Improvements in the Mode and Means for Annealing Metal.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1897.
Complete Specification Left 11th July 1898-Accented 10th Sent
1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mode and Means for Annealing Metal.
We, ROBERT WOOTTON, of 113, Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Gentleman and
GEORGE BEST MARTIN, of 6, Sycamore Road, Handsworth, Smethwick, near
Birmingham, Works Manager, both in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention to be as follows:-
°
Our invention has for its object improvements in the mode and means for
annealing metal and is specially applicable to the annealing of aluminium and
such like metals of low fusing point.
We construct a furnace or apparatus with suitable means for heating the same,
such for instance as a fire grate lamp gas burner and the like in such a manner
that the heat plays upon a pipe or series of pipes or a coil of piping. The fur-
nace has a suitable cover or lid or door and pipe or chimney for carrying away
the waste products or smoke. The pipe or pipes or coils of pipes or tubes at
one end-the inlet end--are connected with a steam or other boiler with a valve
or cock for cutting off the connection and for regulating the supply and a like
cock or top is situated at the outlet end of the coil or pipe for conveying the
superheated steam to the metal to be operated upon. In case the aluminium
article to be annealed is a tube the pipe from the coil may be introduced into the
tube which is open or partially open at the other end to allow the superheated
steam to escape or the tube or other articles may be placed in a cylinder or box
for the purpose. But in any case between the apparatus or furnace and the
article to be annealed I place a small pipe or plug made of such metal that it
will be fused at a lower temperature than the aluminium or other articles to be
annealed, thus ensuring them against being overheated or melted.
Dated thin 20th day of October 1807
We, ROBERT WOOTTON, of 113, Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Gentleman, and
GEORGE BEST MARTIN, of 6, Sycamore Road, Handsworth, Smethwick, near
Birmingham, Works Manager, both in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare
the nature of our said 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 has for its object improvements in the mode and means for

page_text: annealing metal and is specially applicable to the annealing of aluminium and
such like metals of low fusing point.
We construct a furnace or apparatus with suitable means for heating the same,
such for instance as a fire grate lamp gas burner and the like in such a manner
that the heat plays upon a pipe or series of pipes or a coil of piping. The fur-
nace has a suitable cover or lid or door and pipe or chimney for carrying away
the waste products or smoke. "The pipe or pipes or coils of pipes or tubes at
one end the inlet end-are connected with a steam or other boiler with a valve
or cock for cutting off the connection and for regulating the supply and a like
cock or tap is situated at the outlet end of the coil or pipe for conveying the
superheated steam to the metal to be operated upon. In case the aluminium
article to be annealed is a tube the pipe from the coil may be introduced into the
tube which is open or partially open at the other end to allow the superheated
steam to escape or the tube or other articles may be placed in a cylinder or box
for the purpose. But in any case between the apparatus or furnace and the
article to be annealed we place a small pipe or plug made of such metal that it
will be fused at a low temperature than the aluminium or other articles to be
annealed thus ensure them against being overheated or melted.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect we have appended hereunto 3 sheets of drawings upon which
we have illustrated an example of our mode for annealing metal tubes.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of our apparatus.
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 shewn in part section.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figure 1.
In carrying our invention into practice we construct the furnace or apparatus A
with the fire grate or heating chamber a¹ and in the interior of this furnace we fix
the coil of piping B above the fire grate in such a position that the heat plays
upon it as clearly shewn at Figure 2. The furnace is provided with the lid or
door a through which the fuel for feeding the furnace is inserted and the door
or lid a³ is provided for withdrawing the spent fuel or ashes. The pipe or
chimney a conveys away the waste products or smoke.
Instead of using the coil of piping B we may use a series of pipes or coils or
a single pipe and the pipes or coil or coils may be heated by a lamp gas burner
or the like instead of fuel. The coil B is connected at its inlet end b¹ by the
pipe D to a steam or other boiler the cock or valve d¹ being provided for cutting 3
off the connection and for regulating the supply of steam, and the like cock or
valve which is connected to the outlet end of the coil is provided for regulating
the supply of superheated steam to the metal or article to be operated upon. The
aluminium or other metal tubes or other articles to be annealed are placed into
the cylinder E which is preferably built into the brick work E¹ the space e being 4
by preference left between the cylinder and the brickwork. This cylinder is
connected at one end to the valve by the fusible metal pipe e3 which is made of
a metal that will fuse at a lower temperature than the aluminium tubes or other
articles to be annealed thus ensuring them against being overheated or melted.
Or we may employ an ordinary iron or other pipe in place of the fusible pipe 3 4
having a fusible plug or plugs fitted into it. The other end of the cylinder E
communicates with the chamber F and this chamber is provided with the flue or
chimney F for conveying away the superheated steam. This chamber F is also
provided with the door or lid f through which the aluminium tubes or other
articles are placed into the cylinder E. Instead of a cylindrical chamber for 5
containing the aluminium or other articles for annealing the chamber may be.
square, oblong, oval or other shape. Or when annealing an aluminium tube the
pipe e may be introduced into the tube the other end being left open or partially
open to allow the superheated steam to escape. But in any case we place between
the furnace or apparatus A a pipe or plug or plugs made of such metal that 5
will be fused at a lower temperature than the aluminium or other articles to he
annealed so as to ensure them against being overheated or melted.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
CLAIMS.
First: The improvements in the mode and means for annealing metal and is
specially applicable to the annealing of aluminium consisting essentially of a
furnace or apparatus such as A having a coil or coils of piping such as B or a
pipe or series of pipes situated in the interior of the furnace or apparatus and
communicating by means of a fusible pipe or pipes or a pipe or pipes provided
with a fusible plug or plugs with a chamber such as E or its equivalent all
arranged in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth
and as shewn upon the accompanying sheets of drawings
Second-The new furnace for annealing aluminium and such like metals
constructed in such a manner as to limit the maximum heat attainable substan-
tially in the manner set forth and shewn upon the drawings
Third: In annealing furnaces for metal the use of a fusible pipe or plug to
guage the maximum temperature so as to prevent the aluminium or other metal
or articles from being overheated in the said furnace.
this day or July 1898.
ROBERT WOOTTON,
GEORGE BEST MARTIN,
By George Barker,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicants, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.