Improvements in Ferro-sodium Fluxes, more particularly those adapted for use in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1896
Complete Specification Leit, 26th Mar., 1897--Accepted, 26th Aug., 1897
DION
Improvements in Ferro-sodium Fluxes, more particularly those
adapted for use in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel.
We, ALEXANDER EDWIN TUCKER, F.I.C., F.C.S., and THEOPHILUS VAUGHAN
HUGHES, F.I.C., F.C.S., A.R.S.M., both of No. 35 Paradise Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Assayers, and Metallurgists, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in ferro-sodium fluxes, more particularly
to those adapted for use in the manufacture of iron and steel.
In carrying it into effect, oxide of iron and sodium salts such as the carbonate
of soda or soda ash or the like are mixed with such percentages of carbon or
carbonaceous compounds as will on heating be sufficient to ensure the reduction.
of the oxide of iron and sodium salts to their respective metals. The proportions
of the oxide of iron and sodium salts may be varied in accordance with the per-
centage of sodium it is desired to obtain, and the amount of carbon will be suitably
varied in accordance with theoretical considerations. In certain cases, an excess
of carbon may be introduced over that required by theory for the reduction of the
iron and sodium materials. Lime or its compounds may be introduced into the
mixture to promote somewhat after the manner of a flux the formation of metallic
sodium. Having determined these proportions, the mixture may preferably be
mixed with certain binding materials such as water, tar, silicate of soda, China
These are dried and then strongly
clay or the like, and pressed into bricks.
heated in a reducing atmosphere to ensure the reduction of the iron and sodium
contained in them. On cooling, the bricks may be coated with tar or paraffin wax,
or otherwise in order to protect them from oxidation or damp.
Deted the 26th day of June 1806
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Ferro-sodium Fluxes, more particularly those
adapted for use in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel.
We, ALEXANDER EDWIN TUCKER, F.I.C., F.C.S., and THEOPHILUS VAUGHAN
HUGHES, F.I.C., F.C.S., A.R.S.M., both of No. 35 Paradise Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Assayers, and Metallurgists, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
Farticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in ferro-sodium fluxes, more particularly
to those which are adapted for use in the manufacture of iron or of steel, and
the distinctive object of the said invention is to remove oxygen present in "blown "

page_text: metal as obtained in the Bessemer process or in the metal obtained in the Siemens
process before the addition of ferro-manganese, and to remove slag by thinning it.
In carrying it into effect, we take :-
(a) oxide of iron.
(b) as much of one or more sodium salts carbonate of soda, or soda ash, as will
yield, on reduction, the desired percentage of sodium; and
(c) a reducing agent.
The reducing agent may be carbon in any form, or any other reducing agent
capable of reducing the salts to their respective metallic bases. The quantity of
it is suitably varied in accordance with the theoretical conditions of the particular
case, and in certain cases, may be in excess of that theoretically required.
Generally, the proportions of the materials used would be 100 lbs. of oxide of
ion, such as "Blue Billy," 100 lbs. of dry carbonate of soda and 44 lbs. of dry
finely powdered charcoal.
The materials enumerated must be reduced to a fine powder small enough,
say to pass a sieve having 20 meshes to the inch, .e., 400 holes to the square inch.
They are then intimately mixed together.
The mixture obtained as described above, must be made up into blocks. This is
effected by any suitable method or machine. To facilitate the process and 10
ensure cohesion in the block, there is added to the mixture a suitable binding
material. The invention does not impose any restriction upon the choice of
binding material, beyond excluding any that would be capable of exerting a
prejudicial influence upon the mixture in view of the object of 'the invention.
Among those which may be employed are heavy hydrocarbon oils such as tar,
flour-paste, silicate of soda, or China clay.
The amount of binding material to be added will vary with the physical character
of the ingredients used. We find five per cent. of tar is usually sufficient to
produce a good hard brick or block.
The blocks are then carefully dried at a low temperature, 'approximately 150° (1,
and are then placed in suitable chambers in which there is maintained a reducing
atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to reduce the iron and sodium salts wholly
or in chief part to their respective metallic bases, but not high enough to vaporise
the sodium. When such reduction has been effected, the blocks 'after cooling are
coated with paraffin wax or its equivalent in order to protect them from atmos-
pheric influence.
The intermediate process of making up the material into blocks may be omitted,
and the material reduced from its powdered condition, after which it may be
packed in air-tight receptacles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The hereinbefore described process of producing a ferro-sodium flux.
2. A ferro-sodium flux made as hereinbefore set forth.
3. The removal of oxygen from a bath of blown metal by the admixture of the
above-described flux.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.