IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING AND WORKING SO-CALLED BESSEMER STEEL INGOTS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hampton, Manager, and James Abbott,
Engineer, both of Sheffield, in the County of York, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING AND WORKING SO-CALLED BESSEMER STEEL
INGOTS."
Sealed the 17th October 1865, and dated the 20th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hampton and
James Abbott at the Ollice of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th April 1865.
We, THOMAS HAMPTON, Manager, and JAMES ABBOTT, Engineer, both of
Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING AND WORKING SO-CALLED BESSEMER
STEEL INGOTS," to be as follows:-
Our improvements which will effect a great decrease in the cost of working
so called "Bessemer steel ingots," relate to the casting, or teeming, and the
working of molten steel prepared after the so-called "Bessemer process" in
a peculiar way, so as to effect a greater regularity and uniformity of shape of
the ingots formed thereby, and an exactitude of weights, which has hitherto
not been attained, and consist,-
Firstly, in casting the ingot or ingots either direct or indirect from the con-
verting vessel, hereafter called "converter," in rectangular moulds, with
parallel sides, fixed upon an inclined table or plane placed at a suitable angle,
either acute or obtuse, opposite or at right angles to the converter, and
fastened upon the above-named table or plane by means of bolts or other
suitable fastenings, for which purpose the table or inclined plane is provided

page_text: with the necessary slots, bolt holes, or projections; hitherto the Bessemer
steel ingots have been cast in taper moulds placed upright in a pit, the
moulds being made taper for the purpose of extracting the ingots when cold.
Secondly, in forming rectangular moulds with parallel sides in a peculiar
manner, that is to say, in two parts, divided lengthways and jointed together
in the diagonally opposite corners, so as to enable us to east the ingots to any
required length, and still to extract them out of the mould or moulds as soon
after casting as the "Bessemer steel" or metal is sufficiently set to keep the
required shape, the formation or shape of moulds has hitherto limited the
length of the ingots, and necessitated a longer time to elapse before they could
be extracted, thereby cooling them to such a degree that they were unfit to be
further worked upon, and for that purpose had to be re-heated, which con-
siderably increased the cost of the process.
Our improvements enable us further to cast the ingots in such parallel
shapes and lengths that the whole of each heat or casting can be readily
worked upon simultaneously by means of one or more saws, steam hammer, or
any suitable apparatus for dividing them into parts, and can at once be cut up
into exact lengths and weights as may be required, which the present taper
shape of the ingots prohibited, allowance having to be made for the encreasing
or diminishing thickness of the same.
Thirdly, in carrying out the process of dividing or cutting up during the
first heat, that is to say, without reheating after casting, which from the
mode heretofore practised it was impossible to do, the ingots having to cool
before being extracted from the moulds, so that they could not be further worked
upon without relicating.
And, fourthly, in surrounding the mould or moulds with water chambers for
the purpose of regulating their temperature, by forming around them an outer
shell, between which and the inner one water is made to circulate, thereby
keeping the mould sufficiently cool to prevent the hot metal poured into the
inside from destroying it, as is the case at prosent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Hampton and James Abbott in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HAMPTON, Manager, and JAMES ABBOTT, Engineer, both of Sheffield, in the
County of York, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Thomas Hampton and James Abbott, er special licence that we, the said
Thomas Hampton and James Abbott, our executors. administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Hampton and James Abbott,
our executors, nadministrators, 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 might 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 CASTING AND
WORKING SO-CALLED BESSEMER STEEL' INGOTS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Thomas Hampton and James Abbott, our exccutors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under or their, or one of their
bands and seals, 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 we, the said Thomas Hampton and James Abbott,
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 improvements which will effect a great decrease in the cost of so-called
"Bessemer steel" ingots, relate to the casting, or teeming, and the working of
molten steel, prepared after the so-called "Bessemer process," in a peculiar
way, so as to effect a greater regularity and uniformity of shape of the ingots
formed thereby, and an exactitude of weights which has hitherto not been
attained, and consist,-
Firstly, in casting the ingot or ingots indirectly by preference from the con-
verting vessel, hereafter called "converter," in rectangular moulds formed
with parallel sides, said moulds being fixed upon an inclined table or plane,
placed to a suitable angle, either acute or obtuse, opposite or at right angles
to the converter, and fastened upon the above-named table or plane by means
of bolts or other suitable fastenings, for which purpose the table or
inclined plane is provided with the necessary slots, bolt holes, or projections,
whilst hitherto the Bessemer steel ingots have been cast in taper inoulds, placed
upright in a pit, the moulds being made taper for the purpose of extracting
the ingots when sufficiently cooled down.

