IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL AND ARTICLES " THEREFROM
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacob Geoghegan Willans, of No. 9, Saint Stephen's
Crescent, Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, and William Henry Willans,
of 36, Havelock Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON AND STEEL AND ARTICLES
"
THEREFROM.”
Sealed the 8th March 1878, and dated the 11th September 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacob Geoghegan Willans
and William Henry Willans at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 11th September 1877.
JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS, of No. 9, St. Stephen's Crescent, Bayswater, in the
County of Middlesex, and WILLIAM HENRY WILLANS, of 36, Havelock Street,
Sheffield, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
IRON AND STEEL AND ARTICLES THEREFROM,"
Our Invention relates, firstly, to the smelting of granular iron ores or oxides
(such as the iron residue from pyrites, from which copper has been extracted, so as
to facilitate their smelting in blast furnaces.
It consists in coating the ore or oxide articles (previously wetted) with fine dry
powder of uncalcined aluminous mineral, by mixing the two together without neces-
sarily further crushing the ore or oxide, afterwards pressing the particles so quoted
into shapes; in some cases we make these perforated during the pressing, or afterwards
by means of drills or punches, in order to facilitate the escape of moisture during
the heating, and also the penetration of reducing gases of the blast furnace into
which the shapes are charged. We use the powder of dry lithomarge, but the dry
powder of other aluminous mineral of sufficient purity and placticity will answer;
we proportion the materials so as to give sufficient adhesion, and in some cases we
charge the shapes into the furnace without any preliminary calcination.
Our Invention relates, secondly, to the making of tubular or hollow castings of
steel or iron to the manufacture of tubes therefrom by rolling or drawing, and to the

page_text: manufacture from such castings of articles of steel or iron (such as bars, rolls, shells,
or other shapes), the interior of which shall be of a different nature as to hardness
or toughness from their exterior; we proceed as follows:-We pour molten steel or
iron into a mould, in which the metal will during the cooling become first solid
around the interior of the mould; so soon as the solid portion reaches the desired
thickness we pour out (or tap off) the portion still fluid, the casting will then be
of a tubular form which may be used as such, or further manufactured into tubes by
rolling or drawing.
We also make like tubular or hollow castings of steel or iron by having a
tubular core with one or more orifices at its lower part placed in a metallic mould.
We pour the molten steel or iron down through this core, from the bottom which
it will ascend around the core to form the tubular or hollow casting, or after that
the fluid portion or the core be removed from the tubular casting, we pour
into its place a fluid steel or iron or other metal of a different character as to
toughness or hardness, from which compound casting we produce shells for warfare,
rolls for rolling or pressing metals, bars for taps, and other purposes.
We in some case make shells with a tubular instead of a conical end; we harden
steel in the above and other forms by imbedding it whilst hot in coke or other
carbonaceous articles, to which water or other liquid is applied, so that the cooling
may take place less rapidly than if the steel was immersed in water alone.
Our Invention relates, thirdly, to the manufacture of cast steel from cast-iron
granules intermixed with iron ore or oxide. In making steel by this process it is
found advantageous that each particle of iron shall be in contact with the ore or
oxide, also that any alloying or chemical substance used shall be touching the iron.
Our improvement in this respect is to wet the granules with water before mixing them
with the ore or oxide, so that the ore or oxide may adhere to the granules.
also apply any alloying or chemical substance used dissolved or suspended in the
water.
We
Lastly. Our Invention includes a method of obtaining more homogeneous results
in steel or iron produced from a inixture, parts of which contain different degrees of
carbon or other alloy. Our improvement consists in agitating the mixture whilst
fluid in a revolving or rotating vessel lined with heat-resisting material, such as
gannister; or the vessel may be stationary, and the agitating motion applied by
means of a rotating apparatus moving under the surface of the fluid steel, or by
any such apparatus if made in heat-resisting material, as hitherto applied for
churning milk.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jacob Geoghegan Willans and William Henry Willans in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th March 1878.
JACOB GEOGHEGAN WILLANS, of No. 9, St. Stephen's Crescent, Bayswater, in the
County of Middlesex, and WILLIAM HENRY WILLANS, of No. 36, Havelock Street,
Sheffield, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
IRON AND STEEL AND ARTICLES THEREFROM."
Our Invention relates, first, to the smelting of granular iron ores or of iron oxides
(such as the iron residue from pyrites from which copper has been extracted), so as
to facilitate their being smelted in blast furnaces.
In consequence of the comparative fine state of division in which such ores
exist, the smelting of them without previous preparation is disadvantageous and
difficult.
The Invention consists in coating the ore or oxide particles previously wetted, so
as to average about one tenth their weight of water with dry uncalcined aluminous
mineral, ground to a fine powder, preferably as fine as flour; we effect this by
mixing the ore or oxide particles and aluminous powder together, preferably by
means of a pug mill, so as to avoid as far as possible the further crushing of the
ore or oxide. We then press the mixture into shapes by a brick-pressing machine,
and afterwards dry the bricks in the manner usual with clay bricks. The dried
bricks are then calcined in a brick kiln, after which they are charged into the blast
furnace with the same amount of fuel and flux as customary with ore of equal
richness. If the blast furnace be open topped, and so wide mouthed as to allow a
descent of the charge with little friction, we charge the bricks therein without
previous calcination. The aluminous material which we prefer to employ is the
powder of dry lithomarge (an abundant mineral in County Antrim, Ireland, now
used in blast furnaces), and we add 1 ton of the powder to 61%, tons of the wet
granular ore or oxide; other uncalcined aluminous powder such as clay may be
substituted for the lithomarge powder.
