US117249A - Improvement in apparatus for melting and casting metals under pressure - Google Patents

Improvement in apparatus for melting and casting metals under pressure Download PDF

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US117249A
US117249A US117249DA US117249A US 117249 A US117249 A US 117249A US 117249D A US117249D A US 117249DA US 117249 A US117249 A US 117249A
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    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C21METALLURGY OF IRON
    • C21CPROCESSING OF PIG-IRON, e.g. REFINING, MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL; TREATMENT IN MOLTEN STATE OF FERROUS ALLOYS
    • C21C5/00Manufacture of carbon-steel, e.g. plain mild steel, medium carbon steel or cast steel or stainless steel
    • C21C5/04Manufacture of hearth-furnace steel, e.g. Siemens-Martin steel

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  • lhese improvements relate to the fusion and founding of various articles in any description of pig or cast-iron, wrought or malleable iron and steel, and also to the fusion and rounding of the more refractory metals, such as platina, cobalt, and nickel, and to the rounding of the more fusible metals, copper, zinc, tin, and to the alloys of such metals, by subjecting ⁇ them to pressure during the fusing and founding operations.
  • the iirst part of my present improvements relate to the supply of combustible gases or vapors to high-pressure furnaces in such a manner that the employment of forcing-pumps and engine-power is no longer rendered necessary for such purpose.
  • I use the vapor or gas Obtained from petroleum, creosote, coal-oil, naphtha, or other liquid hydrocarbons; and I construct a boiler or vessel in which these fluids are vaporized and retained under such pressure as will cause them to enter the high-pressure furnace by means of their own expansive force, although the gaseous products of such furnace be retained at a pressure equal to several atmospheres in excess of the external atmospheric pressure.
  • Figure V1 on the annexed drawing a vertical longitudinal section of a boiler or generf ator adapted for this purpose.
  • a is a strong riveted cylindrical iron boiler with hemispherical ends set in brick-work in a manner similar to that employed in setting steam-boilers;
  • b the regrate, over which is formed an arch of brick-work,
  • c which extends as far as the fire-bridge d, beyond which the iiame and heated matter from the re pass under in contact with the boiler until they arrive at the entrance e of the side flues, shown by dots.
  • a rod, n passes up through the boiler terminating in a screw, workin g through a stuffing-box at p, and having a wheel and handle, o, by means of which the valve m can be opened or shut when desired.
  • q is a manhole plate for the purpose of giving access to the boiler or generator.
  • a stop-valve, r, with a screw and'wheel, is also provided for the purpose of controlling the supply of vapor or gas to the furnaces in which it is consumed, and s is a second valve, consisting of a ball, s, ground into a spherical seating.
  • a weight, t is suspended, so that in case the pressure of the combustible gases or air in the furnace working under pressure should at any time, by an accidental cause, exceed the pressure of the vapors or gases in the boiler or generator, then the valve s will close and prevent the entry of such air or products of combustion vinto the boiler or generator.
  • a safety-valve and glass gauge such as generally employed in steam-boilers, should also be used, the former to prevent an undue amount of pressure in the boiler or generator, and the latter to indicate the level of the fiuid within it.
  • a small force-pump is also employed for the purposeV of supplying the requisite quantity of the fluid matters to be evaporated.
  • any of the gases or vapors so generated under pressure may be supplied to the furnace by simple j ets or tuyeres, or, in lieu thereof,.compound jets of air and gas maybe employed, the orifices bein g formed of fireclay or other refractory substan ces or they may be made of platina or wrought-iron and cooled by a iiow of water through them as in ordinary watertuyeres. I also, in some cases, cool the eX- terior shell of such furnaces by employing aj acket in which cold water circulates, and whereby I am enabled, without injury to the shell of the furnace by overheating it, to employ only a thin coating of ganister or other refractory material.
  • EXceedin gly high temperatures may be obtained by the employment of gases and air at a pressure of several atmospheres. This may be increased byl heating the gas and air before it enters the furnace. A still higher degree of heat may be obtained by the employment of oxygen gas alone or mixed with atmospheric air as a supporter of combustion, so that the most refractory substances may be fused or vaporized by such means. And in order that the method which I prefer to employ for the fusion of the more refractory metals, such as platina, cobalt, nickel, and malleable iron and steel, may be fully understood, I have shown at Fig.
  • A is the outer shell or casing of the furnace, formed of stout steel or iron plates domed or worked up to the form shown.
  • the upper and lower parts are bolted together by the iianges A', which rest on the columns W.
  • a second shell or jacket, B envelopes the greater part of the furnace, and between it and the shell A water is allowed to circulate.
  • rlhe water is admitted by a pipe from an elevated reservoir to the lowest part of the jacket, and escapes by another pipe from the highest point, (these pipes are not shown.)
  • a thin lining consisting of a mixture of plumbago and fire-clay, (such as is employed for making plumbago crucibles,) or ganister, or other refractory substance, well rammed into its place with the least amount of moisture which will make it adhere, defends 'the metal shell of the furnace from the direct action of the heat generated within it, while the water circulating in the jacket not only absorbs hea-t from the metal shell A, but also from the lining C, which is forced into close Contact with the metal shell by the great internal pressure of the gases employed.
  • rIhus I am enabled to employ a very thin lining and to absorb heat from its outer surface with sufficient rapidity to prevent its interior surface from becoming fused or rapidly destroyed by the intense heat to which it is subjected.
