IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Léon Talabot, of No. 57, Chaussée d'Antin, Paris,
Gent", for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
IRON AND STEEL."
Sealed the 24th April 1857, and dated the 9th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Léon Talabot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th February 1857.
I, LEON TALABOT, of No. 57, Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, Gent", do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF IRON AND STEEL," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements on that process of con-
verting crude iron into malleable iron or steel which consists in passing currents
of air, steam, gas, or vapour through molten crude iron.
The first improvement consists in admitting the currents of air, gas, or
vapour into the molten iron by means of a moveable pipe, which passes down
through the crucible or vessel in which the metal is contained, the end of
which pipe is made with a head or enlargement, pierced with holes, through
which the air, gas, or vapour passes.
The next improvement consists in forming the crucible or vessel for con-
taining the iron in which the above-mentioned process is conducted of the
shape of an inverted cone, and in lining such vessel with chalk, .oxide of iron,

page_text: or a mixture of the two together, or with any other substance which does not
contain silica in a large proportion; or the crucible may be formed of sheet or
cast iron and used without any lining whatever, the exterior of the crucible
being kept cool either by a rapid current of water, air, or steam, or by any
other suitable means.
The next improvement consists in so arranging a number of puddling
furnaces, that after air, gas, or vapour, has been forced through a quantity of
molten iron in a crucible a portion of such iron may be run'into one of the
puddling furnaces, where it is puddled in the ordinary manner; more crude
iron may then be put into the crucible, when air, gas, or vapour is again
forced through it, and a portion of such iron run into the next puddling
furnace, when the crucible is moved on to another puddling furnace, when the
same operation is repeated; and in order that air, gas, or vapour may be
forced into the crucible in front of each puddling furnace a pipe is passed
along by the puddling furnaces, into which pipe, a branch .pipe is fixed in front
of each.
The moveable pipe which conducts the air, gas, or vapour into the crucible
is connected with the branch pipes by its end being made to fit over the ends
of each of the branch pipes, and the joint is rendered air-tight by means of an
outside cylinder or casing, fixed at the bottom to the branch pipe, a space
being left between the casing and the pipe. This space is filled with mercury,
so that the pressure of the column of mercury is greater than the pressure of
the compressed air, gas, or vapour in the pipe, and in this way a perfectly air-
tight joint is secured.
The next part of my Invention consists in alternately passing currents of
air, steam, and gas through molten iron, by which means all the impurities in
the iron may be removed; and also in regulating the amount of air, steam, or
gas admitted into the iron, by means of a tap placed in the pipe, through which
the air, steam, or gas passes, so that as the temperature at which the iron will
remain fluid gets gradually higher, the amount of air, steam, or gas admitted
into the iron may be increased.
The, last part of my Invention consists in allowing the iron (from which
all impurities have been removed by forcing air, steam, or gas through it,)
to solidify in the crucible in which the operation has 'been conducted, from
which it can readily be removed (by reason of the crucible being of a' conical
shape), and either passed between rollers, or. hammered in the ordinary
manner. ..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Léon Talabot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEON
TALABOT, of No. 57, Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, Gentleman, send greeting.
. 1
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord' One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Léon Talabot, Her special licence that I, the said Léon Talabot, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Léon
Talabot, my executors, administrators, and 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
THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Léon Talabot, my executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Léon Talabot, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements on that process of converting
crude iron into malleable iron or steel which consists in passing currents of
air, steam, gas, or vapor through molten crude iron.
The first improvement consists in admitting the currents of air, gas, or
vapour into the molten iron by means of a moveable pipe, which passes down
through the crucible or vessel in which the metal is contained, the head of
which pipe is made with a head or enlargement, pierced with holes, through
which the air, gas, or vapour passes, by which means the currents of air, gas,
or vapour diverge from the centre to the circumference, instead of from the
circumference to the centre, and the crucible not being pierced with holes for
the admission of the currents of air, gas, or vapour, the crucible will last for a
much longer time than when it is so pierced.

