IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR COM- PRESSING IRON OR METAL SCRAPS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHARCOAL BARS THEREFROM
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Butler, of Briton Ferry, in the County of
Glamorgan, Tin-plate Manufactory Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR COM-
PRESSING IRON OR METAL SCRAPS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHARCOAL
BARS THEREFROM.”
Sealed the 20th December 1878, and dated the 4th July 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Butler at the Offico
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th July 1878.
JOSEPH BUTLER, of Briton Ferry, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin-plate
Manufactory Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING IRON OR METAL SCRAPS USED IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CHARCOAL BARS THEREFROM."
According to my Invention I compress iron or metallic scraps, thick or thin, cold
or otherwise, without loss in yield, and the chief object of the Invention is to
utilize charcoal shearings for the manufacture of charcoal iron bars.
I convert shearings of charcoal or coke plates into bars which shall be of the
same quality as the bars from which the charcoal or coke plates have been manu-
factured. For this purpose I take the bundles of shearings of about 3/4 cwts. each,
such as are generally made in the trade, and place one at a time, cold or otherwise,
in a machine, and by the aid of hydraulic or any other suitable mechanical power
press them into moulds or pieces of about one foot and six inches long by seven
inches wide, and of a thickness as may be from a pressure of about 150 tons or
more. I then take two or more of such pieces so pressed and place them one upon
the other, and put them in a balling or other furnace, and when brought to a proper
welding heat they are taken out and placed into the before-mentioned machine and
pressed simultaneously, or nearly so, on the six sides, thereby ensuring a perfect
Din 71

page_text: weld and producing a piece which may immediately be rolled into a bar of any
required shape or size, that is to say, tin bars or charcoal billets.
If the bloom be not hot enough when taken from the machine I replace it in the
furnace for re-heating before rolling.
Hitherto shearings have been melted in charcoal fire, which is a very slow process,
and by which a great loss of metal is incurred, and only one quality of bar is
produced. By my Invention of cold pressing the use of charcoal is abolished.
The machine can be used for shingling puddled balls of any weight or width
required, so that it need not be left to the skill of the workman to determine the
width of the bloom, as the width can be accurately obtained to fit any width of
groove, and solid edges obtained free from cracks. There is oftentimes great waste
in shearing in the collars of the rolls when the determination of the width of the
bloom is left to the skill of the workman.
The machine or press wherewith this my Invention may be carried into effect is
substantially as follows:--The bundle of shearings is placed in a box, and there is
provided a mould which by the power of a screw and double-purchase gear, worked
by fast and loose pulley or small engine, drives the bundle into the press chamber,
and there becomes at rest and forms one of the walls of the mould. Hydraulic
pressure is then applied, and two rams are applied together and reduce the bundle
to the required width, The final pressure is then applied from a ram below, and
the first or cold process is complete.
The hydraulic pressure will be obtained from a steam accumulator worked direct
or by gear, the pump being charged with linsced or rape oil, which by its reverse
motion, acted upon by the receding head drawn back by the screw, causes the three
hydraulic rams to retire simultaneously, and so the operation is repeated.
The compressed shearings are delivered out of the machine by an attendant, who
takes hold of the handle and push it forward, and this motion simultaneously opens
the bottom of the box and drives the compressed shearings down the incline, and
it is delivered under the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Butler in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th January
1879.
JOSEPH BUTLER, of Briton Ferry, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin-plate Manu-
factory Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING IRON OR METAL SCRAP USED IN THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF CHARCOAL BARS THEREFROM."
According to my Invention I compress iron or metallic scraps, thick or thin, cold
or otherwise, and the chief object of the Invention is to utilize charcoal iron
shearings for the manufacture of charcoal iron bars.
I convert shearings of charcoal or cokė plates into bars which shall be of the
same quality, or nearly so, as the bars from which the charcoal or coko plates have
been manufactured. For this purpose I take the bundles of shearings, say of about
three-quarters of an hundred-weight each, such as are generally made in the trade,
and place one at a timo, cold or otherwise, in a machine, and by the aid of hydraulic
power press them into moulds or pieces of say about one foot and six inches long
by seven inches wide, and of a thickness as may be from a pressure of about
150 tons or more. I then take two or more of such pieces so compressed and place
them one upon the other, and put them in a balling or other suitable furnace, and
when brought to a proper welding heat they are taken out and placed in the before-
mentioned machine and pressed simultaneously, or nearly so, on the six sides,
thereby ensuring a perfect weld, and producing a piece which may immediately be
rolled into a bar of any required shape or size, that is to say, tin bars or charcoal
billets.
If the bloom be not hot enough when taken from the machine I replace it in the
furnace for re-heating before rolling.
