IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harris, of Harefield Ironworks, Middlesex,
and Vaughan Pendred, of Crohill Villa, Milton Road, Dulwich,
Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL."
Sealed the 1st January, 1869, and dated the 9th July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harris and Vaughan
Pendred at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th July 1868.
We, JOHN HARRIS, of Harefield Ironworks, Middlesex, and VAUGHAN
PENDRED, of Crohill Villa, Milton Road, Dulwich, Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL," to be as follows:-
We construct a furnace suitable for heating iron or steel, and con-
sisting of a fire-place to contain fuel, and a hearth or place which we
term the forging hearth or place; at each side of this hearth or place we
make an opening which can be closed at pleasure by suitable appliances.
At one side of the forging place and opposite an opening before men-
tioned we place a steam or other hammer, the head or tup of which can
be caused to enter the before-named forging place. Through one of the

page_text: openings at the opposite side of the furnace we place an anvil, the face
or head of which can be introduced into the forging place to a suitable
distance through one of the before-named openings. This anvil we
prefer to support in such a way, either by the aid of an hydraulic press
or otherwise, that it can be removed at pleasure.
The manner of using this apparatus is as follows:-We charge one or
more puddling furnaces with sufficient iron to make a bloom of the
required size. When the heats are ready we transfer the puddled balls of
iron or steel to the before-mentioned forging space, and there weld two
or more together by the use of the before-named hammer and anvil
into a single pile or bloom, which is then withdrawn and dealt with
subsequently either by rolling or hammering at pleasure. During
the process of forging or welding the forging place is kept full of
flame, which may be rendered deoxidising to prevent the burning
of the iron by suitable dampers. The hammer may in some cases be
caused to act vertically or at an angle instead of horizontally, the
anvil being properly arranged to the same end. The bottom or bed of
the forging place we sometimes prefer to support on hydraulic rams, or
otherwise in such a way that its position may be adjusted to enable the
forging to be done in the most efficent way. Also in some cases we
prefer to combine the before-named forging place with one or more
puddling furnaces in such a way that the blooms of puddled iron or steel
may be transferred to the forging hearth without exposing the blooms to
the air. The hammer head and anvil block are withdrawn from the
forging space except at the moment when they are in use, and they
may be kept cool by the circulation of cold water in a way well under-
stood. Instead of the hammer and anvil before mentioned we sometimes
use squeezing machinery worked either by hydraulic, steam, or other
power to effect the welding of the blooms or piles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Harris and Vaughan Pendred in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 9th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HARRIS, of Harefield Ironworks, Middlesex, and VAUGHAN PENDRED,
of Crohill Villa, Milton Road, Dulwich, Surrey, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Harris and Vaughan Pendred,
Her special licence that we, the said John Harris and Vaughan Pendred,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
John Harris and Vaughan Pendred, our executors, administrators,
and 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 WROUGHT
IRON AND STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Harris and Vaughan Pendred, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 we, the said John Harris and Vaughan
Pendred, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
wrought iron and steel, whereby the production of homogeneous masses
of iron or steel may be accomplished with ease and certainty.
In carrying out this Invention we construct a furnace of the rever-
beratory type; in this furnace we place a grate at one end separated by
a suitable brick bridge, or its equivalent, from a hearth or chamber,
which, for convenience, we term the forging hearth. This chamber or
5 forging hearth is fitted with three openings, one at the end opposite
the grate; the remaining two are disposed one at each side and opposite
each other. The openings are fitted with suitable doors by which they
may be closed at pleasure. At one side of this furnace we erect a

page_text: horizontal steam hammer, and at the other an hydraulic anvil, more
fully described hereafter in this Specification. The before-named steam
hammer is so disposed that its head or tup may enter one of the before-
named lateral openings, while the before-named hydraulic anvil may be
introduced. through the other to a distance which may be regulated at
pleasure. The furnace hammer and anvil are thus used in carrying out
our Invention of improvements in the manufacture of wrought iron and
steel. Any requisite quantity of cast iron is melted in one or more
puddling furnaces and puddled in the ordinary way. As soon as the iron
has come to nature it is converted into balls or blooms in a way well
understood and commonly practised. The puddler then takes one of
these balls and places it in the forging hearth before mentioned, which
is maintained at a high temperature by the heated air and products of
combustion proceeding from a fire previously made on the before-men-
tioned grate, the anvil is then introduced, and the steam hammer is
caused to strike and flatten the ball introduced as described. The
puddler then brings another ball, which is placed close to the first and
welded to it by the action of the hammer and anvil, and other balls are
then introduced and welded to the first two until a mass of the required
size is produced, when the anvil is withdrawn and the mass is pushed
out of the forging hearth through the opening provided for the intro-
duction of the anvil on to a suitable truck or other contrivance, and is
then taken away to be rolled, hammered, or otherwise dealt with. In
the manufacture of large masses of puddled steel we proceed in the same
way as with iron, puddled steel balls produced by any well-known
method being introduced into the forging hearth instead of balls of
puddled iron. In some cases balls of puddled iron and puddled steel
may be worked up into the same mass.
We claim for this process the following advantages:-First, that by
its aid masses of iron or steel may be produced of sufficient size to form
a girder, rail, shaft, armour plate, &c., which will be homogeneous
throughout, in so far that they will be without any weld in the ordinary
sense of the term. Some years since the welding of two or more puddled
balls into one under a steam hammer was practised in Wales, and by
this means large masses were produced, but the process was 'hot satis-
factory because the surfaces of the balls became oxidized 'and good
union could not always be secured between them in consequence.
Puddled balls are now welded in the same way, both at Consett iron-