  • the water jacket may be omitted, and a thicker lining used, as shown at Cf, which forms a shallow cavity in which the molten metal is received.
  • the fused metal may be allowedto solidify in the furnace, but I prefer to draw it off by a tap-hole at the side or through the bottom.
  • a plumbago cone, D into the lowest part of the furnace lining.
  • Ihis cone of plumbago is molded with a piece of iron projecting from it, as shown, for the purpose of more easily withdrawing it by pinchers from its seat when the tapping takes place.
  • the cone D is inserted with a little clay cream around it, and is then covered up with moist sand.
  • the plate E is then fastened on by cotters to keep the cone from falling out. When it is desired to tap the furnace the removal of this plate will also allow the sand to be easily raked out, when a casting-ladle may be placed beneath the furnace.
  • the cone is then withdrawn and the metal run off. I/Vhen charging materials into the furnace the upper plate Gis removed, and again cottered down after the metal issupported.
  • a small cone of fire-clay, H forms the restricted orifice, through which the products of combustion issue with great force.
  • the channel K is in connection with the regulating7 vessel of a blast-engine, and conveys cold or heated atmospheric air through several pipes and tuyeres M into the furnace.
  • the channel L is connected, by a similar pipe, to a boiler or generator, such as shown in Fig. 1, and conveys from thence the combustible vapors or gases generated therein.
  • the pipes and tuyeres I? conduct the combustible vapor or gases also into the furnace.
  • the air-jets and gas-jets are directed, by preference, at such an angle as to cross or intersect each other at a point situated between the orifices from which they escape and the material onto which they are directed, as shown in the annexed drawing.
  • Sluice-valves such as are employed to regulate the admission of steam from a boiler to a steam-engine, are employed to regulate the supply of air and gas to such furnaces.
  • Pressure-gauges of the ordinary kind should also be employed to indicate the pressure of the air and combustible gases, in order that their supply may be regulated so as to insure the most complete combustion of the gas without employing such an excess of air as would lower the temperature of the furnace. It is also preferable to keep the'supply of gas or vapor at a pressure nace, or the j ets may be directed upon and among ⁇ any one or more crucibles occupying the central portion of the furnace, and although I prefer and have herein shown separate jets of air and combustible gases intersecting each other, it.
  • a pressure of less than three polmds per square inch-in excess of atmospheric pressure will produce so little advantage as not to compensate for .v the trouble of employing a forced blast, but a pressure of twenty pounds to thirty pounds per square inch gives a temperature which melts steel rapidly; but for the more refractory metals, such as platina, a pressure of from six to ten atmospheres mayT be employed with advantage. I would further remark that in all cases I prefer that the air supplied by a blast-engine to support combustion in high-pressure furnaces should be a few pounds per square inch less than the pressure of the gases employed.
  • the second part of my said invention relates to the founding or casting, under pressure of any description, of pig or cast-iron, wrought or malleable iron, and steel, or mixtures of alloys thereof, and also the casting or founding of articles composed of copper, zinc, tin, or alloys thereof, Where great soundness or tenacity is desirable.
  • the 'lhe pressure-vessel is to be of an internal capacity sufficient to hold the mold in which castings under pressure are to be made. It must have its' upper end movable, or otherwise be made to open so as to admit the mold and be capable of being closed securely so as to resist the great internal pressure to which it is to be exposed.
  • the cover may.be slightly oval so Aas to be put on in a manner similar to the manhole-plates of boilers, or the cover maybe bolted on orbeformed into a large screw-plug like a gun-breech.
  • the pressure-vessel should be lined with a slow conductor of heat, so as to prevent the vessel from becoming too much heated, and the mold should have in it sufficient metal to absorb a large portion of the heat of the casting.
  • the interstices between the mold and the vessel may be filled with pieces of cold iron, in order to lessen the vacant space, and also to absorb the heat of the casting.
  • the heat may also be absorbed by a circulation of cold water or by its injection upon the mold or the surrounding pieces of metal.
  • An opening is provided in the cover or top ofthe pressure-vessel, capable ofbeing closed air-tight, when desired.
  • the mold, for casting in may be made of cast-iron and lined with fire-clay or other bad conductor ofheat, or of iron alone in some cases, and generally of such nzlaterials and in such manner as will be suitable for each hind of metal.
  • a small chamber or generator is constructed, so as to be at tached to a pressure-vessel and removed at will by simply unscrewing it.
  • This generator may be made somewhat like an elongated ritle-shell, and is to be charged with the combustible matter employed to generate gas within the pressure-vessel. It is also provided with a means of igniting the combustible matters when required, as practiced in discharging' ordnance.
  • the combustible material may be meal-powder alone or mixed with some inert mattei' to render its combustion more slow.
  • I however, prefer to employ cheaper materials, such as anthracite coal, nitrate of soda, and sulphur' reduced to powder and well mixed, and so apportioned in their respective quantities as to burn quickly, but not explode; or in lieu thereof' vegetable matter, treated with nitric acid and possessing feebly the property of guncotton, may be employed.
  • cheaper materials such as anthracite coal, nitrate of soda, and sulphur' reduced to powder and well mixed, and so apportioned in their respective quantities as to burn quickly, but not explode; or in lieu thereof' vegetable matter, treated with nitric acid and possessing feebly the property of guncotton, may be employed.
