IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF STEEL AND IRON, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ramsbottom, of Crewe, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF STEEL AND IRON, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 28th April 1865, and dated the 12th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ramsbottom at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 12th
December 1864.
I, JOHN RAMSBOTTOM, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STEEL AND IRON, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to
be as follows:-
My Invention is applicable to the manufacture of steel and iron by the
atmospheric process, commonly known as the "Bessemer process," and as
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Henry Bessemer
on the Twelfth day of February One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six,
No. 356, and it consists in certain improved apparatus for heating atmospheric
air or other gases before they are forced through the liquid metal in the con-
'verting vessel. The apparatus for heating the air or other gases may be con-
structed as shewn at A in the accompanying Drawing, and it consists of a
chamber or vessel with a lid above and a trap-door below. In this vessel are
placed a number of heated solid or hollow spheres, either of metal of other

page_text: suitable material, or other shaped heaters, but I prefer spheres, owing to the
facility with which they may be transferred from the furnace to the vessel,
and the air or other gases becomes heated in passing through the vessel by
direct contact with the heaters; or the heated spheres may be rolled into
a portion of the pipes through which the air passes from the blowing engine
to the "converter," or the heating apparatus may be constructed as shewn
at B. In this case a closed vessel is employed, having tubes connected to the
top of the vessel. Into those tubes, which are open at the top, beaters are
dropped, and the air or other gases become heated by contact with the exterior
of the tubes in passing through the vessel.
I wish to observe that these two modes of constructing my improved beating
apparatus are only given as illustrations, and may be considerably modified.
My Invention also consists in forcing into the "converter," along with the
atmospheric air or other gases, carburetted hydrogen gas or ordinary illumi-
nating gas, in about the proportion of one part of the carburetted bydrogen
gas to thirty parts of atmospheric air to eliminate sulphur and phosphorus
from the converted metal, the object being also to render available certain
descriptions of iron which, owing to the presence of these elements, cannot
now be treated by the Bessemer process.
I do not limit myself to any fixed proportions of carburetted hydrogen gas
to atmospheric air, as these must vary according to the quality of the steel
and iron under operation. It is, however, evident that the proportion of
carburetted bydrogen gas to the atmospheric air must not too nearly approach
the point at which the mixture is explosive, such point being one of carburetted
hydrogen gas to seven or eight of atmospheric air.
The smallest addition of carburetted hydrogen gas will eliminate a portion
of the sulphur and phosphorus, whilst a larger addition of the same may be
needed for eliminating these elements more effectually.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ramsbottom in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAMSBOTTOM, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Ramsbottom, Her special license that I, the
said John Ramsbottom, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Ramsbottom, 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 MANUFACTURE OF STEEL AND IRON, AND
IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Ramsbottom, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ramsbottom, 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 ful-
lowing statement (that is to say) :—
My Invention is applicable to the manufacture of steel and iron by the
atmospheric process commonly known as Bessamer process, and as described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Henry Bessemer on the
Twelfth day of February One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, Number 356,
and it consists in certain improved apparatus for heating atmospheric air or
other gases before they are forced through the liquid metal in the con-
verting vessel. The apparatus for heating the air or other gases may be
constructed as shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 3 in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
Figure is a plan of part of an apparatus for converting iron into steel
according to the Bessemer process above referred to.
a, a are sections of the converting vessels, which oscillate on the centres
indicated by the dotted lines b, b; c is the foundation plate of the crane for
supporting the ladle by which the molton metal is poured into moulds ranged
around the semicircular wall d; e is the chest containing the valves for regu-
lating the blast, and f is the series of pipes for conveying the blast or com-.
pressed air forward to the converting vessel. This pipe I now propose to
make of about twice the area of the pipes hitherto employed, in order that it

