Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 31st Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Apr., 1887.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of an alloy or alloys composed of nickel
copper and aluminium by means of a process hereinafter described whereby great
homogeneousness, tenacity ductility and capacity for resisting oxidation are imported
to the product and the heat conducting power is diminished. An alloy manufactured
according to this invention is capable of being subjected to the most trying processes
of hammering drawing out or stamping or embossing to any depth such for example
as the stamping or forming process employed in the manufacture of cartridge cases.
The proportions of aluminium to be introduced vary from somewhat less than about
two parts by weight for example of aluminium to one thousand parts by weight of the
mixture of copper and nickel when this mixture contains ten per cent of nickel (175
centigrammes of aluminium per kilo of copper and nickel to one part by weight of
aluminium to two thousand parts of the alloy (50 centigrammes per kilo) when the
latter contains about forty per cent of nickel the quantity of aluminium to be
employed for other combinations of copper and nickel being regulated in the same
proportions.
The operation is preferably conducted as next hereinafter described. The nickel is
first placed in the crucible and when liquified the copper is introduced gradually.
The crucible should be covered during the operation. When these two metals are
melted the mature is stirred. The temperature is then raised somewhat and the
aluminium is introduced and thoroughly combined with the alloy by stirring. The
temperature is then raised to near boiling point and the alloy is poured out whilst
highly heated. The pouring must be quick and regular that is to say without
interruption.

page_text: The nickel is preferably introduced first in order to avoid oxidising the copper to
the detriment of its quality in consequence of the difference in the melting points. If
the nickel and the copper be introduced simultaneously into the crucible the fusion
must be urged or accelerated in such a manner as to raise the temperature to a
maximum in a minimum of time.
This improved alloy of nickel, copper and aluminium may be obtained by employing
either pure nickel or nickel rendered malleable either by a preliminary treatment
or by introducing suitable agents capable of rendering it malleable in the course of
the process.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Manufacture of Alloy or Alloys of Nickel, Copper, and
Aluminium.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of No. 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communicated
to me from abroad by La Société Anonyme Le Ferro Nickel of Paris in the Republic
of France and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of an alloy or alloys composed of nickel
copper and aluminium by means of a process hereinafter described whereby great
homogeneousness, tenacity and ductility and capacity for resisting oxidation are
imparted to the product and the heat conducting power is diminished. These results
have not been satisfactorily obtained by the ordinary process of manufacturing the
alloys of nickel and copper heretofore known such as are sometimes used for coins for
example as in the compounds known as pinch berk or German silver (nickel copper
and zine) or in the higher qualities of brass. An alloy, manufactured according to
this Invention is capable of being subjected in the same way as Gold silver or platinum
to the most trying processes of hammering drawing or stamping or embossing to any
depth such for example as the stamping or forming processes employed in the
manufacture of cartridge cases.
The Invention consists essentially in the addition to a binary alloy of nickel and
copper of a certain quantity of aluminium calculated as hereinafter described according
to the percentage of nickel contained in the alloy-The aluminium is introduced a few

