MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF STEEL
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gjers, of Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the North
" IMPROVE-
Riding of the County of York, Iron Master, for an invention of
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF STEEL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gjers at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th March 1882.
.
JOHN GJERS, of Middlesbrough on Tees in the North Riding of the County of
York, Iron Master, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF
STEEL
"
Hitherto when a steel ingot has been cast either by the Bessemer, the Open
Hearth, or other process, it has usually been taken whilst yet hot to a heating
furnace and therein brought to a sufficient and even heat preparatory to being
rolled down into a bloom or into a finished article. This has been done at con-
siderable expense in skilled labour, in fuel, in loss of yield, and in the building
and maintaining of costly heating furnaces. In some isolated cases it has been
experimentally attempted to obviate the above described inconvenience and loss by
rolling down ingots immediately after they have been stripped from the mould
and without the application of any heat other than their initial heat or that
derived from the fluid metal of which they were formed; but in practice it has
been found impossible to carry this out since every ingot could not be taken to the
rolls at once, whilst moreover, the heat of an ingot is unequally distributed, that is
to say, an ingot when stripped quickly is in the interior too hot for rolling
(sometimes it is even in a fluid or partially fluid state) and if kept long enough for
the interior to be reduced to the proper heat the exterior becomes from radiation
too cold for rolling.
Now my Invention consists in so treating a newly formed ingot that the heat
contained in it may be maintained and become distributed uniformly or approxi-
mately so throughout the metallic mass, that is to say, that the heat of the interior
of the ingot may be reduced and the surface heat maintained or even increased
from what it was when the ingot left the mould.

page_text: In carrying my invention out in practice I proceed according to one method as
follows: The ingot as soon as it is stripped (and I strip it as early as practicable)
is transferred with the least possible delay into what I call a soaking pit. This
pit can conveniently be constructed of refractory material such as fire brick in the
floor of the casting house or in an adjoining shop: It should be of a cross section
slightly larger than that of the ingot and of a depth slightly deeper than the
length of the ingot. In this pit I place the ingot upright and then I cover the pit
over with a cover of refractory material excluding the air as much as possible.
Here I allow the ingot to stand and soak as I call it. The interior excessive
heat and any additional heat rendered sensible during complete solidification of the
ingot, but which was latent at the time of placing the ingot in the pit becoming
distributed uniformly or nearly so throughout the metallic mass and no or com-
paratively little heat being able to escape, it results that after a sufficient time has
been allowed to elapse the surface of the ingot assumes about the same temperature
as the interior, and that it is throughout of a suitable temperature for rolling off
successfully into a bloom or even directly into a finished article. Thus steel ingots
may be converted according to my invention in a practical manner into a finished
state without addition of external heat, but simply by distribution of the initial
heat left in the ingot after the operation of casting.
The chambers or envelopes employed for enclosing ingots according to my
invention may be variously constructed. Thus I may use a pit constructed to hold
more than one ingot, and it may be arranged either horizontally or vertically and
may be constructed entirely below the floor level or entirely above it, or partially
below and partially above such level.
Or the chamber or envelope may not be in the form of a pit, but be constructed
as a kind of casing lined with non conducting refractory material which is put
over the ingot after the manner of a dish cover, the action being the same as in
the case of the pit. In practice it will be convenient to use a sufficient number of
pits or chambers directly commanded by the ingot cranes, or these pits or chambers
may be placed at a distance in the most convenient place and not directly
commanded by the ingot cranes but by a separate crane or cranes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Gjers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th September
1882.
JOHN GJERS of Middlesbrough-on-Tees in the North Riding of the County of
York, Iron Master, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF
STEEL.
Hitherto when a steel ingot has been cast either by the Bessemer, the open Hearth,
or other process, it has in practise usually been taken whilst yet hot to a heating
furnace, and therein brought to a sufficient and even heat preparatory to being
rolled down into a bloom or into a finished article.
This has been done at considerable expense in skilled labour, in fuel, in loss of
yield, and in the building and maintaining of costly heating furnaces.
