An Improved Method of Preparing Iron or Steel Blooms or Billets to be used in Guide and other Small Mills.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Preparing Iron or Steel Blooms or Billets
to be used in Guide and other Small Mills.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM WALKER, 636 Duke Street, Glasgow, Guide, and Merchant
Mill Roller, do bereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement, in preparing steel, or iron blooms, or
billets from the ingot, ready for use in small rolling mills such as, guide mills
merchant mills, or any other rolling mills, (other than plate, or sheet mills) where
small sections are prepared in marketable form..
Hitherto the method of preparing such blooms, or billets, was, to roll an ingot
down into a long bar, of square, or flat section, the cross section area of such
a bar being the same as the cross section area of the billet, or bloom to be cut.
If, as sometimes is the case, it requires a second process of reducing to make it
small enough for guide, merchant, or other small mills, the area of cross section in
the latter case is equal to area of cross section of billets, or blooms to be cut, or
made. From the bar of such a section the lengths of billets, or blooms were cut, the
length being measured at a right angle to, or perpendicular to the plane of
the cutting blade, or tool, or perpendicular to the plane of the cut end of bar.
This method is a very inconvenient one in some very large mills, even so that
it necessitates a second process of a similar kind in a smaller mill, before the
blooms, or billets can be made suitable for use in guide, merchant, or other small
mills.
My method is to roll a flat slab, or flat block of steel, or iron from the ingot,
making the slab, or block any thickness required by the billets, or blooms to
be cut.
Figures 1, 2, & 4 represent such a block, or slab the thickness of which is only a
small fraction of either the width, or length.
From the slab, or block A, B, C, D Fig. 2, by means of a guillotine, or shears,
or any other convenient method, I sever a part a bed, cutting along the dotted
line cd, and from side A, to side B, and through the thickness of slab, or
block, xy.
.
Figure 3 represents the part a b c d, after being severed from A B C D Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 represents a flat block, or flat slab which I may cut in the following
manner by severing a part e f g h Fig. 4, by cutting along the dotted line
Fig. 4, and from end C, to end D, and through the thickness xy, of the slab,
or block.
h
The parts thus cut off, I call blooms, or billets the cross section of which may
be either flat, or square; the cross section area of which is regulated by the
cutting process. The longitudinal section alone depending upon the rolling for its
area. The length of these blooms, or billets is measured parallel with the severed
edge, or side of cut billet, or bloom, and also parallel with the plane of the cutting
tool, or blade.
The cross section is regulated by the cutting process, for a b, Fig. 2, or e f Fig. 4
may be cut less in width, equal in width, or greater in width than the thickness xy.
Hence the two cut edges of bloom, or billet may become the top and bottom, or
the two sides respectively, (but not the ends) of the finished bloom, or billet.
Having cut off the part a b c d Fig. 3, or e f g h Fig. as the case may be, I now
cut as many blooms, or billets as are required from block, or slab.

page_text: I cut the slab, or block into blooms, or billets while it is at a great heat; or I
may allow it to cool, and then reheat it before cutting it into blooms, and billets.
Dated this 29th day of May 1894.
THOMAS WILLIAM WALKER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Preparing Iron or Steel Blooms or Billets
to be used in Guide and other Small Mills.
I, THOMAS WILLIAM WALKER, 636 Duke Street Glasgow, Guide, and Merchant
Mill Roller, 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 an improvement in preparing steel, or iron blooms, or
billets from the ingot, ready for use in small rolling mills, such as guide mills,
merchant mills, or any other rolling mills, (other than plate, or sheet mills,) where
small sections are prepared in marketable form.
In carrying out my invention I roll a flat slab, or flat block of steel, or iron from
the ingot, such a flat block, or flat slab, is represented by Fig. 1 in the drawings
filed with my Provisional Specification.
I make the thickness of such a flat slab, or flat block, the same as the thickness,
or width of the blooms, or billets to be cut.
The width of such a flat_slab, or flat block, I make equal to the length of the
blooms, or billets to be cut. Or if so desired I make the length of the flat slab, or
flat block equal to the length of blooms, or billets to be cut.
I may when required cut the flat slab, or flat block into several smaller
flat slabs, or flat blocks, so that I can the more conveniently manipulate them,
when cutting each separate flat block, or flat slab into blooms, or billets.
•
I do, when it is necessary shear off the broken, or rough edges of the flat blocks,
or flat slabs before commencing to cut the blooms, or billets from them. This
shearing off of the edges from the slabs, or blocks, I do, so that I may obtain clean
cut ends to the blooms, or billets.