Our Invention relates, secondly, to the casting of tubular or hollow forms of steel
or iron, and also to the manufacture of tubes therefrom by rolling or drawing such
hollow castings, and also to the manufacture from such castings of articles of steel or
iron such as bars, rolls, shells, or other shapes, the interior of which shall be of a
different nature as to hardness or toughness from the exterior; we proceed as
follows: We pour molten steel or iron into a metallic mould, in which the metal
will during the cooling become first solidified around the interior circumference of
the mould; so soon as the solid portion reaches the desired thickness, we pour out
or tap off the portion still fluid. The casting will then be of a hollow form, which
may be used as such, or if made of malleable material it may be rolled or drawn
into tubes by means of mechanism such as has heretofore been employed in the
manufacture of tubes. In this way the ingot is progressively elongated and reduced
in thickness; or whilst the hollow casting is hot we pour into the part from which
the fluid portion was removed some other kind of steel or iron in a molten state, or
it may be some other metal. We make in this manner cylindrical shells for
ordnance, rolls for rolling metals, bars for making screw taps, and for other purposes
in which it is desired that the central part shall be of a different character to the
outer part. Instead of tapping off or pouring out the fluid portion, we sometimes
(when it is desired to have the tubular casting of uniform thickness) insert a tubular
core 1, inch or more internal diameter, with openings at its lower end, into a
metallic mould placed in a vertical or inclined position, and we pour the molten
steel or iron down through this core, from the bottom of which it will ascend
to form the tubular casting. The core may be made of the same material as used
by steel founders or for steel crucibles, and should be well baked or annealed, and
preferably at or near a red heat when used.

page_text: When making tubular castings to be subsequently rolled or drawn into
tubes, and when making compound ingots for bars, we prefer to use a round ingot
mould of at least 4 inches internal diameter in and about 2 feet in length; we have
it mounted on an axis to allow of its being inverted by a lever or gearing. The
mould being blacked with carbon as usual, we pour the molten steel or iron into the
mould, and so soon as it has solidified to the desired thickness (which may be judged
by feeling it during the setting by means of a pointed bar or calipers) we quickly
invert the mould, pouring the still fluid metal into a crucible or ladle placed to
receive it. The solidified portion may then be removed, and after breaking out the
bottom it may be rolled or drawn into a tube, employing a mandrill in the manner
usual in making steel tubes.
When making compound ingots for bars, we replace the mould as quickly as
possible after the pouring out, and we pour at once into the hollow part of the
casting whilst it is still at a high heat the other kind of steel or iron intended for
the centre of the bar. In order to guard against any oxidation to interfere with the
proper welding or amalgamation of the two kinds, we throw into the hot hollow
casting a small piece of bituminous coal to give off reducing gases. The compound
ingot when removed from the mould may be rolled into bars in same manner as
other steel ingots. We prefer in making the compound ingots intended for bars to
have the outer portion of a thickness of about one fifth the diameter of the ingot, thus
leaving the central portion to be three fifths the diameter of the ingot. We prefer to
have the round mould cast in one piece and open at both ends, the lower end being
from th to inch greater internal diameter than the upper end, to prevent the hot
casting falling out during the inverting it. We have the mould bottom resting on
a plate which is attached to it by clamps or cotters. For ingots to be rolled into
bars for taps, we prefer to pour first into the mould the kind of steel usual for taps,
and afterwards a soft kind that will scarcely harden.
When making shells for ordnance, we fill a metallic mould of the desired size and
shape with the required fluid metal on its solidifying to the desired thickness, which
we prefer to be about one eighth the diameter; we empty out the fluid portion, taking
suitable precautions to prevent the shell of solidified metal leaving the mould;
replacing the mould we quickly insert accurately into its place the required
core; we pour around the core another kind of steel or iron; we prefer to use
a hard steel or hard cast iron for the outside, and a tough steel or tough cast iron
for the interior.
We also sometimes make cylindrical shells with a tubular or annular end, by
having a core set in the lower part of the mould; we prefer this tubular portion to
be of hard steel, and to have a thickness of about 1/ath to 1/5th the external diameter,
and to be about the length of half that diameter. Shells having ends formed in
this manner will be less liable to glance off when striking obliquely.
When making rolls for rolling metals, we prefer to have the mould in three parts;
the lower and upper to contain the shapes for the necks of the rolls; the middle to
be a cast-iron cylinder of suitable dimensions to produce the body of the roll. We
first pour metal into the middle part, and when the metal has solidified to the
desired thickness one inch or more, we tap off or pour out the fluid portion in any
convenient manner; we then break open the bottom end of the hot casting and we
place the middle of the mould over the bottom in which the shape for the neck is
moulded. We also place on the top the other or third part, in which the
shape for the other neck is moulded, and in which suitable gates are made
for pouring in the fluid metal to form the centre part of the roll. We prefer
to use very hard steel or cast iron for the outer substance, and a soft steel or
tough cast iron for the centre. After casting the rolls may be treated in the usual
manner.
