AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR COMBINING TUNGSTEN WITH CAST IRON BY CONGLOMERATING REDUCED WOLFRAM
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS ´PATENT to Pierre Réné Marie Le Guen, of No. 30, Rue Voltaire,
in the City of Brest, in the Department of Finistère, in the Empire of
France, Officer in the French Artillery, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS FOR COMBINING TUNGSTEN WITH CAST IRON BY CONGLOMERATING
REDUCED WOLFRAM."
Sealed, the 17th May 1867, and dated the 22nd November 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pierre Réné Marie Le
Guen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd November 1866.
I, PIERRE RÉNÉ MARIE LE GUEN, of No. 80, Rue Voltaire, in the City of
Brest, in the Department of Finistère, in the Empire of France, Officer in
the French Artillery, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR COMBINING TUNGSTEN WITH CAST IRON BY CON-
GLOMERATING REDUCED WOLFRAM," to be as follows:-
When cast iron is melted with wolfram it improves, and combines with part
of the tungsten contained in the ore. If this latter is previously reduced, in
order to bring the metals into the metallic state or into carburets, a greater.
proportion of tungsten enters into the alloyage, but the wolfram being then in
powder it becomes difficult to effect the fusion otherwise than in crucibles,
because in a furnace it would be feared that the ore might pass through the.
charge and fall on the bottom or sole plate, or that it would be dispersed by"
the wind from the bellows.

page_text: The object of my process is to obviate these inconveniences by means of
conglomerates offering sufficient resistance to the fire without preventing the
combination of the metals taking place. For this purpose I grind and reduce
quicklime to powder, carefully protecting it from humidity, and mix a quantity
of this powder with the reduced wolfram, say 10 parts to 100, or thereabout.
I melt pitch or tar, either mineral or vegetable, and pour the preceding
mixture into it, taking care to stir the paste resulting therefrom in such a way
as to uniformly spread the materials. If necessary this paste is again placed
on the fire and more pitch or tar added to bring it to a consistency which will
permit its being divided into portions. These portions are then submitted
to pressure to conglomerate them into cakes or bricks of the desired bulk. I
prefer them about the size of a man's fist. The pecessary quantity of pitch
or tar will be more or less great according to the tools and the means of
compression at disposal.
Supposing that it is desired to use a "Wilkinson furnace," as I have done ;.
knowing the weight of the cast iron to be fused and that of the wolfram which
it is desired to add to it, a quantity of cakes or bricks is taken sufficient to
contain this dose of wolfram, and it is divided into as many equal parts as
there are to be layers of cast iron in the charge. After having in the ordinary
way placed coke in the bottom of the furnace a layer of the cakes or bricks is
deposited above it, and on these is thrown a little more coke in order the
better to preserve the tungsten from oxydation, and also in order that the
cakes may be less damaged by contact with the cast iron, then one of
the corresponding layers of cast iron is placed, and so on. I also put in
some castina or flux, but one-half less, because of the lime existing in the
cakes. The charging or feeding may also take place, the furnace being hot,
in which case instead of placing the materials as I have just described they
are thrown in by the furnace throat or mouth in the order set forth, care being
taken to stop the blast while the feeding is going on. When it is desired to
run off the metal it is received in ladles or pockets, where it is stirred or mixed.
to become more homogeneous before it is poured into the moulds. It is thus.
that I have worked at the military port of Brest, where I used principally
mineral pitch or tar for the preparation of the cakes or bricks.
The "Wilkinson furnace" which I used had an inside width of 30 inches
by a height of 9 feet 2 inches from the bottom or sole to the throat or mouth.
The furnace was charged or fed both cold and hot, as I have above set forth,.
and in both cases each layer of cast iron was of about 220 lbs. weight ("100.
kilogrammes").
Am
d that he tho

