IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN THE APPARATUS by David EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN THE APPARATUS
by David
EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A communication from abroad
Stewart, of Kittanning, in the County of Armstrong, and State of
TT 10-ton of Amarion
Sealed the 30th November 1869, and dated the 17th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th August 1869.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN THE
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication from abroad by David
Stewart, of Kittanning, in the County of Armstrong, and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of "concrete blooms," the
constituent parts of which are partially purified and partially converted

page_text: cast iron and a metallic oxide, and consists essentially in partially
purifying and partially converting and intensely heating molten cast
iron while it is subdivided into small particles or globules prior to the
mixing of the same with a metallic oxide for the purpose of forming a
"concrete bloom" or ingot by a single operation.
In carrying out this Invention a metal tube about 40 feet in height
and about 24 inches in diameter is employed, the upper end of which is
provided with a metal pipe or tube about 3 feet in length and 18 inches
in diameter, and arranged concentric to the bore of the outer tube or
pipe, with which it corresponds in form. The inner tube or pipe is
provided at one end with a flange for holding it in position with relation
to the outer tube or pipe, and for covering over the upper end of the
annular space left between the two tubes or pipes. In the centre of the
inner tube or pipe is suspended, by means of bars or rods, a metal block
about 8 inches in diameter and about 3 inches thick, the upper side
of the block being coated with fire-clay or other refractory matter. A
receiving vessel is suspended just above the upper ends of the tubes or
pipes, provided with an opening arranged directly over the block. The
outer tube or pipe is provided with two blast pipes and two chutes con-
nected with hoppers for introducing pulverized iron ore. The point of
attachment of the blast pipes and chutes should be about 6 feet up from
the lower end of the outer pipe. The bloom or ingot moulds should be
arranged on trucks so that they may be readily removed from and brought
under and central to the bore of the outer tube or pipe. The form and
size of the moulds may be adapted to the form and size of bloom or ingot
desired by the manufacturer. It is herein-before stated that the outer
tube or pipe should be about 40 feet in height, but the height may be
varied to adapt it to the difference in the quality of the cast iron used in
the manufacture of the blooms.
In using the apparatus I take molten cast iron direct from the ore or
pig iron remelted, and having elevated it to the receiving vessel the
molten cast iron is poured into it and from it runs down through the
opening, and falling on the block is scattered into a number of very
small streams which strike against the sides of the short tube or pipe,
and are thereby divided into spray or globules. At the moment the
molten cast iron is poured into the vessel the blast is introduced into the
outer tube or pipe, as is also finely pulverized iron ore or other metallic
oxide or oxides thro" the chutes. By thus introducing an active

page_text: current of air and streams of pulverized ore or other metallic oxide into
the outer tube or pipe the upper portion of it will be filled with a
moving column of air, and the lower portion of it will be filled with an:
active current of air surcharged with finely pulverized iron ore or other:
metallic oxide. The molten cast iron being subdivided into spray or
globules will first pass down through the moving column of pure air,
which so acts on the spray or globules as to cause them to become
intensely heated, and the oxygen of the air combines with the particles
or globules of molten cast iron and partially purifies and partially
converts the particles or globules into wrought iron as distinguished
from ordinary cast iron. These partially purified and partially converted
particles or globules in their intensely heated condition passing on down
through the first portion of the tube or pipe come in contact with the
air surcharged with pulverized iron ore or other metallic oxide combined
with the oxygen of the air and the fine particles of pulverized iron ore in.
it, and each particle or globule of molten iron becoming enveloped with
the pulverized iron ore or other metallic oxide falls down into the bloom or
ingot moulds, and there becomes thoroughly mixed and united with that
portion of the pulverized iron ore or other metallic oxide which has by
reason of its specific gravity sunk down into the moulds, thereby forming
"concrete blooms," the constituent parts of which consist of partially
purified and partially converted cast iron and a metallic oxide or
oxides, which are so mixed, combined, and commingled together as to
form one homogeneous mass.
5 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
year
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the
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

page_text: and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON, AND IN THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication from abroad by David Stewart, of
Kittanning, in the County of Armstrong, and State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accont-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
The said Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for manu-
facturing "concrete blooms," the constituent parts of which blooms
consist of partially purified and partially converted cast iron and a
metallic oxide, and consists essentially in partially purifying and partially
converting and intensely heating molten cast iron while it is sub-
divided into small particles or globules prior to the mixing of the same
with a metallic oxide for the purpose of forming a "concrete bloom"
or ingot by a single operation.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a vertical section of the improved
apparatus for manufacturing "concrete blooms" taken along the line

