IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CASTING OF METALS
Year: 1884

page_text: We, SAMSON Fox of the Leeds Forge Co Leeds in the County of York, Engineer
and Ironmaster, and JOSEPH WHITLEY of the Railway Works, Leeds in the County
of York, Engineer and Founder do hereby declare the nature of our invention for.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CASTING OF METALS " to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist in the giving of a reciprocal motion to liquid metal
when flowing into the mould, to accomplish which wo cause a slide screw or roller
motion to carry our runner whilst the metal is passing through it, by this means
we equalize the heat contained in the liquid metal over the entire surface of the
mould thereby tending to prevent any tortional strain arising from irregular
contraction, and also the forcing of compressed air or other substance into all shell
moulds for the purpose of preventing a vacuum in the interior which gives greater
solidity and density to the liquid metal thereby producing stronger metallic plates
and shells with less weight of material and for the further development of a better
and more economic plate we mount our collecting ladle upon a weighing stage
previous to casting and then weigh out from a large mass any given weight
required in the casting of a large number of shells for plates and other purposes.
Dated this 4th den of Ontcha- 1001

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
We, SAMSON Fox, of the Leeds Forge Company, Leeds in the County of York
Engineer and Ironmaster, and JOSEPH WHITLEY of the Railway Works, Leeds, in
the County of York, Engineer and Founder, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CASTING OF METALS," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
In further explanation of our improvements in the manufacture of steel and
other metals and the compounds of metals as set forth in our Provisional Specifica-
tion of October 4th 1884, No 13,204, our object is to prevent the formation of
vacuums in the interior of our moulds by forcing air into the same whilst the metal
is being poured in and thereby increasing the density, homogeneity and tensile
strength of all shells cast by our patent process, by maintaining an atmospheric
pressure upon the inner surface of the fluid metal and preventing its distortion and
surface porosity caused by the outrush of the metallic ethers, whilst the intense
vacuum caused by the great heat is present in the respective moulds, the tendency
of which is to create not only drawn but blown holes especially in the centre of
the inner surface of all our cast shells.
This remarkablo phenomena so conspicuous in all open sand castings has reigned
supreme since fluid metal had a being, and to day is as conspicuous as when the
first open sand casting was made and which can only be overcome by preventing
the formation of the vacuum as above described-When we require to cast large
numbers of articles from a given quantity of fluid steel or other metal or the
compounds of metals, we then set the beam of an ordinary steel-yard to the gross
weight of the vessel and the metal it contains and having ascertained the total
weight we then set in the weight of the steelyard to the required weight of the
article to be cast, and then by a suitable lever, screw, cam or other arrangement let
out the metal until the steelyard lever moves and then we shut off the flow of the
metal into the mould and proceed to shift the weight again for the next cast
whatever the weight may be, and so on, to the last cast-By this means it will be
seen that we can cast shells of any required size without the slightest variation of
thickness, fluidity, density, homogeneity or contraction and so produce shells as
such, or shells for plates or sheets of any required size or thickness for the
construction of every description of building, floating or other structure required
alike upon the land or sea.
Plates, shells or sheets so made will be perfectly free from chill or wave lines,
seeing that the metal is not suffered to fall on the same spot but receives whilst in
its fluid state a motion like unto the webs of woven fabrics when passing over &
folding or measuring machine, thereby interlocking as it were the whole of the
molecular structure of the entire mass whatever its thickness may be and thus
preventing the formation of those common centres of heat, the tendencies of which
are to form partial porosity by feeding the consolidating or crystallization of the
total mass contained in castings so constructed. When we propose to cast any
quantity of metal into a rotating mould we form a carriage the axles having square
or canted ends, or ends with holes placed crosswise, upon or into which we fix

page_text: levers by which to give a slight traverse reciprocally and when the metal is let out
into the mould rotating in front of the ladle containing the metal, the carriage
being mounted upon a railway, is put in motion, or the motion may be given by
means of a screw or cam lever, the length of the traverse always being governed
by the thickness which the casting has to be and the distance and number of the
gates fixed in the general runner, which receives the metal from the vessel contain-
ing the total mass, thus, if the gates in the main runner be six inches apart, then a
three inch traverse of a runner eight feet six inches long will cover the whole
surface of a three feet shell nine feet long, and which shell may be of any required
thickness, and thus prevent torsional strain by irregular contraction when cooling
sets in.
Air-In providing for the supply of air we form a suitable receiver, and having
charged the same with a pressure of twenty five or thirty atmospheres, with a
consecutive supply, we turn on the air gently and increase the supply until the
fluidity ceases to exist, after which the shell may be taken out for further manipu-
lation and final completion. By this means the vacuums hitherto produced are
prevented and more perfect surfaces are produced with greater density and
strength.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, wo declare that what we claim is
1st Giving a reciprocal motion to fluid metal when flowing into the moulds,
substantially as heroinabove set forth.
2nd The introduction of compressed air into moulds for the purpose of preventing
vacuums substantially as described.
3rd The prevention of torsional strain in contraction in consequence of an uneven
division of the calorific forces substantially as described.
4th The prevention of chilly or wave lines in the body of metal when shell
founding by centrifugal force substantially as described.
5th The equalization of heat by giving a reciprocal motion to the fluid metal
substantially as described.
6th The prevention of the escape of the metallic ethers by the introduction
of compressed air.
7th The increasing of the density of metals whilst in a fluid state during the
casting process in rotary moulds substantially as described.
8th The production of a solid inner surface by preventing the exit of metallic
ethers thereby destroying the source of drawn or blown holes substantially as
described.
9th The weighing into rotating and other moulds any given quantity of metal
from a large mass, substantially as described.
10th The destruction of the centres of porosity in shells or plates by giving
reciprocal motions to fluid metals when casting, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1885.
SAMSON FOX.
JOSEPH WHITLEY.
By their Agent, W. Lloyd Wise,
Per F. J. Brougham.