Our Invention relates, thirdly, to the manufacture of cast steel from cast-iron
granules intermixed with iron ore or oxide. In making steel by this process it is
found advantageous that each particle of iron shall be in contact with the ore or
oxide, also that any alloying or chemical substance used should be touching the

page_text: iron. Our improvement in this respect is to wet the granules with water before
mixing them with the ore or oxide, so that the ore or oxide may adhere to the
granules. We also apply any alloying or chemical substance dissolved or suspended
in the water.
As the ore or oxide would not adhere sufficiently to smooth surfaced granules,
we use granules which have been slightly rusted by exposure to moisture and air.
The proportions of granulated iron, iron ore, oxide, as well as the alloying substances
used by steel melters in the granulated iron and ore process, may be the same as
generally employed with similar granules.
In those cases where alloying substances (such as tungsten or chromimun) are
used, we have their salts or oxides dissolved or suspended in the water wherewith
we wet the granules; we have the iron ore or oxide in a fine state of division,
preferably as fine as flour. We cause the granules to become thoroughly coated
with the powdered iron ore or oxide, by working them together in a pug mill or a
revolving barrel.
Lastly. Our Invention relates to a method of obtaining more homogeneous results
in steel or iron produced from a mixture, parts of which contain different degrees
of carbon or other alloy.
In the manufacture of steel by the mixture of soft fluid steel or iron (such as is
produced in a Bessemer converter or in a Siemens' furnace) with cast iron, hard
steel, or metallic alloys, we obtain more homogeneous results by agitating the fluid
mixture in a revolving or rotating vessel before casting it into moulds; we prefer
to employ a cylindrical vessel, similarly constructed to a Danks' or Crampton's
puddling furnace, and to have the like means for heating it. We prefer to have
such a machine placed near to a Bessemer converter, and to have it thickly lined
with gannister. When at a high heat we run the fluid steel or iron into it out of
the converter in any convenient manner. If the desired moisture was not made in
the converter, we add the proportion of cast iron, hard steel, or metallic alloys,
such for example as ferro-manganese in the machine, by preference in a melted
state. We have in the machine sufficient of a neutral slag to cover the fluid steel
to a depth of at least 1/4 inch. We keep up a high heat by the combustion of fuel,
and we set the machine in motion, preferably at as high speed as practicable, without
bringing the fluid steel much above its level; we keep the machine in motion for
sixty seconds or for longer should the steel be found to retain sufficient fluidity; we
then tap off the steel into moulds or into ladles to be transferred to moulds. It is
not essential that the vessel should make complete revolutions; it may partially
rotate to and fro; but this is less convenient.
We treat fluid mixtures of different cast irons or of cast iron and steel in same
way to produce a more homogeneous result in the preparation of a cast iron for
foundry purposes, or to be granulated, or to be cast into shapes for after use in the
manufacture of iron or steel.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim,-
First. The preparation of granular iron ore or oxide for smelting in blast
furnaces by mixing it when in a moist state with pulverized uncalcined aluminous
mineral and moulding the mixture into bricks or lumps.
Second. The production of hollow or tubular castings of steel or iron by
filling a mould with metal, and when the metal has partially solidified,
removing or running out the metal still remaining fluid in the interior of the
mould.
Third. The production of hollow or tubular castings of steel or iron by
means of a metal mould containing a core having a channel through it into
which the metal is poured at the upper end and issues at the lower, rising
up and filling the space around the core and between it and the sides of the
mould.
Fourth. The production of steel or iron tubes by first making a hollow ingot
by removing or running out fluid metal from the middle of an already solidified

page_text: shell, and rolling or drawing such shell, so as to elongate it and reduce its
thickness.
Fifth. The production of compound castings of steel or iron by first removing
or running out from the middle of a casting metal still remaining fluid and
replacing it entirely or in part with fluid metal of a different character.
Sixth. The manufacture of steel shells for ordnance with tubular or annular ends.
Seventh. The preparation of cast-iron granules for the manufacture of cast
steel, by allowing the granules to become oxidised on the surface, then moistening
them with water in which chemicals may be suspended or dissolved, and after-
wards coating them by agitating them together with iron ore or oxide in a
pulverized state.
Eighth. We claim in the manufacture of steel ingots or castings, introducing
in a melted state steel or iron into a vessel suitably heated, and mixing there-
with cast iron, hard steel, or metallic alloy, by rotating the vessel before pouring
the metal into moulds.
Ninth. We claim agitating together in a revolving vessel suitably heated a
mixture of cast irons or cast iron and steel, and pouring out or removing from
the vessel the fluid mixture, either for casting or for pouring into shapes, or
granulating for subsequent use in the manufacture of iron or steel.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacob Geoghegan Willans, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
J. G. WILLANS. (L.S.)