IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR PRODUCING WROUGHT IRON DIRECTLY FROM THE ORE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES FOR PRODUCING WROUGHT
IRON DIRECTLY FROM THE ORE."-A communication from abroad by
George Edward Harding, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 8th August 1873, and dated the 11th June 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 11th June 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FURNACES FOR PRODUCING WROUGHT IRON DIRECTLY FROM THE ORE," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have mado
solemn Declaration that it has been communicated to me from abroad
by George Edward Harding, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings forming a part of
this Specification :-
These improvements consist in the application of a rotary puddling
hearth for the reduction of iron ores, in combination with a furnace
for producing the gases of combustion and a deoxidizing chamber for
utilizing the "waste" gases for deoxidizing and carbonizing the orcs
previous to their reduction in the rotary furnace by means of retorts or
shelves arranged in the chamber to intercept the "waste" gases on their
way to the stack.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of this improved furnace; Figure 2 is a
plan, and Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section at J, K, Figure 6; Figure 5 is a
longitudinal section at G, H, Figure 6; Figure 6 is a transverse section
at A, B, Figure 4; Figure 7 is a horizontal section at C, D, Figure 4;
Figure 8 is a horizontal section at E, F, Figure 4.
Similar letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
In Figure 4 I have shewn the arrangement of parts preferably
employed, a large rectangular chamber is connected with the base of the
stack by the flues and dampers p, p³, and also with the rotary puddling
hearth e and furnace by the shaft c. This deoxidizing chamber can be
either provided with the vertical retorts a and the horizontal shelves or
hearths as shewn, or in certain cases the retorts may be omitted and
shelves alone employed, the former arrangement is preferable. The
retorts are charged from their top with a mixture of pulverized ores,
flux, and carbon.
At first the gases from the furnace passing through the rotary hearth
are allowed direct vent to the stack by the shaft c, and flue p; then

page_text: when well under blast the damper p' is closed and the gases are diverted
through u, Figure 5, backward and forward between the retorts a, passing
through the spaces w, w1, 2011, 20111, and flues p, p, Figure 7, into the stack
impinging against the retorts at different elevations and at right angles,
thus parting with a very considerable portion of their heat to the retorts
and the contained ores.
The retorts are preferably constructed with an elliptical section. They
discharge their contents into the common receptacle 6, which is provided
with the sliding gates o, Figure 8, and air-tight doors m.
Whenever it is desired to introduce a charge of deoxidizing ores into
the rotary hearth, the gates o are raised by connections at their ends, and
by opening the doors i the requisite quantity is raked to the shaft c,
whence by means of the door the charge arrives in the rotary hearth
without undue exposure to the oxygen of the air. The rotary hearth is
then operated by suitable mechanism to give it the necessary agitation
for puddling, and the ball is finally removed by the door h to the
hammer or squeezer, and a new charge of ore is similarly brought down.
As the ores are removed at the bottom of the retorts the same are
recharged at their tops, and by drawing alternately from the different
series of retorts the operation becomes continuous.
The divisions or shelves x in the arrangement shewn serve the
double purpose of guiding the gases of combustion and connecting the
several joints of the retorts, while at the same time in the event of
injury to any section of a retort, that portion can be readily removed
and replaced without disturbing any other part of the chamber. By the
proper adjustment of the dampers p¹, p", p", any desired direction of
the burning gases can be ensured, and the deoxidation of the ores as
well as the pressure of the gases in the rotary hearth may be under
complete control.
The "rotary hearth" shown beneath the deoxidizing chamber is of
corrugated section of cast or wrought iron, arranged to hold the refractory
lining and the fettling, and to radiate the heat that reaches the casing
as rapidly as possible. It is provided with a tapping hole for drawing
off the cinder, and has the rings z pressed against each end by springs
and rods as shown at 2¹, which springs are adjustable by nuts at the

page_text: The furnace shown is similar to the so called "Wilson Gas Puddling
Furnace," but any gas or common furnace may be used. Immediately
above the bridge wall g however are introduced the concentric pipes 1,
by which a jet of combined steam and air is injected in such varying
proportions as the different stages of the puddling process demand.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
"
First. The combination of a gas or ordinary furnace with a rotary
puddling hearth and deoxidizing chamber for utilizing the "waste'
gases of combustion, which chamber is provided with either retorts or
superposed shelves for the reception of the orcs previous to their
introduction into the rotary puddling heartb, as herein described.
Second. The general arrangement of the furnace f, rotary hearth e,
flue d, shaft c, chambers w, w¹, 2011, 10111, retorts a and dampers p¹, p¹¹, p¹¹.
111
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London, W. C.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)