IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL CASTINGS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cartwright Holmes and William Hollins-
head, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Engineers, for the
Holmes and William Hollinshead, at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th April 1858.
We, WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT HOLMES and WILLIAM HOLLINSHEAD, of Hud-
dersfield, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL CASTINGS,"
to be as follows
Our Invention consists, firstly, in the use or employment of ordinary or
superheated steam, hot air, or hot water, introduced or passed through
chambers or passages formed in metal moulds for maintaining the said moulds
at, or as near as possible, an equal temperature during the process of casting.
Secondly, in the employment of superheated steam or hot air for drying the
cores of pipes by passing the same through the core barrel, and for drying
other cores and dry sand moulds by placing them in a suitable vessel, having
a "jacketing" or chambers for passing the steam through.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cartwright Holmes and William Hollinshead in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
CARTWRIGHT HOLMES and WILLIAM HOLLINSHEAD, of Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Cartwright Holmes and William Hollinshead, Her special licence
that we, the said William Cartwright Holmes and William Hollinshead, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Cartwright Holmes and William Hollinshead, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully night make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL CASTINGS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said William Cartwright Holmes and
William Hollinshead, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hollinshead, for and on behalf
of myself and the said William Cartwright Holmes, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
Our Invention consists, firstly, in the use or employment of ordinary or
superheated steam, hot air, or hot water in casting metals in metallic moulds
The metallic moulds are formed internally to the shape of the intended casting
or castings, and provided with an external case or jacketting, between which
and the mould is left a space forming a chamber or passage through which
-steam, hot air, or hot water is caused to pass; but the heating agent we prefe
to use is superheated steam, or steam heated out of contact with water, by

page_text: passing the same through a series of pipes which are placed in and heated by
a furnace, the steam thereby acquiring a considerably elevated or high degree
of temperature. The steam or other agent is conducted or passed through
the chambers of the mould previous to the molten metal being run into the
mould, which raises the temperature thereof according to the amount of heat
the steam or other agent contains. The transmission of the heating media
through the chamber is continued during the whole process of casting;. its
action being, firstly, to raise the temperature of the mould; and secondly, to
carry off the heat transmitted to the mould by the molten metal, thus
preventing the mould from becoming too hot and being destroyed by
the molten metal adhering thereto. The process of casting is hereby
rendered continuous. If the castings are brittle and require to be soft for
working, they are removed from the mould as soon as sufficiently: set, and
placed in a suitable annealing or tempering kiln, and treated according to the
degree of softness required. The class of castings which it is advantageous to
manufacture by this process are those of such form, or that can be adapted to
such form either by alteration of the form of the article itself, or by the
introduction of cores, as will allow the metal to contract during cooling, for it
is evident that if there are two or more projections or recesses in the mould,
unless provided for by suitable cores or other means, the force of contraction
or contractile power of the metal in cooling between two or more such
projections or recesses would cause the breakage or injury of the casting.
Secondly, in the use or employment of superheated steam or hot air, but by
preference, superheated steam, for drying cores and sand moulds for castings,
either by placing them in a suitable vessel or stove, having a jacketting or
chamber for passing the steam into or through it, so as to raise the tempera-
ture of such vessel or stove, and envelope the cores or moulds in an atmosphere
of steam, or where core barrels are used, as in the case of pipe castings, to pass
the steam or hot air through the core barrels until the cores are perfectly dry.
It will be evident that the steam which has been used for heating the moulds
&c. in casting will be adapted for drying the cores; for by its passage
through the moulds during the process of casting, it will be further heated
or its temperature raised through the heat of the molten metal. A suitable
series of pipes and taps are provided according to the number of moulds and
stoves used.
The manner in which this Invention is to be performed will be clearly
understood by reference to the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings, and
the figures and letters of reference thereon.

