IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALLEABLE IRON AND OTHER
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Darling, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Iron Merchant, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALLEABLE IRON AND OTHER
Sealed the 16th August 1853, and dated the 18th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Darling
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th February 1853.
I, WILLIAM DARLING, do hereby declare the nature of the said
5 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MANUFACTURE OF
MALLEABLE IRON AND OTHER METALS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the so arranging the machinery for rolling.
iron and other metals, as copper or brass, in the manufacture thereof
into bars and various forms wherein the actuating engine works or
O revolves at a higher rate than the rolls themselves. With such an
arrangement an engine of small size may be employed, which, driven at
a high speed, and connected to the rolls by suitable gearing, will give a
steadier and more efficient rolling action than at present, whilst the
cost of the machinery is reduced. Again, in arranging the furnaces for

page_text: puddling iron preparatory, to rolling, or for reheating, it is proposed to
dispose them semicircularly in plan; the flues or chimney ducts of the
entire series being all made to converge to a single main chimney
stalk in such manner that the smoke ducts or flues shall be uniform in
length throughout the whole series, so that each furnace will work
alike throughout, there being a complete uniformity of draft action
amongst the-whole set...And.to..ensure a superior draught...the waste
steam from the actuating engine is conducted into the main chimney
stalk, just as is now done with the waste or used steam in a locomotive
engine. Or a jet of steam may be conducted to the chimney for a
similar purpose direct from the boiler. The chimney would be placed
at or about the centre from which the semicircular plan of the puddling
furnaces is struck out, and as the several conveying flues pass over the
space included by the semicircle advantage may be taken of the heat-
ing power of such flues by placing a set of boilers above them for the
more economical generation of steam: At present the puddling or
heating furnaces, where open burning non-caking coal is used, can only
be worked with coal of a large unbroken size, but it is proposed to make
them capable of working with culm, slack, or dross by the adoption of
moveable furnace bars, such as Juckes', Bodmer's, or others, whereby the
culm or dross may be effectually consumed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Darling in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 18th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM DARLING, of Glasgow, in, the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Iron Merchant; send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Darling, Her special license
that I, the said William Darling, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or "such others as I; the said William Darling, my executors,
administrators, or 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
THE MANUFACTURE OF MALLEABLE IRON AND OTHER METALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Darling, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said William Darling, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement; reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
an
My said Invention relates to the so arranging the machinery for
rolling iron and other metals, as copper or brass, in the manufacture
thereof into bars and various forms that the actuating. engine shall
work or revolve at a liigher rate than the rolls themselves." With such
arrangenient an engine. of small size may be employed, which,
driven at a high speed, and connected to the rolls' by 'suitable gearing,
will give a steadier and more efficient rolling. action than at present,
whilst the cost of the machinery is reduced. Again, in' arranging the
furnaces for puddling iron preparatory to rolling, or for reheating, it is
proposed to dispose theni semicircularly in plan, the flues or chimney
ducts of the entire series being all made to converge to a single main
chimney stalk in such manner that the smoke ducts or flues shall be
uniform in length throughout the whole series, so that each furnace
will work alike throughout, there being a complete uniformity
draught action amongst the whole set; and to ensure a superior draught
the waste steam from the actuating engine is conducted into the main
T
"