  • the apparatus thus arranged may be used as follows for casting an article in steel:
  • a massive cast-iron mold may be used, the interior being coated with a mixture of burned fire-clay ground up and mixed with a small quantity of plastic clay and water. Vhen dry, this mold is placed in the pressure-vessel, the cover of which is then put on. Fluid steel is then poured through an opening made in the cover for that purpose. The opening is then quickly closed with a cone or screw-plug, and one of the small generators is screwed onto an oritice in the pressurevessel and ignited.
  • the rapid production of gaseous matter will produce great pressure within the pressure-vessel, which, acting on the mold while iiuid, and continuing to press on it uniformly as it shrinks and solidifies, will not only prevent the formation of bubbles within the cast-ing, but will so force t-he particles of metals together as to increase the tenacity of the metal and confer on it the generalproperties of forged steel or hammered metal, of whatever kind it may be.
  • the pressure employed may be from one to twenty tons on the square inch, depending on the nature of the nietal and the uses for which it is intended, but usually not exceeding six or eight tons.
  • the pressure may be obtained by injecting into the pressure-vessel water or other iiuid or matter capable of being by heat converted into an elastic vapor.
  • a small loaded valve on the vessel should be employed, in order to allow an escape of gases if too much pressure is generated. This valve will also allow the escape of gas previous to opening the vessel and removing the mold and casting.
  • rEhe pressure-vessels in which articles of iron, steel, and other metals are to be cast and retained under pressure while solidifying will necessarily vary in size and form with the nature ofthe articles to be founded therein; thus, for ca-stin g guns entire in steel,castiron,or gun-metal, a large cylindrical vessel would be required; but in castin such objects as railwaycarriage wheels or the bodies of steam-pistons a shallowpressurevessel would be best suited.
  • the mode of constructing and closing these vessels may also be greatly modified, because the amount of pressure necessary for producing the desired effect diifers considerably with different articles.
  • a pressure of two or three tons per square inch will prevent the formation of airbubbles and confer on them sufficient tenacity to roll without being hammered as usual; but a pressure of from iive to eight tons per square inch would be required to render a casting of steel as tough as a well-executed forging of the same metal, while as low a pressure as one ton to the square inch will considerably increase the tenacity and soundness of cast-iron.
  • ed valve and by the quantity or nature of iiuid injected; or water or other liquid may be injected into a vessel containing heated material adjoining and in communication with the pressurevessel, .or the pressure-vessel may be put into communication with a vessel containing a very volatile liquid, such as liquid carbonic acid, and such vessel being heated externally or otherwise.
  • a very volatile liquid such as liquid carbonic acid
  • An example of the mode of constructing pressurevessels to be employed for casting a locomotive crank-axle is shown in vertical section at Fig. 3 of the annexed drawing.
  • c is the outer shell or vessel, formed of cast-iron or steel. It is cylindrical n form, and around the upper end of it an enlarged band, al, is formed.
  • a series of from sixteen to twenty rectangular grooves is formed vertically in this raised band, and into them as many steel bolts b are itted and held in place by the stout steel hoop c, which is shrunk on while hot.
  • These bolts may be of about four inches in diameter, and be fltted with nuts d of the same material.
  • e is the cover of steel, through which each of the bolts b passes, and by means of which the cover is held in place, the joint being secured by a hoop of lead or other metal circular in cross-section, and by preference of about half an inch in diameter.
  • This hoop falls partly into the grooves f and g formed on the under side of the cover e and on the upper surface of the vessel a.
  • a screw-plug, h is fitted with a conica-l fitting for the purpose of forming a close joint when screwed home.
  • This plug has a capstan-head, servingto tighten it up, and also as a means of attaching it to alight crane, by which it may be removed or brought into place.
  • two ring-bolts, 11i are screwed into the cover e.
  • the pressure-vessel may be lined with a lslow conductor of heat to prevent it absorbing too much heat om the castings formed within it when the process is repeated at short intervals.
  • composition used for generating gases under very high pressures within the pressurevessel may be, as before stated, contained in a separate chamber communicating with or attached to the pressure-vessel 5 but I prefer to employ a deep cavity in the lower part of the vessel, as shown at a?. Over the mouth of this cavity a dish, m, is inverted, having numerous per- Aforations around its rim for the escape ofthe gases formed in the cavity a2.
  • the dish m serves as a support for the cast-iron mold or box n to rest upon. The mold is made of considerable weight in order the better to absorb the heatrof the metal casting.
  • rlhe composition employed for generating pressure in the vessel may consist of rocket composition or mealpowder-that is, coarse common powder ground as iine as possible and mixed with about one-iifth its weight of powdered charcoal; but, as sulphur is one of the elements employed in the production of gunpowder, and may injuriously affect the quality of the metal in some cases, I prefer to employ charcoal and nitrate of potash-only each is to be separately reduced to a very fine powder and then mixed in about the proportion 4of twenty-five pounds of charcoal to seventy-live to one hundred pounds of nitrate of potash. A less expensive material may be made with nitrate of soda and anthracite coal reduced and mixed in a similar manner.
  • the powdered material I prefer to ram rmly into stout paper or sheet-iron cases of cylindrical form, having a hole entirely through the central part.
  • the composition employed should in all cases be such as will not explode with violence, but will burn quietly until the whole is consumed.'
