IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO WROUGHT IRON, PART OF WHICH IM- PROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO STEEL
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Heaton, of Langley Mill, in the County of
Derby, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO WROUGHT IRON, PART OF WHICH IM-
PROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO
STEEL."
Sealed the 29th October 1867, and dated the 3rd May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Heaton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd May 1867.
I, JOHN HEATON, of Langley Mill, in the County of Derby, Consulting.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO WROUGHT IRON, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO STEEL,"
to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to the conversion of cast iron into wrought iron
by the action upon such iron when in a molten state of nitrate of soda or
nitrate of potash, or chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash applied so as to act
from below upwards through such molten metal. A nitrate or chlorate
referred to may for this purpose be placed in chambers within the receiver of
the molten metal, which receiver may be caused to revolve so that such
chambers may come under the molten metal for the contained nitrate or:

page_text: chlorate to act through it; or the nitrate or chlorate may be placed in a
chamber or receiver forming a part of or applied to the under side of the
chamber to receive the molten metal, so that the molten metal may be at once
acted upon by such nitrate or chlorate. The surface of the nitrate or chlorate
is protected from the too free action of the molten metal by means of a plate
or sheet of iron perforated with numerous small holes. Supposing the cast
iron to contain about 5 per cent. of carbon I apply about one and a quarter
hundredweight of nitrate or chlorate to each ton of iron, and the effect will
take place in about three minutes, but these proportions and the time employed
may be varied. The use of the chlorates is also applicable to the conversion
of the cast iron into steel. In this case, supposing the amount of carbon in
the cast iron to be that previously stated, I employ about one hundredweight
of chlorate to the like quantity of iron.
SPECIFICATION în pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Heaton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEATON, of Langley Mill, in the County of Derby, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Heaton, Her special licence that I, the said
Job Heaton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as 1, the said John Heaton, my 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 CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO WROUGHT IRON,
PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON
INTO STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Heaton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, 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

page_text: 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 John Heaton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
The improvements relate to the conversion of cast iron into wrought iron
by the action upon such iron when in a molten state of nitrate of soda or
nitrate of potash, or chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash, applied so as to
act from below upwards through such molten metal. A nitrate or chlorate
referred to may for this purpose be placed in chambers within the receiver of
the molten metal, which receiver may be caused to revolve so that such
chambers may come under the molten metal for the contained nitrate or
chlorate to act through it; or the nitrate or chlorate may be placed in a
chamber or receiver forming a part of or applied to the under side of the
chamber to receive the molten metal, so that the molten metal may be at once
acted upon by such nitrate or chlorate. The surface of the nitrate or
chlorate is protected from the too free action of the molten metal by means
of a plate or sheet of iron perforated with numerous small holes.
But that the Invention may be fully understood I will, by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, proceed to describe means pursued by me in carrying
the same into effect.
In the conversion of cast iron into wrought iron by the action upon such
iron when it is in a molten state by means of nitrate of soda or nitrate. of
potash, or chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash, applied so as to act from
below upwards through the molten metal, I sometimes employ apparatus
such as that shown attached to the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
me, bearing date the 17th of March 1866, No. 798, and in such case the nitrate
or chlorate to be used is placed in the small chambers surrounding the
receiver of the molten metal, and when the receiver of the molten metal is
caused to revolve the chambers containing the nitrate or chlorate are each in
succession brought under the molten metal, so that the nitrate or chlorate.
then acts on the molten metal in a direction upwards through.it.
Figure 1 represents a vertical section, Figures 2 and 3 external views,.
Figure 4 a plan, Figures 5 and 6 horizontal sections, and Figures 7, 8, 9,
and 10 detail views of an arrangement of apparatus which in carrying out
my improvements is more particularly adapted to the conversion of large.
quantities of-metal.
}

page_text: a is a vertical cylinder or chamber for the reception of the molten metal
to be operated upon; this chamber or cylinder a is divided into two parts A,
and A¹; the part A is stationary, and is supported by means of bracket
pieces a resting on a table or platform 6 which is carried by columns 6';
62 is a circular opening in the table or platform b, through which the part A
of the chamber or cylinder a passes. The lower part A¹ of the chamber or
cylinder a is moveable, and is connected to the part A when required by
means of clamps c passing over the flanges a², or it may be otherwise
connected if desired; d, d, is a lining of fire-brick or fire-clay. The nitrate
or chlorate to be used is first placed in the part A', as shown by the yellow
lines e in Figure 8, before that part is affixed to the part A; a plate of iron a
perforated with small holes is then laid on it, after which the part A' with
its contents is brought into position, and the joint between the parts. A
and A is luted, and the clamps c are passed over the flanges a³ as shown by
Figures 1 and 2; the molten metal to be operated upon is then poured into
the chamber a at a, and after it has been operated upon by the nitrate or
chlorate contained in the part A¹ it is drawn off through the opening by
removing the clay plug f¹.
In practice I find it convenient to employ a series of parts A¹ for each
converting apparatus, each of which is filled and used in succession, so that as
soon as one charge of nitrate or chlorate has acted on the metal contained in
the apparatus and that metal has been drawn off the part A last in use may
be removed and another placed in position. The cylinder or chamber a
is contracted in diameter at aº, and is carried up somewhat in the form of a
chimney in order that the gases generated during the operation upon the
metal may escape through it. The plate a' may conveniently be of from 1
of an inch to of an inch thick, and the perforations in it may be about of
an inch in diameter, and about 1 inches apart, but these relations may be
varied. For convenience of carriage away and replacing of fresh portions A',
I apply under each chamber a rails or tramways g for trucks h upon which
the parts A are received. When placing the parts A' in position a block or
blocks may be placed upon the truck to raise the parts A¹ to, the level
required. The red colour i represents the metal under operation.
The metal may be taken directly from the converting apparatus whilst in a
molten state and put into a receiving furnace of the form of a puddling
furnace with the bottom a little deeper (to suit, the quantity of metal under
operation), and having a tap hole in it to run the metal out when required for.
manufacturing. The metal whilst in this furnace may be covered by the'
cinder from the converting apparatus or by other substance of a similar kind

