IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASTINGS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacob Geoghegan Willans, of No. 9, St. Stephen's Crescent,
Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASTINGS."
Sealed the 28th March 1877, and dated the 30th October 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacob Geoghegan Willans at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1870.
JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS, of No. 9, St. Stephen's Crescent, Bayswater, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASTINGS."
My Invention relates to those castings which are of a steely or irony character.
Hitherto these have been made of iron combined with carbon, the per centage of
carbon being greater than that of the sulphur in the casting.
My Invention firstly consists in making castings of steel or of iron containing
more sulphur than carbon, or it may be containing sulphur without carbon; or of
steel or iron to which sulphurets of those other metals which alloy with iron (or
substances producing them) had been added; or of steel or iron through which
whilst fluid sulphur or its compounds had been injected.
My Invention, secondly, consists in making castings of steel or iron containing
more potassium or sodium, or their mixture, than carbon, or it may be containing
potassium or sodium without carbon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Jacob Geoghegan Willans in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
April 1877.
JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS, of 9, St. Stephen's Crescent, Bayswater, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CASTINGS."
My Invention relates to those castings which are made of steel or iron containing
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page_text: less than 12 per cent. of carbon, and has for its object the increasing the fluidity of
the metal when molten, and its solidity or toughness when cold.
It consists, firstly, in making these castings to contain more sulphur than carbon,
or it may be to contain sulphur without any appreciable quantity of carbon.
And, secondly, in making castings of steel or iron to which a sulphuret of another
metal which alloys with iron had been added, or to which the alloying metal as well
as sulphur or its compounds had been added without reference to the relative pro-
portions of carbon and sulphur in the casting.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention I prefer to melt down in covered
clay crucibles such as are used by steel melters, wrought-iron scrap in pieces not
exceeding one pound in weight, grey cast iron (containing little phosphorus and
about 3 per cent. carbon), and a sulphuret of iron in the form of pyrites in the
following proportions:-To every 10 lbs. weight of the wrought-iron scrap I add
1/4 lbs. of the cast iron and 3 ounces of an iron pyrites in a crushed state,
containing about 48 per cent. of sulphur, or 4 ounces if the pyrites contains only
35 per cent. of sulphur. I cast the metal when well molten into such moulds as
are commonly used by steel founders. The castings may subsequently be annealed
in the usual manner.
Instead of a mixture of wrought and cast iron, an equivalent weight of steel
containing 033 per cent. (about 1/3rd per cent.) of carbon may be used. If wrought-
iron scrap be melted without addition of the cast iron, the quantity of iron pyrites
should be increased by one-half to three-fourths, but I prefer to add some cast iron.
Instead of melting down the sulphuret of iron along with the mixture of wrought
and cast iron, the latter may first be molten and the sulphuret of iron added
thereto.
In carrying out the second part of my Invention, I add to the steel or iron from
which the casting is to be made a compound of sulphur and other metal alloying
with iron, such as sulphuret of copper, or of tin, or of potassium, or of manganese,
or non-volatile sulphurets of other metals. Or any of these metals or substances
yielding them may be added together with sulphur or its compounds, such as
sulphates or sulphides. I prefer for castings of a comparatively soft kind to mix
wrought-iron scrap and cast iron as before, and to add to every 10 lbs. of the
wrought iron 1/2 lbs. of the cast iron and 3 ounces of crushed Spanish pyrites con-
taining from 1/2 to 3 per cent. of copper and about 48 per cent. of sulphur, such as
the pyrites now largely used by the makers of sulphuric acid.
I also add 3/4 ounce
of metallic tin, or instead of it 16 ounces of tin plate scrap.
Instead of the mixture of wrought and cast iron an equivalent weight of steel
containing about 0.4 per cent. of carbon may be employed.
For castings of a harder kind I prefer to proceed as follows, viz. -I add 17 ounces
of the Spanish pyrites to 45 lbs. of the wrought-iron scrap and charge the mixture
into one crucible. Into another crucible I charge about 38 lbs. wrought iron and
91/2 lbs. spiegel eisen containing about 10 per cent. of manganese.
When the
contents of both crucibles are well molten I intermix them and make the castings
from the mixture. I prefer to melt in crucibles and to cast into such moulds as are
commonly used by steel founders.
The castings may be annealed as usual. Instead of adding the sulphur to the
steel or iron during the melting or afterwards, the required quantity of sulphur may
be added to the iron or steel in the course of its manufacture before it be cut into
scrap, and instead of adding the alloying metal and the sulphur together, either may
be added separately.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the mixtures or
proportions herein set forth, nor do I claim as part of my Invention the adding of
sulphureous cast iron to other cast iron and making cast-iron castings therefrom,
but I do claim,―
The manufacture of castings from steel or iron containing less than one per cent. of
carbon so prepared as to contain more sulphur than carbon,

page_text: I also claim the manufacture of castings from steel or iron containing less than
1/2 per cent. of carbon so prepared as to contain 0-3 per cent. or more of metallic
alloy and 0.25 per cent. or more of sulphur.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacob Geoghegan Willans, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
J. G. WILLANS. (L.S.)