  • a small cone-valve, r is employed, to which the weight s is suspended by a rod, t, terminating in a loop, which embraces a projecting piece, a3, bolted onto-the side of the vessel and pressing on the top of the spindle of the valve r.
  • the pressure-vessel is strengthened by stout hoops of iron or steel' u shrunk onto it, as shown.
  • Casting or foundingingots and other masses or articles in iron or steel or in other metals or alloys of metals in molds contained iu close vessels, in which great pressure is obtained by the evolution of aeriform matters from combustible matters either in the chamber containing the casting or in a chamber orvessel connected there- With.

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Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN FUSING AND CASTING METAL-LS.
IN'VEN 'I' DR. HENRY BB S EMER.
y117249 7 Figi.
RATENTEB JUL 25 1871 Wtuessesa Invenlov:
wwm
fttnesses: Inventor:
UNITED :STATE-s OFFICE.
HENRY BESSER/IER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.
IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FUR NEELTING AND CASTING NEETALS UNDER PRESSURE.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,249, dated July 25, 1871.
T0 all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, HENRY BEssEMER, of Queen Street Place, Cannon street, in the city of London, England, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented or discovered new and useful improvements in the methods and apparatus employed in the fusion of metals and metallic alloys and in founding or casting the same; and I, thesaid HENRY BEssEMER, 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:
lhese improvements relate to the fusion and founding of various articles in any description of pig or cast-iron, wrought or malleable iron and steel, and also to the fusion and rounding of the more refractory metals, such as platina, cobalt, and nickel, and to the rounding of the more fusible metals, copper, zinc, tin, and to the alloys of such metals, by subjecting` them to pressure during the fusing and founding operations. f
In a patent granted to me in England, and bearing date the 10th day of November, 1868, No. 3,419, I have described a means of fusing malleable iron and steel by the employment of combustible gases and atmospheric air in a close or high-pressure furnace, the products of com-- bustion being therein retained under a pressure considerably more than that of the external atmosphere, and powerful force-pumps were employed for the injection ofthe combustible gases into such furnaces.
. Now, the iirst part of my present improvements relate to the supply of combustible gases or vapors to high-pressure furnaces in such a manner that the employment of forcing-pumps and engine-power is no longer rendered necessary for such purpose. I use the vapor or gas Obtained from petroleum, creosote, coal-oil, naphtha, or other liquid hydrocarbons; and I construct a boiler or vessel in which these fluids are vaporized and retained under such pressure as will cause them to enter the high-pressure furnace by means of their own expansive force, although the gaseous products of such furnace be retained at a pressure equal to several atmospheres in excess of the external atmospheric pressure. And in order that the mode of generating and employing such gas or vapor under pressure may be fully understood, I have shown at Figure V1 on the annexed drawing a vertical longitudinal section of a boiler or generf ator adapted for this purpose. a is a strong riveted cylindrical iron boiler with hemispherical ends set in brick-work in a manner similar to that employed in setting steam-boilers; b, the regrate, over which is formed an arch of brick-work, c, which extends as far as the fire-bridge d, beyond which the iiame and heated matter from the re pass under in contact with the boiler until they arrive at the entrance e of the side flues, shown by dots. These lines unite at e* and pass upward through the fiue finto the chimney g. When, however, the generation of vapor goes on too rapidly, the damper-slide h may be pushed in a short distance, which will allow a portion of the flame and heated gases of the furnaces to pass up the liuc i into the chimney g without traversing over the surface of the boiler 5 and so in like manner when the supply of combustible vapors from the boiler is for any short time not required, the damper h may be pushed in as far as it will slide, thus entirely closing the iiue j' and opening the line c', so that all circulation of iiame beneath the boiler ceases. The lire, however, will be thus kept up, and immediately on its 4becoming necessary that the boiler should again yield a supply of combustible vapor or gas the pullingout of the damper la will reverse the current of flame and heated matters in the flues and put the boiler at once into active operation. I prefer to fix the boiler or generator in an inclined position, as shown, to favor the running out of sediment and of such portions of the fluids acted upon as do not evaporate readily; and for this purpose I employthe valve m, opening outward so as to discharge the matter into the tank k. A rod, n, passes up through the boiler terminating in a screw, workin g through a stuffing-box at p, and having a wheel and handle, o, by means of which the valve m can be opened or shut when desired. q is a manhole plate for the purpose of giving access to the boiler or generator. A stop-valve, r, with a screw and'wheel, is also provided for the purpose of controlling the supply of vapor or gas to the furnaces in which it is consumed, and s is a second valve, consisting of a ball, s, ground into a spherical seating. From this ball a weight, t, is suspended, so that in case the pressure of the combustible gases or air in the furnace working under pressure should at any time, by an accidental cause, exceed the pressure of the vapors or gases in the boiler or generator, then the valve s will close and prevent the entry of such air or products of combustion vinto the boiler or generator. A safety-valve and glass gauge, such as generally employed in steam-boilers, should also be used, the former to prevent an undue amount of pressure in the boiler or generator, and the latter to indicate the level of the fiuid within it. A small force-pump is also employed for the purposeV of supplying the requisite quantity of the fluid matters to be evaporated.
Having thus described the kind of apparatus which I prefer to employ for generating the gases or vapors and passing them into high-pressure furnaces, I desire it to be understood that I lay no claim to the production of gases or vapors from fluid hydrocarbons in a boiler or generator; nor do I claim the supply of such gases or vapors to ordinary furnaces, as the same has been before known and practiced.
