IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC- TURE of ARMOUR PLATES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Wilson, of Sheffield, in the County of York, .
Steel Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFAC-
TURE of ARMOUR PLATES."
Sealed the 19th February 1878, and dated the 14th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th September 1877.
ALEXANDER WILSON, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR PLATES."
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, No. 4746, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, I described means of making "hard faced
armour plates."
My present improvements have for their object to produce such "hard faced
armour plates" with greater facility and economy.
"
"
"
For this purpose I put edgewise in any suitable furnace two wrought-iron or soft
steel backing plates" any required distance from each other. I then place between
such plates a T core made of gannister or other refractory material, the
upper portion of which forms a covering to the space between the plates and the
other portion, a division wall dividing the space between the plates into two spaces
or moulds; I than pass heated gases through these spaces or moulds, until the
exposed surfaces of the plates are heated to such a state as to ensure a perfect union
with the molten metal, which I afterwards run into the spaces or moulds, as already
described in my previous Specification above mentioned. When the molten metel
has set, I withdraw the plates from the furnace, and if required, I put them into
a reheating furnace previous to their being hammered or rolled down to any required
thickness.
By these means I also propose to "face"
"
«
backing plates" with hard metal, which
will not require hammering or rolling, but will require "tooling" on their ends and
edges with suitable planing machines.

page_text: "
In some cases I fix the wrought-iron or soft steel "backing plates" on a "bogie
travelling on rails which will form a false bottom of a furnace; after placing them at
a proper distance from each other, and having secured the "T core' "which forms
the division and covering of the spaces or moulds as before described, I run the
"bogie" into the furnace, and in such a position that the heated gases will pass
through the spaces or moulds as previously mentioned; after the exposed surfaces
of the plates are sufficiently heated, I make up the ends of the spaces or moulds
with a large slab or fire-brick at each end. I then pour into the spaces or moulds
molten metal, as already described. The "bogie" and plates are then withdrawn
from the furnace, and another "bogie" with its plates is introduced into the same
furnace.
Although I prefer to fix the "T core" in position before the plates are exposed to
the heat of the furnace, I may find it more suitable in some cases to fix it after the
plates have become heated, after which the operation of filling in the spaces or
moulds with molten metal will be the same as previously explained.
It will be understood that in these methods I can use the ordinary reheating
furnaces with a natural draught, or a furnace supplied with compressed air or forced
draught; I however prefer to use the ordinary gas furnace in the manner described
in my before-mentioned Specification.
In some cases in making my “hard faced armour plates " I find it practicable
and more economical to run the molten metal on to the "backing plate" without
first subjecting it to the action of a reheating furnace, that is, when it has been
rolled down to the desired thickness, and it is sufficiently hot on its surface to ensure
a perfect fusion of the two metals.
"In this case I proceed as follows:-Immediately after the "backing plate" is
finished rolling, put it into a cast-iron mould, either horizontally, diagonally, or
vertically, such mould being large enough to admit of a sufficient quantity of molten
metal being run into it and on to the plate, which I do by means of a travelling
ladle which will traverse the whole length and breadth of the plate, or by allowing
the molten metal to run into the mould and on to the plate direct from the furnace
in which it has been prepared or melted.
It will be readily seen that by this means I shall be able to manufacture plates
with greater facility and with a considerable less quantity of fuel, and consequently
produce them cheaper than when they require to be reheated, as described before in
my other methods.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th March
1878.
ALEXANDER WILSON, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel Manufacturer.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR PLATES."
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, No, 4746, in the year
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, I described means of making "hard
faced armour plates."
My present improvements have for their object to produce such "hard faced
armour plates" with greater facility and economy.
For this purpose I put edgewise in any suitable furnace two wrought-iron or
soft steel "backing plates" any required distance from each other. I then place
between such plates a "T core" made of gannister or other refractory material, the
upper portion of which forms a covering to the space between the plates and the
other portion, a division wall dividing the space between the plates into two spaces
or moulds; I then pass heated gases through these spaces or moulds, until the exposed
surfaces of the plates are heated to such a state as to insure a perfect union
with the molten metal, which I afterwards run into the spaces or moulds, as
already described in my previous Specification above mentioned. When the molten
metal has set, I withdraw the plates from the furnace, and if required, I put
them into a reheating furnace previous to their being hammered or rolled down to
any required thickness.
By these means I also propose to "face backing plates" with hard metal, which
will not require hammering or rolling, but will require "tooling" on their ends and
edges with suitable planing machines.
"
In some cases I fix the wrought-iron or soft steel "backing plates" on a "bogie
travelling on rails which will form a false bottom of a furnace; after placing them at
a proper distance from each other, and having secured the "T core which forms
the division and covering of the spaces or moulds, as before described, I run the
"bogie" into the furnace, and in such position that the heated gasses will pass
through the spaces or moulds as previously mentioned; after the exposed surface
of the plates are sufficiently heated, I make up the ends of the spaces or moulds
with a large slab or fire-brick at each end. I then pour into the spaces or moulds
molten metal, as already described. The "bogie" and plates are then withdrawn
from the furnace, and another "bogie" with its plates is introduced into the same
furnace.
Although I prefer to fix the "T core "in position before the plates are exposed
to the heat of the furnace, I may find it more suitable in some cases to fix it after
the plates have become heated, after which the operation of filling in the spaces or
moulds with molten mental will be the same as previously explained.
It will be understood that in these methods I can use the ordinary reheating
furnaces with a natural draught, or a furnace supplied with compressed air or forced
draught; I however prefer to use the ordinary gas furnace in the manner described
in my before-mentioned Specification.
In some cases in making my "bard faced armour plates" I find it practicablo
and more economical to run the molten metal on to the "backing plate" without
first subjecting it to the action of a reheating furnace, that is, when it has been
rolled down to the desired thickness, and it is sufficiently hot on its surface to
ensure a perfect fusion of the two metals.
In this case I proceed as follows:-Immediately after the "backing plate" is
finished rolling, I put it into a cast-iron mould, either horizontally, diagonally, or
vertically, such mould being large enough to admit of a sufficient quantity of molten
metal being run into it and on to the plate, which I do by means of a travelling
ladle which will traverse the whole length and breadth of the plate, or by allowing
the molten metal to run into the mould and on to the plate direct from the furnace
in which it has been prepared or melted.

