Year: 1888

page_text: I LÉON QUENTIN BRIN of 6 Rue Wilhem, Auteuil, Paris, France Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
My invention relates to the manufacture of aluminium bronze which has hitherto
been produced at much too high a cost to admit of its commercial employment for
many purposes. Moreover the necessity of first producing sodium with a view to
obtain aluminium has been an obstacle not easily overcome.
The object of the present invention is to obviate the necessity of effecting this
series of preliminary operations before obtaining the final product, and it consists
essentially in bringing the metallic fumes or vapors produced by a salt of aluminum
into direct contact with another metal which should not however be a metal which is
destroyed in the operation, as is sodium, for the purpose of producing an alloy of
aluminum or aluminium itself. The metals which would be employed for this purpose
would serve merely as condensing agents.
Such is the fundamental principle of my improved process whereby I am enabled
to obtain aluminium bronze direct in a single operation. The invention therefore
consists in the production of aluminium bronze by the decomposition by heat of volatile
salts of aluminum or salts of alumina converted into volatile salts or into metallic
vapors or fumes and brought into direct contact with metallic copper without the
previous production and re-melting of aluminium as by the old process.
It also com-
prises the apparatus whereby the vapors of aluminum are condensed or whereby the
aluminium is brought into direct contact with the copper in a state of division and
heated to the proper temperature to obtain this result.
The process is carried out in the following manner. In a reverberatory or other
suitable furnace is placed a muffle hermetically closed and luted with clay and forming,
when working on a large scale, a kind of retort, which is filled with thin scrap or
sheet copper affording the greatest possible extent of heating or decomposing surface,
the copper having been previously picked or cleaned in an acid bath (to remove all
impurities which might prevent the absorption of aluminium) thoroughly washed, and
immersed in a solution of borax and the flux necessary to ensure a good result.

page_text: The muffle or retort which may be made either of fire clay or iron is provided with
inlets and outlets for the gases, preferably at opposite ends of a retort of cylindrical
form. The inlet tube communicates with a fire clay vessel containing aluminium
chloride or other volatilizable salt of aluminum which is heated to a moderate degree by
a gas furnace or otherwise for the purpose of disengaging the metallic fumes or vapors
which are caused to pass over the surfaces of the copper contained in the muffle which
is heated to from 800° to 900° C, where the metallic fumes by contact with the copper
become condensed and the metal combines directly with the copper.
The vapors or metal in excess not absorbed by the copper, pass through the outlet
tube into a glass or other receiver provided with inlet and outlet orifices or into any
other apparatus suitable for collecting the residues which are all utilizable in the
process.
The operation occupies only a few minutes and when complete the muffle is opened
and its contents now converted into aluminium bronze of excellent quality, remelted.
The muffle may then be immediately recharged with copper and a fresh quantity of
aluminum chloride proportionate to the copper to be converted into aluminium bronze,
be placed in the decomposing vessel, the operation being thus rendered continuous
and therefore commercially workable. As the apparatus may be of any dimensions
large quantities of metal may be operated upon at a time.

page_text: I, LÉON QUENTIN BRIN, of 6, Rue Wilhem, Auteuil, Paris, France, Engineer, 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
My Invention relates to the manufacture of aluminium bronze, which has hitherto
been produced at much too high a cost to admit of its commercial employment for
many purposes. Moreover, the necessity of first producing sodium with a view to
obtain the metal aluminium, has been an obstacle not easily overcome.
The object of the present invention is to obviate the necessity of effecting this series
of preliminary operations before obtaining the final product; and it consists essentially
in bringing the metallic fumes or vapors, produced by a salt of aluminium, into direct
contact with copper or an alloy of copper, which acts as a condensing agent for the
metallic vapors or fumes.
Such is the fundamental principle of my improved process whereby I am enabled to
obtain aluminium bronze direct in a single operation.
The Invention therefore, consists in the production of aluminium bronze by the
volatilisation and decomposition by heat of volatile salts of aluminium (or salts of
alumina converted into volatile salts or into metallic vapors or fumes) the vapors of
aluminium being condensed by being brought into direct contact with the copper
or alloy in a state of division and heated to the proper temperature to obtain this
result.
The process is carried out in the following manner: In a reverberatory or other
suitable furnace is placed a muffle carefully closed and luted with clay (and
forming, when working on a large scale, a kind of hot chamber) which is filled
with copper or alloy of copper in the form of thin scrap or sheet, or any other
form affording the greatest possible extent of decomposing and depositing surface,
the copper or alloy having been previously pickled or cleaned in an acid bath (to
remove all impurities which might prevent the absorption of aluminium) thoroughly
washed and immersed in a solution of the flux necessary to ensure a good result.
The muffle, which may be made either of fire clay or iron lined with fire-clay, is
provided with inlets and outlets for the gases preferably at opposite ends. The inlet
tube communicates with a fire clay vessel containing aluminium chloride or other
compound of aluminium which by decomposition with a flux will yield aluminium

