IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR PLATES AND OTHER HEAVY FORMS OF MALLEABLE IRON OR STEEL, OR OF STEEL AND IRON COMBINED
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joshua Jeavons, of the Atlas Works, Sheffield,
in the County of York, Forge Manager, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR PLATES AND OTHER
HEAVY FORMS OF MALLEABLE IRON OR STEEL, OR OF STEEL AND IRON
COMBINED."
Sealed the 22nd February 1870, and dated the 3rd December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joshua Jeavons at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd December 1869.
I, JOSHUA JEAVONS, of the Atlas Steel and Iron Works, Sheffield,
in the County of York, Forge Manager, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR
PLATES AND OTHER HEAVY FORMS OF MALLEABLE IRON OR STEEL, OR OF STEEL AND
IRON COMBINED," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar process of manufacturing armour
plates, bars for fortification works, and other heavy forms of malleable
iron or steel, or of steel and iron combined, whereby not only is the

page_text: manufacture of such articles greatly improved but considerable economy
in their production is effected.
In the ordinary process of manufacturing armour plates or other heavy
forms of malleable iron for fortification works the puddled iron or scrap
iron is rolled into flat bars about 12, 15, or 18 inches wide, which are
generally cut into smaller pieces, which are piled, reheated, hammered, and
rolled into similar flat bars again; these bars are re-piled and rolled in a
plate mill into what is commonly called "small moulds;" these "small
moulds are afterwards sheared into a given size as required; a number
of these "small moulds" are then piled one on the other and re-rolled
into what is commonly called "large moulds;" a number of these "large
moulds" are then piled one on the other and rolled into an armour plate.
This process involves the use of costly plant and necessitates a great
expenditure of time and labor which is obviated by my improvements.
According to my improved process I produce the piles for the class of
articles above referred to at once by piling narrow flat bars, billets, or
squares of iron or steel or bars of other forms, and by preference of a
sectional area, varying in the flat bars from one and a half inches to ten
inches wide, and in the billets or squares from half an inch to one and
a half inches in thickness, rabbeted and dovetailed in such a manner
that the edges shall lap and dovetail one on the other. These dimensions
may be still further varied according to the nature of the metal employed
and the article to be manufactured. The flats, billets, squares, or other
bars are arranged or piled either longitudinally and transversely, alter-
nately, or longitudinally, or transversely only, or otherwise as required.
In combination with the piled flats, billets, or squares above referred
to I employ either ordinary "moulds" or "moulds" prepared from
piled flats, billets, or squares, such "moulds" forming the top and
bottom surfaces of the pile, but in some cases the "moulds" may be
entirely dispensed with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joshua Jeavons in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSHUA
JEAVONS, of the Atlas Works, Sheffield, in the County of York, Forge 3
Manager, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joshua Jeavons, Her special license
that I, the said Joshua Jeavons, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joshua Jeavons, my executors,
administrators, or 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 ARMOUR PLATES AND OTHER HEAVY FORMS OF MALLEABLE
IRON OR STEEL, OR OF STEEL AND IRON COMBINED," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joshua Jeavons, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Joshua Jeavons, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar process of manufacturing
armour plates, bars for fortification works, and other heavy forms of
malleable iron or steel, or of steel and iron combined, whereby not only
is the manufacture of such articles greatly improved but considerable
economy in their production is effected.
In the ordinary process of manufacturing armour plates or other
heavy forms of malleable iron for fortification works the puddled
iron or scrap iron is rolled into flat bars about twelve, fifteen, or
eighteen inches wide, which are generally cut into smaller pieces,
which are piled, relicated, hammered, and rolled into similar flat bars
again; these bars are re-piled and rolled in a plate mill into a plato
or what is commonly called "small moulds;" these small moulds or
plates are afterwards sheared into a given size as required; a number
of these "small moulds" or plates are then piled one on the other and

page_text: re-rolled into a thicker plate, or what is commonly called "large
moulds;" a number of these "large moulds are then piled one on the
other and rolled into an armour plate. This process involves the use
of costly plant, and necessitates a great expenditure of time and labor,
which is obviated by my improvements.
as
According to my improved process I produce the piles for the class
of articles above referred to by piling ordinary merchant bars, such
common flats, billets, or squares of iron or steel, or both in
combination, the said flats, billets, or squares being by preference
from half an inch to one and a half inches in thickness. Or I pile flat
bars of iron or steel, or both in combination, of special forms, that is
to say, flat bars with rabetted edges, or with what may be termed
semi-dovetailed edges, so that the edges shall lap over or dovetail or
lock one on the other when the said bars are arranged side by side in the
pile. The dimensions of the said specially rolled flat bars which I have
found to answer well in practice are from three to sixteen inches in
width, and from one-half inch to one and a half inches in thickness, the
lengths of all the bars above referred to depending upon the length or
width of the pile required according as the bars are laid longitudinally
or transversely. I do not confine myself however to the dimensions
given, as these may be varied according to the nature of the metal
employed and the article to be manufactured. The several bars are
arranged or piled either longitudinally and transversely, alternately, or
longitudinally or transversely only, or at any other angle as required,
but in all cases I employ in combination with the said piled bars above
referred to top and bottom flat plates or moulds, cither made in the
ordinary manner, or, which I prefer, moulds specially prepared from
the piled flats, billets, or squares, or from the rabetted or semi-dovetailed
flat bars above referred to arranged between two smaller moulds and
welded by rolling the large or compound piled moulds so produced
forming the top and bottom surfaces of the finished armour plate or
other article of that class.
The several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hercunto annexed
illustrate various piles prepared for the manufacture of armour plates
and other heavy forms of malleable iron or steel, or of steel and iron
combined therefrom, according to my said Invention.
Figure 1 represents ordinary billets piled between top and bottom flat
"moulds" or plates; Figure 2 shews a similar pile prepared from
ordinary squares; Figure 3 represents a pile composed of rabetted flat bars

page_text: having their edges overlapping and confined between top and bottom flat
"moulds" or plates; Figure 4 shews semi-dovetailed bars with their edges
locked and overlapping piled between top and bottom flat "moulds."
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I am aware that
it has been proposed to construct armour plates and such like heavy
masses of wrought iron by piling together wrought-iron bars and then
rolling the pile into one homogeneous mass, and therefore I lay no claim
to such mode of manufacture; but what I consider as novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The manufacture of armour plates and other heavy forms of
malleable iron or steel, or steel and iron combined, from piles composed
of several layers of ordinary merchant bars, such, for example, as flats,
billets, or squares of iron or steel, or iron and steel in combination, with
top and bottom "moulds" or flat plates of the ordinary or my improved
construction, as herein-before described.
2nd. The manufacture of armour plates and other heavy forms of
malleable iron or steel, or iron and steel combined, from piles composed
of several layers of bars of iron or steel, or iron and steel combined, having
their edges rabbeted or semi-dovetailed and interlocked in combination
with top and bottom "moulds" or flat plates of the ordinary or my
improved construction, as herein-before described.
3rd. The construction of the "moulds" or flat top and bottom plates
employed in making the piles for the above-mentioned class of articles by
piling together flats, billets, or squares, or the other shaped bars of iron
or steel or iron and steel previously referred to between what are known
as "small moulds," and welding the mass together by rolling, as hercin-
before described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Joshua Jcavons, have to this my
Specification set my hand and scal, this Twenty-fourth day of
lad and seventy