page_text: to keep it from being acted upon by the oxidizing atmosphere in such furnace,
or it may be run into the puddling furnace direct so as to ball it up for the
hammer. The forms of these furnaces are well understood, and therefore they
require no further description. Supposing the cast iron to be converted into
wrought iron to contain about 5 per cent. of carbon, I apply about one and a
quarter hundredweight of nitrate or chlorate to each ton of iron, and the
conversion will be effected in about three minutes, but these proportions and
the time employed may be varied, The use of the chlorates in the manner
stated is also applicable to the conversion of cast iron into steel, but in
this case, supposing the amount of carbon in the cast iron to be that previously
stated, I employ about one hundredweight of chlorate to the like quantity
(or ton) of iron.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in carrying
the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact proportions or method of working herein stated, as the same may be
varied without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention; but
what I do claim is, the use of nitrate of soda or nitrate of potash, or chlorate of
soda, or chlorate of potash to act from the under side upwards upon cast or pig
iron, when such iron is in a molten state, for the purpose of converting the
same into wrought iron in manner substantially as herein described.
Also I claim the use of chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash to act from
the under side upwards upon cast or pig iron, when such iron is in a molten
state, for the purpose of converting the same into steel in manner substantially
as described.
And also I claim the use of the adaptation or combination of means or
apparatus for the purposes substantially as described in respect of the
Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Heaton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN HEATON. (L.S.)

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEATON, of Langley Mill, in the County of Derby, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain and Ireland,
bearing date at Westminster the Third day of May One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did grant
unto me, the said John Heaton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, the sole privilege of making, using, exercising, and vending,
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO
WROUGHT IRON, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE
CONVERSION OF CAST IRON INTO STEEL," within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man,
for and during the term of fourteen years thence next ensuing: And
whereas in pursuance and performance of a proviso in the said Letters
Patent contained, I,. the said John Heaton did, within six calendar
months next after the date of the said Letters Patent, cause a Speci-
cation in writing under my hand and seal, particularly describing the
•

page_text: "
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
duly filed in the Great Seal Patent Office: And whereas since the
filing of the said Specification I have been informed that attempts had
been made prior to the date of my herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent to employ nitrates of soda and potash for the purpose of con-
verting cast iron into wrought iron and cast iron into steel, and although
such attempts have been so far as I am aware without practical success,
I, the said John Heaton, am desirous of limiting and altering my said
Specification in manner herein-after shewn.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Heaton, by and with the leave
of Her Majesty's Attorney-General, do hereby for the reason aforesaid,
and for effecting the object aforesaid, strike out the following words
which occur in lines 14, 15, and 16 of the fifth page of the print of the
said Specification printed by the Queen's Printers and published at the
Great Seal Patent Office, "confine myself to the exact proportions or
"method of working herein stated as the same may be varied without
departing from the peculiar character of the Invention," and insert
in the place of such words the words following, "claim the use of
"nitrates or chlorates of soda or potash generally in the treatment of
"iron." And in order that it may be clearly understood what is the
Invention which I now consider to be secured by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, I shall proceed to repeat (omitting preamble and
testing clause) my said Specification as proposed to be amended by
this present Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration as follows:-
The improvements relate to the conversion of cast iron into wrought
iron by the action upon such iron when in a molten state of nitrate of
soda or nitrate of potash, or chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash,
applied so as to act from below upwards through such molten metal. A
nitrate or chlorate referred to may for this purpose be placed in chambers
within the receiver of the molten metal, which receiver may be caused to
revolve so that such chambers may come under the molten metal for the
contained nitrate or chlorate to act through it, or the. nitrate or
chlorate may be placed in a chamber or receiver forming a part of or
applied to the under side of the chamber to receive the molten metal so
that the molten metal may be at once acted upon by such nitrate or
chlorate. The surface of the nitrate or chlorate is protected from the
too free action of the molten metal by means of a plate or sheet of iron
perforated with numerous small holes.