page_text: chinney stalk, just as is now done with the waste or used steam in a
locomotive engine, or a jet of steam may be conducted to the chimney
for a similar purpose direct from the boiler. The chimney is to be
placed at or about the centre from which the semicircular plan of the
puddling furnaces is struck out; and as the several converging flues
pass over the space included by the semicircle advantage may be taken
of the heating power of such flues by placing a set of boilers above
them for the more economical generation of steam. At present the
puddling or heating furnaces, where open burning non-caking coal is
used, can only be worked with coal of a large unbroken size, but I
propose to make them capable of working with culm, slack, or dross
by the adoption of moveable furnace bars, such as Juckes', Bodmer's, or
others, whereby the culm or dross may be effectually consumed.
The Drawing on the Sheet annexed hereunto represents a general
plan of malleable iron works arranged according to my improvements
as a forge and plate or sheet mill. The actuating steam engine A, is
a double engine, the two steam cylinders B, being laid horizontally side
by side on a cast iron foundation C, with their cranks D, at right
angles to each other. The connecting rods and slide blocks are
arranged in the ordinary manner of horizontal direct action engines,
the driving cranks being fast on the opposite ends of the first motion
shaft E, carrying the fly wheel F, and driving pinion G. This spur
pinion G, gears directly with the large spur wheel H, fast on the shaft
I, running in bearings on the foundation plate, and fitted with ratchet
couplings J, on each end for, coupling right and left with the lines of
rolls K. The steam cylinders B, being of small diameter and stroke
are capable of and are arranged for being driven at a high speed, so
as, in the first place, to insure regularity of movement in themselves as
the prime movers of the machinery, and this advantage is further
improved by the reduction of, the rate in communicating it to the rolls
by the intermediate gearing. The machinery is thus rendered cheap,
light, and easily manageable whilst any sudden shocks or irregularities
in the rolling resistance are very much diminished in passing through
the several working details. In connection with this system of actuating
mechanism and gearing I have also represented the puddling and heating

page_text: furnaces L, in this instance fourteenti furnaces in number, as disposed
semicircularly round a central stalk át a convenient distance from the
hammering and rolling machinery. These furnaces, which are supplied
with materials by means of the straight line of rails M, worked in
conjunction with the semicircular line N, by means of adjustable points,
without turntables, are all worked from the outside portion of the
semicircle which they describe, their flues O, all converging to the
central chimney or stalk P. By this arrangement every furnace will
work alike, as each has the self-same extent of draught passage, and
cach is the same distance, or nearly so, from the working machinery,
and the draught of the whole is aided by bringing the waste or used
steam from the engine A, through the pipe Q, for discharge into. the
chimney as a draught jet. The radial or converging flues O, are also
made to economise or utilise their otherwise waste heat by placing
steam boilers R, upon them. The bottoms of these, boilers are thus
exposed to the direct carried heat of the flues, and as they are: all
connected together by a semi-polygonal range of pipes S, and suitable
steam chests and stop valves T, the whole series is combined to furnish
the steam required for the works at a very economical cost, whilst any
boiler may be disconnected from the rest at pleasure... On one side
the range of steam pipes terminates in a line of pipe U, conveying the
steam to the rolling engine, and on the other it similarly ends in a line
of pipe V, taking steam to the steam hammer W. The waste steam
from the hammer cylinder is also economised by conveying it into the
engine. waste pipe Q, for improving the chimney draught. The puddling
or other furnaces in themselves may be arranged according to any of
the improved modern plans, with the exception that in localities where
open burning non-caking coal is used as the puddling or heating fuel
the fire bars are moveable instead of being fixed as at present. And in
working out this system of moveable furnace bars I use any of the
mechanically worked furnace arrangements of Juckes', Bodmer, or
others; my special object being to enable the iron maker to use culm or
small coal in such furnaces, which class of fuel can only be used
where mechanically worked bars are employed.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my

page_text: 'said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or-may be used
For carried, into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that "I do not
confine.or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which
I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made tlierefrom. without deviating from the principles or main features"
of; my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore:claim as the Invention secured to me by the-herein-before in
"part. recited Letters: Patent, is,
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery and
apparatus: for the manufacture of malleable iron and other metals, as
'herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of working or driving iron rolling appa-
ratus wherein the actuating steam engine or prime mover works at a
higher rate than the rolls themselves...
:
Third, the application and use of speed reducing gearing only
'between the steam engine or prime mover and the rolls of metal work-
ing machinery.
Fourth, the system or mode of arranging the puddling or other
furnaces employed. in the manufacture of iron and malleable metals
semicircularly, or in such manner that the whole of the puddling or
other furnaces may be at a uniform distance from the chimney, or
nearly so.
Fifth, the application and use of the puddling or other furnace flue
heat for the generation of steam, as herein-before described.
Sixth, the application and use of mechanically worked furnace or
fire bars in puddling or other furnaces for the purpose herein-before
described. N
In witness whereof, I, the said William Darling, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.