page_text: works, Durham, and on the Continent of Europe, but the process is. in.
both cases open to the objection we have just pointed out. Now we by
welding the puddled balls together in a furnace, as described, secure &
perfect union, because the iron at the time of welding is surrounded by
a deoxidizing or neutral flame, caused to be present in the forging hearth
by regulating the damper in a way well understood. The formation of
scale is thus effectually prevented on the faces to be united, the iron or:
steel too being maintained at a high temperature the cinder or slag is.
kept fluid or lively, and may be the better expelled..
The second advantage we claim for our Invention is that the cost of
producing, rails, armour plates, shafts, &c. will be much reduced by
practising it, because a mass of homogeneous iron or steel may be made
at once of sufficient, size to form a rail, armour plate, shaft, &c., and the
process of reheating, cutting, and piling may therefore be dispensed with.
In order to render the nature of this our Invention of improvements.
in the manufacture of wrought iron and steel more readily understood,
we have appended Drawings illustrating the nature of the apparatus
we employ. The same letters of reference apply to the same parts
throughout.
A, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; Sheet 1; is the welding furnace shewn in
end section in Fig. 1, in plan at Fig. 2, and in longitudinal section at
Fig. 3; B is the grate;. C, the bridge; and D, the forging hearth or
chamber; E, Figs. 1, 2, and 5, is the steam. hammer;. and F, Figs. 1
and 2, is the hydraulic anvil. The products of combustion are led away
from the forging hearth to a suitable stack by two flues opening into the
hearth near the charging opening G and marked by the dotted lines,
H, H, Fig. 2, which descend into a horizontal flue, not shewn..
The hydraulic anvil consists of a heavy casting I, Figs. 1 and 2, in
the upper part of which is a cylindrical cavity within which the ram J
works; this ram is double-acting. Water is admitted to either end of
the cylindrical cavity by a common slide valve contained in the box K
and actuated by the hand wheel Land the screw M, Fig. 2. The water-
is introduced under pressure obtained by an accumulator or otherwise
into the box K through the stop valve N and is withdrawn from the ends.
of the cylinder by the pipe O, Fig. 1; we do not confine ourselves to this.
form of valve apparatus as any one of many other well-known forms. may
be employed. The ram J is made of such length that it may be thrust
into the middle of the width of the furnace, and it is made with a;

page_text: dovetail slot in the end to enable a head or tup of any required form to
be secured to it, as shewn at P in Figs. 1 and 2. Q, Q, are two arcs
or segments of wrought or cast iron pivoting on the cross head R; these
arcs support the weight of the ram, rolling on the rails S, S. When the
ram is thrust forward as far as it will go the arcs assume the position
shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The ram enters through the
opening T, Figs. 1 & 2. G, Figs. 1 and 2, is the charging door through
which the puddled balls to be welded are introduced. E, Figs. 1, 2,
and 5, is the steam hammer, the ram or tup of which is supported by two
arcs Q, Q a cross head R, and rails S, S, Figs. 1 and 2. This hammer
is in other respects not different from ordinary hammers and may be
of any required form, we prefer however to use an arrangement of valve
patented by Davey of Sheffield. The head or tup X of this hammer is
made so that it can easily be replaced when worn out; it enters the
forging hearth D through the opening U, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5. In using
this apparatus the puddled balls are placed, as before described, in the
forging hearth D. The door closing T (omitted in the Drawing to avoid
confusion) is raised water is admitted behind the ram piston V, which
together with the ram is pushed forward to a proper distance within
the furnace, or until it touches the puddled ball. The closing U is
then opened, and the lever A¹, Figs. 1 and 2, being actuated by an
attendant the steam hammer is put in motion and the puddled ball
resting against the anvil ram J is slightly flattened; another ball is then
placed in contact with the first and welded to it by blows from the
steam hammer, and the process is continued as quickly as balls can be
put into D, a forgeman in front arranging them properly with suitable
tools through the charging hole G. As the mass in D increases in size the
ram J is caused to recede by an attendant actuating the hand wheel L
in a way which will be easily understood without further description.
When the mass has reached the required size J is withdrawn altogether,
and the mass is pushed out through T on to a trolly, truck, or other
expedient, and is removed to be dealt with by rolling, hammering, &c.,
being still at a welding heat. If found desirable a stream of water may
be made to circulate through those portions of the anvil and steam
hammer exposed to a great heat in order to keep them cool in a way too
well understood to require description.

