Improvements in and Connected with the Manufacture of Aluminium and other Light Metals.
Year: 1886

page_text: .
Improvements in and Connected with the Manufacture of Aluminium
and other Light Metals.
I, Dr. EDWARD CASPAR KLEINER FIERTZ of Zurich in the Swiss Republic but
temporarily of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in the process described in specifi-
cation No. 8531 of 29th June 1886 and consists essentially of the following detail
improvements.
In practising the process described in the before mentioned specification I have
found that the anodes are more or less rapidly burnt away at the surface of the bath
and to obviate this difficulty I now propose to construct such carbons in cylindrical
form divided into two or more segments, such segments are placed within the vessel
in such position as to prevent the access of air thereto when the cryolite is melted.
These segments are connected to suitable conductors placed externally to the vessel
while the cathodes are arranged as formerly described, the tops thereof being placed
at about the level of the tops of the anode segments above which is a lining of oxide
of aluminium or other suitable material. The bottom of the vessel lining is of concave
form in order to allow the reduced aluminium to readily collect.
The vessel is lined with oxide of aluminium or other suitable material and the
cryolite natural or manufactured is packed in around the cathodes and inside the
anode segments and the are may be formed in the first instance by a supplemental
carbon which is introduced between the anodes and cathodes and can be afterwards
removed but this will only be necessary when the electro motive force employed is
not in itself sufficient to form said arc.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with the Manufacture of Aluminium
and other Light Metals.
I Dr. EDWARD CASPAR KLEINER-FIERTZ of Zurich in the Swiss Republic, but
temporarily of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Chemist 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:
This invention relates to certain improvements in the process described in specifi-
cation No. 8531 of 1886 in which it is proposed to treat Cryolite or the double
fluorides for the production of aluminium by means of the electric arc. The results
of certain experiments I have made have shown that the anode carbon is rapidly
burned away at or slightly above the level of the molten bath, while the carbon below
the surface burns but slowly. The object of my present invention is to so arrange
the apparatus as to preserve the carbon and at the same time arrange the vessel so
that the aluminium may readily collect therein without damaging the vessel or being.
damaged by the lining thereof.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the
accompanying drawings in which—
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of the vessels and carbons taken on the
line A B of Figure 2 which represents a plan view while Figure 3 represents a
sectional elevation on the line C D of Figure 1.
I make vessel E in which the reduction takes place, of wood, iron, or other suitable
material and line the same with any suitable substance such as oxide of aluminium G,
which is preferably tightly packed or moulded in such a form as to leave the bottom
in the shape of an inverted cone a central hole being left for the cathode H. Upon
the lining G. is placed the anode 1 which is formed of carbon of as pure a quality as
possible and moulded under considerable pressure in the form of two or more
segments, provided with wings or connections I¹ by which such segments are connected
to the conductor J, from the dynamo or other electrical source.
Upon the anodes I an additional lining G¹ is placed so as to prevent air from
reaching the top of the segments. When commencing the operation the top of the
cathodes H should be about the same height as the top of the anode segments I and
when so placed the powdered, natural, or artifical cryolite K is packed in around the
cathode H, and inside the anode segments I, and the electric current may then be
switched on, while in the case of large vessels the arc in the first instance may be
conveniently formed by a supplementary carbon or connection, placed between the
anode and cathode until the cryolite melts when it may be withdrawn, but this
arrangement need not be employed when the electro motive force is in itself sufficient
to form the arc. Said are being once formed the cryolite rapidly melts and metallic
aluminium is deposited in larger or smaller balls or inasses around the cathode at the
bottom of the vessel, the bottom being made of concave form as stated, in order to

page_text: cause it to collect together and also to prevent any chance of the metallic aluminium
forming a short circuit between the carbons.
It will be evident that this apparatus is adapted for the treatment of other substances
than cryolite, but for the latter it is particularly adapted.
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—
1. The improvements in and connected with the manufacture of aluminium and
other light metals which consist of treating cryolite or other metal bearing substances
by the action of an electric current in a vessel E. provided with a suitable lining G
cathode H, and anode I, the latter being formed in the shape of a cylinder or in
segments and so placed in the vessel that air is practically excluded from contact
therewith all substantially as described.
2. The improved form of apparatus for the manufacture of aluminium and other
light metals in which the electrodes are kept from contact with the air substantially as
described and illustrated in the drawings.
1 1005
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agent for the Applicant