Improvements in the Manufacture of Fibrous Material from Slag or other Vitreous Substance, and in the Apparatus used in such Manufacture.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
Improvements in the Manufacture of Fibrous Material from Slag or
other Vitreous Substance, and in the Apparatus used in such
Manufacture.
1, CHARLES WOOD, of Middlesborough, in the County of York, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to what is known as "silicate cotton or "slag wool," which
consists of fine filaments or fibres obtained from hot slag or other vitreous material by
the action of jets of steam or air upon it.
In the process of so manufacturing such silicate cotton or slag wool, as heretofore
used, it is found that the fibrous material produced is frequently deteriorated by the
presence of heavy and shot like matters consisting of particles of the slag or other
vitreous material which have not been thoroughly acted upon by the disintegrating
jets of steam or air, and further that the finished material is not effectually separated
into the different qualities of which it consists, that is to say into heavy and light
portions each of which is more perfectly adapted to be used for certain purposes than
the other.
My present invention has for its object improvements in the appliances used, and in
the process of manufacture, by which these difficulties are more perfectly overcome
than has heretofore been the case, the finished products being nearly or entirely free
from the shotty impurities, and being produced in such form that they can be readily
and easily separated into the different qualities requisite for the various purposes to
which they are to be applied.
In the process of manufacture, supposing that furnace slag is to be used for the
purpose of obtaining the material, the slag is conducted from the furnace by a runner,
and at the discharge end on one side underneath the runner an air or steam jets are
arranged, and on the other side and opposite to such air or steam jets a metal tube
leading to a chamber or receiver. Into the tube one or more additional jets of air or
steam are led, drawing the fibres or filaments of silicate cotton or slag wool produced
by the first jets into the tube, and thence into a chamber formed of frames of
wire netting which catch and retain the material but allow the steam or air to
escape.
Attempts have been made to arrest any heavy or shotty particles, by allowing them
to fall through a cut away part of the tube into which the slag is directed as described,
or by arranging a flat plate opposite the end of the tube into the chamber. Such
attempts have however only been imperfectly successful, and the object of my present
invention is as already explained to further perfect the appliances and the process
used.
For this purpose I use apparatus of a kind similar to that already described for the
first production of the fibrous material from the slag, but I make the end of the
delivery tube through which the material passes into the chamber bell mouthed, and in
front of it at a short distance within the chamber, I arrange an angular board or plate,
the vertical angle of which is directly in front of the tube, whilst its sides incline back-
ward towards the sides of the chamber, and across the bottom of the chamber below
the mouth of the tube I make a well or recess into which any heavy particles of slag
fall and can be removed as required.
At a short distance behind the vertical angular plate described, I fix across the
chamber a row of narrow vertical plates or boards, the position and distance between
which may be made variable and adjustable if desired. These plates need not extend

page_text: -
to the roof of the chamber, but may end at a short distance from it, and they are
arranged in an inclined position those upon one side of the vertical inclined plate in
front of the tube being parallel to each other but inclined slightly inward, or toward
the centre of the chamber, whilst those upon the other side are also parallel to each
other but inclined in opposite directions, so as also to be toward the centre of the
chamber.
In the improved apparatus, the fibres or filaments directed along the tube and into
the chamber as described, are directed to the right and left of the vertical fixed
angular plate in front, against which any heavy or shotty particles strike and fall into
the well or recess below. The fibre or filaments then pass between the verticall
inclined bars and into the body of the chamber, any remaining shotty or heavy
particles striking the bars and falling into the well below whilst the fibres or filaments
settle down in the chamber, the heavy and large fibres collecting at the end of the
chamber nearest to the tube, whilst the lighter and shorter fibres collect toward the
more remote end. The silicate cotton or slag wool thus obtained is removed as often
as necessary.
By my invention the manufacture of silicate cotton or slag wool is greatly facilitated,
the product being separated into uniform qualities, and being clean, pure, and free
from objectionable shotty or heavy particles.
Dindhi 1711
A
1900
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Fibrous Material from Slag or
other Vitreous Substance, and in the Apparatus used in such
Manufacture.
I, CHARLES WOOD, of Middlesborough, in the County of York, 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 and accompanying drawing, that is to say :-
This invention relates to what is known as "silicate cotton" or "slag wool," which
consists of fine filaments or fibres obtained from hot slag or other vitreous substance
by the action of jets of steam or air upon it.
In the process of so manufacturing such silicate cotton or slag wool as horetofore
used, it is found that the fibrous material produced is frequently deteriorated by the
presence of heavy and shot like matters consisting of particles of the slag or other
vitreous material which have not been thoroughly acted upon by the disintegrating
jets of steam or air, and further that the finished material is not effectually separated
into the different qualities of which it consists that is to say into heavy and light
portions each of which is more perfectly adapted to be used for certain purposes than
the other.
My present invention has for its object improvements in the appliances used, and in
the process of manufacture, by which these difficulties are more perfectly overcome
than has heretofore been the case, the finished products being nearly or entirely free
from the shotty impurities, and being produced in such form that they can readily and
easily be separated into the different qualities requisite for the various purposes to
which they are to be applied.
In the process of manufacture, supposing that furnace slag is to be used for the
purpose of obtaining the material, the slag is conducted from the furnace by a runner,
and at the discharge end on one side underneath the runner air or steam jets are
arranged, and on the other side and opposite to such air or steam jets a metal tube
leading to a chamber or receiver. Into the tube one or more additional jets of air or
steam are led, driving the fibres or filaments of silicate cotton or slag wool produced by

