Improvements in the Method or Process of Manufacturing Steel in connection with the Open-hearth System.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 28th Feb., 1891
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method or Process of Manufacturing Steel in
connection with the Open-hearth System.
I, SAMSON Fox, of Leeds Forge, Leeds, in the County of York, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is so to dispose the materials forming the charge in the
furnace that the oxidizing and purifying re-action shall commence as soon as the
pig iron forming a portion of the charge becomes fluid, or attains such a temperature
that the oxygen or purifying agent may act on the impurities which it is desired to
eliminate.
In carrying out my invention I arrange a portion of the pig iron around and
over the bed of the furnace; above this I place a layer of ore or oxide of iron or
other oxidizing or purifying medium.
The remainder of the pig iron I distribute around or over, or. around and over the
oxidizing or purifying medium, and complete the charge by the addition of scrap,
always preferring to place the smallest or lightest material at the top and ends of
the charge so that the flame may play on and burn or oxidize this' metal causing it
to fall as oxide of iron into and among the metal in the furnace which is to be
purified by oxidation or otherwise of the impurities..
Dated this 25th day April 1890.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method or Process of Manufacturing Steel in
connection with the Open-hearth System.
I, SAMSON Fox, of Leeds Forge, Leeds, in the County of York, Civil Engineer,
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:-
The object of this invention is so to dispose the materials forming the charge in
an open hearth furnace that the oxidizing and purifying re-action shall commence
as soon as the pig iron forming a portion of the charge becomes fluid, or attains
such a temperature that the oxygen or purifying agent may act on the impurities
which it is desired to eliminate.
In carrying out my invention I arrange a portion of the pig iron around and over
the bed of the furnace; above this I place a layer of oxidized iron ore, or other
oxide of iron, or other oxidizing or purifying mediumn. The remainder of the pig
iron I distribute around or over, or around and over the oxidizing or purifying
medium, and complete the charge by the addition of scrap iron always preferring to
place the smallest or lightest metal at the top and ends of the charge so that the
Hame may play on and burn or oxidize this metal causing it to fall as oxide of iron
into and among the metal in the furnace which is to be purified by oxidation or
otherwise of the impurities.
The effect of the above described arrangement or disposition of the charge in the
furnace is to cause a more rapid conversion of the material forming the charge, to
the required condition. According to the ordinary practice the charge has been
composed of pig iron and scrap which has been melted and then oxide of iron bas
been thrown into the bath, mostly in one part, and considerable waste of oxide has
occurred, as well as loss of time, from the irregular distribution of the re-agent.

page_text: Now by the the hereinabove described improved arrangement or disposition of
the charge, according to my invention the re-agent is intimately mixed with the
impure metal of the charge so that the oxide commences to act as soon as the metal
becomes molten, and by its action raises the temperature of the furnace, the increase
in temperature being due to the combustion of the silicon and carbon present in the
impure metal, principally with the oxygen of the oxides charged into and made in
the furnace, thus effecting a saving in material, fuel and time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In the process of manufacturing steel by the open hearth system the hereinabove
described improved arrangement or disposition of the charge in the furnace whereby
the purifying material or agent is distributed among the metal to be purified in an
even and regular manner, the purification is effected efficiently and expeditiously,
the oxidizing action commences as soon as the metal becomes molten, and the con-
version is effected of a portion of the charge into oxide of iron which in its turn
becomes again reduced to metallic iron by the absorption of the combined oxygen
by the impurities in the bath as set forth.
Dated this 15th day of January 1891.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.