Improvements in the Manufacture of Steel.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Steel.
I, HENRY CLEMENT SWINNERTON DYER, of Westhope, County Salop,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
When using an open hearth furnace whether when working with the basic or the
acid process I commence by increasing the carbonization of the metal in the bath
to any required degree. I charge in the first instance a suitable quantity of
carbonaceous material such as coal coke graphite charcoal or other similar substance
but preferably charcoal on account of its freedom from impurities and then charge
the pig iron and scrap on the top of it :-as the metal melts it takes up a considerable
percentage of carbon and although in the basic process much of the carbon
is eliminated with the phosphorous enough remains to enable the charge to be
finished in the ordinary manner and a steel produced having any desired per centage
of carbon within certain limits.
A similar result would be obtained by charging the carbon in the Bessemer
converter and pouring the melted metal upon it--when the phosphorous was
eliminated sufficient carbon would remain to enable steel of different tempers to be
obtained as desired.
Dated this 10th
1
H. C. S. DYER.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Steel.
I, HENRY CLEMENT SWINNERTON DYER, of Westhope, County Salop,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
When using an open hearth furnace when working with the basic process I com-
mence by increasing the carbonization of the metal in the bath to any required
degree. I charge in the first instance a suitable quantity of carbonaceous material
such as coal coke graphite charcoal or other similar substance but preferably
charcoal on account of its freedom from impurities and then charge scrap or pig
iron and scrap on the top of it. As the metal melts it takes up a considerable
per centage of carbon and although in the basic process much of the carbon is
eliminated with the phosphorus enough remains to enable the charge to be finished
by boiling down with ore in a similar manner to the boiling down of an ordinary
charge of pig in a silicious lined furnace. In this way a steel can be produced
having any desired percentage of carbon within certain limits.
Hitherto one of the greatest defects of the basic process has been that con-
siderable difficulty and uncertainty is experienced in making steel with more than
about 15% carbon; various attempts have been made and Patents taken out to
overcome this difficulty by running the molten metal through carbon &c. but none
are reliable.
By my process I first saturate the bath itself with carbon so that when the
phosphorus has been eliminated there will still remain a percentage of carbon in
excess of what is required at the finish, and afterwards I remove this excess in the
ordinary manner by boiling down with ore so that when the furnace is tapped the
metal shall contain exactly the percentage of carbon desired.
It has generally been believed that phosphorus will not leave the metal in the
[ Pins171

page_text: presence of carbon. I find in practice that this idea is erroneous and that although
a large proportion of carbon is eliminated with the phosphorus still that when there
is an excess of carbon sufficient remains to obtain steel with much higher percentage
of carbon than has hitherto been found to be practicable with the basic process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The hereinbefore described process of manufacturing steel consisting in charging
scrap or pig iron and scrap along with carbon in the form of coke or charcoal or
other carbonaceous matter into a basic lined open hearth furnace; then melting the
metal in the charge (the molten charge by taking up carbon will then contain a
higher percentage of carbon than is required in the steel to be produced) and finally
boiling down the charge with iron ore until the metal contains the percentage of
carbon desired.