IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF WROUGHT OR BAR IRON
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clay, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Iron Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WROUGHT OR BAR IRON."
Sealed the 27th June 1856, and dated the 24th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
March 1856.
I, WILLIAM CLAY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Iron Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT OR BAR IRON, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in taking crude or cast iron, or fine metal, in the.
melted state, and reducing it to a granular form, in which state it will be found
much more convenient for conversion by the subsequent ordinary processes into
bar iron. The iron may be obtained either direct from the blast furnace, from
which it may be run out in a molten state, or it may be melted down from pig.
iron or scrap iron; but from whatever source it may be obtained I propose to
reduce it to a granular form, by causing it, when in a molten state, to run into.
water; or I let it fall from any convenient height through a perforated plate,.
whereby it will be divided into small particles, and by descending through an
atmosphere charged with oxygen gas, the divided molten metal will during its
passage through the air be decarbonized or partially decarbonized. Ordinary

page_text: atmospheric air contains a considerable quantity of oxygen, and will act with
considerable effect in decarbonizing the iron; but I also propose sometimes to
charge the atmosphere (through which the molten iron is to fall) with an
additional dose of oxygen, or some other decarbonizing gas, which will act upon
the iron, and tend to deprive it of a portion of the carbon it contains. The
particles of molten iron, after falling from a height through the air, as before
explained, may be allowed to fall into water below, whereby the decarbonization
of the metal will be carried still farther.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLAY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Iron Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the, said William Clay, Her special license that I, the said William Clay,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clay, 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF WROUGHT OR BAR IRON," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Clay, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clay, do hereby. declare the
nature of 'my 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 (that is to say):
My Invention of "Improvements in the. Manufacture of Wrought or Bar
Iron" consists in taking crude, or cast iron, or fine metal, in the molten state, and

page_text: reducing it to a granular form, in which state it will be found much more
convenient and suitable for working up by the subsequent processes into bar
iron. The iron may be obtained either direct from the blast furnace, from which
it may be run out in a molten state, or it may be melted down from pig iron
or scrap cast iron; but from whatever source it may be obtained, I propose to
reduce it to a granular form preparatory to its being submitted to the subse-
quent processes. The granulation of the iron is effected by causing the metal
when in a molten state to run into water, after which the iron may be collected
in a granular form, and be subsequently worked up by the ordinary processes
into bars or other forms of wrought iron. Instead of simply granulating the
iron and obtaining cast iron or refined metal in the granular form, as above
mentioned, the metal may also at the same time be decarbonized or deprived
of a portion of its carbon by causing the cast iron when in a melted state to
fall from a height through the air before reaching the water.
In carrying out this process, the molten metal is caused to pass through a
perforated metal or other plate, placed at the top of a tower, shaft, or well, and by
this means it will be divided into small particles, and by descending in this form
from a suitable height, varying according to the nature and quality of the metal
operated upon, the divided molten metal will during its passage through the air
be decarbonized or partially decarbonized, and thus rendered more suitable for
working up into bar or wrought iron. Ordinary atmospheric air contains a con-
siderable quantity of oxygen, and if the molten iron be finally divided the oxygen
will act with considerable effect in decarbonizing the iron while the latter is falling
through the air. After the iron has passed through the perforated metallic or
other plate, it may be allowed to fall into water, so as to further decarbonizo
the iron, and preserve the metal in particles of a granular form, like shot; or, if
preferred; the water may be dispensed with, and the iron collected in a suitable
vessel at the bottom of the tower, shaft, or well. I sometimes find it convenient
and advisable to charge the atmosphere (through which the molten is to pass)
with an additional dose of oxygen or some other decarbonizing gas or vapour;
which will act more vigorously upon the iron than common air, and will more
quickly deprive it of the carbon or of a portion of the carbon which it contains.
A convenient mode of supplying an additional dose of oxygen for the purposes
of my Invention will be by the decomposition of some of the salts of potass,
such as chlorate of potass or nitrate of potass, which contain considerable
quantities of oxygen. The decomposition of these materials must be effected
by the application of heat, either by causing the red-hot molten metal in a
granular or finely divided state to fall upon a layer of the salt of potash that is
to be employed for the purpose, or by placing the said salt of potash in a retort

page_text: of
and heating the same by a naked fire until oxygen is given off. Other materials,
"such as oxide of manganese, may be employed, either alone or in combination
with other substances, as the oxygenating material; I do not, therefore, mean
for intend to confine myself to tlio use of any particular material, nor to the
nicans of decomposing the same so as to set the oxygen free for the purposes
my Invention. Another inethod of bringing the oxygen into contact with
'the red-hot iron is. by causing a blast or draught of air to enter. the shaft tower
or well down which the iron is descending. This air, if thought desirable,
may also be heated by causing it to pass through hot tubes, which are heated
in a suitable furnace, or in the manner usually employed for heating the blast
of reducing or smelting furnaces. Instead of forcing in heated air, it may be
found convenient to make use of superheated steam, which must be admitted
into the tower, shaft, or well by suitable apertures. The steam should be super-
heated and made quite dry by any of the ordinary and well-known processes,
otherwise the steam may have the effect of cooling down the iron as the latter
passes through it.
The apparatus which I prefer to employ for the purposes of my Invention
'consists simply of a tower, or shaft, or well, of suitable height or depth, and
provided at top with a perforated metallic or other plate, through which the
molten metal is made to pass, and is thereby divided into.small particles.
I have found that by allowing the molten metal in a granular form to fall
through the ordinary atmospheric air a distance of about seventy feet a satis-
factory result has been obtained. I do not, however, intend to confine myself
'to this height, as the distance through which the molten metal is required to full
will vary very considerably, according to the quality of the iron to be acted upon,
or the peculiar nature of the concurrent arrangements for oxygenating tlie
atmosphere through which the molten iron is to pass; for instance, if nothing
but atmospheric air at the ordinary pressure is employed as the oxygenating
agent, the molten iron will be required to fall through a greater distance than
if the atmosphere be artificially charged with oxygen by any of the means above
referred to. The particles of molten iron, after falling from a height through
a body of atmospheric air, either in a natural state or charged with additional
quantities of oxygen, and under pressure or mixed with superheated steam, as
above explained, may, as before mentioned, be allowed to fall into water at the
bottom of the tower or well, or be'collected in a vessel or reservoir placed there
for the purpose.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture
of Wrought or Bar Iron," and the means of carrying the same into effect
I would observe, in conclusion, that although I have described certain means

page_text: of oxygenating the atmospheric air through which the molten metal is made to
fall, I do not mean or intend to claim as my Invention the means herein
mentioned of obtaining oxygen for the purposes of my improvements, nor do
I mean to confine myself thereto, as other means of producing oxygen may
doubtless be employed; but that which I consider to be new, and therefore
wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as afore-
said, is,
First, the granulation of cast iron (whether crude or refined), by causing the
same in a molten state to run into water, as above described.
Second, I claim the granulation of cast iron (whether crude or refined), by
causing the same in a molten state to pass through a perforated metallic or
other plate, suspended or placed in a tower, shaft, or well, down which the
molten metal is allowed to fall in a finely divided state after passing through
the said perforated, metallic, or other plate.
I also claim the decarbonization of cast iron, crude iron, or refined metal, by
causing the same when in a molten state to fall from a height in a finely
divided form through the atmosphere, or an atmosphere charged, either natu-
rally or artificially with oxygen, or some decarbonizing gas or vapour, either
under pressure or otherwise, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clay, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM CLAY.
(L.S.)