IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING STEEL BY THE BESSEMER PROCESS
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED DAVY of Sheffield in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING
STEEL BY THE BESSEMER PROCESS " to be as follows :-
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for making steel by the
Bessemer process and the improvements have for their object to provide arrange-
ments whereby the operations of charging the converter from the furnace, blowing
the charge and pouring the steel into the moulds, may be all performed whilst the
converter is suspended from or attached to a foundry crane or traveller, the
converter thus answering the double purpose of converter and foundry ladle, so
that the transfer of the metal from one vessel to another and the loss of heat
consequent thereon is avoided.
The invention consists essentially in the combination with a converter provided
with a tuyere or tuyeres and made portable by being suspended in the manner of
a foundry ladle from a crane or traveller, of a flexible or swivel jointed pipe
connection between the air main and the tuyeres of the converter, the connection
of the flexible or jointed pipe with the tuyere box being either through the hollow
gudgeon of the converter or directly with the tuyere box.
The converter is pivoted upon gudgeons turning in bearings jointed to a bow
frame or suspension rods by which the converter is slung from an ordinary foundry
crane or traveller in the manner of a foundry ladle and is provided with the usual
tipping gear. It has a tuyere or tuyeres, either in the bottom or preferably in the
side, and on that side of the tipping axis towards which the mouth of the converter
is directed, in which position of the tuyeres the converter does not require to be
tilted to such an extent, in order to keep the metal clear of the tuyeres before and
after being blown, as when the tuyeres are situated in the bottom of the converter
as usual. The tuyeres lead from a tuyere box or boxes communicating (whether
the tuyeres are in the side or bottom) by a pipe with the hollow gudgeon of the
converter. The outer end of this hollow gudgeon is in the form of a seat to receive
and make an air tight joint with a conical or other nozzle on the end of a flexible
or swivel jointed pipe, the nozzle being held in its seat by a pivotted yoke and
pressure screw whereby the connection can be quickly made and unmade. The

page_text: flexible or jointed pipe is attached to a stand pipe or other connection on the air
main. A pair of standards may or may not be provided for the gudgeon bearings
to rest in during the blowing, to ensure greater stability and relieve the crane, to
which however the converter always remains attached. Instead of making the
connection of the flexible pipe through a hollow gudgeon, the tuyere box or boxes,
whether at the bottom or side, may be connected by a pipe or pipes with the seat
for the conical nozzle arranged at the side of the converter, the connection being
made by a flexible or jointed pipe as above described.
The operation is as follows. The cast iron is run from the cupola or furnace into
the converter whilst the latter is suspended from the crane and tilted to such an
angle as to keep the metal clear of the tuyeres. The converter whilst still in the
tilted position is conveyed by the crane beneath the blowing stack where the
connection is made with the air main by means of the flexible or jointed pipe and
the blowing commenced. The converter is then turned into the upright position
and after the operation of blowing is completed, but before the blast is turned off,
the converter is tilted back so that the steel shall be clear of the tuyeres. The
blast is then turned off and the air pipe detached and the converter is conveyed in
the tilted position by the crane to the moulds for casting.

page_text: ALFRED DAVY of Sheffield in the County of York, Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for making steel by the
Bessemer process and the improvements have for their object to provide arrange-
ments whereby the operations of charging the converter from the furnace, blowing
the charge and pouring the steel into the moulds may all be performed whilst the
converter is slung or suspended from a foundry crane or traveller, the converter
thus answering the double purpose of converter and foundry ladle, so that the
transfer of the metal from one vessel to another and the loss of heat consequent
thereon is avoided.
The invention consists in the combination with a converter made portable by
being suspended in the manner of a foundry ladle from a crane or traveller and
provided with a tuyere and tuyere box in connection with a hollow gudgeon of a
Bexible or swivel jointed pipe connection between the main air pipe and the hollow
gudgeon of the converter.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this Speci-
fication wherein Figure 1 is an elevation, figure 2 a vertical section (on line 1-1
figure 1). Figure 3 a plan and figure 4 a part section (on line 2-2 figure 2) of a
converter provided with the preferred arrangements for blowing. Figure 5 is an
edge view of the suspension rod and figure 6 a section through the tuyere box.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The converter a is suspended by gudgeons b, 6', turning in bearings in a bow
frame or in a pair of side rods o connected by a cross bar and slung from an
ordinary foundry crane or traveller in the manner of a foundry ladle and is
provided with tipping gear d.
It has one or more tuyeres e in the bottom or side but preferably in the position
shown that is to say towards the same side as that to which the mouth of the
converter is directed.
With the tuyere or tuyeres in this position the converter does not require to be
tilted to such an extent in order to keep the metal clear of the tuyeres before being
blown as when the tuyeres are situated in the bottom of the converter.
The tuyere consists of a conical perforated block of refractory material, luted
into a corresponding seat in the converter and is enclosed externally in a cast iron
box fall the tuyeres if more than one are used being enclosed by the same box.
One of the gudgeons b is made tubular and is connected by a pipe g with the tuyere
box fas shown in figure 4.
b
The tubular gudgeon 6 opens at its outer end in the form of a conical seat or
socket to receive a conical nozzle i on the end of a flexible or jointed pipe j, a
tight joint being made by a yoke k pivotted to the gudgeon b and provided with
a pressure screw? whose end bears centrally against the rear side of the nozzle,

page_text: the pivotted yoke and screw admitting of the connection being readily made and
unmade. I have described only one gudgeon as being hollow and in communication
with the tuyere box, but it will be evident that both tuyeres may be similarly
constructed and used for blowing, m m are a pair of standards on which the
converter is preferably deposited during the blowing to relieve the crane of the
weight and ensure greater stability. For this purpose the side rods c are provided
with extensions n below the gudgeon bearings which are received in sockets in the
standards m which are made tubular for the purpose.
The flexible or jointed pipe j is attached to a stand pipe p or other connection
with the air main to one of the standards m for instance as shown in broken lines
in figure 1 said standard being hollow and in connection with the air main.
This pipe may be of hose or of lengths of metal pipe united by swivel joints in
order to give it sufficient flexibility.
The operation is as follows:-The cast iron is run from the cupola or furnace
into the converter whilst the latter is suspended from the crane and tilted to such
an angle as to keep the metal clear of the tuyeres. The converter whilst still in
the tilted position is conveyed by the crane, beneath the blowing stack where the
connection is made with the air main by means of the flexible pipe and the blowing.
is commenced.
The converter is then turned into the upright position and after the operation of
blowing is completed but before the blast is turned off the converter is tilted back
so that the steel shall be clear of the tuyeres. The blast is then turned off, and
the air pipe detached and whilst the converter remains tilted it is conveyed by the
crane to the moulds and the charge poured from the mouth of the converter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I.declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a portable suspended converter having a tubular
gudgeon in communication with the tuyere box of a flexible pipe in connection
with the air main (either directly or through a tubular standard) said pipe being
adapted to temporarily make an air tight joint with the end of the hollow gudgeon
whereby the converter may be charged from the cupola, conveyed to the blowing
stack, blown and poured whilst suspended from the crane substantially as specified.
2. The combination with a portable suspended converter having a tubular
gudgeon in communication with the tuyere box said gudgeon having a conical
socket in its end of a corresponding conical nozzle on the end of a flexible pipe
connected to the air main (either directly or through a tubular standard) and of a
pivoted yoke and pressure screw for maintaining the connection of the parts
substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated thin 75th d...
100°