page_text: The next improvement.consists in forming the. crucible or vessel for con-
taining the. iron in which the. above-mentioned. process..is conducted of the
shape of an inverted cone, and in lining such vessel with chalk, oxide: of iron,
or a mixture of the two. together, or with any other substance which does not
contain silica in a large proportion; or the crucible may be formed of sheet
or cast iron and used without any lining whatever, the exterior of the crucible
being kept cool either by a rapid current of water, air, or steam, or by any
other suitable means..
The next improvement consists in so arranging a number of puddling
furnaces, that after air, gas, or vapor has. been forced through a quantity of
molten iron in a crucible a portion of such iron may be run into one of the
puddling furnaces, where it is puddled in the ordinary manner; when more
crude iron is put into the crucible, and air, gas, or vapour again forced through
it, and a portion of such iron run into the next puddling furnace, when the
same operation is repeated. For this purpose I prefer. to arrange puddling
furnaces in a straight line, along which a pipe or pipes (for conveying air, gas,
or vapour) is passed, into which branch pipes are fixed in front of each
furnace, each branch pipe being fitted with a cock. The moveable pipe
which conducts the air, gas, or vapour into the crucible is connected with the
branch pipes by its end being made to fit over the ends of each of the branch
pipes, and the joint is rendered air-tight by means of an outside cylinder or
casing fixed at its bottom to the branch pipe, a space being left between the
casing and the pipe; this space is filled with mercury, so that the pressure of
the column of mercury is greater than the pressure of the compressed air, gas,
or vapour in the pipe, and in this way a perfectly air-tight joint is secured.
The crucible is first filled with molten crude iron from a blast furnace and is
moved to the first puddling furnace; the moveable pipe which passes into the
crucible is then put in connection with one of the branch pipes, and air, gas,
or vapour is passed through the molten iron, a portion of the iron is then
poured into the puddling furnace, where it is puddled in the ordinary manner.
The crucible is then filled up with bar iron or with molten iron.from the blast
furnace, and is then moved to the second puddling furnace, where the move-
able pipe is put in connection with the branch pipe opposite the furnace, when
air, gas, or vapour is again forced through the molten iron and, a portion
thereof run into the puddling furnace. The crucible is then again filled with
iron in the solid or molten state and moved on to, the third puddling furnace,
where the same operation is repeated. In this way any desired. number. of
puddling furnaces may be filled.in succession.
Another part of my Invention consists in passing currents of air, steam, and

page_text: gas, alternately through molten iron, by which means all the impurities in tho
iron may be removed; and also in regulating the amount of air, steam, or gas
passed through the iron by means of a tap placed in the pipe through which
the air, steam, or gas passes, so that as the temperature at which the iron will
remain fluid gets gradually higher, the amount of air, steam, or gas admitted
into the iron may be increased.
For the purpose of passing currents of air, steam, and gas alternately
through molten iron; the pipes through which these substances are conveyed
are cach by means of branch pipes put in connection witli a junction, such as
above described; each of, the branch pipes being fitted with a. tap. By this
means when the moveable pipe which. passes into the crucible is put in
connection with this junction, compressed air may be forced through the
molten iron by turning the tap on the branch pipe attached to the pipe con-
taining compressed air, and when it is desired to force steam or gas through
the molten iron, the taps on the pipes through which these .substances are
conveyed are turned on, and the tap on the pipe which contains compressed
air turned off; the tap for admitting the steam or gas should be turned on
before the tap which admits the compressed air is turned off, otherwise the
iron would enter into the pipe.
When it is desired to convert crude iron into malleable iron, the tap which
admits the compressed air into the crucible is turned on and molten crudé
iron is poured into the crucible; after a little time the temperature of the iron
is considerably increased, when in order to moderate its temperature the tap
for admitting carbonic acid gas is turned on for a short time and the tap
admitting compressed air turned off, the compressed air is then again turned
on and the carbonic acid gas turned off. In this way, by alternately passing
air and carbonic acid gas through the iron, and by regulating the amount of
air admitted into the iron by means of the tap on the air pipe, the temperature
of the iron can easily be controlled. When converting crude iron into steel
more carbonic acid gas must be forced through the metal than when convert-
ing it into malleable iron, and for converting crude iron into refined iron
carbonic acid gas is principally used; when converting crude iron into refined
iron the temperature at which the refined iron will remain fluid should not
be much exceeded, in order that the crucible should not be exposed to a
greater heat than necessary; and also when converting crude iron into steel the
temperature of the metal should be regulated so as not greatly to exceed that
at which steel will remain fluid.
The last part of my Invention consists in allowing the iron (from which all
impurities have been removed by forcing air, steam, or gas through it,) to

page_text: solidify in the crucible in which the operation has been conducted. For this
purpose I prefer to allow the iron to solidify around the sides of the crucible
whilst air is still being forced through the iron in the centre of the crucible,
the pipe for conveying the air into the crucible being removed just before the
iron, solidifies in the centre; by this means the purer and more malleable
part of the iron will cool first on the outside, whilst the more brittle portion
will be in the centre. The solidified iron can readily be removed. from the
crucible (by, reason of the crucible being of a conical shape), and may either
be passed between rollers or hammered in the ordinary manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Léon Talabot, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
T. BASSET,
14, Bd Monmartre.
LEON TALABOT. (L.S.).