IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING METALS BY SUBJECTING THEM TO THE ACTION OF GASES CHARGED PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Townsend Kirkwood, of Ireton House,
Cheltenham, in the County of Gloucester, Gentleman, and Wade
Hampton Smith, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING METALS BY SUBJECTING THEM TO THE ACTION OF GASES CHARGED
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Townsend Kirk-
wood and Wade Hampton Smith at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th February 1874.
We, JOHN TOWNSEND KIRKWOOD, of Ireton House, Cheltenham, in
the County of Gloucester, Gentleman, and WADE HAMPTON SMITH, of
Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer,
IMPROVEMENTS
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IN TREATING METALS BY SUBJECTING THEM TO THE ACTION OF GASES CHARGED
WITH CARBON, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
68
The Invention relates to the treatment of metals, and in particular
iron, by subjecting it while it is heated in suitable vessels, pots, or
•

page_text: retorts to the action of the products obtained by the ignition of gases
charged with carbon, such as carburetted hydrogen or hydrocarbon
gases, the combustion of the gases being effected in chambers or tubes
into which a suitable quantity of atmospheric air is admitted, and the
products of the combustion being conducted through suitable openings
made in the heating vessels and caused to act upon the iron contained
therein, which is thereby carbonized and to a considerable extent
purified, the carbonization being effected in a more certain, speedy, and
economical way than has hitherto been practicable.
We construct our compound burner which we find may be used with
great advantage in the following manner :--The gas is first ignited at the
end of a tube which is enclosed in another tube or chamber into which a
regulated amount of atmospheric air is introduced, the products of the
combustion so effected are passed from the inner tube or chamber
through a burner, which in turn is enclosed in another chamber or tube :
which is also supplied with atmospheric air, the supply being regulated
as before by valves or slides. The products of the combustion so effected
are conducted through a suitable pipe and may be directly introduced
through a suitable opening in the heating vessel, pot, or retort, or the
products may be stored in a suitable receiver ready for use as required.
It is obvious that other forms of burners may be used to effect a like
object, also that instead of employing atmospheric air nitrogen gas may
be employed.
The form of furnace we adopt for our purpose when we treat scrap
iron or broken picces in pots, is one in which the flame and products of
combustion from the fire pass by channels into chambers containing tho
heating pots, and thence the flame or products of combustion pass away
by suitable passages to the chimney or stack. Chambers are also pro-
vided beneath those to contain the pots or retorts with communication
between the one and the other to facilitate the conducting of the gas, a
and to enable the attendant to regulate the supply of the gas.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Townsend Kirkwood and Wade Hampton
Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
5 TOWNSEND KIRKWOOD, of Ireton House, Cheltenham, in the County of
Gloucester, Gentleman, and WADE HAMPTON SMITH, of Edgbaston,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Townsend Kirkwood and
Wade Hampton Smith, Her special license that wc, the said John
Townsend Kirkwood and Wade Hampton Smith, our executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as wc, the said John Townsend
Kirkwood and Wade Hampton Smith, 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 TREATING METALS BY
SUBJECTING THEM TO
THE ACTION OF GASES CHARGED WITH CARBON, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said John Townsend Kirkwood and Wade Hampton Smith, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Wade Hampton Smith, on behalf
of myself and the said John Townsend Kirkwood, 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 thereof, that is to say:―
This Invention relates to the treatment of metals, and in particular

page_text: iron, by subjecting it whilst it is heated in suitable vessels, pots, or
retorts to the action of the products obtained by the ignition of gases
charged with carbon, such as carburetted hydrogen or hydrocarbon
gases, the combustion or combustions of the gases being effected in
chambers or tubes into which a suitable quantity of atmospheric air is
admitted, and the products of the combustion or combustions being con-
ducted or conveyed through suitable openings made in the heating
vessels and caused to act on the iron or other metal contained therein,
which is thereby carbonized and to a considerable extent purified, the
carbonization being effected in a more certain, speedy, and economical
way than has hitherto been practicable.
We construct and use our burner or burners which we find may be
used with great advantage in the following manner:- -The gas is first
ignited at the end of a tube A which is enclosed in another tube or
chamber B into which a regulated amount of atmospheric air is intro-
duced, the products of the combustion so effected are passed from the
tube or chamber B through a suitable channel or pipe C into the pots,
retorts, or other suitable vessels J containing the metal to be treated, or
are passed through a burner C¹ and there again ignited, which burner in
turn is enclosed in another chamber or tube D which is also supplied
with atmospheric air, the supply being regulated as before by valves or
slides E. The products of the combustion or combustions so effected are
conducted through a suitable pipe and may be directly introduced
through a suitable opening in the heating vessel, pot, or retort H, or the
products may be stored in a suitable receiver ready for use as required.
It is obvious that other forms of burners may be used to effect the
like object, also instead of atmospheric air nitrogen gas may be
employed.
The form of furnace we adopt for our purpose when we treat scrap or
broken pieces of iron in pots, retorts, or other vessels H is one in which
the flame and products of combustion from the fire I pass by channels F
into chambers G containing the heated pots, retorts, or other vessels H,
which said pots, retorts, or other vessels H also contain separate interior
ones J, in which the metal to be acted upon is placed, and thence the
flame or products of combustion pass away by suitable channels or flues
K to the chimney or stack, the interior vessels J above-named being
charged with scrap or broken pieces of metal are placed in the said

page_text: chambers or flues K', and there heated previously to being placed in the
outer pots, retorts, or other vessels H to be acted on by the gases produced
by the said combustion. Chambers L are also provided beneath those
that contain the pots or other vessels with a communication M between
the one and the other to facilitate the conducting of the gas or vapours
to the heated metal, and to enable the attendants to regulate the supply
thereof.
We claim as our Invention the igniting or burning of gases charged
with carbon, and the use and application of the products of the said
combustion or combustions to metals, and of the apparatus and form of
furnace described herein.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wade Hampton Smith, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four