page_text: 1-2, Figure 3; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken along
the line 3-4, (Figure 3); Figure 3 is a transverse section taken along
the line 5-6, (Figure 1). A is a metal tube about 40 feet in height
and about 24 inches in diameter, which may be made round or square
when viewed in cross section. The upper end of the tube or pipe A is
provided with a metal (by preference copper) pipe or tube B. This
tube or pipe is about 3 feet in length and arranged concentric to the
bore of tube or pipe A, and should correspond in form to the tube or
pipe A and be about 18 inches in diameter. The tube or pipe B is
provided at one end with a flange n for holding it in position with
relation to tube or pipe A and for covering over the upper end of the
space formed by the tubes or pipes A and B. In the centre of tube
or pipe B is suspended by means of bars or rods ia metal block C.
This block should be about eight inches in diameter and about 3.
inches thick. The upper side of the block C should be coated with
fire-clay or other refractory matter. A receiving vessel D is suspended
just above the upper ends of the tubes or pipes A and B. In the botton
of the receiving vessel D is an opening ; this opening is arranged.
directly over the block C. The tube or pipe A is provided with two
blast pipes fand two chutes e, which should be provided with hoppers, as
indicated by the dotted lines O. The position and relation of the blast
pipes and chutes e to each other and to the tube or pipe A is clearly
shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings. The point
of attachment of the blast pipes f and chutes e to the tube or pipe A;
should be about six feet up from the lower end of it. The bloom or
ingot moulds g should be arranged on trucks, as indicated by the dotted.
lines, so that they may be readily removed from under and brought
under and central to the bore of the tube or pipe A. The form and
size of the moulds may be adapted to the form and size of bloom or
ingot desired by the manufacturer. It is herein-before stated that the.
tube or pipe A should be about forty feet in height, but the height of it
may be varied to adapt it to the difference in the quality of the cast
iron used in the manufacture of the blooms. If the cast iron be easily
purified and converted then the tube or pipe A may be shorter, but if
the cast iron be hard to purify and convert then the height of the tube or.
pipe A should be greater. In practice it will be found that about forty
feet in height will answer in most cases.
The apparatus herein-before described should be arranged with
relation to the furnace in which the iron, is melted, so that the molten

page_text: iron can be readily elevated in suitable vessels to the receiving vessel D
by means of suitable hoisting gear, the construction and arrangement of
which I leave to the skill and judgment of the mechanic and those
who may use these improvements.
As the construction and arrangement of the improved apparatus for
manufacturing "concrete blooms" will readily be understood from the
foregoing description, and by reference to the accompanying Drawings,
I will therefore proceed to its operation in the manufacture of "concrete
blooms."
Having all things constructed and arranged as herein-before described,
with the blast pipes fattached to a fan, blower, or other blast device, I
take molten cast iron direct from the ore or pig iron remelted, and
having elevated it to the receiving vessel D the molten cast iron is
poured into it, and from it runs down through the opening ³, and falling
on the block C is scattered into a great number of very small streams,
which strike against the sides of the short tube or pipe B and are thereby
divided into spray or globules. At the moment the molten cast iron
is poured into the vessel D the blast is introduced through pipes f
into the tube or pipe A, as is also finely pulverized iron ore or other
metallic oxide or oxides through the chutes e. By thus introducing an
active current of air and streams of pulverized ore or other metallic
oxide into the tube or pipe A the upper portion of it will be filled with
a moving column of air, and the lower portion of it will be filled with
an active current of air surcharged with finely pulverized iron ore or
other metallic oxide. Now the molten cast iron being subdivided into
spray or globules as herein-before stated will first pass down through
the moving column of pure air, which so acts on the spray or globules
as to cause them to become intensely heated, and the oxygen of the air
combines with the particles or globules of molten cast iron, and partially
purifies and partially converts the particles or globules into wrought iron
as distinguished from ordinary cast iron. These partially purified and
partially converted particles or globules in their intensely heated condition
passing on down through the first portion of the tube or pipe A come in
contact with the air surcharged with pulverized iron ore or other metallic
oxide combining with the oxygen of the air and the fine particles of
pulverized iron ore in it, and each particle or globule of molten iron
becoming enveloped with the pulverized iron ore or other metallic oxide
falls down into the bloom or ingot moulds, and there becomes throoughly

page_text: mixed and united with that portion of the pulverized iron ore or other
metallic oxide which has by reason of its specific gravity sunk down
into the moulds, thereby forming "concrete blooms," the constituent
parts of which consist of partially purified and partially converted cast
iron and a metallic oxide or oxides, which are so mixed, combined, and
commingled together as to form one homogeneous mass.
The bloom or
ingot moulds g should be arranged ou a truck or trucks, indicated at x,
and provided with a continuous series of moulds which can be brought
directly under the lower end of the tube or pipe A, as shewn in Figure 1,
for the purpose of being filled, and when filled removed, and another
empty mould brought forward. The truck with the moulds may be
made to travel on a straight or circular railway. After the blooms are
formed in the moulds and have become sufficiently congealed they are
removed from the moulds and afterwards reheated, worked, and manipu-
lated in any known manner for working blooms or ingots into other
forms of merchantable iron.
I wish it clearly understood that I am aware that blooms known as
"pig blooms" and "crude bloom" have been made by mixing molten
cast iron and pulverized iron ore together, therefore I do not claim such
mixing and blooms as any part of my Invention; but the novelty of my
Invention consists in the herein-before described method of partially
purifying and partially converting and intensely heating the molten
cast iron while in a subdivided condition, and then mixing the same
with a metallic oxide, whereby a new result is obtained in the manu-
facture and quality of the bloom or ingot thus produced.
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 what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. Partially purifying and partially converting and intensely
heating molten cast iron while it is subdivided into small particles or
globules prior to the mixing of the same with a metallic oxide for the
purpose of forming a "concrete bloom" or ingot by a single operation,
as herein-before described.
Second. The application and use of the tubes or pipes A, B, block C,
blast pipes, chutes e, and receiving vessel D in combination with

page_text: bloom or ingot moulds, the whole operating substantially as for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day
of February One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)