Sometimes I produce the combustible gas or vapors for the purposes of my invention by the destructive distillation of solid carbonaceous matter, such as coal, or bitumen, or shale. I employ metal retorts and generate pressure in them sufficient to cause the gases so formed to enter the highpressure furnace without the aid of force-pumps. The retorts employed for this purpose I prefer to be of cast-steel or of wrought-iron. Any of the gases or vapors so generated under pressure may be supplied to the furnace by simple j ets or tuyeres, or, in lieu thereof,.compound jets of air and gas maybe employed, the orifices bein g formed of fireclay or other refractory substan ces or they may be made of platina or wrought-iron and cooled by a iiow of water through them as in ordinary watertuyeres. I also, in some cases, cool the eX- terior shell of such furnaces by employing aj acket in which cold water circulates, and whereby I am enabled, without injury to the shell of the furnace by overheating it, to employ only a thin coating of ganister or other refractory material. The heat from this thin lining being conducted into the water will prevent the rapid destruction of the lining, which it would be difficult to avoid were its thickness great. EXceedin gly high temperatures may be obtained by the employment of gases and air at a pressure of several atmospheres. This may be increased byl heating the gas and air before it enters the furnace. A still higher degree of heat may be obtained by the employment of oxygen gas alone or mixed with atmospheric air as a supporter of combustion, so that the most refractory substances may be fused or vaporized by such means. And in order that the method which I prefer to employ for the fusion of the more refractory metals, such as platina, cobalt, nickel, and malleable iron and steel, may be fully understood, I have shown at Fig. 2, on the drawing hereunto annexed, a vertical section through the center of a circular furnace to be employed for such purposes. A is the outer shell or casing of the furnace, formed of stout steel or iron plates domed or worked up to the form shown. The upper and lower parts are bolted together by the iianges A', which rest on the columns W. A second shell or jacket, B, envelopes the greater part of the furnace, and between it and the shell A water is allowed to circulate. rlhe water is admitted by a pipe from an elevated reservoir to the lowest part of the jacket, and escapes by another pipe from the highest point, (these pipes are not shown.) A thin lining, consisting of a mixture of plumbago and fire-clay, (such as is employed for making plumbago crucibles,) or ganister, or other refractory substance, well rammed into its place with the least amount of moisture which will make it adhere, defends 'the metal shell of the furnace from the direct action of the heat generated within it, while the water circulating in the jacket not only absorbs hea-t from the metal shell A, but also from the lining C, which is forced into close Contact with the metal shell by the great internal pressure of the gases employed. rIhus I am enabled to employ a very thin lining and to absorb heat from its outer surface with sufficient rapidity to prevent its interior surface from becoming fused or rapidly destroyed by the intense heat to which it is subjected. At the lowest part of the furnace the water jacket may be omitted, and a thicker lining used, as shown at Cf, which forms a shallow cavity in which the molten metal is received. In some cases the fused metal may be allowedto solidify in the furnace, but I prefer to draw it off by a tap-hole at the side or through the bottom. For this latter-purpose I insert a plumbago cone, D, into the lowest part of the furnace lining.
Ihis cone of plumbago is molded with a piece of iron projecting from it, as shown, for the purpose of more easily withdrawing it by pinchers from its seat when the tapping takes place. The cone D is inserted with a little clay cream around it, and is then covered up with moist sand. The plate E is then fastened on by cotters to keep the cone from falling out. When it is desired to tap the furnace the removal of this plate will also allow the sand to be easily raked out, when a casting-ladle may be placed beneath the furnace. The cone is then withdrawn and the metal run off. I/Vhen charging materials into the furnace the upper plate Gis removed, and again cottered down after the metal is putin. A small cone of fire-clay, H, forms the restricted orifice, through which the products of combustion issue with great force. Around the upper part of the furnace are two channels, K and L. The channel K is in connection with the regulating7 vessel of a blast-engine, and conveys cold or heated atmospheric air through several pipes and tuyeres M into the furnace. The channel L is connected, by a similar pipe, to a boiler or generator, such as shown in Fig. 1, and conveys from thence the combustible vapors or gases generated therein. The pipes and tuyeres I? conduct the combustible vapor or gases also into the furnace. The air-jets and gas-jets are directed, by preference, at such an angle as to cross or intersect each other at a point situated between the orifices from which they escape and the material onto which they are directed, as shown in the annexed drawing. Sluice-valves, such as are employed to regulate the admission of steam from a boiler to a steam-engine, are employed to regulate the supply of air and gas to such furnaces.
