US642433A - Apparatus for manufacturing iron and steel. - Google Patents

Description

No. 642,433. Patented Ian. 30, I900.

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APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING IRON AND STEEL.

(Application filed May 21, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DOHERTY, OF SARNIA, CANADA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING IRON AND STEEL;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,433, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed May 21, 1898. Serial No. 681,273. lllo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DOHERTY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Sarnia, county of Lambton, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Manufacturing Iron and Steel; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of steel or semisteel from pig-iron or its equivalent in the same cupola in which the iron is first melted and in such wise that, if desired, the cupola can also be used simply for melting iron without converting the same into steel, whereby castings of cast-iron or of steel or semisteel can be produced from the same charge; and it consists in the apparatus herein described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the cupola constructed and arranged in such a way as to allow the employment of my process. Fig. 2 is a detailed figure of the twyer in perspective. Fig. 3 is a sectional View, broken away in the center to show a modification in the position of the twyer. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the twyer and a portion of the airblast pipe, showing the swivel connection between the two.

In the drawings, A is the shell of the cupola, resting upon the base A, and which is lined, as is usual, with ordinary fire-brick B. l

O is the charge-door; D, the floor, which is arranged to be dropped in the usual manner and which need not be described.

E is the tap-hole; D, the twyer; F, the airblast pipe, which is connected to any appropriate air-blast apparatus. Above the twyer I place a thick partition of fire-brick H, molded to fit, which partition has a central perforation J. The partition H is concave on both the upper and lower faces, as this adds very much to the strength and also (on the upper face) facilitates the discharge of the molten metal.

K K are twyers above the partition, allowing for the introduction of air directly into the charge locatedabove the partition, if desired.

M is an orifice for the delivery of the molten slag, leading from the subchamber below the partition H, and is arranged so that it is substantially on a level with the orifice through the shell and fire-brick, into which the twyer D enters, and on a level with the highest point that the twyer D can be raised in its adjustment. This relative position is important in that it must not be above the twyer when raised, although it can be somewhat below it. The twyer proper consists of a casing N,within which a cylinder N is allowed to rock, being controlled by the handle N The cylinder carries a broad lip P, extending out through an orifice in its face, and when the casing is set into the casing of a cupola this lip extends inward into the lower chamber, as shown in Fig. 1. Opposite to the controlled end car rying the lever N an extension of the cylinder is connected by a swivel-coupling P to the blast-pipe F. This allows the broad lip P to be raised or lowered when inside of the cupola in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The lip is perforated wit-h orifices R R R, which, extending to the air-chamber in the casing, form a combination-twyer through which the air is blown into the cupola. As the twyer is arranged so that it can be tilted, the inner end thereof, in which are located the orifices R R R, can be brought on a level with the slag-opening M or depressed so as to be below said opening, so that the blast can be thrown horizontally or downwardly.

In carrying out my invention I place above the partition H, through the charge-door, an ordinary charge of pig-iron or scrap-iron, or both, and a flux, in the usual manner, the charge resting upon the partition II. This charge is lighted, the air-blast turned on through the twyer D, and, if desired, to be assisted through the twyers K K. As the iron melts it passes down through the central perforation J upon the floor of the cupola, being subjected more or less to the air-blast in descending, until it rises up to a level of the slag-hole M, which has heretofore been stopped. The slag-hole M is opened, the resistance of the passage of air through the orifice J and the charge above diverts the blast through the orifice M, carrying out with it the slag, which floats with the surface of the molten metal, as shown at S in Fig. 1. As

the slag-hole is opposite to the twyer D, the effect, especially when the blast is directly across the surface of the molten iron, is to keep the surface entirely free from slag, so that the descending metal from the upper chamber of the cupola does not carry with it any impure material. The same effect also takes place when the air is blown into the body of the metal, as shown in Fig. 1, but in a somewhat less degree, as the air rises through the body of the metal, burning out the carbon to a certain extent, also taking the direction of the slag-hole, carrying out the slag with it.

By manipulating the apparatusto the proper degree and the proper extent, as above described, I can obtain from it a very pure and fine grain of cast-iron, free from impurities of any degree of decarbonized cast-iron, through all of the combinations of carbon to mild steel, thus enabling one and the same cupola to deliver practically any required quality of metal that may be desired in making diiferent castings from the same heat.

I am aware that cupolas with subcham bers or converting-chambers have been heretofore described in various patents and publications and have attempted to be used, but without much (if any) success. In these, however, there was no efficient means of getting rid of the slag and preventingits admixture with the descending molten iron. Attempts have been made to do this by placing the slag-pipe in the upper portion of the converting-chamber and above the twyer. This, by experiment, I have found will not answer and will not prevent the admixture of more or less slag with the metal in the converter. I do not, there fore, broadly claim a cupola mounted upon a converter in direct communication therewith and provided with twyers.

What I claim is 1. The combination With a converter of rockable twyers situated at one side of and extending into the interior of said converter, means for rocking said twyers, and a slagopening opposite the ends of said twyers when at their highest point, the said twyers being adapted to be rocked to direct a blast to the slag-openin g or at any point below said slag-opening, as set forth.

2. The combination, with a cupola and a converter in communication with each other, the former above the latter, of rockable twyers situated at one side of and extending down'into the interior of said converter, means for rocking said twyers, and a slag-opening opposite said twyers, so arranged that the bottom thereof will be approximately on a level with the twyers at the highest point of their movement and above the level of the lowest point of their movement, whereby airblasts may be directed over the surface of the molten metal to free it of slag, and through the body of the same to free it of carbon, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS DOHERTY.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN GoWAN, OAMBY F. NEWELL.

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