page_text: two processes the combination of the greatest part of the tungsten is obtained.
The cast iron obtained from the charge fed into the hot furnace, and for which
I had used the greatest proportion of reduced wolfram, that is to say, about
29 lbs. 8 ozs. for 220 lbs. (" 13 kilog., 375 per cent.") contained about 17 lbs.
13 ozs. of tungsten per 220 lbs. (" 8 kilog., 84 per cent.").
These processes may serve either for the direct amelioration of cast iron to
render it tougher, or to surcharge it with tungsten with other object. "The
surcharged castings may be employed to compose by admixture other cast iron
of a lesser standard, or to manufacture tungstened steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Pierre. Réné Marie Le Guen in. the Great, Seal Patent.
Office on the 18th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
RENE MARIE LE GUEN, of No. 30, Rue Voltaire, in the City of Brest, in the
Department of Finistère, in the Empire of France, Officer in the French
Artillery, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Pierre René Marie Le Guen; Her special licence that
I, the said Pierre René Marie Le Guen, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Pierre René Marié Le Guen, 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 "AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR COMBINING TUNGSTEN
WITH CAST IRON BY CONGLOMERATING REDUCED WOLFRAM," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Pierre René Marie Le Guen, 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 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Pierre René Marie Le Guen, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
When cast iron is melted with wolfram it improves and combines with part
of the tungsten contained in the ore. If this latter is previously reduced, in
order to bring the metals into the metallic state or into carburets, a greater.
proportion of tungsten enters into the alloyage, but the wolfram being then in
powder it becomes difficult to effect the fusion otherwise than in crucibles,
because in a furnace it would be feared that the ore might pass through the
charge and fall on the bottom or sole plate, or that it would be dispersed by
the wind from the bellows.
The object of my process is to obviate these difficulties by means of con-
glomerates offering sufficient resistance to the fire without preventing the
combination of the metals taking place. For this purpose I grind and reduce
quicklime to powder, carefully protecting it from humidity, and mix a quantity
of this powder with the reduced wolfram, say, 10 parts to 100; or thereabout.
I melt pitch or tar, either mineral or vegetable, and pour the preceding
mixture into it, taking care to stir the paste resulting therefrom in such a
way as to uniformly spread the materials. If necessary this paste is again
placed on the fire and more pitch or tar added to bring it to a consistency
which will permit its being divided into portions or fragments. These portions
are then submitted to pressure to conglomerate them. into cakes or bricks of
the desired bulk. I prefer them about the size of a man's fist. The necessary
quantity of pitch or tar will be more or less great according to the tools and
the means of compression at disposal.
Supposing that it is desired to use a "Wilkinson" furnace, as I have done,
knowing the weight of the cast iron to be fused and that of the wolfram which
it is desired to add to it, a quantity of cakes or bricks is taken sufficient
to contain the dose of wolfram, and it is divided into as many equal parts as
there are to be layers of cast iron in the charge. After having in the ordinary
way placed coke in the bottom of the furnace a layer of the cakes or bricks is
deposited above it, and on these is thrown a little more coke in order the
_better to preserve the tungsten from oxydation, and also in order that the
cakes may be less damaged by contact with the cast iron, then one of
the corresponding layers of cast iron is placed, and so on. I also put in some
castina or flux, but one-half less, because of the lime existing in the cakes.
The charging or feeding may also take place, the furnace being hot, in which
case instead of placing the materials as I have just described they are thrown

page_text: in by the furnace throat or mouth in the order set forth, care being taken to
stop the blast while the feeding is going on. When it is desired to run off
the metal it is received in ladles or pockets, where it is stirred or mixed to
become more homogeneous before it is poured into the moulds. It is thus
that I have worked at the military port of Brest, where I used principally
mineral pitch or tar for the preparation of the cakes or bricks.
The "Wilkinson" furnace which I used had an inside width of 30 inches
by a height of 9 feet 2 inches from the bottom or sole to the throat or mouth.
The furnace was charged or fed both cold and hot, as I have above set forth,
and in both cases each layer of cast iron was of about 220 lbs. ("100 kilo-
grammes").
Analysis made at the School of Mines of Paris have proved that by these
two processes the combination of the greatest part of the tungsten is obtained.
The cast iron obtained from the charge fed into the hot furnace, and for which
I had used the greatest proportion of reduced wolfram, that is to say, about
29 lbs. 8 ozs. for 220 lbs. ("13 kilos., 375 per cent.") contained about'
17 lbs. 13 ozs. of tungsten per 220 lbs. ("8 kilos., 84 per cent.").
These processes may serve either for the direct amelioration of cast iron to
render it tougher, or to surcharge it with tungsten with other object. The
surcharged castings may be employed to compose by admixture other cast iron
of a lesser standard, or to manufacture tungstened steel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pierre René Marie Le Guen, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
P. R. M. LE GUEN. (L.B.)