US451404A - Process of manufacturing alloys of aluminium - Google Patents

Description

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. LANGLEY, OF EDGEWOODVILLE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-I-IAIJF TO HUNT (Ki OLAPP, OF PIT'I SBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OFIMANUFACTURING ALLOYS OF ALUMINIUM.

I SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 451,404, dated April 28, 1891.

Application filed September 20, 1890- Serial No. 36b,657. (No specimens.)

and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of ManufacturingAlloys of Aluminium, of which .the' following is a full, clear, and exact de scription. I

My invention has for its object to provide means whereby aluminium can be alloyed economically with such metals as'titanium',tung- 'sten, boron, chromium, &c;, which are difficult and costly to obtain in a metallic state.

I have discovered that of such metals the metal tita-v nium especially produces definitely beneficial results when alloyed with aluminium and improves the properties of the latter in many Thus I have found that whentitanium it produces a metal which is of low specific gravity and easily malleable, but is .intrinsi:

cally harder than pure aluminium, and is adapted to acquire, by hammering or rolling, a degree of elasticity comparable to that of spring-brass. -The obviously undue-cost of alloying suclr rare metals as titanium, &c., with aluminium by simple fusion of the metallic elements has led to attempts to make the alloy by the reduction of their oxides in the presence of aluminium; but'hithertosuch attempts have not risen above the category of mereu-nsatisfactory laboratory experiments,

7 and have not demonstrated the feasibility of I producing such alloy asja useful article of commerce. I have succeeded in solving the prob.-. lem thus presented, and for the first time have made it possible to produce a useful alloy of ftneifinn above descri an; acheap and ready manner.

shall explain the application-of my invention In the course of the following descriptionI to the alloying of 'alujiin'ium'wit-htitanium, since it is this alloy thatI deem to be the most useful, Premi'sing, however, that by substitutlog for the titanic oxide ori salt the. oxides or salts of other metals more electro-negative.

than aluminium the metallic bases of such oxides or'salts may be alloyed with aluminium in like manner. Metals which can be alloyed thus with aluminium are bismuth. cadmium,

fluoride of sodium, or of fluorides of alumirp ium, sodium, and calcium, or, generally, a fluoride or fluorides of a metal or metals more e1ectro-positive than aluminium. I may add to these fluorides chlorides of the alkalies or alkaline earths; but these are unnecessary. Cryolite of commerce may be used as the fluoride constituentof the bath; but, although I do not exclude its use from the scope of the broad claim of this application, it is in some respectsdisadvantageous because of its iron, which in the alloying process hereinafter de-' scribed is reduced, and bymingling with the alloy impairs its quality. For this reason I-' prefer to employ the above-mentioned fluoride in as pure state as possible. fore or after the fusion of this fluoride bath 1 add to it a reducible oxide or saltof the rare metal to be alloyed. In making an alloy of aluminium and titanium titanic oxide is pref Either beerably used, and after thoroughadmixture ofthese substances, the oxide or salt being dissolved by the fluoride, I introducethe aluminium, whichmay lie introduced eitherjn amolten state or in asolid state. Whenintroduced in solid state, it is fused by the heat of the bath, and whenfused a reaction between the aluminium and said oxide or salt at once takes p1aces,'the oxide or salt is reduced, its

oxygen or acid radical combines with apart of the aluminum, and thefreed metallic base immediately alloys with the remainder of the aluminium. In practice I prefer tozuse as the ranging from one hundred .to four hundred per: cent. of the weight of the aluminium intended to be added. This bath I melt in a carbon crucible, and add thereto the oxide or 'fiuoride'bath fluorides of' aluminium and so: 'dinm, which may be employed in amount salt of the metal to be alloyed. When the whole mass -is incorporated and as nearly fluid as possiblalchargemetallic aluminium into the'erucible, the relative proportions: of.

the aluminium and oxide or salt being such that the percentage of oxide or salt shall be 1 about twice the percentage in which its metallic base is desired to be present in the alloy. Immediately on the introduction of the aluminium the reaction above noted takes place between the aluminium and the oxide or salt and is'accompanied by a rapid elevation of temperature of the bath. After waiting until further reaction ceases, which is indicated by cessation of rise of the temperature, the contents of the crucible are poured into a suitable receptacle, and after cooling somewhat the melted fluoride can be separated as a supernatant slag from the metallic alloy at the bottom of the vessel. is then collected, and is preferably remelted to cleanse it thoroughly from slag and otherwise to improve-its properties. a

It is important that the reduction of the oxide or salt of titanium and its alloying with the aluminium should be conducted in a nonsilicious crucible, (preferably a carbon crucible,) since it the vessel be silicious in its composition a considerable portion of silicon will be alloyed with the aluminiumand titanium, producing a compound of inferior quality.

. In the foregoing specification I have recited particularly the order in which I preferto conduct the steps of my process, and as this The alloy succession of steps enables me to obtain uniformity and certainty in the product by making it easier to regulate the react-ionsI intend to claim it specifically, but do not limit thereto those claims in which such order is not expressed.

I claim 1. In the art of alloying aluminium with more electro-negative metals whose oxides or -salts are difiicult of reduction, the method base of the oxideor salt is reduced and alloyed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of September, A. D. 1890.

- "JOHN W. LANGLEY.

" Witnesses:

THOMAS W. BAKEWELL,

W. 13.. CORWIN.