page_text: facture of a curved armour plate is illustrated. In carrying out this
portion of our Invention a piece of armour plate or other heavy plate is
introduced at one end into the forging hearth D, while the other end
is retained between a pair of rolls B', B', Fig. 4; these rolls are mounted
in suitable houseings (omitted to avoid confusion). The end of the plate
being brought to a welding heat, puddled balls are welded against the
end by the steam hammer. After a sufficient number of balls are thus
attached to the plate and to each other the rolls are put in motion and
the plate withdrawn and rolled backwards and forwards, the rolls having
what is known as a reverse motion until the proper thickness is attained;
the end of the plate is then restored to the welding furnace and more
puddled balls welded to the end; it is then once more withdrawn, and
the additional length of iron so secured is rolled down to the proper
thickness. C¹ is a roll so placed as to give the required curve to the
plate. In this way semicircular rings of solid iron may be made for
turrets. Fig. 5 illustrates the manufacture of a flat armour plate. In
some cases we give the rolls a slow continuous motion in one direction,
so that the slab of iron is withdrawn from the furnace at just the same
rate that it is increased in length by the addition of puddled balls, and
two or more sets of rolls may be worked advance of each other in
order to bring the plate to the proper thickness in a way well under-
stood. In all cases the rolls must have water circulated through them;
we have shewn them hollow and filled with water, but we do not confine
ourselves to this arrangement.
j
In some cases we substitute for the steam hammer herein-before
described a second hydraulic anvil, and we then accomplish the welding
together of the puddled balls by pressure instead of percussion. The
two so-called anvils then act the part of hydraulic presses, between which
two or more puddled balls are squeezed together.
The method of carrying out this part of our Invention which we prefer
A is the furnace; D, the
to adopt is illustrated in Fig. 1, Sheet 2.
forging hearth; F, F, the hydraulic rams or anvils constructed as
lierein-before described and illustrated in Sheet 1; R, R, the cross
heads; S, S, S, S, the rails; Q, Q, the arcs rolling on S, S, S, 8; P, P,
the heads of the anvils or squeezers; I, I, the bodies of the rams
or squeezers; G', two puddled balls being squeezed together; the
details of the valves, pipes, &c. are omitted to avoid confusion. Any con-

page_text: venient and well-known arrangement may be adopted as circumstances
dictate.
It may be found expedient in some cases to impart a horizontal
circular motion to the steam hammer and hydraulic anvil, in order that
the masses to be welded may be struck at different angles. To effect
this we mount either the steam hammer, the hydraulic anvil, or both on
a carriage or carriages pivoted at the end next the furnace and caused
partially to rotate round this pivot by any of the means ordinarily
practised in working heavy ordnance on board ship.
This arrangement is shewn in Fig. 2, Sheet 2, in so far as regards the
steam hammer, the mode of fitting the hydraulic anvil being the same.
Here A is a portion of the furnace; E is the steam hammer; Q, the arcs
or quadrants; S, the rails, the hammering apparatus is carried on the
platform W shewn in outline plan in Fig. 3, Sheet 2; X' is the pivot
securely fixed to the floor round which W₁ partially rotates, motion
being imparted by the gearing Y' acting on a curved rack Z' secured to
the hinder end of W. The steam must be led to the hammer and the
water to the hydraulic anvil through flexible or jointed pipes in a way
well understood.
In Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is shewn another modification of our Invention, in
which the steam hammer being mounted in any of the ways herein-
before described, the hydraulic anvil is disposed in the way shewn in the
Drawing, Fig. 4, Sheet 2. Here F is the casting containing the hydraulic
piston and ram, the latter shewn in outline by the dotted lines J, J;
F is a heavy mass of cast iron secured to the outer end of J, J; its
weight is supported by the slides S, S¹, the cross head R, and the arcs Q;
the anvil proper is shewn at J¹; A is the furnace; B2 is a click or pawle
working into the ratchet B³. In using this modification of our Invention
water is admitted on to the outer side of the piston secured to J, J, and
by its pressure the ram J, J, the block F, and the anvil J' are drawn
towards the furnace until J¹ is introduced to the required distance,
as shewn by dotted lines. The process of welding may then be followed
out as herein-before described the pawle B' and the ratchet B³ preventing
the recoil of the anvil J' under the action of the hammer.
And having now described the nature of our Invention, and the best
means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into operation,, we
would have it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the
exact details herein shewn and described, which may be varied without

page_text: departing from the nature of our Invention, which consists in the
improved process of manufacture herein described by means of which
several puddled balls or their equivalents may be welded or agglomerated
into a single mass within a furnace suitably constructed to maintain
them at a welding heat during the process of agglomeration.
And we wish it further to be understood that we claim as our Inven-
tion the welding or agglomeration of two or more masses, balls, bars,
or cakes of crude wrought iron or crude puddled steel, or of two or
more masses of crude wrought iron and crude puddled steel into one
mass, the process of welding or agglomeration being effected within
a furnace suitably constructed to maintain the metal being worked at
a welding heat during the carrying out of the said process.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Harris and Vaughan Pendred,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-nine.
Witness,
H. J. ALLISON.
JOHN HARRIS. (L.S.)
V. PENDRED.
(L.S.)