AN IMPROVEMENT IN MELTING AND SMELTING FURNACES
Year: 1863

page_text: in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City
of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN MELTING AND SMELTING FURNACES." A communication
from abroad by James Fletcher Stileman and Zabina Ellis, both of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
IMPROVEMENT IN MELTING AND SMELTING FURNACES."- A communication
from abroad by James Fletcher Stileman and Zabina Ellis, both of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 9th June 1868, and dated the 24th February 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
February 1863.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN MELTING AND SMELTING FURNACES," (a
communication to me from abroad by James Fletcher Stileman and Zabina
Ellis, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,)
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in applying to a foundry, cupola, or other furnace,
substantially in the manner described hereafter, a box of any suitable form
having an opening, through which may be discharged the slag or scoria which

page_text: flows into the box from the furnace; and another opening through which the
molten metal, which also passes from the furnace into the box, may flow from
the latter.
The object of this Invention is to obviate the difficulties which arise from
an accumulation of undue quantities of slag or scoria in melting and smelting
furnaces as explained hereafter.
Into the lower end of an ordinary cupola or blast furnace is fitted the usual
clay cylinder, beneath which, in the plate which supports the brickwork, is an
opening closed by a door or doors hinged to the said plate. At a suitable
distance above the base of the furnace is an enlargement, and within the latter
is an annular chamber, into which the blast is introduced from the tuyeres to be
discharged through suitable openings into the furnace. The above-mentioned
parts are too similar to those of ordinary foundry furnaces or cupolas to need a
more elaborate description. In front of the furnace and near the base of the
same is a box, at the rear of which is an opening forming a continuation of an
opening in the furnace, the latter opening corresponding in position with what
is known as the tapping-hole in an ordinary cupola, and the box which is lined
with fire-brick or fire-clay extends some distance below this opening. A cover
is secured to the box by bolts and nuts or other suitable fastenings, and in the
bottom of the box is an opening closed by a hinged door. In front of the
box and opposite the opening of the furnace is an orifice, having a slide or
moveable cover for a purpose described hereafter. In one side of the box, a
short distance from the top of the same, and at a point below the orifice
leading to the furnace, is another opening, and in front of the box near the
bottom of the same is a similar opening, a spout projecting from the box
below each opening. It is well known that great difficulty is experienced in
melting in ordinary foundry furnaces scrap iron, which has been exposed for a
length of time, or which has been subjected to great heat. In melting old
gas retorts, for instance, so great is the difficulty that it is rarely attempted in
ordinary foundry furnaces, these retorts being usually sold at a very low cost,
to be forwarded to large smelting furnaces where they are fused in conjunction
with ores. The difficulty of melting old gas retorts and other scrap iron
arises from the fact that an excessive quantity of slag or scoria is given out,
and accumulates so rapidly as to rise above the level of the tuyeres, causing
a stoppage of the blast and interfering with the proper fusing of the metal, at
the same time clogging up the fuel.
This Invention lías been especially designed with the view of obviating the
above-mentioned difficulty, and although the Invention has been described as
applied to an ordinary foundry furnace or cupola it is equally well adapted with

page_text: slight modifications to blast furnaces for smelting ores, or to any furnaces in
which an accumulation of slag or scoria is apt to collect to an inconvenient
extent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Davies, Her special license that I, the said George Davies,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Davies, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN MELTING AND SMELTING FURNACES," (a communication to me
from abroad by James Fletcher Stileman and Zabina Ellis, both of Phila-.
delphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Davies, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under
the hand and seal of them or one of them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was.
to be performed, 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 George Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say:-.

