Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Alloys.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metallic Alloys.
We, JOHANNES CATHERINUS BULL, Engineer, and RICHARD EMIL MAGNUS
LAGERWALL, Engineer, both of No. 87, Sumner Street, Southwark, in the County
of London do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a certain division of that class of alloys known as
"white metals," that is to say, to those "white metals" which are composed of
lead as a base combined with tin, antimony, zinc or the like.
The object of the present invention is to improve the grain, texture, or degree
of hardness of alloys of this class and to enable the same to be more or less varied,
at will.
This invention consists in the addition to this class of alloys of mercury in
suitable proportions, which has the effect of rendering the grain or texture of the
metal closer or denser whilst at the same time it improves the wearing qualities
thereof.
In carrying the invention into effect, it is convenient to add the mercury in the
form of a previously prépared alloy of mercury and tip.
In preparing this alloy of mercury and tin, a suitable proportion say twenty
parts by weight of tin are melted in a suitable vessel aud kept in a suitable fluid
state, say for example, at a temperature of about 500° F., by the aid of heat
applied by means of a gas or other fire and to this fluid mass is added about one
part of mercury after which the compound is vigorously stirred so as to intimately
combine the two constituents and the mass is then poured on to iron plates or into
shallow moulds or vessels and allowed to cool or is otherwise cast into suitable
form for subsequent use as hereinafter described.
This mercury and tin alloy may be sub-divided into small pieces in the casting
operation or may be subsequently cut into that form and it may thus be conveniently
added to the white metal whilst the latter is in a fluid state care being taken to
efficiently stir the entire mass.
The proportions in which the mercury and tin alloy may be thus added will
necessarily vary according to the effect desired to be produced but the following
formule which are merely given as examples will be a sufficient guide in this
direction.
When the white metal or alloy or compound to be improved is composed of say
80 parts by weight of lead, 15 parts by weight of antimony and 3 parts by weight
of tin the addition of 2 parts by weight of the above mentioned mercury and tin
alloy will produce a useful white metal of a particularly close grain or texture,
whilst 75 parts by weight of lead, 15 parts by weight of antimony, 8 parts by
weight of tin, and two parts by weight of the mercury and tin alloy will yield a
coarser grained but at the same time harder white metal.
In the same manner, the alloy known as "white brass" which consists of lead,
zinc, and tin, with or without antimony may be much improved as regards its
wearing qualities by the addition of about two per cent. of the mercury and tin
alloy.
It will be understood that the proportions hereinbefore given are merely by way
of example and may be varied as found necessary.
Dated this 29th day of May 1895.
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in the manufacture of Metal
Alloys.
We, JOHANNES CATHERINUS BULL, Engineer, and RICHARD EMIL MAGNUS
LAGERWALL, Engineer, both of No. 87, Sumner Street, Southwark, in the County
of London, 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 :-
Our said invention relates to a certain division of that class of alloys known as
"white metals," that is to say, to those "white metals" which are composed of
dead as a base combined with tin, antimony, or the like.
The object of the present invention is to improve the grain, texture, or degree of
hardness of alloys of this class and to enable the same to be more or less varied
at will.
The invention consists in the addition to this class of alloys of mercury, in
suitable proportions, which has the effect of rendering the grain or texture of the
metal closer or denser whilst at the same time it improves the wearing qualities
thereof.
In carrying the invention into effect, it is convenient to add the mercury in the
form of a previously prepared alloy of mercury and a readily fusible metal, such
as tin.
In preparing this alloy of mercury and tin, a suitable proportion, say twenty
parts by weight, of tin is melted in a suitable vessel and kept in a suitable fluid
state, say, for example, at a temperature of about 500° F., by the aid of heat
applied by means of a gas or other fire and to this fluid mass is added about one
part of mercury after which the compound is vigorously stirred so as to intimately
combine the two constituents, and the mass is then poured on to iron plates or into
shallow moulds or vessels and allowed to cool or is otherwise cast into suitable
form for subsequent use, as hereinafter described.
This mercury and tin alloy may be sub-divided into small pieces in the casting
operation or may be subsequently cut into that form and it may thus be conveniently
added to the white metal, whilst the latter is in a fluid state, care being taken to
efficiently stir the entire mass.
The proportions in which the mercury and tin alloy may be thus added will
necessarily vary according to the effect desired to be produced but the following
formulæ which are merely given as examples will be a sufficient guide in this
direction.
When the white metal or alloy or compound to be improved is composed of say
80 parts by weight of lead, 15 parts by weight of antimony and 3 parts by weight
of tin, the addition of 2 parts by weight of the above mentioned mercury and tin
alloy will produce a useful white metal of a particularly close grain, or texture,
whilst 75 parts by weight of lead, 15 parts by weight of antimony, 8 parts by
weight of tin, and 2 parts by weight of the mercury and tin alloy will yield a
coarser grained but at the same time harder white metal.
If desired, the mercury may be previously combined with lead instead of tin in
order to reduce it to a convenient form for addition to the white metal as herein-
before described but the tin amalgam or alloy is the preferable one by reason of the
lower melting point of tin as compared with lead.
When employed lead as the vehicle for the mercury, the proportions of the
mercury amalgam or alloy and the proportion of such mercury amalgam or alloy
added to the white metal may conveniently be the same as those herein before
described.
It will be understood that the proportions hereinbefore given are merely by way
of example and may be varied as found necessary.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with that class of alloys known as "white metals" and which
contain lead as a base of a small proportion of mercury, substantially as herein
described and for the purpose stated.
2. The combination with that class of alloys known as "white metals" containing
lead as a base, of a small proportion of mercury by forming an amalgam or alloy
of mercury and a readily fusible metal for example tin or lead, casting the mercury
alloy in thin sheets and cutting it into suitable pieces or casting it into small pieces
in the first instance and in that form adding a suitable proportion thereof to the
white metal whilst the latter is in a fluid state, substantially as herein described
and for the purpose stated.
Dated this Second day of March 1896
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.