page_text: Secondly, in forming rectangular inoulds with parallel sides in a peculiar
manner, that is to say, in two parts divided lengthway, and jointed together
in the diagonally opposite corners, so as to enable us to cast the ingots to any
required lengths, and still to extract them out of the mould or moulds as soon
after casting as the Bessemer steel or metal is sufficiently set to keep the
required shape, the formation or shape of moulds having hitherto limited the
length of the ingots, and necessitated a longer time to elapse before they could be
extracted, thereby cooling them to such a degree that they were unfit to be
further worked upon, and for that purpose had to be re-heated, which con-
siderably encreased the cost of the process. It enables us further to cast the
ingots in such parallel shapes and lengths that the whole of each heat or casting
can be readily worked upon simultaneously by means of one or more saws,
steam hammer, or any suitable apparatus for dividing them into parts, and can
at once be cut up into exact lengths and weights as may be required, which
the present taper shape of the ingots probibited, allowance having to be
made for the increasing or diminishing thickness of the same.
Thirdly, in carrying out the process of dividing or cutting up during the
first heat, that is to say, without re-heating after casting, whilst from the
above will be seen that this was hitherto impossible, the ingots having to cool
before being extracted from the moulds, so much so that they could not be
further worked upon without re-heating.
And, fourthly, in surrounding the mould or moulds with water chambers for
the purpose of regulating their temperature by forming around them an
outer shell, between which and the inner one water is made to circulate,
thereby keeping the mould sufficiently cool to prevent the hot metal from
destroying or injuring the inside of the mould, as is the case at present.
And in order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible, we
now proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings accompanying these Presents, and to the numeral figures and
letters of reference marked thereon respectively, as follows:-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of our improved mould; and Figure 2,
a transverse section thereof, through the line X, X, at Figure 1.
A, B, are the two halves of the mould formed of cast iron about ten feet
long, jointed or connected together at a, a, such parts being faced true, so
that when the two halves of the mould are brought together by the bolts and
cotters b, c, they shall form as near as may be air-tight joints. C, D, are
wrought-iron jackets or water chambers affixed water-tight to each half of the
mould.

page_text: We would here remark that although we have represented and described
the mould as being constructed with water chambers, we do not limit ourselves
to this form of construction, but reserve to ourselves the right to construct
and use diagonally divided moulds without water chambers, in and for the
casting of so-called Bessemer steel ingots.
Figure 2 shows the arrangement of the mould divided lengthwise into two
parts at diagonally opposite corners, which enables us to separate with ease
the two halves of the mould immediately after casting the ingot therein;
this by the use of moulds as heretofore constructed could not be done until
after the ingot had cooled and contracted sufficiently to disengage it from
the mould, thereby causing loss of time and necessitating the re-heating of the
ingst for further querating thereon
kind and held in a nearly vertical position by a table or saddle during which
time the mould is filled with molten metal from a ladle in the usual way,
the water chambers C, D, being filled with tepid water, which is intended to
circulate through them by means of suitable induction and eduction pipes E, G,
by which the mould is prevented from being burned or destroyed by the pouring
in or teeming of the molten metal into the mould. By these means ingots may
be cast parallel instead of taper, and of great length instead of in short lengths,
thereby effecting a saving of metal by making less waste, one head of each
long ingot being all the waste, whereas the head of every short ingot is now
wasted.
A further advantage in using moulds of the above improved construction.
is that the ingots may be extracted therefrom immediately or very soon after
casting or teeming, that is to say, as soon as the metal or Bessemer steel
is set to keep the shape given to it by the mould. By these improvements
we are enabled further to cast ingots in such shapes or lengths that the
whole of each heat or teeming being formed into one ingot can be readily
cut up by saws or any suitable means into required sizes whilst the ingot
is hot, and thus we are enabled to obtain exact weights without loss of metal,
or comparatively so.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention for improvements in the casting and working so called "Bessemer
steel" ingots, together with the best means we are acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, we would remark in conclusion that we do not
intend to limit or confine ourselves to the precise details of construction as

page_text: represented by the Drawing, as the same may be varied, neither do we claim
as our Invention the surrounding of moulds with water chambers, except
when such said moulds are constructed. according to our said Invention, and
we hereby declare our Invention to consist in and we claim the casting of
Bessemer steel ingots in rectangular parallel sided moulds, divided length-
wise at diagonally opposite corners, as above described with reference to the
accompanying Drawing, by which we are enabled to remove the ingot easily
from the mould, and to divide and cut the same up into lengths directly after
the metal has sufficiently set, and whilst it is hot, so as to obviate the necessity
for re-heating the ingot for the purpose of dividing the same as above
stated.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Hampton and James Abbott,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
THOMAS HAMPTON. (L.S.)
JAMES ABBOTT.
(L.S.)
THOMAS HAMPTON. (L.S.)
JAMES ABBOTT.
(L.S.)