CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
MORTLOCK OMMANNEY, of the City of Chester, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Mortlock Onimanney, my exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Henry Mortlock Ommanney, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henry Mortlock Ommanney, my exors, admors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, 'my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso requiring me, the said Henry
Mortlock Ommanney, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery, within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Mortlock Ommanney, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-

page_text: tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly de-
scribed and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the manufacture of steel from iron ores (being
oxydes of iron), and other oxydes of iron deoxydized, in the manner herein-
after explained.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
In doing
so, I would state that the peculiarity of my method consists in deoxydizing
iron ores and other oxydes of iron in an open furnace, so constructed that
the ore or oxyde of iron and carbon may be introduced at one part of
the furnace, where it is comparatively at a low temperature, then after
a suitable period of time be removed to a hotter part of the furnace,
where it remains for another period of time, and then the materials are again
removed to a hotter part of the furnace, and remain for another period of
time, and then the same is removed from the furnace. The matters under
process being kept stirred during the three stages of process in the furnace,
there being a suitable opening or door to each compartment of the furnace,
and a second opening or door to the hottest compartment, whereat the charge
is withdrawn when complete. By these means the process will be continuous,
and successive charges will be introduced into one part (the cooler part) of the
furnace, and a complete charge will be removed from time to time from
another part (the hottest part) of the furnace. The Drawing shews an ar-
rangement of reverberatory furnace suited for carrying out my Invention.
It consists of three compartments, heated at one end in the ordinary manner,
and at the other end there is an opening in the roof, with a hopper, to facili-
tate the supply of the materials into the cooler compartment. Having got
my furnace to a proper heat, the compartment at the flue end, which I shall
call No. 1, being a black red heat, the next, No. 2, will be somewhat hotter,
and the grate end, or No. 3, of a bright heat. I then introduce the mix-
ture of ore and carbon, preferring charcoal, through the hopper placed over
and through the crown of the compartment No. 1. It is then stirred up
with iron tools (such as those used by puddlers) for about an hour and a half,
and is then turned into the next compartment No. 2, and the compartment
No. 1 is to be immediately charged again. The process of stirring in the
compartment No. 2 is continued for another period of an hour and a half.
When the charge in No. 2 is turned into compartment No. 3, that which is in
No. 1 is to be turned into No. 2, and No. 1 is to be charged again. The

page_text: three compartments have then a charge in each. The stirring process is con-
tinued on the charge in No. 3 for about an hour and a half, when the charge
in No. 3 is to be withdrawn through a door at the back of the furnace. The
charge No. 2 is advanced to No. 3, that in No. 1 to No. 2, and No. 1 is
charged again, so that the process may go on continuously, each charge
having been worked four hours and a half, which I have found to be. suffi-
ciently long for perfect deoxydation. I do not, however, confine myself.
thereto. The deoxydized ore or iron so removed is balled up in the puddling
furnace in the usual manner; but if the deoxydized ore or iron has a tendency
to form itself into lumps, I submit the whole to the grinding or pounding
process, and when reduced to a powder, pass it through the puddling furnace
and ball it up, as is well understood. The balls are removed from the furnace
and made into blooms, or hammered into cakes or plates or bars of iron.
The cakes, plates, or bars are afterwards cut up, and converted either in the
converting furnace, or may be charged at once with the requisite degree of
carbonization for steel of any temper by adding it at once in the shape of
charcoal in the crucible or melting operation.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim the
exclusive use of the furnace herein-before described, except when employed as
above mentioned for the purposes of my said Invention; but what I claim is,
the improvement in the manufacture of steel from ores and other oxydes of
iron dexoydized at successive temperatures, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Mortlock Ommanney, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifte
H. M. (L.S.) OMMANNEY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Henry Mortlock Ommanney came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.