page_text: :
CHI will proceed to describe the Drawings nereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Figures 1, 2, and 3 show my improved arrangements for the manufacture of
armour plates in connection with a Siemen's regenerative gas furnace; Figure 1 is
a longitudinal section; Figure 2 is an horizontal section; and Figure 3 is a trans-
verse section.
The lines A, A, B, B, and C, C, mark the planes in which these sections are taken
respectively. W, W, are two backing plates set up face to face within the furnace,
and T is the core which serves to divide the space between them into two separate
cavities for the reception of molten steel.
In Figure 1, the lower part of this core is omitted, but the upper part which serves
to close the mould at the top is indicated.
In Figure 2, the upper part of the Figure represents the position whilst the backing
plates are being heated, the flame resulting from the combustion of the gas and air
rising on one side of the furnace, traversing the spaces in the mould on either side
of the core, and descending by the passages on the other side of the furnace to the
regenerators. By this means the faces of the plates W, W, are throughly heated,
and so also is the core T between them. This having been done, the stopping
slabs D¹, D¹¹, are inserted into the grooves G¹, G", in the refractory lining of the
furnace, as is represented in the lower part of the Figure, and the space between
them is filled with sand. All being ready, the steel is run into the cavities S, S,
from the ladle L, and so two compound armour plates are simultaneously produced.
The crown of the furnace is made in sections, so that it can be readily removed.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 show an arrangement differing from that already described,
in that the body of the furnace is built upon a bogie or truck K. This bogie or
truck may be taken away from the other parts of the furnace when the heating is
complete to receive the molten steel, and may be replaced by another furnace body
in which two backing plates are already set up ready for heating. Thus, much time
in the working of the furnace is saved.
In some cases a sufficient union of the backing plate with the metal cast upon it
may be obtained without reheating the backing plate after rolling. I then employ
the arrangement illustrated by the Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Figure 7 is a plan, and Figure 8 is a side elevation of the apparatus.
The backing plate W is shown placed on the straightened plate P immediately
after leaving the rolls and whilst in its hot state; it is then straightened in the
usual manner, after which it is pushed into the cast-iron mould M by the hydraulic
ram R, the mould having been previously brought into a horizontal position ready
to receive it. The mould with the backing plate inside is now tilted up into a
vertical position, as shown in plan at Figure 9, and in side elevation at Figure 10.
This is done by means of a quadrant Q, and a racking cylinder V, actuated by steam
or water power.
The molten metal S is now run on to the backing plate, either out of the
ladle L, as shown, or run direct from the furnace in which it has been prepared
by means of a "spout" having two or more holes in the bottom for distributing
the molten metal on the exposed surface of the "backing plate." The mould M
is made in sections and held together by bolts, cross bars, and cotters, to admit
of its being easily disconnected from the now coated armour plate, and for allowing
it to be used for different lengths and thicknesses of plates.
In Figure 3 the ladle L is shown in position over mould, ready to pour in the
molten metal on the "backing plate.”

page_text: In Figure 4 the end of the mould M and pedestal Y in which the trunnion
oscillates, and the ladle, are seen.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim :-
First. The manufacture of compound armour plates, by setting up within the
body of a furnace two backing plates face to face, with a core between, and
when the backing plates and core are suitably heated, pouring molten steel into
the spaces left to receive it between the backing plates and the core, substantially as
described.
Second. The manufacture of compound armour plates by setting the backing plates
in a movable furnace body in such manner as to form a mould, then removing the
said body to the other parts of the furnace, and when sufficiently heated, running
in molten steel, substantially as described.
Third. The manufacture of compound armour plates, substantially in the manner
described in respect to Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, by passing the backing plate after
rolling, whilst still hot, without reheating into a metal mould which is then turned
into an upright position, and receives the molten steel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Wilson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
ALEX. WILSON. (L.S.)