IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE. OF, IRON AND STEEL.
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clay, of Liverpool, Iron Manufacturer, and
Josiah Harris, of, Dolgelly,: Merionethshire, Chemist; for the Invention
of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE. OF, IRON AND STEEL.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clay and Josiah
Harris at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 20th October 1856.
We, WILLIAM CLAY, of Liverpool, Iron Manufacturer, and JOSIAH HARRIS,
of Dolgelly, Merionethshire, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the.
said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL," to
be as follows:
Our improvements in the manufacture of iron and steel relate to the con-
version of 'the crude metal (while in a molten state) by means of a current or
currents of air,-which air is caused to pass over or through the metal and
effect the change desired.
In order to enable the workman to watch the progress of the operation, and
yet at the same timè make the chamber or furnace in which the process is
conducted air-tight, we construct the furnace in a manner that admits of a
portion of the molten metal contained in the hearth being presented to view
and exposed to the atmosphere, and dipping into this hearth is a portion of the
furnace wall, which when a charge of molten metal is run into the hearth will
form with the metal an air-tight joint, after the plan of what is known as an
hydraulic joint. The furnace may, when desired, have a second hearth at a

page_text: higher level to receive the pig iron which is to be melted and operated upon.
The waste heat from the lower hearth will then be utilized, for with little or no
additional fuel the metal is rendered fit for transference to the lower or first
hearth. A current of air is drawn through the furnace or converting chamber
by means of a fan or other exhaust apparatus, and the air may either be
caused to pass through the molten metal or travel rapidly over its surface
while it is being agitated by a rabble of otherwise. This process will ensure
the rapid conversion of the metal, while the attendant examining the metal
from time to time in the open part of the hearth will be enabled to judge
when the precise.moment has arrived for suspending the operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clay and Josiah Harris in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CLAY, of Liverpool, Iron Manufacturer, and JOSIAII HARRIS, of Dolgelly,
Merionethshire, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto us, the
said William Clay and Josiah Harris, Her special license that we, the said
William Clay and Josiah Harris, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said William Clay and Josiah Harris, our 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 IRON
AND STEEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Clay and Josiah Harris, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 William Clay, on behalf of myself
and of the said Josiah Harris, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto 'annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our improvements in the manufacture of iron and steel relate to the con-
version of the crude metal (while in a molten state) by means of a current
or currents of air, which air is caused to pass over or through the metal and
effect the change desired.
.
1
In order to enable the workman to watch the progress of the operation, and
yet at the same time make the chamber or furnace in which the process is
conducted air-tight, we construct the furnace in a manner that admits of a
portion of the molten metal contained in the hearth being presented to view
and exposed to the atmosphere, and dipping into this hearth is a portion of the
furnace wall, which when a charge of molten metal is run into the hearth
will form with the metal an air-tight joint, after the plan of what is known as
an hydraulic joint. The furnace may, when desired, have a second hearth at
a higher level to receive the pig iron which is to be melted and operated upon.
The waste heat from the lower hearth will then be utilized, for with little or no
additional fuel the metal is rendered fit for transference to the lower or first
hearth. A current of air is drawn through the furnace or converting chamber
by means of a fan or other exhaust apparatus, and the air may either be caused
to pass through the molten metal or travel rapidly over its surface while it is
being agitated by a rabble or otherwise. This process will insure a rapid con-
version of the metal, while the attendant by examining the metal from time to
time in the open part of the hearth will be enabled to judge when the precise
moment has arrived for suspending the operation.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a furnace constructed according to our improve-
ments; Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same as seen from above;
Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, taken in the line A, B, of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken in the line C, D, of Fig. 3. a, a, a, a,
are the walls of the furnace, which are constructed of brickwork in the ordinary
manner; 6 is the roof of the furnace, also constructed of brickwork; c is the
exit aperture through which the air and gas evolved, while the iron is being
operated upon, are drawn off. The upright furnace a, a, is built up upon a
hearth d, surrounded by walls d*; d*, openings d' being left at the lower part
of the walls d, d, to allow of the interior of the furnace communicating
with an open annular space e, e, which surrounds the furnace. If preferred

