Improved Process and Apparatus for Effecting the Hardening of Steel.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for Effecting the Hardening of
Steel.
RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON, engineer and patent agent of 1 rue Laffitte, Paris,
France do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Broadly speaking, my invention consists in hardening steel by subjecting said steel
to the action of a continuous stream of freshly renewed water, for the purpose of
rendering the hardening process efficient and rapid.
The apparatus devised for that purpose comprises two main water reservoirs and
an overflow reservoir; of the two main reservoirs, one is above the other and is pro-
vided with one or more delivery pipes, of which one allows the water to issue
vertically, whilst another is bent upwardly and allows the water to issue in a line
with the water issued by the first pipe, but in a reverse direction. The piece of
steel to be hardened, being heated, is placed between the jets supplied by both pipes
and is rapidly hardened by a stream of water, which is constantly renewed.
The water supplied by both delivery pipes is led from the upper reservoir and is
collected into the lower reservoir, from which it flows into an overflow reservoir.
The water received by the latter reservoir is carried back to the upper reservoir by
means of a pump or any other equivalent contrivance. Both delivery pipes are pro-
vided with a cock for arresting or regulating the flow of water.
In the annexed drawing, fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a hardening apparatus,
comprising the characteristic features hereinbefore set forth.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the lower reservoir on the line A, A.
a is the upper reservoir, and 6 the lower reservoir, both made of any suitable
material and lined or not with lead or otherwise. c is the overflow reservoir. d is
the delivery pipe for supplying a downward jet of water and e is the delivery pipe
for supplying an upward jet of water. f, 9 are regulating cocks; h is the power or
hand pump, of any suitable kind, for transferring the water contained in the overflow
reservoir c back into the upper reservoir a by means of a pipe i. j is a standpipe by
which any surplus of water pumped into the upper reservoir a may overflow into
the lower reservoir b.

page_text: k is the block or piece of steel to be hardened. It is laid upon a metallic
or other suitable support 1, the bent ends of which reach over each side of the
reservoir b.
After the heated piece of steel k has been placed onto its support and has been
subjected to the action of the water supplied by the pipes d, e, it is hardened and it is
then placed onto adjustable supports m, where it is allowed to rest until it has com-
pletely cooled through.
The outlet of each of the delivery pipes d, e may be either provided with a funnel,
a perforated rose or nozzle or any other equivalent contrivance for equally distributing
the water over a large surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :
1) The process hereinbefore described for effecting the hardening of steel, consisting
in subjecting the piece or block of steel to be hardened to the action of one or more
jets of water, so as to expose the whole of the said piece or block to the refrigerating
power of constantly renewed water, as described.
2) The apparatus hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawing, for carry-
ing out the process set forth in claim 1, consisting of an upper reservoir a, a lower
reservoir b, an overflow reservoir c, delivery pipes de and one or more supports l, m
for the block k to be hardened, as described.
3) A hand or power pump h or any other suitable equivalent contrivance for the
purpose of transferring the water from the overflow reservoir c back to the upper
reservoir a by means of one or more pipes i, as described.
Dated this 21st day of February 1889.