page_text: The first part of our Invention is illustrated by the Figures 1, 2, and 3, in
Sheet 1, and Figs. 4 and 5, in Sheet 2.
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, shew one modification of a mould for casting iron pipes
intended to have socket and spigot joints, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal or
side elevation; Fig. 2, a plan with one-half of the mould removed; and
Fig. 3 is a cross section or sectional elevation of the same. A is the internal
mould, the inner face or surface being of the form and size of the exterior of
the pipe required to be cast; B is the steam space or chamber; C is the
external jacket; H is the core, which is made as usual, and of the form and
size of the interior of the pipe; I is the core barrel, which is tapered at one
end to fit into a conical hole in the bottom plate L. The top plate or cover M
is fastened down by means of two screws and fixings N, N, and provided with
a gate R and vent S. The barrel is drawn out of the mould by means of the
clams U fixed to the top of the barrel. The steam passes in at E, and along
the steam space or chamber to the pipes D, which connect the two steam
spaces in the two half moulds together, and from thence to the outlet pipe F.
Straps O, O, are fixed on the external case, to which are attached the cross
pieces and screws K, K, which are grooved at their extremities and fitted into
bosses cast on the outer case, and into which set screws are fitted as shewn
at P. The operation is thus conducted:-The two half moulds are screwed
together, the core put into its place, and the lid put on and fastened down;
the steam is then turned on for about five minutes, when the molten metal
is run into the mould, and as soon as the steam has reduced the temperature
of the metal and the casting properly set, the clams are fixed on the top of the
core barrel, the lid is unscrewed, and the screws K, K, are slackened, so as to
separate the two half moulds sufficiently to allow the casting to be drawn out.
The castings are then separated from the lid and core barrel, and if required
are carried to the annealing kiln. The steam is caused to pass through the
chambers of the mould during the whole of this operation of casting, &c., the
bottom end of the mould only requiring to be slackened a little, consequently
the connecting pipe requires no joints, the elasticity of the pipe being sufficient
to allow the opening of the mould for removing the casting, the greatest
amount of opening being required at the top or socket end of the mould.
Figs. 4 and 5, Sheet 2, represent a mould for a railway. chair, in which
Fig. 4 is a vertical section, and Fig. 5, a plan of the same, with the cover
removed. A is the mould formed internally to the size and shape required;
B is the steam space; C, the steam pipe or inlet pipe; and D the exhaust or
outlet pipe; E is the outer case or jacketting fastened steam-tight by the set

page_text: screws S. The cover T is furnished with the handles O, and fastened down
by fixings and screws N; it is provided with the gate H, gate box G, and vent
holes I. The nail holes in the chair casting are formed by the dry sand cores
M, as also the space for receiving the rail by the core K. The air or gases
are conducted from this core by the vent L, which is a pipe screwed through
the exterior jacketting and the mould. The two steam pipes C, D, form an
axis upon which the mould can be turned over, resting upon the pedestals P.
This mould is heated as in the previously described pipe mould, and all the
other operations in process of moulding, &c., are conducted in a similar
manner.
The second part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in
Sheet 3, which represent a drying vessel or stove for cores and moulds.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 2, a plan with the top removed; and
Fig. 3, a front elevation of the same. A is the interior of the vessel or
stove, which is formed of perforated iron plates; B, the steam chamber;
C, the door of the stove; D, the inlet steam pipe; and E, the outlet steam
pipe; F is the casing of the stove, which is formed of brickwork, but may be
of iron or other suitable material; G are rails or plates for the core carriage
HI to run upon. This carriage is formed or constructed of a series of iron rods
or bars on which the cores or moulds to be dried rest. This operation of
drying such cores, &c. will be readily understood. The carriage on being filled
or supplied with cores, &c., is pushed into the vessel or stove and the door
closed; the steam is turned on for some time, which passes through the
perforations in the sides of the vessel, the action of which upon, the cores or
moulds completely desiccates or dries them, the vapour and steam passing off
at the pipe E.
Having thus fully described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we would have it distinctly under-
stood that we do not claim the superheating of steam or the annealing of the
castings, nor the exclusive use of metal moulds for castings; nor do we confine
ourselves to the precise details as herein set forth for carrying out our Invention,
as many modifications of apparatus may be made without departing from the
spirit or principle thereof; but what we claim as our Invention, and which we
believe to be new within the realm, is,-
Firstly, the use or employment of ordinary steam, superheated steam, hot
air, or hot water, when using metallic moulds in casting metals.
And secondly, the use or employment of superheated steam or hot air for
desiccating or drying cores or moulds for castings formed of sand or other

page_text: similar materials, in manner and for the purposes herein set forth and illus-
rated in the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hollinshead, for and on behalf
of myself and the said William Cartwright Holmes, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM HOLLINSHEAD. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named William Hollinshead, in the
presence of
W TASKER, Patent Agent,
Halifax.