page_text: moments before the metal is run out or poured from the crucible, care being taken to
cause it to penetrate to the bottom of the crucible and to ensure its completo distribu-
tion and combination throughout the liquid mass by energetic stirring whereby its
actual combination (facilitated by its great affinity for copper and nickel) is rendered
complete.
The proportions of aluminium to be employed in practice are regulated according to
the quantity of nickel and vary from about 13 parts by weight to One thousand parts
of the mixture or One hundred and seventy five centigrammes per kilogramme in the
case of an alloy containing ten per cent of nickel to about half parts by weight to One
thousand parts of the mixture or fifty centigrammes per kilogramme in the case of an
alloy containing forty per cent of that metal (nickel).
The various combinations occurring in practice do not exceed these limits and the
quantity of aluminium for the intermediate combinations (between the ten and forty
per cent of nickel) are regulated according to corresponding proportions.
In melting a binary compound of nickel and copper under ordinary conditions the
alloy would be oxidised if the aluminium were not caused to intervene in the course
of the operation and any means employed to effect the deoxidation would have the
effect of producing a carburation which is the most unfavourable condition for this
alloy-If an attempt were made to drive off the excess of carbon by a further (super)
fusion the insufficiency of free oxygen would prevent the combustion of the carbon,
so that the metal would be deteriorated by the over heating, and yet retain the carbon
as well as the small quantity of free oxygen which not having been able to act, by
reduction merely produces on the contrary a supplementary oxidising effect.
Notwithstanding that the presence of the aluminium which simultaneously and
effectually deoxidises and decarburises the metal affords in itself a certain amount of
protection against such results, it is recommended to observe the following precautions
in conducting the operations.
The nickel is first placed in the crucible and when liquified the copper is introduced
gradually-The crucible should be covered during the operation. When these two
metals are melted the mixture is stirred-The temperature is then raised somewhat
and the aluminium is introduced and thoroughly combined with the alloy by stirring
The temperature is then raised to near the boiling point of the liquid and the alloy is
poured out whilst in a highly heated condition The pouring out must be quickly and
regularly performed that is to say without interruption.
The nickel is preferably introduced first in order to avoid oxidising the copper
to the detriment of its quality in consequence of the difference in the melting
points. If the nickel and the copper be introduced simultaneously into the crucible
the fusion must be urged or accelerated in such a manner as to raise the temperature
to a maximum in a minimum of time.
In this alloy the malleability is produced by the copper which imparts this quality
to the nickel The aluminium removes the oxygen with certainty and promptness
from the alloy and moreover burns any traces of carbon resulting from the materials
of the crucible or otherwise. The aluminium also has the effect of greatly increasing
the tenacity of the alloy and above all of ensuring its homogeneity or close texture-
In fact by reason of its low density compared to nickel or copper or a combination of
these two metals aluminium occupies molecularly by its volume a space three and a
half times greater than these metals-Hence results the sudden invasion or occupation
(which is further accelerated by the coefficient of affinity hereinbefore mentioned) of
all the spaces between the molecules of nickel and copper by the molecules of
aluminium producing the extraordinary compactness or close texture of the improved
alloy. In the alloy obtained as hereinbefore described by dealing with the nickel first
then the copper and finally the aluminium in definite quantitics in order to produce
the different qualities required it is the aluminium that imparts to the product the
remarkable qualities referred to and its use constitutes the essential feature of the
process.
In order to economise the aluminium which is a somewhat costly element in the alloy
it may be preferable in certain cases to conduct the process by substituting for the

page_text: pure nickel nickel previously rendered malleable either by a preliminary treatment
consisting in the addition of metallic manganese, ferro cyanide of potassium and a small
quantity of aluminium to nickel of commerce in a state of fusion or by adding to pure
nickel agents capable of rendering it malleable by direct fusion that is to say by
adding suitable proportions of metallic manganese ferro cyanide of potassium and
aluminium. Nevertheless although the elements producing the malleability of the
nickel may according to this method be to a certain extent substituted as deoxydising
and decarburising agents in place of a small proportion of the aluminium the alloy
thus produced does not present that perfection of purity and tenacity which dis-
tinguishes the alloy of nickel copper and aluminium obtained by the process firstly
hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
First, The improved process for the manufacture of alloy composed of nickel copper
and aluminium, the aluminium being added to a mixture of the nickel and Copper in
regulated proportions substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second, The improved process for the manufacture of alloy of nickel copper and
aluminium, consisting essentially in the introduction of aluminium into a mixture of
nickel and copper in the proportions and under the conditions substantially as herein-
before described.
Third, As a new product of manufacture the improved alloy of nickel copper and
aluminium obtained by combining aluminium with nickel and copper as herein before
set forth, with or without the employment of other malleabilising agents for the purpose
of economising the aluminium substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 21st day of January 1887