In some isolated cases it has been experimentally attempted to obviate the above
described inconvenience and loss by rolling down ingots immediately after they
have been stripped from the mould, and without the application of any heat other
than their initial heat, or that derived from the fluid metal of which they were
formed; but, in practice, it has been found impossible to carry this out since every
ingot could not be taken to the rolls at once, whilst, moreover, as is well known, the
heat of an ingot is unequally distributed, that is to say, an ingot when stripped
quickly is in the interior too hot for rolling (sometimes it is even in a fluid or
partially fluid state) and if kept long enough for the interior to be reduced to the
proper heat, the exterior becomes from radiation too cold for rolling.
Now my invention relates to an improved process of manufacturing articles from
steel ingots by treating the ingots in the manner hereinafter described and rolling
or otherwise pressing the steel into the required forms such as blooms, rails or other
shaped articles.
For this purpose according to my invention, the ingot as soon as it is stripped
(and I strip it as early as possible) is with the least possible delay placed upright
within a previously heated upright pit that I call a "soaking" pit and which is
constructed as described below and of a cross section only slightly larger than that
of the ingot and of a depth slightly deeper than the length of the ingot, and then
I immediately cover this "soaking" pit over with a cover or lid such as will
practically exclude the air. In this pit thus covered I allow the ingot to stand
and "soak" (as I call it) until as presently more fully to be explained, it assumes
throughout a suitable temperature for being rolled or otherwise pressed into a bloom
or other shaped article. An experienced workman as is well known can judge from
the appearance of the ingot when it is in a fit state to be rolled Before proceeding
to roll an ingot directly it is withdrawn from the soaking pit, the pit must
previously to the insertion within it of such ingot have been heated as above men-
tioned, this may be conveniently done when starting a cold pit by introducing into
the pit in the first instance a hot ingot which after imparting the requisite beat is
withdrawn and will require to be reheated before it is rolled. Afterwards whilst
it continues in use the pit will be kept (as explained hereinafter) sufficiently hot
by the ingots treated within it for rolling or pressing. Referring to the drawings
(where Fig. 1 is an elevation and part vertical section, and Fig. 2 a plan.) a is a
Bessemer casting pit, b, b are ingot cranes commanding the same and c c are
soaking" pits shewn arranged in a block of four rows, but which may be
otherwise arranged, as, for example, concentrically to the crane. d is a blooming
mill, and e is a crane for transferring the heated ingots from the "soaking" pits to
the rolls. The soaking" pits c are as represented in cross section to an enlarged
16

page_text: scale in Figure 3, constructed in a mass of refractory material f. such as firebrick
which will absorb a large amount of heat whilst in use. As is well understood
every ingot when cast contains within itself a much larger store of heat than is
needful for the rolling operation.
"
Some of this heat is of course lost by going into the mould some by radiation
before the ingot enters the "soaking" pit, and some is lost after it enters, being
gradually conducted away through the brickwork; but in ordinary working when
there is no undue loss of time in transferring the ingots, after allowing for this
loss, there remains a surplus of heat which goes into the brick work of the "soaking
pit so that the ingots tend to maintain the brickwork of the pits at about a
temperature equal to that at which an ingot should leave the pit to be fit for
rolling, thus if occasionally it happens that inadvertently an ingot is delayed so
long on its way to the pit as to arrive there short of heat, then its temperature will
be raised by heat from the walls of the pit itself, the refractory mass wherein the
pit is formed in fact acting as an accumulator of heat giving and taking heat as
required to carry on in a practical and continuous manner the operation of preparing
the ingots for rolling; it being understood that before the operation of rolling can
commence the pits must be started by the insertion of hot ingots merely for the
purpose of heating the pits. Once hot however the process of rolling can go on
uninterruptedly as the pits remain hot by the surplus heat of successive ingots being
continuously absorbed and part stored in the brickwork. Each "soaking pit" c
is of a cross section slightly larger than that of the ingot g and of a depth slightly
deeper than the length of the ingot. In practice I find it advantageous to make
the pit of a cross section exceeding that of the ingot by as little as is compatible
with the ready insertion and withdrawal of the ingots, but in order to allow for
those cases in which the ingots have fins or excrescences I should usually make my
pits about 3 inches larger in cross section than the big end of the ordinary ingot to
be treated. The depth of the pit I make somewhat greater than the length of the
longest ingot the pit is designed to receive, and the level of the pit's bottom is
raised by putting in sand to form a floor to the pit so that when an ingot is under
treatment in the pit its upper end may be at a convenient distance below the
mouth of the pit. I have found that hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbonic oxide gas
exude from ingots whilst "soaking" in the pits, and that free oxygen is not present
in the space which surrounds the heated ingots thus oxidation or loss of steel
does not take place and consequently the great loss of yield which occurs when
heating furnaces are used is obviated.
