IMPROVEMENTS IN GRANULATING IRON AND IN GRANULATING MACHINES,
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Wood, of the Tecs Iron Works,
Middlesbro'-on-Tees, in the County of York, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GRANULATING IRON AND IN GRANULATING MACHINES,"
“IMPROVEMENTs in GranulatinG IRON AND IN Granulating MACHINES,'
"
Scaled the 26th June 1874, and dated the 15th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Wood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th January 1874.
I, CHARLES WOOD, of the Tees Iron Works, Middlesbro'-on-Tees, in
the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for “Improvements in Granulating Iron and in GRANULATING MACHINES,” to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in granulating iron
and in granulating machines.
It is found that when granulating iron by the machines described in
the Specification of my Patent, No. 2618, in the year 1872, that the
stream of molten iron as it leaves the runner or spout (to pass into

page_text: the water) assumes a round or column-like form this fluid column
acquires velocity as it falls, and thus penetrates the water to such a
depth that it is difficult to granulate unless there is a great depth of
water and great agitation, or both combined. The iron is also liable, if
the column of molten iron be large, to arrive at the bottom of the
machine in a liquid state. To prevent this and to assist the granulating
I cause to be fixed immediately above or under the surface of the water
a series of small plates which are brought in succession under the stream
or column of molten iron. These plates are placed at an angle of about
45 degrees to that of the stream or column of iron, and so overlap one
another that the metal is entirely intercepted, and striking against these
plates is scattered into the water in such a form that the water has more
effect upon it. These interceptors or plates I prefer to fix upon the
inside of the cylinder and thus revolve with it, but they may be fixed
upon a separate wheel or upon a vibratory shaker. These interceptors
need not always be made of plates, they can be of iron rods, or punched
plates, or even of sieve wire.
I also employ chemical substances or compounds to purify the iron
during granulation, such as nitrate of soda. The chemicals are dissolved
in the water into which the molten iron falls, and thus as the iron falls:
through the agitated compound it gets washed and more purified than
when clean water is used.
I also apply a separate agitator either rotary or vibratory to such
machines as have fixed tanks in cases where the elevating apparatus
would not cause sufficient agitation to the water.
I also improve the arrangement of the delivery spout. The spout is
perforated or is made of wire or rods so as to allow any water which is
carried up along with the granulated material to pass through. At the
back of this spout is another spout to receive the water, this spout

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WOOD, of the Tees Iron Works, Middlesbro'-on-Tees, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Wood, Her special
license that I, the said Charles Wood, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Wood, my executors,
administrators, 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
GRANULATING IRON AND IN GRANULATING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Wood, my executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands 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 I, the said Charles Wood, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in granulating iron
and in granulating machines.
It is found that when granulating iron by my machines (Patent 2618,
1872), that the stream of molten iron as it leaves the runner or spout (to
pass into the water) assumes a round or column-like form. This fluid

page_text: column acquires velocity as it falls and thus penetrates the water to such
a depth that it is difficult to granulate unless there is great depth of
water and great agitation, or both combined. The iron is also liable (if
the column of molten iron be large) to arrive at the bottom of the
machine in a liquid state. To prevent this and to assist the granulation
I cause to be fixed immediately above or under the surface of the water
a series of small plates or interceptors which are brought in succession
under the stream or column of molten iron as it falls from the spout or
runner into the machine. These plates are placed at an angle of
about 45 degrees to that of the stream or column of iron, and so overlap
one another that the metal is entirely intercepted, and striking against
these plates is scattered into the water in such a form that the water
has more effect upon it. These interceptors or plates I prefer to fix
upon the inside of the cylinder, they will thus move with it, as shewn on
the Drawing (Sheet 1, A, A, A,) hereunto annexed, but they may also
be fixed upon a separate wheel or upon a vibratory shaker.
These independent interceptors will be particularly applicable to
machines shown on Sheet 2 and Sheet 3 of my Patent (No. 2618, 1872),
and Sheet 2 (Figure 1 and Figure 2) of the present Patent.
These interceptors need not always be made of plates, they can be ?
made of iron rods or punched plate, or even sieve wire, or they can be
in one continual band placed at an angle which would form a conc-
like shape.
t
I also employ chemical substances or compounds to purify the iron
during granulation. The chemicals are dissolved in the water into which
the molten iron falls, and thus as the iron falls through the agitated
compound it gets washed and more purified than when water solely is
used.
I also apply a separate agitator either rotatory or vibratory to such
machines as have fixed tanks similar to those shewn on Sheet 2 and
Sheet 3 (No. 2618, 1872), and on Sheet 2 (Figure 1, Figure 2, A, A, A,)
hereunto annexed, that is provided the elevating apparatus should not
cause sufficient agitation to the water.
I also improve the arrangement of the delivery spout (Figure 1,
Figure 2, Figure 3, G, Sheet 1, No. 2618, 1872). The improvement 3

page_text: consists in the spout being perforated or made of wire or rods so as to
allow any water which is carried up along with the granulated material
to pass through. At the back of this spout is another spout to receive
the water. This spout conveys all the water back again into the
machine so that there is very little waste.
When rotatory cylinders are used for granulating I fix the cylinder
upon a shaft, as shewn on Drawing hereunto annexed (Sheet 3;
Figure 1, Figure 2) instead of the cylinder revolving upon wheels, as
shewn on Drawing (Sheet 1) of this Patent, and also on Drawing
(Sheet 1, Figure 1, Figure 2, No. 2618, 1872).
describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
On Sheet 1 (Figure 1 and Figure 2, A, A, A,) of the Drawing
hereunto annexed are shewn the series of plates or interceptors upon
which the molten iron strikes. These plates being fixed to the cylinder
move with it and are brought in succession under the stream of molten
iron. The molten iron as it falls from the runner or spout strikes
against the wet platos and scattors or splashes in small grain or in thin
sheets into the water below, where it gets further granulated and cooled
by the agitation of the water. In other respects this granulating
machine is similar to that Patented by me in 1872 (No. 2618, Sheet 1).
On Sheet 2 hereunto annexed, I shew an arrangement for scattering
the molten iron attached to a fixed granulating machine. A, A, shews
a revolving wheel upon which these interceptors or plates can be fixed.
When granulating iron I take off the breakers b, b, b, b, and substituto
plates, which being attached to the wheel move with it. The molten
metal strikes against these plates or interceptors. attached upon the
wheel and is scattered into the water where it is caught by the buckets.
When granulating slag the breakers b, b, b, remain, as shewn on
the Drawing, in order to break up any slag which may froth up or
remain on the top of the water, and also to assist in the agitation of the
water. In other respects the granulating machine is the same as that
shewn in Patent No. 2618, 1872 (Sheet 2).

page_text: On Sheet 3 of Drawings hereunto annexed I shew an improved
granulator whereby the cylinder does not revolve upon wheels, as shewn
in Patent 2618, 1872 (Sheet 1), but is carried by a shaft A, A, and is
caused to revolve in any convenient way; but I prefer to drive it by a
small steam engine through a worm C working worm wheel B. The
spout of this machine D, D, is perforated, and any water which is
carried up with the granulated material by the buckets or screens E, E,
passes through the perforations and drops into the return spout F
(Figure 2).

page_text: Drawings, whereby the carrying wheels heretofore used are dispensed
with.
Sixthly. I claim the arrangement of spout to rotating cylinder granu-
lating machines by which any water which is carried up with the
granulated material passes through the perforations and returns to the
machine, thereby saving waste of water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Wood, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
ADIES TOOD