
purpose of regulating at will the rate of flow of the water in order to
prevent its vaporizing in the tube h. In the arrangement shewn in
Figure 4 the inlet water pipe is laid in a straight line along the rubble

page_text: to its extremity, whence it returns in the form of spirals or coils towards
the handle.
Figure 5 shews a modification of the preceding arrangements. In
this the iron tube which forms the hollow rabble is dispensed with at the
end which enters the furnace, and the spirals of the water tube / are
brazed and welded together, thus forming a rigid durable tube of
themselves. Whichever arrangement be adopted the rabble as it is
constantly cooled by the current of water traversing over or around it
cannot be deteriorated or burned by contact with the incandescent
matters in fusion, or if so only very slightly. The operation of puddling
takes place in the following manner :-After having melted the cast iron
on the hearth of the furnace the workman lays hold of the hollow
rabble by the handle d, and after having opened the cocks c and j
plunges it into the molten cast iron so as to submit every portion of the.
material to the action of the air in order to refine it. This operation
may be arrested at any stage; thus it may be suspended at the desired
point in order to obtain puddled steel, or prolonged to produce wrought
iron. By the simple forms and arrangements adopted for this tool
these various operations are facilitated and rendered more convenient.
The rabble may be readily withdrawn in order to test the degree of refining
of the cast iron. This method of puddling at a high temperature admits
of the steel being run into ingots in lieu of withdrawing it from the
furnace in blooms as in ordinary puddling.
With this new mechanical puddler it will be advantageous to operate
npon a hearth of silica for pure cast irons, and for cast irons containing
phosphorus to a marked extent it is desirable to operate upon a hearth
of magnesia or of carbon agglomerated with lime, in order that it may be
less liable to be affected by the basic matters which the puddling of
these cast irons necessitates.
For pure cast irons it is evident that this system of puddling may be
carried out with facility, and will give good results, but the greatest
advantage that it presents is its application to the puddling of the
common cast irons containing phosphorus, which it has been attempted
to purify by the use of raw tartar and alkaline carbonates, nitrate of
soda, chloride of sodium, hypochlorites, and such-like reagents. But it
is difficult to use these reagents in reverberatory furnaces, their relative
volatility rendering the reactions very imperfect. The contact between

page_text: these matters and the cast iron is purely superficial, and the stirring of
the workmen cannot sufficiently remedy it.
The improved puddling apparatus or rabble admits of the whole of
these reagents being used in a more efficient manner by driving them
with the air in fine jets through the cast iron, thus multiplying with the
orifice the points of contact. For the puddling of impure cast irons this
puddling apparatus is provided with a distributing receptacle k fixed on
the tube b, as shewn in the Drawing. This receptacle may be composed
of thin. sheet metal or malleable cast iron, the upper part being by
preference contracted, and the neck closed by means of a capsule.
secured by a bayonet screw or other joint. The lower part terminates-in
a small opening of about th of an inch diameter, through which the
salts or reagents employed (which are contained in the receptacle k) fall
into the tube a. They are carried along the tube a by the current of air
under pressure and driven into the molten metal. In order that the
pressure of the air may not prevent the salts or reagents from falling
freely a small tube m is provided and fixed in the receptacle k so as to
admit of the entrance of compressed air into its upper portion. The salts
employed should be thoroughly dried and pulverized. The method of
operating with the distributor is exceedingly simple. The rabble being
out of the furnace and the cocks c and; closed the workman raises the
capsule and inserts in the receptacle k the reactive or purifying
agents (such as salts or oxides) to be blown into the furnace; he then'
closes the capsule, opens quickly the cocks c and j, and introduces the
rabble into the molten cast iron, into which the salts or reagents which
are carried along by the current of air are forced in fine jets. When
the whole charge has been forced in the rabble is withdrawn from tho
furnace, the cocks c and j closed, and the receptacle refitted; after
which the refining of the cast iron may be resumed. This operation may
be renewed several times during the working of one charge, but this is
left to the judgment of the workman.
In the puddling of cast irons containing sulphur or phosphorus it is
desirable to remove the slag or scoriæ containing the sulphur and
phosphorus, and to replace it by scorice free from such impurities, which
may be effected either by introducing into the molten mass oxides of
manganese or titaniferous iron ore forced in through the improved
rabble. By operating in this manner the whole of the phosphorus in
the cast iron may be removed and pure wrought iron produced from the

page_text: most impure cast iron. It will be readily perceived that this mechanical
puddler facilitates the refining of the cast iron, since it relieves the work;
man of the more laborious part of the operation, and since the stirring or
agitation is much more energetic by the injection of air than by the
ordinary method; a saving of time is therefore effected; it admits of
compressed air being applied in a practical manner to the puddling of
cast iron and to the manufacture of steel in a reverberatory furnace; and
of the employment of reagents either as oxidants or as fluxes by being
forced into the furnace. By its adoption the quality of the wrought iron
produced from phosphoric pig is greatly improved, and also a considerable
saving both in fuel and time is effected, together with an increase in the
daily yield of the puddling furnaces.
'
.
Either of the above arrangements as applied to the rabble is applicable
to tuycres for metallurgical furnaces, whereby their durability is increased
to an almost unlimited extent, whilst the use of tlie ordinary water
tuyeres is dispensed with. This arrangement of tuyero with an internal
current of water admits of its being plunged more or less into the furnace,
and in general of its position and direction being varied without any
deterioration resulting from their contact with the fuel or the molten
materials in which they are immersed.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The construction and use of the peculiar suspended compressed
air mechanical puddler or rabble, substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
. Second. The suspending of the improved rabble by an air tube
from a point at or near its centre of gravity, in order to facilitate its
manipulation by the puddler, as herein-before described.
Third. The combination with a hollow rabble suspended as herein set
forth of a receptacle intended to facilitate the introduction into the
molten metal of reagents in the form of powder, as and for the purpose
hercin-before described.
Fourth. The use in combination with a hollow rabble suspended, as
herein set forth of a continuous circulation of cold water along and

page_text: around the same, with a view to prevent the deterioration caused by the
elevated temperature to which it is subjected at its extremity, as hercin-
before described.
Fifth. The application to the nozzles of tuyeres employed in con-.
nection with metallurgical furnaces of the arrangements herein-before
described for cooling the nozzles by a current of cold water, which
prevents their deterioration under the action of heat, and admits of their.
being moved in any required direction.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July
One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)