Alloys of Aluminium.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Alloys of Aluminium.
I, HENRI PARTIN of 34 Faubourg St. Martin Paris, Merchant, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the production of a new alloy of aluminium which has
the characteristic of greater tenneity than aluminium itself with no appreciable
increase of weight as compared with the original metal.
Although aluminium has already been applied in a great many ways to various
industrial purposes its use would be more extended if it could be endowed with a
greater tenacity which would permit of its being employed as generally as iron and
steel without impairing its quality of extreme lightness.
The desired condition of tenacity I have obtained by alloying tungsten to
aluminium in the proportions specified below; this alloy modifies the aluminium
to such an extent that without perceptibly increasing its specific gravity a new
metal is formed of approximately three times the resisting power of the original
metal.
The constituents of this alloy are:-
1, Aluminium. 2, Tungsten. 3, Arseniate of potash.
To obtain a mixture of the first and second substances whose fusing points are
so widely different, I proceed by successive fusion of the different elements in
order to arrive ultimately at a mean fusing point suitable for both these metals.
I produce the first element as follows:-
These metals may be melted together by any ordinary method. The resulting
compound is crushed and pulverized, and afterwards.mixed with 1 part of tungsten
and 3 parts of antimony (4 per cent. of first element).
This last mixture is afterwards placed in a cloth which has previously been
coated with a layer of fire clay soaked in water, so as to form a bag by which the
metals are preserved from oxidation and volatilisation. The bag is then placed in
a brasque crucible heated to a red heat for the space of about half an hour which
will be sufficient to effect fusion.
The alloy which results is again pulverized and added directly to the fused
aluminium in the proportion of 4 to 10 per cent. according as the quality of tenacity
or that of sonorousness is required; for instance for musical instruments the alloy
would be 6% of the proportion of aluminium.
The new metal which results from the above process differs essentially from the
original metal; when fractured it shows a close grain of the color of steel and
possesses moreover the tenacity and ring of that metal.
Should it be desired to produce a metal having a density approximately to that
of aluminium with a degree of tenacity greater than the latter possesses, the
tungsten and antimony are suppressed and replaced by an equal proportion in
weight of powdered mngnesium. In order to facilitate the combination and fusion
of this alloy there is added the same quantity in weight of calcined' tartrate of

page_text: potash and an equal quantity of chloride of sodium, this mixture having been
worked in with the first element is reduced in a crucible and the resulting product,
as in the first process, is combined with the molten aluminium.
Dated this Thirteenth day of November 1895.
I, HENRI PARTIN, of 34 Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, Merchant, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the production of new alloys of aluminium which have
the characteristic of greater tenacity than aluminium itself with no appreciable
increase of weight as compared with the original metal.
Although aluminium has already been applied in a great many way to various
industrial purposes, its use would be more extended if.it could be endowed with
greater tenacity which would permit of its being employed as generally as iron
and steel, without impairing its quality of extreme lightness.
The desired condition of tenacity .I have obtained by alloying tungsten to
aluminium in the proportions specified below; this alloy modifies the aluminium to
such an extent that without perceptibly increasing its specific gravity, a new
metal is formed of approximately three times the resisting power of the original
metal.
The constituents of this alloy are:- :
1. Aluminium; 2. Tungsten; 3. Arseniate of potash.
To obtain a mixture of the first and second named of these substances whose
fusing points are so widely different, I proceed by successive fusion of the different
elements in order to arrive ultimately at a mean fusing point suitable for both
these metals.
I produce the first alament as follows
י
These metals may be melted together by any ordinary method. The resulting
compound is crushed and pulverized, and afterwards mixed with-
1 part of tungsten, and
3 parts of antimony
(4 per cent. of the first element).
This last mixture is afterwards placed in a cloth which has been previously'
coated with a layer of fire-clay soaked in water, so as to form a bag by which the
metals are preserved from oxidation and volatilisation. The bag is then placed in
a brasque crucible heated to a red heat, for the space of about half-an-hour which
will be sufficient to effect fusion.
The alloy which results is again pulverized and added directly to the fused
aluminium in the proportion of 4 to 10 per cent. according as the quality of tenacity
or that of sonorousness is required; for instance for producing the requisite quality
for musical instruments the alloy would be 6 per cent. of the proportion of
aluminium. The alloy obtained by the above described process differs essentially

page_text: from the original metal: when fractured it shows a close grain of the color of
steel, and moreover possesses the tenacity and ring of that metal.
To produce a metal having a density approximating to that of aluminium with
a greater degree of tenacity than the latter possesses, I substitute for the tungsten
and antimony employed in the foregoing process, an equal proportion in weight
of powdered magnesium. To facilitate the combination and fusion of this alloy,
there is added the same quantity in weight of calcined tartrate of potash and
an equal quantity of chloride of sodium; this mixture having been worked in
with the first element is reduced in a crucible, and the resulting product-as in
the process first described-is combined with the molten aluminium.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
olaim is :-
1. An alloy of aluminium of tenacious and sonorous properties, having as its
base the use of tungsten in any quantities in combination with the original metal,
as herein described.
2. An alloy of aluminium oharacterised by lightness and a high degree of
resistance, having as its base the use of magnesium in any desired quantities in
combination with the first named metal, as herein described.
3. A method of treatment of different metals in combination with aluminium
in which arseniate of potash is employed as a base or as an auxiliary flux in the
proportions specified as herein described.
4. A novel method of treating aluminium in combination with tungsten,
characterized by successive fusions and orushings of the last-named metal
whereby the difficulty arising from the refractory character of tungsten, and its
different density from that of aluminium is overcome and a homogeneous alloy is
obtained, as herein described.
Dak: Thistoonth day of June 1896.