Improvements in Materials Used in the Construction of Metallurgical Furnaces and Converters.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1886
Complete Left, 27th Aug., 1887
Complete Accepted, 30th Sept., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Materials Used in the Construction of Metallurgical
Furnaces and Converters.
We, ALEXANDER EDWIN TUCKER, of Holly Street Smethwick Metallurgist, and
FRANK WILLIAM HARBORD, of Bilston, Metallurgist do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
The object we have in view is to produce a material for the linings of Metallurgical
Furnaces & Converters which is not chemically acted upon by the metal under
treatment & which is capable of resisting very high & great variations of
temperatures. For this purpose we take any refractory material & mix with suitable
proportions of Metal "Swarf" & Basic slag & consolidate by pressure in a suitable
press with Pulp" or Argillaceous Clay. We sometimes use all of the substances
enumerated above but at other times omit one or more of them according to the
purpose for which the brick is required. By "Pulp" we mean any organic Pulpy
Material similar to Paper Pulp wood pulp grass or straw pulp, Woody Fibre peat
shoddy &c. which is capable of being made into pulp with water. These various
materials may be compressed either dry or in a moist state according to the nature of
the refractory material used in conjunction with them in all cases obtaining a mixture
which will not be to any great extent acted upon by the metal &c. under treatment.
We also make converter bottoms or plugs by compressing either automatically or by
mechanical means Swarf" with Salamoniac or Etrine & allowing it to set as used for
rust joints. We find that in certain cases it is not necessary to compress the
substances mentioned above into the form of bricks but the slag &c. may be spread
evenly in a powder or built up in lumps over the bottoms or sides of puddling or other
Furnaces in the same manner as sand or ordinary fettling or bricks are used.
Dated this 27th day of November 1886.
ALEX. E. TUCKER.
F. W. HARBORD.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Materials Used in the Construction of Metallurgical
Furnaces and Converters.
We, ALEXANDER EDWIN TUCKER of South Road Smethwick, Metallurgist and
FRANK WILLIAM HARBORD of Bilston Metallurgist 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 we have in view is to provide a lining for all Metallurgical furnaces in
which the metal under treatment is not acted upon to the extent it is in the ordinary
siliceous linings now in general use and our present invention is a further
development of A. E. Tuckers patents No. 1450785 and 116008. For the manufacture
of Bricks we take Thomas Gilchrist slag as produced in the Basic Bessemer or Basic
Siemens process, but preferably the former grind it, and subject it either alone or
mixed with from 5 to 20% of organic pulp, such as wood, paper or vegetable pulp to a
pressure in suitable moulds. In certain cases we find it advantageous to mix say
from 10 to 30% of Gas retort carbon, Plumbago, Limestone, Magnesia Bauxite
Chromic Iron ore, Blast Furnace Slag etc., with either Thomas slag, pulp, or
Thomas slag & pulp and we vary the percentage and use one or more than one
according to the purposes for which the brick is. These various mixtures may be
either compressed dry or moistened with a little water, silicate of soda, chloride of
Calcium solutions, or solutions of the Alkalies or Alkaline Earths, or with aluminous
clay wash or in some cases tar may be used as a binding material as described in the
Patents previously referred to. The bricks when thus obtained may be kilned or not
when used for the linings of various furnaces, and we find them especially useful for
smelting, reheating or mill furnaces, refining furnaces, Converters etc. used in the
Metallurgy of the Iron & Steel, Copper Lead & similar processes. We wish it to be
distinctly understood that we do not claim the use of gas retort carbon, plumbago,
Bauxite, Chrome Iron ore etc., as enumerated above when used alone as a lining for
Metallurgical furnaces, but only when used in conjunction with the Thomas Gilchrist
slag & pulp etc. before named, when T. G. slag cannot be obtained natural mineral
Phosphates may be substituted. In the case of the bottom or hearths of Iron
Refineries, Metallurgical Reheating Furnaces or Mill and similar furnaces, we make
the hearth or sole by spreading coarsely broken slag about 1 inch cube over the
bottom of the furnace to à depth varying from 6 to 10 inches and spreading evenly
over this some finely ground slag levelling the whole and glazing by hard firing
before starting. By this means a very solid Bottom is obtained quite equal to one
built up of bricks. The bottom may be used in furnaces built of the slag bricks
above described or they may be put into an ordinary fire brick furnace without any
danger of the Slag fluxing with the walls of the furnace. In cases were T. G. slag is
not easily obtained, we find that a mixture of Blast furnace slag and Lime or a
mixture of these and oxide of iron etc. may be substituted. The use of the Slag

page_text: Bottoms in the Iron refineries is also attended with special advantages as having a
neutral lining which will not flux with oxides of iron or lime etc., larger additions of
these bodies can be made than in the Siliceous hearth and the cinder is maintained it
its basic condition during the whole of the process and thus refining of the metal
is far more effectually performed. We find also that the slag bricks may advan-
tageously be employed in puddling furnaces as a lining instead of the ordinary
fettling usually employed. In such cases it is necessary to add the oxidizing agents
to purify the Iron on the Bottom of the Furnace before each charge.
said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
1. The manufacture and application as herein set forth of bricks from Thomas
Gilchrist slag either alone or in combination with the materials herein described.
2. The application of Thomas Gilchrist slag either alone or in combination with the
material named for the manufacture of Bottom of Furnaces and linings of Steel
Converters etc. substantially as herein set forth.
ALEX. E. TUCKER.
F. W. HARBORD.