Pressure-gauges of the ordinary kind should also be employed to indicate the pressure of the air and combustible gases, in order that their supply may be regulated so as to insure the most complete combustion of the gas without employing such an excess of air as would lower the temperature of the furnace. It is also preferable to keep the'supply of gas or vapor at a pressure nace, or the j ets may be directed upon and among` any one or more crucibles occupying the central portion of the furnace, and although I prefer and have herein shown separate jets of air and combustible gases intersecting each other, it.
will nevertheless be understood that compound jets may be employed, if desired, in lieu thereof. And here I would further state that I am aware kthat a circular furnace arranged with gas-jets around it has been described and patented by Josiah Marshall Heath for the fusion of iron or steel, such furnace allowing the products of combustion to expand freely and pass off by a chimney. I therefore desire it to be understood that this is not claimed by me; nor do I lay claim to the use of jets of combustible vapors or gases, unless the gaseous products of combustion be retained in the furnace at a pressure considerably in excess of the external atmospheric pressure, and unless the admission of the vapors or gases to such high-pressure furnaces be caused by the expansive force of the gases generated under pressure and without the employment of pumps or other gas-compressing machinery. heretofore used for such purpose. And although I have herein shown and described a circular furnace for the fusion of refractory metals by means of vapors or gases generated and consumed under pressure, I desire it to be understood that my present invention of supplying combustible vapors or gases to high-pressure furnaces without the employment of gas-forcing pumps is also applicable to reverberatory and other kinds of high-pressure furnaces. The amount of pressure of the air and gases employed will depend on the nature of the material to be fused, and on the rapidity of action desired by the manufacturer. A pressure of less than three polmds per square inch-in excess of atmospheric pressure will produce so little advantage as not to compensate for .v the trouble of employing a forced blast, but a pressure of twenty pounds to thirty pounds per square inch gives a temperature which melts steel rapidly; but for the more refractory metals, such as platina, a pressure of from six to ten atmospheres mayT be employed with advantage. I would further remark that in all cases I prefer that the air supplied by a blast-engine to support combustion in high-pressure furnaces should be a few pounds per square inch less than the pressure of the gases employed.
The second part of my said invention relates to the founding or casting, under pressure of any description, of pig or cast-iron, wrought or malleable iron, and steel, or mixtures of alloys thereof, and also the casting or founding of articles composed of copper, zinc, tin, or alloys thereof, Where great soundness or tenacity is desirable.
"In a patent granted to me in England, bearing date the 31st of May, 1856, No. 1,292, I have shown how pressure may be applied to malleable iron or steel in molds by the forcing in of a ram or plunger actuated by hydrostatic pressure. And I have also described in the said -patent a means of subjecting the metal to gaseous pressure in a close vessel by the employment of powerful forcepumps, by means of which air or gases are stored in a receiver under great pressure, and are afterward let into the chamber or vessel in which the casting is placed. When employing a plunger to consolidate the article cast, its eifects can only remain uniform while the metal retains its fluidity, whereas it is most desirable to apply this pressure While the shrinking of the partially or wholly solidified mass is going on but when employing gaseous pressure an ordinary mold may be used suitable to the metal under operation, and the pressure will in that case be equal on all the exterior surface of the article cast but it has been found that metals like iron or steel require several tons pressure on the square inch to fully develop their strength and tenacity, and it not only requires most powerful and expensive machinery to force air up to these pressures, but the heat developed by such compression is a source of great inconvenience and trouble. Now, therefore, the object sought to be obtained in this second part of my improvements is to entirely vdispense with the hydrostatic press and plunger,
and also to entirely dispense with the air forcepumps and engine-power necessary for forcing in the air or gases, as described in my former patent ofthe 31 st of May, 1856, and in lieu thereof to generate gases of extremely high-pressure by the coinbustion of inflammable matter, or by vaporization of fluids either in the chamber containing' the casting or in a chamber'or vessel in connection therewith. In carrying this part of my invention into operation I construct a pressure-vessel of great strength, of cylindrical or other form specially suited for the articles to be cast. When the vessel is made of cast-iron I prefer to hoop it with wrought-iron or steel hoops, or the Whole vessel may be cast in steel, or be built up of coils or hoops in a similar manner to built-up guns. 'lhe pressure-vessel is to be of an internal capacity sufficient to hold the mold in which castings under pressure are to be made. It must have its' upper end movable, or otherwise be made to open so as to admit the mold and be capable of being closed securely so as to resist the great internal pressure to which it is to be exposed. The cover may.be slightly oval so Aas to be put on in a manner similar to the manhole-plates of boilers, or the cover maybe bolted on orbeformed into a large screw-plug like a gun-breech. The pressure-vessel should be lined with a slow conductor of heat, so as to prevent the vessel from becoming too much heated, and the mold should have in it sufficient metal to absorb a large portion of the heat of the casting. In some cases the interstices between the mold and the vessel may be filled with pieces of cold iron, in order to lessen the vacant space, and also to absorb the heat of the casting. The heat may also be absorbed by a circulation of cold water or by its injection upon the mold or the surrounding pieces of metal. An opening is provided in the cover or top ofthe pressure-vessel, capable ofbeing closed air-tight, when desired. The mold, for casting in may be made of cast-iron and lined with fire-clay or other bad conductor ofheat, or of iron alone in some cases, and generally of such nzlaterials and in such manner as will be suitable for each hind of metal. If east in the open air, a small chamber or generator is constructed, so as to be at tached to a pressure-vessel and removed at will by simply unscrewing it. This generator may be made somewhat like an elongated ritle-shell, and is to be charged with the combustible matter employed to generate gas within the pressure-vessel. It is also provided with a means of igniting the combustible matters when required, as practiced in discharging' ordnance. The combustible material may be meal-powder alone or mixed with some inert mattei' to render its combustion more slow. I, however, prefer to employ cheaper materials, such as anthracite coal, nitrate of soda, and sulphur' reduced to powder and well mixed, and so apportioned in their respective quantities as to burn quickly, but not explode; or in lieu thereof' vegetable matter, treated with nitric acid and possessing feebly the property of guncotton, may be employed.