When I refer to the drawings, it must be understood that in every case I
refer to those left with my Provisional Specification.
Figures 1, 2, & 4 in the drawings left with the Provisional Specification
represent flat blocks, or flat slabs from which I cut the blooms, or billets.
From the slab, or block A B C D Fig. 2, by means of a guillotine, shears, or any
other convenient method, or means, I sever a part a bed Fig. 2, the length of
such a part being equal to the width of the slab, or block, from which it is severed.
To sever this part I cut through the thickness y, and the width cd, as shown by
the dotted line c d.
The act of severance may take place simultaneously along the whole width of
the slab, or block; or it may be done gradually, along the width.
•
If desired the act of severing may begin at one side and proceed to the other, by
a gradual process.
Fig. 3 represents the part a b c d after being severed from A B C D Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 represents a flat block, or flat slab, from which I sever a part e f g h
Fig. 4, the length of the severed part being equal to the length of the slab, or
block, from which it is severed. The means used, and the act of severing being the
same, or similar to those used and employed in the case of Fig. 2.
The parts thus cut off in both instances as shown above, I call blooms, or billets,
and they are ready for use in guide mills, merchant mills, and other small mills,
for the production of sections; such sections to be rolled from the said blooms,
and billets.
Of the blooms, or billets made as above shown, the cross section may be made

page_text: either flat, square, or it may be a parallelogram, as desired. The cross section,
and also the cross section area being regulated by the cutting process.
The longitudinal section, and the length of the blooms, and billets cut being equal
to, and the same as that side, or end of the slab, or block from which they are cut
respectively.
The length of the blooms, and billets is measured parallel to the width of the
slab, or block, if they are being cut from the end as at Fig. 2.
The length of the blooms, and billets is measured parallel to the length of slab,.
or block if they are being cut from the side as at Fig. 4.
If the length of the slab, or block equals its width, then the length of the billets, or
blooms equals, both length, and breadth of the slab, or block from which they
are cut, and their length is measured parallel to that edge of the slab, or block,
from which they are cut.
In Fig. 2, a b, or ef, in Fig. 4 may be cut less in width, equal in width, or greater
in width, than the thickness ry, in any case. Hence the two cut edges, (or, the
two edges which are made by the cutting process), of the billets, or blooms, which
are parallel to the line of length of the blooms, and billets, may become the top,.
and bottom, or the two sides respectively, of the said blooms, and billets.
The whole process is to be performed while the slab, or block contains a great
amount of heat, which heat is necessary before the cutting process can take place,
because of the great thickness of material to be cut through.
If the rolling, and cutting operations cannot take place at the first heating of the
ingot, then the slab, or block, must be reheated after the rolling operation, to insure
that it will contain sufficient heat for the cutting operation to take place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be carried out, I declare what I
claim is:
1. The cutting of blooms, or billets ready for use in guide mills, merchant mills,
or any other small mills, (other than plate; or sheet mills), from a steel, or iron,
flat slab, or flat block, of the shapes represented by Figures 1, 2, & 4, or from
a flat slab, or flat block of steel, or iron, the side of which is equal in measurement,
to its length.
2. The determining of the cross section area by cutting, or shearing, of blooms,.
and billets, for use as stated in my first claim.
3. The determining of the length of blooms, or billets, by the length or breadth
of a flat slab, or flat block, of steel, or iron, of the shape as represented at
Figs. 1, 2, & 4, and also when the length of the slab, or block equals its breadth,.
such billets, and blooms to be used as stated in my first claim.
4. Blooms, and billets to be used as stated, the length of which shall be
determined by the length, or breadth (as the case may be) of the flat slab, or flat
block of steel, iron from which they are cut.
5. The cutting of blooms, or billets to be used as stated above, from a flat slab,
or flat block of steel, or iron of the shape represented at Figs. 1, 2, & 4, and also
when length of block or slab equals its width, while the said flat slab or flat block
contains a great amount of heat; an amount heat sufficient to allow of the cutting
to be done; an amount of heat approaching to a red heat.
6. The use of blooms, and billets in guide mills, and other small mills, such
blooms, and billets having been cut from a heated slab, or block of the shapes.
represented above, at Fig. 1, 2, & 4.
7. The use of blooms, and billets, in guide mills, merchant mills, and other
small mills, the said blooms, and billets having been prepared for use in the manner
as explained above. Excepting plate and sheet mills.
Dated this 11th day of August 1894.
THOMAS WILLIAM WALKER.