Improved Process and Apparatus for Alloying Metals.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for Alloying Metals.
1. WILLIAM AUGUSTUS BALDWIN, of 9 West 14th Street New York, in the
County and State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
I.
:-
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for alloying metals, and it has
for its object to form an alloy by bringing the molten iron, steel, or other
metals to be alloyed in contact with the ore or other substance bearing such
metals to be combined in the presence of a suitable reducing agent in an alloying
furnace.
The invention has for a further object to make such process continuous so that
the alloying of metals may be carried on extensively, and with this latter object in
view I have provided a furnace in which the offensive fumes and other objectionable
features heretofore experienced are obviated.
The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims
when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the alloying furnace as con-
structed according to my improvements and
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of such furnace showing a cupola furnace in
connection therewith.
I shall first describe the construction of the alloying furnace and then give a
full description of the improved process as carried out by such furnace.
a,
with an
In the drawings:-A indicates the alloying furnace. This furnace is mainly of
the general construction of a reverberatory furnace, having a fire-chamber
ash-box beneath, a flue b, and a stack or uptake c, leading therefrom. A slight
aperture is provided in the front wall of the furnace as shown at d.
C indicates the bottom of the alloying furnace into which the metals to be
alloyed and also the reducing compound are brought, and this bottom has a central
vertical aperture e, which is normally closed by a plate f, which may be hinged or
otherwise secured in position beneath the said hole.
D indicates an opening in the side wall of the furnace for the introduction
of the molten iron, steel or other metal. This opening is provided with a gate 9,
which in practice should be lined with fire-clay or the like and is designed to
close said opening D after the molten metal has been drawn into the furnace.
E indicates a trough or conveyor which is arranged on an incline or pitch
towards the alloying furnace A and in the present illustration I have shown this
conveyor as leading from a cupola furnace 13, although in some cases it may be
connected with a Bessemer or other suitable form of converter, or when desirable
the molten metal may be conducted to the alloying furnace in a ladle.
At a point opposite the opening D and in the opposite side wall of the furnace
is an aperture F having on the outside a hopper ( or other suitable means
for receiving and conveying the ore or other substances bearing the metal to be
alloyed and also the reducing agents. Both of these openings D and F are
arranged at a point slightly above the bottom C and are preferably a little inclined
a- shown.
H indicates a hole leading from the bottom C of the furnace through one of the
side walls thereof for drawing off the combined metals or alloy as it is formed, and
I indicates a hole slightly above the draft-hole H for drawing off the slag from the
furnace. This draft-hole is provided with doors, as is also the slag hole, for
closing them as shown.
Arranged in the roof of the flue b, and at a suitable point above that part of the

page_text: furnace A in which the alloy is formed, is a stack or uptake K which is designed to
carry off the fumes and other offensive matter in a manner as will be presently
described. This fume or draft uptake may be of any suitable height and is
provided with a damper h.
In carrying out my process for aluminizing metals or combining aluminum with
any other metal, I first start a slow fire in the alloying furnace the metal to be
aluminized having been melted in the cupola furnace. I then open the damper in
the fume uptake K and also open the gate at the receiving aperture or hopper G,
after which fill in the reducing compound together with the clay or substances
bearing alumina.
The reducing agents which 1 preferably use for this purpose are sodium chloride
and charcoal; the clay or substance bearing alumina being ground or crushed and
mixed with the reducing agents in the proportion of three parts of sodium chloride
and one-fourth part of charcoal, to one part of clay or other earth bearing alumina.
It is obvious that coke, coal or other carbonaceous substance may be used in the
place of charcoal and I also prefer to add thereto a suitable quantity of manganese
which should be also crushed and well mixed with the other ingredients.
open the draw of the cupola furnace and the door of the alloying furnace A, when
the molten metal is drawn in upon the compound and an immediate fusion of the
whole takes place. I then raise the heat in the alloying furnace so as to keep up
a perfect fusion, when in about twenty minutes, more or less according to the metal
being treated, the alloy is ready to be drawn off.
next
When aluminizing steel, the alloying furnace may be connected with a converter
instead of a cupola furnace.
When alloying nickel, copper or other metals from their ores with steel or any
other metal to be alloyed, the reducing agents would be suited to the compound
elements of the ore or substances containing such metals. Clay or other aluminous
substances would not of course be used in this case unless it be desired to combine
aluminum with the metals introduced.
When a large amount of carbon is required with steel, manganese or other
carbonizing substance is used but when about one-half of one per cent. of carbon is
left in the steel taken from the converter or cupola it is not necessary to use the
manganese.
I have found in practice that the fumes or chlorine formed by the sodium and
the carbon united with oxygen is not only offensive to the attendant but they serve
when rising in great volumes to impede the progress of the process to some extent
and for this reason I have provided the uptake or flue K and I have arranged the
damper therein so that there may not be any unnecessary amount of heat lost or
wasted after the gate at the filling aperture F has been closed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improved process of extracting metals from their ores or substances
containing them and combining such metals with another metal by a single
operation, which process consists first, in crushing the ore or substances containing
the metal to be alloyed and mixing the same with a suitable reducing agent, then
introducing the compound mass into an alloying furnace, then drawing the melted
metal to be combined upon the compound in the alloying furnace, then raising the
heat in the alloying furnace so as to keep up a perfect fusion and finally drawing
off the alloy, substantially as specified.
2. The process of extracting aluminum from clay or substances bearing alumina
and combining such metal with another metal which process consists first, in
crushing and mixing the earth or substance bearing alumina with sodium chloride
and charcoal or other carbonaceous substance in the proportions substantially as
stated, then introducing the compound mass into an alloying furnace, then drawing
in on the compound mass the melted metal to be aluminized, then raising

page_text: the heat of the alloying furnace so as to keep up a perfect fusion and after a
sufficient time drawing off the alloy or aluminized metal, substantially as specified.
3. The alloying furnace having the fire-chamber and the reverberatory flue
and smoke stack, in combination with the fume uptake arranged above the
receiving portion of the furnace and in the roof of said flue, substantially as
specified.
4. An alloying furnace having a reverberatory flue and a fume or gas uptake in
the arch of the flue and above the metal receiving portion of the furnace the
furnace also having a damper in the furne uptake and an aperture in one of its side
walls for the reception of molten metal and an aperture in its opposite wall for the
introduction of ore or the like and also the reducing agents, substantially as
specified.
5. The improved alloying furnace herein described having the reverberatory
flue b, the uptake K in the arch of said flue and above the metal receiving portion
of the furnace, the damper in the uptake the molten metal receiving aperture D in
one of the side walls, the aperture in the opposite wall for the introduction of orc
and also the reducing agents, the drawing-off aperture H and the aperture I for
drawing off slag, all constructed and arranged, substantially as specified.
Dated this 16th day of March 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.