The apparatus thus arranged may be used as follows for casting an article in steel: A massive cast-iron mold may be used, the interior being coated with a mixture of burned fire-clay ground up and mixed with a small quantity of plastic clay and water. Vhen dry, this mold is placed in the pressure-vessel, the cover of which is then put on. Fluid steel is then poured through an opening made in the cover for that purpose. The opening is then quickly closed with a cone or screw-plug, and one of the small generators is screwed onto an oritice in the pressurevessel and ignited. The rapid production of gaseous matter will produce great pressure within the pressure-vessel, which, acting on the mold while iiuid, and continuing to press on it uniformly as it shrinks and solidifies, will not only prevent the formation of bubbles within the cast-ing, but will so force t-he particles of metals together as to increase the tenacity of the metal and confer on it the generalproperties of forged steel or hammered metal, of whatever kind it may be. The pressure employed may be from one to twenty tons on the square inch, depending on the nature of the nietal and the uses for which it is intended, but usually not exceeding six or eight tons. Thus castings in mild steel or malleable homogeneous iron maybe made for crank-axles, anchors, guns or parts of guns, projectiles, shafts, and other articles usuallyforged into shape from in gots. Metals and alloys, such as gun-metal, copper, brass, and Zinc, especially if formed into ingots under great pressure, will be found much better suited for rolling or hammering than if cast in the open air.
It will be understood that in lieu of the generatorhereinbefore described the pressure may be obtained by injecting into the pressure-vessel water or other iiuid or matter capable of being by heat converted into an elastic vapor. In ei ther case a small loaded valve on the vessel should be employed, in order to allow an escape of gases if too much pressure is generated. This valve will also allow the escape of gas previous to opening the vessel and removing the mold and casting. rEhe pressure-vessels in which articles of iron, steel, and other metals are to be cast and retained under pressure while solidifying will necessarily vary in size and form with the nature ofthe articles to be founded therein; thus, for ca-stin g guns entire in steel,castiron,or gun-metal, a large cylindrical vessel would be required; but in castin such objects as railwaycarriage wheels or the bodies of steam-pistons a shallowpressurevessel would be best suited. Therefore, no exact rule can be laid down for the size or shape of such vessels; but in all cases the molds in whichthe castings are made should occupy as near as conveniently practicable the entire available space within the vessel, and when m ol ds, from their form, do not so occupy the space I employ cast-iron fillin g-up pieces of such shapes as will tit in and nearly iill up the otherwise-vacant spaces within the vessel, or I iill up the spaces with granulated castiron or other matters, the object being in either ease to diminish the space occupied by air in the vessel, and thereby reduce the quantity of material employed to generate vapor of the required density within the pressure-vessel. The mode of constructing and closing these vessels may also be greatly modified, because the amount of pressure necessary for producing the desired effect diifers considerably with different articles. Thus, when casting ingots of steel or copper, to be afterward rolled, a pressure of two or three tons per square inch will prevent the formation of airbubbles and confer on them sufficient tenacity to roll without being hammered as usual; but a pressure of from iive to eight tons per square inch would be required to render a casting of steel as tough as a well-executed forging of the same metal, while as low a pressure as one ton to the square inch will considerably increase the tenacity and soundness of cast-iron. In order to obtain pressure within the vessel, I sometimes inject in fine sprays or jets of w atcr or other evaporable fluid'matters onto the surface of the deadhead of the casting, or on the top of the ingot, or upon the heated mold, or on the surrounding metal, and thus obtain au atmosphere the density of which may be easily regulated by the loadform a sound joint.
ed valve and by the quantity or nature of iiuid injected; or water or other liquid may be injected into a vessel containing heated material adjoining and in communication with the pressurevessel, .or the pressure-vessel may be put into communication with a vessel containing a very volatile liquid, such as liquid carbonic acid, and such vessel being heated externally or otherwise. An example of the mode of constructing pressurevessels to be employed for casting a locomotive crank-axle is shown in vertical section at Fig. 3 of the annexed drawing. c is the outer shell or vessel, formed of cast-iron or steel. It is cylindrical n form, and around the upper end of it an enlarged band, al, is formed. A series of from sixteen to twenty rectangular grooves is formed vertically in this raised band, and into them as many steel bolts b are itted and held in place by the stout steel hoop c, which is shrunk on while hot. These bolts may be of about four inches in diameter, and be fltted with nuts d of the same material. eis the cover of steel, through which each of the bolts b passes, and by means of which the cover is held in place, the joint being secured by a hoop of lead or other metal circular in cross-section, and by preference of about half an inch in diameter. This hoop falls partly into the grooves f and g formed on the under side of the cover e and on the upper surface of the vessel a. The tightening down of the large screw-nuts will compress the soft-metal hoop and nearly or quite fill up the grooves j' and g and In the center of the cover a screw-plug, h, is fitted with a conica-l fitting for the purpose of forming a close joint when screwed home. This plug has a capstan-head, servingto tighten it up, and also as a means of attaching it to alight crane, by which it may be removed or brought into place. For a like purpose two ring-bolts, 11i, are screwed into the cover e. The pressure-vessel may be lined with a lslow conductor of heat to prevent it absorbing too much heat om the castings formed within it when the process is repeated at short intervals.