Hitherto shearings have generally been melted in charcoal fires, which is a very
slow process, and by which a great loss of metal is incurred and only one quality
of bar is produced. By my Invention of cold compressing the use of charcoal is
abolished.
The machine can be used for shingling puddled balls of any weight or width
required, so that it need not be left to the skill of the workman to determine the
width of the bloom, as the width can be accurately obtained to fit any width of
groove, and solid edges can be obtained free from cracks. There is oftentimos great
waste in shearing in the collars of the rolls when the determination of the width
of the bloom is left to the skill of the workman.
In order to more clearly explain and illustrate the manner in which my Invention
is carried into effect, I annex hereto a Sheet of Drawings.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section and Figure 2 a plan partly in section of so
much of a machine or press constructed according to my Invention as will bo
necessary to illustrate.how I carry the same into effect.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in both Figures.
A is the box into which the bundles of shearings are placed; b is one portion of
the mould which by the power of the screw c and double-purchase gear d, d, worked
by fast and loose pulleys e, e, e, or small engine drives the bundle into the press
chamber or mould f, and becomes at rest at the point g, and there forms one of the
walls of the mould f. Instead of the screw a small hydraulic ram inay be applied
for pushing the head b along. Hydraulic pressure is then applied, and the two
rams h, h, are applied together one from each side, and the bundle is thereby reduced
to the required width. The final pressure is then applied from the ram I below, and
the first or cold process is complete.
The solid blocks thus made are placed in a furnace and heated to a welding heat
as aforesaid, and two or more of them are then placed in the compressing apparatus,
and therein compressed into a block suitable for rolling into a bar.
The final or hot pressing process is effected in a similar manner as the first or
cold pressing process.

page_text: The hydraulic pressure is obtained from a steam accumulator worked direct or by
gear, the pump being charged with linseed or rape oil, which by its reverse motion
acted upon by the receding head 6 drawn back by the screw causes the three
hydraulic rams to retire simultaneously, and so the operation is repeated.
The compressed metal is delivered out of the machine by an attendant, who
takes hold of the handle K and pushes it towards the mould, and this motion trans-
mitted by the levers k', ', and rods 1, 2, simultaneously lets falls the hinged bottom
of the box A, as shewn in dotted lines, and drives the compressed metal block m
down the incline bottom, and it is delivered under machine as shewn at m'.
In order to soften the scraps so as to make them more easily compressible into
blocks they may be warmed before being compressed.
By the manufacture of charcoal iron shearings into charcoal iron bars important
advantages are obtained, because such manufacturo of charcoal bars (having a con-
siderably higher commercial value than coke bars) can by and according to my
Invention be effected at a considerably less cost than heretofore, in fact, at about
the same cost as coke bars have heretofore ordinarily been made for from scraps.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I am aware that it has been heretofore pro-
posed, and is not new, to forge iron and steel, and especially large forgings, by
hydraulic pressure; nor is it now by itself to compress scrap piles or metal scraps
by gradual pressure produced by a lever or levers. I am also aware that it has
heretofore been proposed to compress cold metal scraps into solid blocks by the employ-
ment of hydraulic power, videlicet, by Brownoatt in his Provisional Specification,
No. 132, of 1854, and by Holmes in his Specification, No. 3211, of 1875. I am
also aware that it has been proposed to compress together cold metal shearings
into blocks by the employment of a steam hammer head in a box or mould; but I
wish it to be understood that the difference in the results obtained by the quick or
sudden compression or solidification of cold scraps into blocks, such as may be
obtained by the employment of a steam or other hammer, and the gradual com-
pression or solidification of scraps into blocks such as may be obtained by my
hydraulic mode and apparatus, is as follows:-In the former caso the fibres of the
scraps are more or less torn, destroyed, or injured by the suddenness of the blows,
while in the latter case a gradual interlocking of the fibre is effected with loss
tearing or injury to the same. Furthermore, in the former process the blows being
all in one direction tend to increase the said tearing action, while in the latter case
according to my process, the compression or solidification is not in one direction
solely but I claim,—
Firstly. The manufacture of blocks from cold charcoal iron plate shearings suitable
for being made into charcoal iron bars by the employment of hydraulic pressure,
substantially as set forth.
Secondly. The manufacture of blocks from cold metal shearings by the employ
ment of hydraulic presses, operating in the manner described.
Thirdly. The manufacture of charcoal iron bars or coke iron bars from charcoal
iron plate shearings or from coke iron plate shearings respectively, by machinery
operating substantially as set forth, whereby such shearings are first, while cold,
gradually compressed into blocks and afterwards two or more such blocks while hot
are compressed together into one.
Fourthly. The construction of hydraulic apparatus substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Butler, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.