page_text: may afford room for the heated spheres g, which are supported on rails f,
fixed in the pipes, as shewn best in Figures 2 and 3. Each end of the pipe f
is closed with a lid, and the lower end, or that near the converting vessel, is
provided with a stop block to prevent the spheres injuring the lid f. This
end of the pipe fis connected to the trunnion of the converting vessel by the
syphon pipe f. During the melting of the metal for conversion, the spheres
are being heated by the waste heat from the melting furnace, or in a suitablė
oven provided for the purpose, and just before the metal is run in to the
converter the spheres are run from the oven upon suitable ways to the end f² of
the pipe f, and are thence passed forward into the pipe f, the lid f³ having
been previously secured to the other end of the pipe; the lid f is then
secured, and the blast in passing through the pipe f becomes heated to the
required extent before entering the converter. The relation between the
beating surface and the quantity of heat contained in the spheres may be
varied at pleasure, either by altering the diameter of the spheres or by making
them hollow. When the blowing is completed the lid f³ is removed, and the
spheres are allowed to run out, or are blown out of the pipe f into a box, in
which they are taken to the oven to be re-heated for further use. It is
evident that the same spheres may be used for heating the blast of any
convenient number of converters. The pipe f may be lined with fire-bricks
or other non-conducting substances, so as to prevent loss from radiation and
reduce the disturbances arising from expansion and also the reduction in the
strength of the pipe from excessive heat, when the temperature of the air is
required to be very high.
Figure 4 represents a modification of my improved heating apparatus. his
n vessel lined with fire-brick or other non-conducting substance. At the top of
the vessel is a manhole provided with the lid h¹, and at the bottom is the
opening h³ ³ is the pipe for admitting the blast to the vessel h, and h is the
pipe in communication with the trunnion of the converter.
The spheres
similar to those shewn in the pipef having been heated are allowed to drop into
the vessel h, the lining of the lower portion of which is protected by a metal
plate or by pieces of broken fire-brick, or tap cinder, or other suitable material.
The blast becomes heated in passing through the spaces between the spheres.
In Figures 5 and 6 the blast is heated is heated in passing between the metal
tubes, which are secured by flanges or otherwise to the top of the vessel h.
The tubes i are heated by the heaters j, which are lowered into the tubes previous
to or during the time that the blast is being admitted to the vessel h. The top
and bottom of the vessel are held together by vertical stays to resist the internal
pressure of the blast, or the tubes may serve as stays by connecting the lower

page_text: ends to the bottom of the vessel. In this case the heat is conducted through
the metal of the tubes, and the heating surface is therefore less effective than
when the heat is applied direct as before described. To compensate for this,
the surface of the tubes is made proportionately greater. I prefer to make
the cylindrical tubes i of cast-iron, as the pressure is external, and this metal
is comparatively strong to resist compression when heated.
I wish to observe that the modes above described of constructing my im-
proved heating apparatus are only given as illustrations of the mode of heating
air under considerable pressure, and may be considerably modified, as for
instance, more than one line of spheres may be placed in the pipe f above
described, or more than one pipe with spheres or other heaters may be used,
or the beaters may be cylindrical or of any other form that can be conveniently
introduced; or in the apparatus shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6, ingots from a
previous cast may be used as heaters, either by being placed in the vessel h,
Figure 4, or in the tubes i in Figures 5 and 6.
My Invention also consists in forcing into the "converter," along with the
atmospheric air or other gases, carburetted hydrogen gas, or ordinary illumi-
nating gas, in about the proportion of one part of the carburetted hydrogen gas
to thirty parts of atmospheric air, to eliminate sulphur and phosphorus from the
converted metal, the object being also to render available certain descriptions
of iron which, owing to the presence of these elements, cannot now be treated
by the Bessemer process.
I do not limit myself to any fixed proportions of carburetted hydrogen gas
to atmospheric air, as these must vary according to the quality of the steel
and iron under operation. It is, however, evident that the proportion of
carburetted hydrogen gas to the atmospheric air must not too nearly approach
the point at which the mixture is explosive, such point being one of carburetted
hydrogen gas to seven or eight of atmospheric air.
The introduction of carburetted hydrogen gas along with atmospheric air
las the effect of eliminating the greater part of the sulphur or phosphorus
which the metal contains in the shape of sulphuretted or phosporetted
hydrogen.
I wish it to be understood that hydrogen gas alone, or mixed with carbu-
retted hydrogen gas, may be used for the purpose and in the manner above
described.
I would also remark that heated air has before been used in the Bessemer
process, and that it has been proposed to use carburetted hydrogen and other
gases without the admixture of atmospheric air in the manufacture of iron or
steel.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim―
First, the improved modes of heating high-pressure air to be used in the
manufacture of steel and iron, as shewn and as described.
And, secondly, the use of hydrogen gas or carburetted hydrogen gas, or a
mixture of both, along with atmospheric air, in the manufacture of steel and
iron by the "Bessemer process," as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ramsbottom, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of June One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-five.
J. RAMSBOTTOM. (L.S.)