page_text: This Invention consists in applying to a foundry, cupola, or other furnace,
substantially in the manner described hereafter, a box of any suitable form
having an opening through which may be discharged the slag or scoria which
flows into the box from the furnace, and another opening through which the
molten metal which also passes from the furnace into the box may flow from
the latter.
The object of this Invention is to obviate the difficulties which arise from
an accumulation of undue quantities of slag or scoria in melting and smelting
furnaces, as explained hereafter.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "An Improve-
ment in Melting and Smelting Furnaces," I will now proceed to describe more
in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect. And in order that the same may be distinctly
understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof,
and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
.
On reference to the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section
of an ordinary cupola or foundry furnace with this improvement applied
thereto; Figure 2 a sectional plan on the line 1, 2, Figure 1; and Figure 3
a vertical section on the line 3, 4, Figure 1. Similar letters refer to similar
parts throughout the several views.
A represents the brickwork body of an ordinary cupola or blast furnace,
such as is commonly used in foundries, this brickwork resting on a plate B,
which is secured to the pillars C, the latter resting on the foundation plate D,
and supporting the upper plate B¹ of the furnace. Into the lower end of the
furnace is fitted the usual clay cylinder E, beneath which in the plate B is an
opening closed by a door or doors E hinged to the said plate. At a suitable
distance above the base of the furnace is an enlargement F, and within the
latter is an annular chamber G, into which the blast is introduced from the
tuyeres at a, to be discharged through openings 6 into the furnace. The
above-mentioned parts are too similar to those of ordinary foundry furnaces or
cupolas to need a more elaborate description. In front of the furnace and
near the base of the same is a box I, at the rear of which is an opening
forming a continuation of the opening e in the furnace, the latter opening cor-
responding in position with what is known as the tapping-hole in an ordinary
cupola. The box I, which is lined with fire-brick or fire-clay extends some
distance below this opening e, as best observed on reference to Figure 1. It
should be understood that the bottom of the furnace is represented by the
line x, and that this line is on a level with the bottom of the opening e, the

page_text: said line representing the upper surface of a fire-brick or fire-clay lining
resting on the door or doors E¹. A cover i is secured to the box by bolts and
nuts or other suitable fastenings, and in the bottom of the box is an opening
closed by the hinged door J. In front of the box and opposite the opening ⚫
of the furnace is an orifice j, having a slide or moveable cover k, for a purpose
described hereafter. In one side of the box, a short distance from the top of
the same, and at a. point below the orifice e, is an opening m, and in front of
the box near the bottom of the same is a similar opening h, a spout Q pro-
jecting from the box below each opening. It is well known that great
difficulty is experienced in melting in ordinary foundry furnaces scrap iron,
which has been exposed for a length of time, or which has been subjected to
great heat. In melting old gas retorts, for instance, so great.is the difficulty
that it is rarely attempted in ordinary foundry furnaces; these retorts being
usually sold at a very low cost to be forwarded to large smelting furnaces,
where they are fused in conjunction with ores. The difficulty of melting old
gas retorts and other scrap iron arises from the fact that an excessive quantity
of slag or scoria is given out, and accumulates so rapidly as to rise above the
level of the tuyeres, causing a stoppage of the blast, and interfering with the
proper fusing of the metal, at the same clogging up the fuel.
.
This Invention has been especially designed with the view of obviating the
above-mentioned difficulty. The fuel in the furnace having been properly
ignited, the door J and cover i of the box I securely closed, the opening,
covered by the door or slide k, and the opening h, temporarily plugged up with
clay, and the blast introduced into the furnace, the old gas retorts or other
articles of scrap iron are thrown into the furnace and gradually fused, both the
metal and scoria or slag finding its way through the fuel to the bottom, and
thence through the opening e into the box I. The molten metal being heavier
than the slag, the latter will float on the top of the former, as represented in
Figure 3. When the box I has been so far filled that the slag reaches the
opening m, it will flow through the same, the blast, which has constant
admission to the box through the opening e, assisting to discharge the slag
clear of the box, in which a constant supply of pure metal is thus maintained
to be drawn off as it is required through the opening h, after removing the
clay plug from the latter. As both the molten metal and the slag leave the
furnace and at once find their way to the box I, it will be evident that no
undue accumulation of slag can take place in the furnace, and consequently
that no obstruction of the blast, and no inconvenient clogging of the fuel can
take place, no matter what amount of slag may be given out in fusing the
scrap iron. Should the opening & be obstructed the obstruction can be readily

page_text: removed by passing a suitable instrument through the opening j, into the said
opening e. Although the Invention has been described as applied to an
ordinary foundry furnace or cupola, the Inventors wish it to be understood that
it is equally well adapted (with slight modifications) to blast furnaces for
smelting ores, or to any furnace in which an accumulation of slag or scoria is
apt to collect to an inconvenient extent.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for "An
Improvement in Melting and Smelting Furnaces," together with the manner
in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect,
I would remark in conclusion that I claim as the Invention communicated
to me by the above-named James Fletcher Stileman and Zabina Ellis, a
box I of any convenient form with its opening m, and tapping-hole h, the
whole being applied to a foundry, cupola, or other furnace, substantially as and
for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)