AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS Salop, Ironmaster, for the Invention of IN UTILIZING WASTE AND SCRAP STEEL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonah Foster, of Darlaston, in the County of Stafford, Mill
and Forge Manager, and Thomas Smith, of Toll End, Tipton, in the County of
Stafford, Iron Founder, and Henry Harrison, of Wombridge, in the County of
"AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
Salop, Ironmaster, for the Invention of
IN UTILIZING WASTE AND SCRAP STEEL"
Scaled the 21st October 1876, and dated the 28th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonal: Foster, Thomas Smith,
and Henry Harrison at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th
April 1876.
JONAI FOSTER, of Darlaston, in the County of Stafford, Mill and Forge Manager,
and THOMAS SMITH, of Toll End, Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Iron Founder,
and HENRY HARRISON, of Wombridge, in the County of Salop, Ironmaster.
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILIZING WASTE AND SCRAP STEEL."
"
AN
In the ordinary method of utilizing Bessemer waste and scrap steel and other
waste and scrap steel the said waste and scrap steel is remelted in crucibles or in
furnaces and worked again into steel.
Our Invention consists in treating the said waste and scrap steel in the manner
herein-after explained, whereby we convert it into wrought iron of the best quality.
We heat the waste or scrap steel to be operated upon by means of a charcoal or
blooming fire urged either by a hot or cold blast of air. The workman works the
heated scrap steel into a ball or bloom in the same way as when making a ball or
bloom of wrought iron. During the working of the heated waste and scrap and
the making of a ball or bloom therefrom the carbon of the steel is oxidized by the
joint nction of the heat and the oxygen of the air to which it is exposed, and the
steel by this loss of carbon passes into wrought iron. The wrought iron thus
produced is of excellent quality, equalling the kinds of iron known in commerce
as charcoal iron and best best iron. The bloom of iron obtained as described may
be rolled while still hot into bars or billets, from which by further rolling merchant-
able bars, plates, and best best sheets, rods, or wire rods, or other kind of rolled
iron may be made. In the working of waste scrap steel into a ball or bloom as
described scrap wrought iron may be added to the steel.
Our Invention is particularly applicable to the utilizing of waste or scrap
Bessemer steel, but is also applicable to the utilizing of waste or scrap steel produced
in various ways, such as turnings, borings, punchings, and the like.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jonah Foster, Thomas Smith, and Henry Harrison in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th October 1876.
JONAH FOSTER, of Darlaston, in the County of Stafford, Mill and Forge Manager,
and THOMAS SMITH, of Toll End, Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Iron Founder,
"AN
and HENRY HARRISON, of Wombridge, in the County of Salop, Ironmaster.
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN UTILIZING WASTE AND SCRAP STEEL."
In the ordinary method of utilizing Bessemer waste and scrap steel and other
waste and scrap steel the said waste and scrap steel is remelted in crucibles or in
furnaces and worked again into steel.
Our Invention consists in treating the said waste and scrap steel in the manner
herein-after explained, whereby we convert it into wrought iron of the best
quality. We heat the waste or scrap steel to be operated upon by means of a
charcoal or coke or breeze fire or furnace urged either by a hot or cold blast of
air. When the waste and scrap steel to be operated upon is in large pieces or
masses, such, for example, as imperfect steel castings, short bars, or the like, we
reduce it to small pieces by first heating it in a blooming fire or heating furnace,
and then rolling it into lengths and cutting it up. Or it may be operated upon by
hammering or squeezing, and afterwards cut up by shears. Or it may be other-
wise reduced to small pieces. When the waste and scrap steel to be operated upon
is in sufficiently small pieces, such as turnings, borings, punchings, and the like, it
is at once introduced into the charcoal, coke, or breeze fire, urged by a hot or cold.
blast of air. The particular size of the pieces of waste and scrap steel operated
upon is unimportant, but we prefer to operate upon pieces not exceeding a few
pounds in weight. The waste or scrap steel being introduced into the charcoal
fire, the workman works the pieces together into a ball or bloom by the use of a
rabble or tool in the same way as when making a ball or bloom of wrought iron.
During the working of the heated waste and scrap steel in the charcoal fire
and the making of a ball or bloom therefrom the carbon of the steel is oxydized
by the joint action of the heat and the oxygen of the air to which it is exposed,
and the steel by this loss of carbon passes into wrought iron. The wrought iron
thus produced is of excellent quality, equalling the kinds of iron known in com-
merce as charcoal iron and best best iron. As the conversion of the said waste
and scrap steel into wrought iron is effected by the decarbonizing of the steel,
it is promoted or facilitated by vigorously working it by means of the rabble or
tool, so as effectually to expose every part to the action of the air.
In order still further to facilitate or promote the rapid decarbonization and
conversion of the steel into wrought iron, a small quantity of hammer, slag, or
other oxide of iron may be added to the waste or scrap steel towards the end of
the process.
By the working of the said hammer, slag, or oxide of iron into the mass of
heated steel oxygen is supplied by the said slag or oxide to the last portion of
carbon, which is thereby effectually removed from the steel.
Besides oxide of iron, common salt or other flux tending to the production of
a liquid slag may be added to the steel while under treatment.
A small quantity of fusible slag is produced in the process, which is tapped off
or removed in the ordinary way. The workman knows by the stiffening or con-
sistence which the metal assumes as it passes into pure iron when it has been
sufficiently operated upon.
In the working of waste scrap steel into a ball or bloom as described scrap
wrought iron may be added to the steel.
The bloom of iron obtained as described may be rolled while still hot into bars
or billets, from which by further rolling merchantable bars, plates, and best best
sheets, rods, or wire rods, or other kinds of rolled iron, may be made. During
the rolling it may be re-heated if necessary.
We prefer to operate on quantities of waste or scrap steel, varying from one

page_text: hundredweight and a half to two hundredweight; but we do not limit ourselves
to any particular quantity.
Our Invention is particularly applicable to the utilizing of waste or scrap
Bessemer and Siemens-Martin steel, but it is also applicable to the utilizing of
waste or scrap steel produced in other ways.
We do not think it necessary to describe the blooming or heating furnace and
the charcoal fire which we employ in carrying our Invention into effect, as the said
furnaces do not differ from those ordinarily employed in the manufacture and
treating of iron. In some cases, however, especially when operating upon large
quantities, two or more blasts may be employed in the charcoal fire instead of one
blast as ordinarily used.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention the improvement or improvements in utilizing waste and scrap steel
herein-before described, that is to say, treating the said waste and scrap steel in a
charcoal, coke, or breeze fire or furnace urged by a blast, the said waste and scrap
steel being worked in the said fire or furnace by a rabble or tool, so that, by
the joint action of heat and air the whole or nearly the whole of the carbon
contained in it may be removed by oxidation and the steel converted into wrought
iron, whether the said oxidation be effected wholly by the action of heat and air
or partly by the addition of hammer, slag, or other oxide of iron substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harrison, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sovanty-six
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
HENRY HARRISON. (L.S.)