IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Gravelly Hill, near
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON."
Sealed the 22nd December 1871, and dated the 23rd September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd September 1871.
I, ALEXANDER PARKES, of. Gravelly Hill, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
iron. For this purpose I first decarbonize pig iron in a Bessemer con-
verter, and when the iron is thoroughly decarbonized, in place of adding
to it spiegel eisen, as is now usual to convert it into steel, I add to it'
nickel, or copper, or alloys containing these metals. I have found that
by adding these metals in the proportion of about 2 per cent. an
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extremely ductile iron, and one that will roll at a red heat, and that will
weld perfectly is produced. A larger per-centage will produce an
exceedingly strong and ductile metal, but one that will not roll so well
at a red heat as when a smaller per-centage is used; or I melt wrought
iron together with nickel, or copper, or alloys containing these metals.
in a Siemens' furnace either in pots or in a bath, and obtain like results,
or the iron may be otherwise melted in pots together with the copper,
or nickel, or alloy; or I may add the copper, or nickel, or alloy to iron
in a puddling furnace after it is melted and previous to its being
balled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Gravelly Hill, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
send greeting.
.n.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight, hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Parkes, Her special license
that I, the said Alexander Parkes, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Parkes, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alexander Parkes, my executors or administrators, 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.
1 1

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Parkes, 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 the manufacture of
iron. For this purpose I decarbonise cast iron in a Bessemer converter,
and add to it nickel or copper, or alloys containing these metals. I first
thoroughly decarbonise the iron, and then add to it about one-half the
usual quantity of spiegel eisen together with the alloying metal or
metals; these I employ in varying proportions; as small a quantity as
one-eighth per cent. renders the iron ingot very sound and tough. The
metal increases in hardness and soundness when cast as the quantity of
alloy is augmented. If the metal is to be rolled when hot the pro-
portion of one part of the alloying metal or metals to sixty parts of iron
should not be exceeded. When a metal to be rolled cold or for casting
is required the quantity of alloy may be augmented until the proportion
of one part of the alloying metal or metals to ten parts of iron is
reached.
4
The metal alloyed with copper will be found somewhat softer than
that made with nickel, and when both nickel and copper are used the
product will be of an intermediate quality. In some cases I combine
the alloying metal with phosphorus in varying proportions, up to twenty
per cent. before adding the alloy to the iron.
The phosphorus renders the iron more fluid; the fluidity increases
with the quantity of phosphorus employed. The castings obtained from
this alloy are exceedingly sound, and can be filed and turned with great
ease.
I would remark that the use of spiegel eisen in this process is mainly
to sustain the heat and fluid condition of the metal until the alloying
metal or metals are thoroughly mixed, but the metal is not poured until
the carbon is completely burnt off as nearly as possible practically..
In place of using the Bessemer converter, scrap iron, or decarbonized
Bessemer metal, may be melted, together with the alloying metal or
metals, in the proportions above set forth, in a Siemens' reverberatory
furnace. Or the melting may be effected in pots in a steel melting
furnace, or the alloying metal or metals may be added to the iron in a

page_text: puddling furnace after it is melted and previous to its being balled, but
in this case the proportion should not be so large as to unfit the metal
for rolling in a heated state.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would remark that I am aware that nickel
and copper have before been alloyed with iron with which carbon is
combined, either as cast iron or as steel; indeed Patents have been
granted to me for such processes. The products which I obtain by the
processes described in this Specification are, however, of a very different
nature from the metals in which carbon is an ingredient, and is of the
nature of very soft, strong wrought iron, having no fibre or slag.
What I claim as my improvements in the manufacture of iron is, the
production of a metal containing iron and nickel, or copper, or both of
these metals, and alloys of these metals, and free from carbon,
substantially as described...
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two
ALEXANDER PARKES. (L.S.)