US1277034A

US1277034A - Method of producing metals.

Info

Publication number: US1277034A
Application number: US24266418A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J Boericke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1918-06-29
Filing date: 1918-06-29
Publication date: 1918-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1935-08-27

Description

J. J. BOERICKEV.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

lit?

METEECD PEG application filed July 336, 1914; Serial No. 851,885. Renewed June 29, 191%. Serial it: all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN J. 'Bonnicirn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Montgomery and St t Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l /llethods of Producing Metals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the reduction of metals and their alloys from ores and oXids or other metallic compounds by what is known as the exothermic process. The primary object or": this invention is thepro- Vision of a novel method of instituting and carrying out the exothermic reaction with a view of obtaining a superior product economically and with rapidity. In the ac companying drawing I have shown in diagrammatic form apparatus which illustrates certain steps of my improved method, the figure being a sectional iew or? the crucible or container in which the reduction takes place.

In brief, the alumino-thermicprocess to which this invention relates consists in rcducing ores and metallic compounds by mixing with the ores aluminum, an alloy thereof, or some other agent having a strong aflinity for oxygen, and, then in instituting a reaction by the ignition of a portionot" the mass. In carrying out my improved method, I take a relatively small quantity of the ore to be reduced and mix with it a reducing agent, such as aluminum preferably in flaked form,'and I then place the mixture ;in a crucible or-container i" such as shown in the drawing. I prefer to preheat the materials' and also the crucible and this step, While not essential, has been found to materially improve the quality of the product produced...

The next step ofthe process is the institution or" the exothermic reaction, and this is done either by directly i iting a portion of the mixture in the cruci 1e or by the use of a fuse or the like. After this institution of the reaction, Ifeed into the crucible as fast as may be required, a mixture of the ore and aluminum which I prefer to store in a hopper or receptacle 8 which is provided with a discharge spout 9 controlled by suitable valve mechanism 10.. The mixture contained in the hopper may be the same as that already described, but} have found that superior results are obtained by Specification. of Letters Eatent. Patter igel Aug, 2?, 19118,

filo. 2 2 664'.

using the'aluminum reducing agent in the form ot'ingots.

I am aware that it is Well known in this art to use powdered aluminum as a reducing agent, and that exothermic processes per 86 'are old. However, in carrying'out the proc- .ess'heretofore known, the crucibles or containers have been practically filled with a mixtureot' the compound and the powdered aluminum, and the endothermic reaction has been instituted on the surface of the mixture and spreads downwardly throu h the n'iass. By my process, however, only small quantity, of the mixture is placed in the,

" and then feed thereto additional quantities,

the amount of which can be fully controlled by the operator. Among the particular advantages of the method are that the'orescan be reduced in far larger quantities ata time, and with greater rapidity, and at the same time the quality of the product obtained is greatly improved and a uniformity in product obtained throughoiua number of successive operations, the importance of which willbereadily seen Where it is necessary to produce a large quantity of a given .metal containing certain specified percentages of the various constitutents. In securing the foregoing results and advantages, the feeding of the material to be reduced under control has an important bearing as T operative conditions vary considerably, and by my method an-experienced operator can successfully meet such changes in condition .with uniform results.

Another advantage of my improved process is that, because of the manner in which the reaction is carried out, a reater quantity of the mixture ire-subject to the action or" the atmcsphere,'the result o-l which is that more oxygen is supplied and the impurities A f. 1 l i one having eonsideieoie cross eectiouui as opposed to the nui'i'ow and deep crucibles, so that the i'eeciion 1S ex ended over a greater area, thereby erzposi g iiie mass $30 the action of the utincsfighei'e and eiiminetiiig the impurities which etiieizwise would remain in the precinct,

' cieiiu e i The herein described process of reduc eteiiic compounds which consists in autiiw mixture of the compouuei to be reucec and aluminium and +lieu iii fee-fling 10 the ieiuieci ziiuteiiei a i i, com- 33011112 and aluminum under cezi'eici 59 time; Hie reaction is iiistituied from beneath up- 7 The herein described steps in the ex:- otiieiinic process of reducing metallic conimug which consist in piecing u ieiutiveiy i uuuui'iiey of mixture of the compo- Ki educed, and uiuiuiuuiu in 21 {TU Y an euothei-iu' -cticii ure um} in feed Que ceiupouiui to be i] SW2 i eii quimtixty of :1 mixture the compounci mo in reduceci and a reducing agent in a crucible, in instituting an exothermic reaction in such mixture and in "feeding thereto under control a mixture of the compound to be reduced and u reducing agent.

The herein described process of reducingmetuiiic compounds which consists in mi... cg ilie compound with flaked aluminum, in instituting in exot nermic reaction in such iiiix bui'e and. in'adciing thereto quantities of Joeu J. BGERICKE.

the compound and ingot