An Improved Process for Covering or Coating Steel and Iron with Copper or Alloy of Copper.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Covering or Coating Steel and Iron with
Copper or Alloy of Copper.
We ROBERT DICKSON BURNIE of Bryn Coed Swansea Engineer and WILLIAM
THOMAS LOUGHER of 13 Hawarden Crescent Swansea Painter and Decorator do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
By this process it is essential that the surfaces of the Steel or Iron which are to
be coated or covered with the Copper or its alloy are to be thoroughly cleaned
prepared and heated and then preliminarily coated with Tin Lead Zine or alloys
of these metals according to the purposes for which the covered or coated plates are
to be ultimately used. The covering or coating plate of Copper or its alloy is also
to be cleaned prepared heated and then preliminarily coated on one surface with
Tin Lead Zinc or their alloys according to the purposes for which the covered or
coated plates are to be ultimately used. The surfaces thus preliminarily coated
after being washed with a solution of Salalmoniac & Chloride of Zinc or of either
or with what is known as Tinmen's flux are to be placed on one another and
with or without an intermediate sheet of Tin Lead Zinc or their alloys between
them. A plate of metal or other substance sufficiently hot to melt the
intermediate metals is then placed on or against the Copper or its alloy, and by
means of a press or with the aid of clamps or any other appliances for squeezing
pressing or screwing to press the whole together until cool when it will be found
that the Steel or Iron and the Copper or its alloy are effectively united. The
edges of the Iron or Steel plates & the rivet holes are coated to prevent the
chances of corrosion with salt water.
Dated this 10th day of Donombor 1806
ROBT. D. BURNIE.
WILLIAM THOMAS LOUGHER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Covering or Coating Steel and Iron with
Copper or Alloy of Copper.
We ROBERT DICKSON BURNIE of Bryn Coed Swansea and WILLIAM THOMAS
LOUGHER of 13 Hawarden Crescent Swansea do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our Invention has for its object the covering or coating of Steel or Iron with
Sheet Copper or alloy of Copper by introducing between them Tin Lead Zinc.
or alloys thereof in conjunction with chemicals in the manner

page_text: described, and then by heating sufficiently to melt, the intermediate metal
through the Coppe or its alloy and pressing together whilst hot and until cool
to effectively combine them so that the combined metal will bear being punched,
sawn, laned, sheared, bent and otherwise engineered without any separation of
the Copper or alloy of Copper from the Steel or Iron, and so that detrimental
galvanic action is avoided.
It thus becomes specially suited for ship plates and submarine structures,
boiler plates, locomotive tanks, ship cawls, tubing panelling, window, & door
name plates, and many other similar objects and structures; and for ship plates
especially it is not only a preservative of the Steel or Iron but also protects the
exterior from the accumulation of marine fungi, barnacles exfoliations and the
like, thereby removing an obstacle to speed and largely diminishing the expenses
of the docking and bottom cleaning of the ships.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention we proceed to describe more
fully the manner of performing the same-
1. Scrape or clean all rust and any other substance from the surface or
surfaces of the Steel or Iron to be coated and afterwards wash such surface or
surfaces with a solution of sulphuric, muriatic or other such acid or wash for
removing rust & any other foreign substance-then wash the acid off with clean
water.
2. The Steel or Iron now made clean and smooth is to be washed with a
solution of Salamoniac and Chloride of Zinc or of either, or with a flux such as
Tinmen use for tinning; then to be covered with sheet or foil Tin, Lead, Zinc
or their alloys and either placed in a heated oven or on or against a heated plate
of metal or any other suitable substance so as to gradually and uniformly melt
the Tin, Lead Zinc or their alloys on the Steel or Iron. When cold it will be
found that the covering metal adheres to the Steel or Iron-it need not however
be allowed to get quite cold before the continuation of the process as set out in
paragraph 4.
3. The sheet of Copper or Alloy of Copper for the covering of the steel or
Iron having first been cleaned with a weak solution of Muriatic or other suitable
acids is to be washed on the surface to be against the Steel or Iron with a
solution similar to the solution used on the Steel or Iron as described in
paragraph 2; then covered with sheet or foil Tin Lead Zinc or their alloys to be
melted thereon similarly as in the case of the Steel or Iron. When cold it will
be found that the covering metal adheres to the Copper or its alloy.
The adhesion of the covering metals to the Steel or Iron (paragraph 2) and
to the Copper or its alloy may be accomplished by dipping the Steel or Iron
or the Copper or its alloy (after having been first specially prepared as explained
above) in a bath of the molten Tin Lead Zinc or their alloys, or by depositions
from solutions, but we claim the method hereinbefore stated in paragraphs 2
and 3 to be the best and most effective way for the purposes of this process.
4. The next step is to wash the preliminarily covered surfaces of the Steel or
Iron and of the Copper or its alloy with a similar solution or flux to that before
described in paragraph 2 and having done this to place the two so washed
surfaces against one another (another sheet or foil of Tin Lead Zinc or their
alloys may and as a precautionary measure for ship plates and submarine
structures should be placed between the preliminarily coated surfaces of the Steel
or iron and Copper or its alloy) and the whole on a table or slab or in rolls in
such manner as to be able to press by means of screws, clamps, rolls or any
other process for squeezing or pressing together. Before however pressing
together a metal plate or roller or other suitable heated appliance must be placed
on or against the sheet of Copper or its alloy sufficiently hot to melt the
intermediate metal; then screw down, clamp, roll or press together and leave
till cold. The Steel or Iron and Copper or its alloy will then be found effectively
united together, the heat, having melted the intermediate metal through the
copper or its alloy.

page_text: 5. In the event of its being thought preferable to coat or cover the Steel or
Iron with the Copper or its alloy after the plates have been fixed or rivetted in
the ships or other structures, we proceed by preliminarily coating or covering the
Iron or Steel as described in paragraph 2 before being fixed in place taking the
precaution after rivetting to coat or cover over and around the rivet heads with
a similar preliminary coating. After this the preliminarily coated Copper or its
alloy is placed on or against it and heated, stamped, pressed or rolled similarly
to the procedure described in paragraph 4. But whether proceeded with thus or
in any other way, in putting together the work it should be so engineered as to
prevent as far as possible direct contact at any point between the Steel or Iron
and the Copper or its alloy & all exposed edges especially for salt water should
be coated or covered.
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 covering or coating of Steel and Iron with Sheet Copper or alloy of
Copper by the medium of the other metals & chemicals as herein described.
2. The process or processess by which the Steel and Iron are covered or coated
with Sheet Copper or alloy of Copper as herein described and set forth.
3. An object or structure of Iron or Steel covered or coated with Sheet Copper
or alloy of Copper substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated at Swansea this Sixth day of September 1897.
ROBERT D. BURNIE.
WILLIAM T. LOUGHER.