page_text: the first jet into the tube and thence into a chamber formed of frames of wire netting
which catch and retain the material but allow the steam or air to escape.
Attempts have been made to arrest any heavy or shotty particles, by allowing them
to fall through a cut-away part of the tube into which the slag is directed as described,
or by arranging a flat plate opposite the end of the tube into the chamber. Such
attempts however have only been very imperfectly successful, and the object of my
present invention as already explained is to further perfect the appliances and the
process used.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of my invention, Figure 1. being a
longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a horizontal section, through the chamber in which
the manufactured fibre is collected.
I use apparatus of a kind similar to that already described for the first production of
the fibrous material from the slag, but I make the end of the delivery tube b through
which the material passes into the chamber a bell-mouthed at c, and in front of it at a
short distance within the chamber a, I arrange an angular board or plate d, the
vertical angle of which is directly in front of the tube c, whilst its sides incline back-
ward toward the sides of the chamber a, and across the bottom of the chamber below
the mouth of the tube c, I make a well or recess f into which any heavy particles of
slag fall and can be removed as required.
At a short distance behind the vertical angular plates d described, I fix across the
chamber a row of narrow vertical plates e, e, e, the position and distance between which
may be made variable and adjustable if desired. These plates need not extend to the
roof of the chamber, but may end at a short distance from it, as shewn, and they are
arranged in an inclined position, those upon one side of the vertical inclined plate d
in front of the tube c being parallel to each other but inclined slightly inward, or
toward the centre of the chamber whilst those upon the other side are also parallel to
each other but inclined in the opposite direction, so as also to be toward the centre of
the chamber.
In the improved apparatus, the fibres or filaments directed along the tube and into
the chamber a as described, are directed to the right and left of the vertical fixed
angular plate d in front, against which any heavy or shotty particles strike and fall
into the well or recess below. The fibres or filaments then pass between the vertical
inclined bars e, e, e, and into the body of the chamber a, any remaining shotty or
heavy particles striking the bars and falling into the well e below, whilst the pure
fibres or filaments settle down in the chamber, the heavy and larger fibres collecting
at the end of the chamber nearest to the tube c and bars e, e, e, whilst the lighter and
shorter fibres collect toward the more remote end. The silicate cotton or slag wool
thus obtained is removed as often as necessary.
By my invention the manufacture of silicate cotton or slag wool is greatly facilitated,
the product being separated into uniform qualities, and being clean, pure, and free
from objectionable shotty or heavy particles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for making silicate cotton or slag wool, the tube 6 having a bell-
mouthed end c, substantially as described and shewn.
2. The angular plate d, against which the material delivered from the tube bis
directed, substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn.
3. In combination with the chamber a and tube b the well or recess f, into which
the shotty and heavy particles fall, substantially as described and shewn.
4. The bars e, e, e, arranged angularly and with spaces between them, substantially
as and for the purpose described and shewn.
5. The combination of the chamber a, bell-mouthed tube c, angular plate d, inclined
bars e, e, e, and well or recess f substantially as and for the purposes described and
shewn.

page_text: 6. The improved method of manufacturing and separating the fibres of slag
or other vitreous substance by means of the apparatus described and claimed,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1890
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.