page_text: But that the Invention may be fully understood I will by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me in
carrying the same into effect.
In the conversion of cast iron into wrought iron by the action upon
such iron when it is in a molten state by means of nitrate of soda or'
nitrate of potash, or chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash, applied so
as to act from below upwards through the molten metal, I sometimes
employ apparatus such as that shewn attached to the Specification of
Letters Patent, granted to me bearing date the Seventeenth of March
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, Number 798, and in such
case the nitrate or chlorate to be used is placed in the small chambers
surrounding the receiver of the molten metal, and when the receiver of
the molten metal is caused to revolve the chambers containing the
nitrate or chlorate are each in succession brought under the molten
metal so that the nitrate or chlorate then acts on the molten metal in a
direction upwards through it.
о
Figure 1 represents a vertical section; Figures 2 and 3, external
views; Figure 4, a plan; Figures 5 and 6, horizontal sections, and
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10; detail views of an arrangement of apparatus
which in carrying out my improvements is more particularly adapted to
the conversion of large quantities of metal.
a is a vertical cylinder or chamber for the reception of the molten
metal to be operated upon. This chamber or cylinder a is divided into
two parts A and A¹. The part A is stationary and is supported by means
of bracket pieces a' resting on a table or platform 6 which is carried by
columns 61; 62 is a circular opening in the table or platform 6 through'
which the part A of the chamber cylinder a passes. The lower part A
of the chamber or cylinder a is moveable and is connected to the part A
when required by means of clamps c passing over the flanges a³, or it
may be otherwise connected if desired; d, d, is a lining of fire-brick or
fire-clay. The nitrate or chlorate to be used is first placed in the part A',
as shewn by the yellow lines e, in Figure 8; before that part is affixed-
A a plate of iron a perforated with small holes is then laid on it, after which the part
^
to the part A' with its contents is brought into position and the
joint between the parts A and A' is luted and the clamps c are passed
over the flanges a² as shewn by Figures 1 and 2; the molten metal
to be operated upon is then poured into the chamber a at as, and
after it has been operated upon by the nitrate or chlorate contained in

page_text: plug f¹.
ough the opening by removing the cra
In practice I find it convenient to employ a series of parts A¹ for each
converting apparatus, each of which is filled and used in succession, s
that as soon as one charge of nitrate or chlorate has acted on the meta
contained in the apparatus, and that metal has been drawn off the part A
last in use may be removed and another placed in position. The
cylinder or chamber a is contracted in diameter at a and is carried up
somewhat in the form of a chimney in order that the gases generated
during the operation upon the metal may escape through it. The
plate a may conveniently be of from
thick, and the perforations in it may be about of an inch in diameter,
and about one and a half inches apart, but these relations may be varied.
For convenience of carriage away and replacing of fresh portions A', I
apply under each chamber a rails or tramways g for trucks / upon which
the parts A are received. When placing the parts A¹ in position a block
or blocks may be placed upon the truck h to raise the parts A' to the
level required. The red color i represents the metal under operation.
of an inch to of an inch
The metal may be taken directly from the converting apparatus whilst
in a molten state and put into a receiving furnace of the form of a
puddling furnace with the bottom a little deeper (to suit the quantity of
metal under operation) and having a tap hole in it to run the metal out
when required for manufacturing. The metal whilst in this furnace may
be covered by the cinder from the converting apparatus or by other
substance of a similar kind to keep it from being acted upon by the
oxidizing atmosphere in such furnace, or it may be run into the puddling
furnace direct so as to ball it up for the hammer. The forms of these
furnaces are well understood and therefore they require no further
description.
Supposing the cast iron to be converted into wrought iron to contain
about five per cent. of carbon, I apply about one and a quarter hundred-
weight of nitrate or chlorate to each ton of iron, and the conversion will
be effected in about three minutes, but these proportions and the times
employed may be varied. The use of the chlorates in the manner
stated is also applicable to the conversion of cast iron into steel, but
in this case, supposing the amount of carbon in the cast iron to be that
previously stated, I employ about one hundredweight of chlorate to
the like quantity (or ton) of iron.

page_text: Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
claim the use of nitrates or chlorates of soda or potash generally in the
treatment of iron, but what I do claim is,
The use of nitrate of soda or nitrate of potash or chlorate of soda or
chlorate of potash to act from the under side upwards upon cast or pig
iron when such iron is in a molten state, for the purpose of converting
the same into wrought iron, in manner substantially as herein described.
Also I claim the use of chlorate of soda or chlorate of potash to act
from the under side upwards upon cast or pig iron when such iron is in
a molten state, for the purpose of converting the same into steel, in
manner substantially as described.
And also I claim the use of the adaptation or combination of means
or apparatus for the purposes substantially as described in respect of the
Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Heaton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN B. KARSLAKE,
Attorney-General.
Temple, August 3, 1868.