Bricks for the Interior of Bessemer Converters PREPARATION OF BASIC PLUG BOTTOMS AND BRICKS FOR THE INTERIOR OF BESSEMER CONVERTERS
Year: 1885

page_text: Bricks for the Interior of Bessemer Converters:
THEOPHILUS Vaughan Hughes, 19 Wharton Road, West Kensington London
Metallurgist & Electrician, FRANK WILLIAM HARBORD, 27 Mount Pleasant, Bilston
Staffordshire Metallurgist & Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for THE PREPARATION OF BASIC PLUG BOTTOMS AND BRICKS FOR THE INTERIOR
OF BESSEMER CONVERTERS as applied in the Thomas Gilchrist Process for the
manufacture of Steel to be as follows:-
We provide a suitably formed receptacle, into which the Basic Material et caetera
is thrown. The bottom plate of this receptacle is cast with its inner face a counter-
part of the bottom plate of the converter, its underside being plane.
It is perforated to receive the rods which form the patterns for the necessary air
holes through the plug. bottom, the holes being countersunk below to receive the
heads of these rods. In the case of bricks, a series of iron' moulds of the requisite
shape are placed between suitable projections on the table of a press ram referred
to below. The receptacle having been charged, it is placed on the ram of a suitable
press, operated by water, oil or other liquid pressure, or by steam or air which
presses the material in the receptacle against a ram or piston formed to fit into the
upper part of the above receptacle and perforated to receive the upper ends of the
pattern rods. This ram or piston, occupying a position above the press ram, is
rigidly attached by bolts of suitable dimensions to the cylinder within which it
moves. In the case of bricks, this ram or piston is studded with projections which
can be inserted into the moulds (referred to above) when the press ram is forced
upwards. In order to prevent the basic material from adhering to the end of the
said ram or piston, we heat the same by means of gases from a producer or furnace
near the apparatus, or by means of the waste gases from any furnace or furnaces
in the immediate neighbourhood. The gases are led through flues preferably formed
in the interior of the said ram or piston. The walls of the receptacle may be made
hollow that is with an annular space between them so as to allow hot gases to
circulate through this space. .

page_text: Bricks for the Interior of Bessemer Converters.
We THEOPHILUS VAUGHAN HUGHES of Greenfield Mills Holywell in the County
of Flint and FRANK WILLIAM HARBORD of 12 Wellington Road Bilston in the
County of Stafford both Associates of the Royal School of Mines 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:-
Our invention is designed to supercede an existing method of hand ramming in
the manufacture of basic Plug Bottoms for Bessemer Converters as applied in the
Thomas and Gilchrist process for the manufacture of steel. We believe that by our
invention we are enabled to save much expense and manual labour and to insure
the production of a more homogeneous and compact Plug Bottom than has
heretofore been made.
In describing our invention we refer to the annexed sheet of drawings. Wo
provide a receptacle A. into which the basic material and its admixed tar or other
suitable binding material is thrown. This receptacle may be of any convenient
shape and strength. The "bottom plate" B is preferably so formed that its upper
surface shall be the counterpart of the "bottom plate" of the converter, its lower
face or underside being plane. In the drawing both surfaces are shown plane in
order to avoid confusion.
This plate B is perforated to allow the passage of rods C. C. which form the
patterns for the necessary air holes through the plug bottom.
The holes in the plate are countersunk or shouldered as shown or otherwise
formed to prevent the rods C. C. from being pulled through the plate. The
receptacle bottom plate and rods are placed upon the table D of a hydraulic
press ram.
This press ram may be actuated by water oil or other liquid or by steam, air or
other gases which are supplied from any suitable accumulator, reservoir or generator
by the pipe E. Above the press ram and vessel A is a piston or plate F which is
formed to fit the interior of the receptacle A and is attached to the lower projecting
part of a chamber H by bolts or cotter bolts M. This piston or plate is perforated
at N. N to receive the upper ends of the pattern rods and to allow them to pass
through when the press ram and its burden is raised. The holes N. N.
bushed if necessary.
may be
In order to prevent the basic material and its admixed tar or other binding
material in the receptacle A from adhering to the said piston or plate F we heat
the plate to or above the temperature of boiling tar by means of gases from a
producer or furnace near the apparatus or by means of the waste gases from any
furnace or furnaces in the vicinity. Down the centre of the chamber H a "feather"
or partition is placed reaching down nearly to the piston or plate F for the purpose
of directing the hot gases which may enter the chamber at J downwards and pass
upwards on the other side of the partition and so out at I.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement above described for
directing the hot gases within the chamber H as any suitable arrangement of flues
or passages therein may be adopted.

page_text: When the apparatus is to be used for the manufacture of basic bricks it is only
necessary to remove the plate F the receptacle A and "bottom plate" B and
substitute for the plate F one having projections on its under surface of any
desired shape and of dimensions somewhat smaller than the finished brick and
thus capable of entering into brick moulds which are placed on the ram table D.
The modus operandi consists in charging the receptacle A or the brick moulds
either full or partly full with the basic material and its admixed binding material,
then allowing the pressure to be exerted upon the ram and so forcing the
material against the hot plate or piston F. This operation is repeated until a Plug
Bottom or bricks of the desired thickness has or have been formed. Between each
operation it is advisable to break up the surface of the compressed material with a
The receptacle A with
pointed tool before adding more of the loose material.
plate B and pins or rods C C or the brick moulds and contents in each case are
then removed and placed in an oven and baked.
Where steam or air is used to actuate the press ram, we may admit the same to
the press cylinder suddenly in order to give an impulsive movement to the ram and
so compress the material in the receptacle A or brick moulds by impact.
We think it necessary to state that we do not claim broadly the use of hydraulic
or other fluid pressure for the purposes hereinbefore described, but having now
particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
First. The use of a press ram as above described in conjunction with a heated
chamber substantially as above described.
Second. The use of a press ram as above described in conjunction with a heated
chamber substantially as above described for pressing or forming basic plug
bottoms and bricks.
100-
T. VAUGHAN HUGHES.
FRANK W HARBORD.