page_text: chloride or other volatilisable compound of aluminium. This retort is heated to a
moderate degree, by a gas-furnace or otherwise for the purpose of evolving the
aluminiferous fumes or vapors which are brought into contact with the surfaces of
the copper contained in the muffle which is heated to from 800° C. to 900° C. (or
a temperature approaching or reaching that of the melting point of the metal or
alloy) whereupon the metallic fumes become reduced or condensed, the metal
aluminium in the nascent state combining directly with the copper, whilst the
vapors not utilized pass through the outlet tube into a cooled receiver (made of
vitrified earthenware or other material not acted upon by the vapors and provided
with an outlet for escaping gases) for the purpose of collecting the residues which are
all utilizable in the process.
The operation occupies only a few minutes, and when complete the scrap aluminium
bronze thereby produced only requires to be remelted to form an alloy of uniformly
excellent quality.
The muffle and the decomposing vessel or retort may then be immediately recharged
and the operation repeated, the process thus being practically continuous and therefore
commercially workable. The apparatus may be of such dimensions that large quan-
tities of metal may be operated upon at a time.
A good mixture for charging the retort may be made by mixing 100 parts of clay
rich in alumina, 125 parts of chloride of sodium or other suitable chloride, 15 parts of
fluor spar, the whole to be mixed in a state of powder. Another mixture is formed by
using 100 parts of clay, 80 parts of chloride of sodium or potassium chloride or other
suitable chloride, 65 parts of powdered slag, being the residual slag formed in previous
operations. The clay above mentioned should contain about 50 per cent. of alumina,
if richer a smaller proportion may be used.
A suitable flux with which to coat the copper is a mixture of borax, chloride of
sodium, and carbonate of soda, in the proportions of about two parts of borax, 2 parts
of chloride of sodium, and one part of carbonate of soda, triturated with water into a
liquid paste.
The vapors which are partially condensed in the cooled receiver, afford a residue
containing alumina which can be utilized again in the retort in repeating the
operation.
In order to expedite the process and to avoid having to raise the apparatus to an
unduly high temperature, I prefer to convey the vapor from the retort or crucible in
which it is formed by means of a current of hot nitrogen or similar inert gas, so as to
prevent condensation and drive or carry the fumes from the retort to the muffle
chamber containing the metal. A suitable gas for this purpose, may be formed by
passing air through a retort containing coke in an incandescent condition, so as to
deprive the air of free or uncombined oxygen, the heated gases being forced through
the retort and apparatus by a suitable pump or bellows.
Two hundred and forty pounds of the retort mixture above described, will be
sufficient to treat one thousand pounds of copper which will contain about 1 or 2 per
cent. of aluminium. If the alloy thus prepared, be again subjected to the same process
it will be still further enriched with aluminium to any extent that may be found
desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In the process of making aluminium bronze, the production of chloride of
aluminium vapor or other aluminiferous vapors, by the reaction at a high temperature
of chloride of sodium or other suitable.chloride upon clay or analogous mineral con-
taining aluminium, either with or without the addition of borax or fluor spar, as
described.
2. The impregnation of copper or alloy of copper with aluminium, by bringing
aluminiferous vapors in contact with the copper or alloy when in a heated state (such

page_text: metal or alloy having been coated with a flux) whereby the vapors become reduced
and the aluminium combines with the copper or alloy, as specified.
3. In the process of reducing aluminium bronze, the use of a current of heated inert
or reducing gases to prevent the condensation of the sublimated chlorides and alumini-
ferous vapors in the pipes or channels leading from the retort to the muffle or
condensing chamber.
4. The herein described process of producing aluminium bronze, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 7th day of December 1888.
L. Q. BRIN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.