When the lid or cover is removed and air is thus admitted combustion occurs
and carbonic acid and super heated steam are produced. Now with the vertical
arrangement of pit just above described, these heated gases have a tendency to
remain in the pit thus to a considerable extent preventing entry of cold air or of
any oxidizing inedium. Into such a pit each ingot after being stripped is promptly
placed and thereupon without loss of time the respective pit is covered over with a
cover or lid h to practically exclude air as already mentioned. I allow the ingot to
stand and "soak" thus enclosed in the pit; thus interior heat and any additional
heat rendered sensible during complete solidification of the metal but which was
latent at the time of placing the ingot in the pit, become uniformly distributed,
or nearly so, throughout the metallic mass, no, or comparatively little, heat is able
to escape and after a sufficient time has been allowed to elapse the surface heat of
the ingot is greatly increased and assumes about the same temperature as the
interior, thus the entire ingot attains throughout a suitable temperature for rolling
off successfully into a bloom or directly into a finished article. The period during
which the ingot is to be left "soaking" in the pit will depend on the size of the
ingot and the temperature of the pit and of the ingot at the time of placing the
ingot in the pit.
With ingots about 12 inches average thickness I have found about 30 minutes
sufficient. In many existing works the blooming rolls are placed at a considerable
distance from the casting pit. In such cases I prefer to place the "soaking” pita

page_text: in proximity to the blooming mill, transporting the ingots from the casting pit to
the "soaking" pits in any convenient way.
In Fig 4 is shewn a modification wherein the mass of refractory material in
which the "soaking" pits are formed is partially above the floor level.
If desired the pits may be of tapering form in vertical section, the larger end
being uppermost so as to receive ingots upside down. With this form the space
between the ingot and the brickwork may be reduced to a minimum, there may
even be actual contact. In some cases when short ingots are placed in a deep pit
I make use of a false cover i consisting of a brick of a size slightly smaller than
the cross section of the pit, and lower this down upon the top of the ingot before
the ordinary cover is put on. I also place such a brick on the end of the ingot
whenever I desire it to be specially hot.
According to my invention steel ingots may be converted in a practical manner
into a finished state without reheating them. It will be noted that no non-
conducting material is introduced into the "soaking" pit between the ingot and
the sides of the pit which are so made that the mass of the material operates to
store, retain or give out heat as required in treating the ingot as hereinbefore
mentioned. In iny provisional specification I proposed in some cases to employ for
enclosing ingots chambers or envelopes constructed as a kind of casing lined with
non-conducting refractory material and placed over the ingot after the manner of a
dish cover but I have ascertained that such arrangements are in practice open to
serious objections which prevent them from being practically successful. I also
referred to a pit being made to hold more than one ingot this will not be
advantageous unless the pit is divided into separate compartments each made to
receive an ingot. I also referred to the use of horizontal as well as vertical pits
and I desire to state that the latter have such great advantages that I do not
recommend the employment of horizontal pits although they would not be altogether
useless.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention, and the manner in
which it is to be performed I claim :-
1. The conversion of steel ingots into a finished or partly finished state, without
reheating them in a furnace, by the use of "soaking" pits substantially such as
and in the manner above set forth with refereuce to the accompanying drawings.
2. The manufacture of articles from steel ingots by treating the ingots in the
manner herein described and without employing the ordinary reheating process
rolling or otherwise pressing the steel in the required shapes.
In witness whereof I the said John Gjers have hereunto set my hand and
seal this second day of September in the year of Our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
JOHN GJERS. (LS.)