page_text: the furnace a, a, may be supported by any convenient number of metal or
other stays resting upon the outer walls d*, as shewn at f, f, in Fig. 3;. or
the furnace may be suspended over the hearth: by means of strong chains or
otherwise passed through lugs or ears, as shewn at g, g, Fig. 1. By this
means the furnace a may be lifted up when required, as it will be entirely
independent of the hearth beneath.
:
The mode of proceeding to operate upon the iron is as follows: A con-
venient quantity of molten metal is poured into the annular space è; e;
surrounding the furnace, or it may be introduced. into the space: through
the crown or sides of the furnace. The opening c must be put in connection
with an exhausting apparatus, such as a fan..or 'air. pump, or other suitable
mechanical arrangement for effecting the purpose, and the air contained in
the furnace is 'exhausted therefrom, and when a sufficient vacuum has been
produced in the interior of the furnace air will pass down through the molten
metal in the annular space e-and-up-through-the mass inside: the furnace,
as shewn by arrows in Fig. 3.. The metal having been now brought into the
required state by the passage of the air through it, it may be run off. through
the tapping hole.d² into moulds of any required form. If it should be con-
sidered advisable to arrest the process' above described at any, earlier stage and
combine therewith the well-known puddling process, we adapt our, improve
ments to an arrangement.or, construction of furnace, specially 'intended for the
combined, purpose, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of this form of furnace, which some-
what resembles the ordinary puddling furnace; Fig. 6tista horizontal sectional
view of the same, taken in the line E; F, of Fig. 5. a; as are the side walls
of the furnace; b, b, the roof of the same; cis the exit passage to carry. away
the
gases evolved from the molten metal under operation, and is connected
with an exhausting apparatus, as before described; d is an outer wall, built
beyond the end of the furnace J; and leaving an open space e for the admis-
sion of air through openings under the end wall a of the furnace, as shewn
by the arrow in Fig. 5 is a wall, forming a kind of bridge at the exit end
of the furnace J, and over which bridge the gases are made to pass into a
chamber I, in which is placed the pig iron that is intended to be operated
upon at the next charge. The bottom of the chamber I is at a higher level
than that of the furnace J, and as the heated gases from the latter, pass
through the chamber I; the waste heat will melt or assist to melt the pig metal
contained therein. In case the waste heat from the furnace J should not be
found-sufficient to completely melt the pig iron, additional means, sucli as gas
tuyeres, or other means, may be employed for the purpose. The melted metal

page_text: may from time to time be 'run from the chamber I into the puddling furnace
J in any convenient manner, as will be well understood by iron manufacturers.
The exhaust is applied to the opening c at the exit end of the chamber I, and
the air will be drawn from the atmosphere through the "hydraulic joint" at e
into the furnace J, and through the entire apparatus, as indicated by the
arrows. It will, of course, be understood that the waste gases drawn off by
the exhausting apparatus must be passed through water, or in contact with
some other substance; to reduce their temperature before being allowed to
come in contact with the air pump or exhausting apparatus. j is a door to the
furnace J, and is provided with a hole or aperture through which a rabble or
tool for puddling may be passed, so that when the metal has been brought to
a proper state it may be afterwards balled up in the ordinary way if required.
If additional heat should be required in the puddling furnace during the
balling operation, this may be obtained either by the introduction of com-
bustible gases through suitable tuyeres or other-openings, or by the combustion
of fuel in a separate furnace or fire-place communicating with the furnace J;
of course it will be understood that the heat from these extraneous sources
may be stopped off by dampers or otherwise when not required.
We would observe that in some cases it may be found convenient to combine
a furnace or apparatus, such as that shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, with
puddling furnaces of the ordinary description. For this purpose it will be
necessary (after the metal has been brought to the proper state) to run it from
the furnace a, a, to the hearth of any puddling furnace or furnaces, where it
may be operated upon and balled up in the ordinary manner.
It will be evident, that by enclosing the furnace a, a, of Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4, or the open end e of the furnace J, in Figures 5 and 6, in a close
chamber, and supplying such chamber with any suitable gases which will
operate beneficially on the iron, gases of any kinds may be passed through the
molten metal in combination with atmospheric air.
Having now described our Invention of "improvements in manufacture of
iron and steel," and the best means with which we are acquainted for carrying
the same into effect, we would observe that we do not mean or intend to
confine ourselves rigidly to the precise arrangement or construction of parts
herein shewn and described, as they may, perhaps, be varied in some particulars
without departing from the nature and object of our improvements.
In conclusion, we claim, as the Invention which we desire to secure by
Letters Patent,-
First, the use and application of an exhausting apparatus for drawing air or
gases over or through a mass of molten metal, for the purpose of causing the

page_text: said air or gases to act upon the impurities contained in or. upon the con-
stituents of the crude metal, so as to convert the said metal into a more
malleable state. . .
I also claim the method above shewn and described, or any mere modifica
tion thereof, of passing the air or gases through the molten metal, by causing
them first to impinge upon and enter a portion of the metal exposed in a
trough or channel outside the furnace or converting chamber, then under. a
portion of the walls of the said furnace or chamber and up through the molten
mass contained therein.
In witness whereof, I; the said William Clay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
WILLIAM CLAY. (L.S.)