The composition used for generating gases under very high pressures within the pressurevessel may be, as before stated, contained in a separate chamber communicating with or attached to the pressure-vessel 5 but I prefer to employ a deep cavity in the lower part of the vessel, as shown at a?. Over the mouth of this cavity a dish, m, is inverted, having numerous per- Aforations around its rim for the escape ofthe gases formed in the cavity a2. The dish m serves as a support for the cast-iron mold or box n to rest upon. The mold is made of considerable weight in order the better to absorb the heatrof the metal casting. In it I have shown a locomotive-axle, w, molded after the manner generally employed in molding articles to be cast in steel, care being taken to well ventilate the mold by molding numerous wires in the composition, which are withdrawn before casting. Numerous holes are also made in the iron mold or box n at short distances apart all over its surface, thus rendering every part of the mold as pervious to air as possible without interfering with its necessary iirmness and cohesion. p
rlhe composition employed for generating pressure in the vessel may consist of rocket composition or mealpowder-that is, coarse common powder ground as iine as possible and mixed with about one-iifth its weight of powdered charcoal; but, as sulphur is one of the elements employed in the production of gunpowder, and may injuriously affect the quality of the metal in some cases, I prefer to employ charcoal and nitrate of potash-only each is to be separately reduced to a very fine powder and then mixed in about the proportion 4of twenty-five pounds of charcoal to seventy-live to one hundred pounds of nitrate of potash. A less expensive material may be made with nitrate of soda and anthracite coal reduced and mixed in a similar manner. The powdered material I prefer to ram rmly into stout paper or sheet-iron cases of cylindrical form, having a hole entirely through the central part. The composition employed should in all cases be such as will not explode with violence, but will burn quietly until the whole is consumed.' In order to regulate the pressure of the gaseous matters in the vessel a small cone-valve, r, is employed, to which the weight s is suspended by a rod, t, terminating in a loop, which embraces a projecting piece, a3, bolted onto-the side of the vessel and pressing on the top of the spindle of the valve r. The pressure-vessel is strengthened by stout hoops of iron or steel' u shrunk onto it, as shown.
When employing this apparatus I proceed as follows: An insulated wire, shown at yv, is passed through a small cavity in the bottom ofthe chamber a2, and a small quantity of meal-powder is laid over it. rIhe cartridge or composition fw is then put into the cavity c2 and the dish m is inverted over it. The cast-iron mold or box n is then lowered down by a crane into the pressurevessel, and the cover c is also put on and bolted securely down with its packing-ring inthe double grooves. The casting-ladle is then brought over the opening in the center of the cover e, and the metal run in in the usual' way. As soon as this is done the screw-plug lt is tightened up and the charge of combustible composition is ignited by passing a current of electricity through the wire o. rlhe spaces round about the mold being very small the pressurerapidly increases, and before the metal has had time to solidify the pressure of accumulating gases may reach to ten ortwelve thousand pounds per square inch, pressing in at all points through the porous mold, and subjecting the metal, as it solidifies, to great pressure equally in all directions, and following up the surface as contraction takes place, and imparting to the casting the general properties and characteristics of forged metal. When it is judged that the metal has cooled down to a bloodred heat the valve r may be raised and the confined gases allowed to escape, after which the vessel may be opened and the casting taken out.
Having described my invention and the manner in which it may be carried into practical operation, l desire it to be understood that I do not coniine myself to the precise modes hereinbefore described for that purpose so long as the peculiar features of my said invention be retained; but
l/Vhat I do claim isl. The fusion of malleable iron and steel and other refractory metals in high-pressure furnaces supplied with combustible gases or vapors generated under pressure sufficient to cause them to enter such furnaces by their own expansive force and Without the employment of force-pumps or other gas-forcing machinery.
2. Casting or foundingingots and other masses or articles in iron or steel or in other metals or alloys of metals in molds contained iu close vessels, in which great pressure is obtained by the evolution of aeriform matters from combustible matters either in the chamber containing the casting or in a chamber orvessel connected there- With.
3. Casting or founding ingots and other masses or articles in iron or steel or in other metals or alloys of metals in molds contained in close vessels, in which great pressure is obtained by the evolution of aeriform matters from liquids evaporated either in the chamber containing the castin g or in a chamber or vessel in connection therewith.
4. The application of gases or vapors under high pressure generated in close vessels and actin g by their expansive force on metals or alloys of metals in the process of casting or founding articles in such metals or alloys, substantially as herein described.
HENRY BESSEMER.
W'itnesses:
DAvD. LoNGsDoN,
Stcmfsteacl Lane, Forest Hill, London. G. F. WARREN,
17 ,Gmceclmrch street, London.
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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2439450A (en) * 1943-04-14 1948-04-13 Campbell Phillip Casting apparatus compensating for shrinkage of the cast material
US2483803A (en) * 1946-11-22 1949-10-04 Norton Co High-pressure and high-temperature test apparatus
US2607677A (en) * 1949-01-14 1952-08-19 Ohio Brass Co Inserts for current collectors

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2439450A (en) * 1943-04-14 1948-04-13 Campbell Phillip Casting apparatus compensating for shrinkage of the cast material
US2483803A (en) * 1946-11-22 1949-10-04 Norton Co High-pressure and high-temperature test apparatus
US2607677A (en) * 1949-01-14 1952-08-19 Ohio Brass Co Inserts for current collectors

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