USRE1401E - Improvement in refining iron by means of blasts of air - Google Patents

Description

v 'UNITED STATES CHRISTIAN SH UNK,

PATENT yFFICE;

or CANTON, OHIO. I

iMPRo'vEMENT |N R'EFINING moN BY MEANS or:Y BLAsTs OPAm.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,060, dated May 17, 1859; Reissue No. 798dated August 16, 1859 Reissue No. 1.401, dated February 10, 1863.` V-

To all whom it may concern:

" Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN ySHUNK, formerly of Slate Lick, in the county ot' Armstrong and State of Pennsylvania, now of Canton, in the county of Stark and State of in a iuid state, so as to combine a-perfect admixture of the gaseous matter of the air with the particles of molten crude iron `for the purpose of decarbonizin'g and refining the same into refined iron or steel and malleable semi-steel without the use of fuel to'keep up combustion, of which the following is a speciication. v Y

My process for decarbonizing and refining crude iron while in a fluid state is accomplished by the agency of the gases of the air, the oxy gen combining with the carbon in the crude iron,forming carbonio-acid gas, and increased heat in the molten metal is obtained, and ebullition is accomplished, an'd a speedy decarbonizing, refining, and steelifying `of the crude liquid iron is eected.

lt is known thatcrude pig-iron or molten crude iron contains different degrees or quantities of carbon, which is required to be reduced and expelled in converting the same into reiined iron or steel. Therefore, crude pig-iron in a fluid state parts with its carbon by unit- -ing with the oxygen gas of the air, and accomplishes my process, as herein described. Itv

is preferable to select thecrude iron which contains'the greatest amount of carbon, which practical manufacturers will readily distinguish or when the crude metalis deficient of the ordinary amount of carbon, which sometimes is the case, a smalll portion of carbonaceous matter can be added to the fiuid iron in the crucible when the refining 'process -is commenced. When the oxygen gas of the air combinesl with the carbon contained in the crude iron, the heat and iiuidity are increased increases for a. few minutes, then decreases,

by which the quality of the product is readily determined by the workmen, first, steel Vor partially decarbonated and refined iron is obtained'when the liame is up, and when the iiame drops the product will be soft or semi steel of tenacity and tensile strength, to mold into pig lor ingot chills lit for the hammer or the rolls. The soft or semi steel can be molded in mass `of any size desired for ordnance or machinery.

During Athe refining and purifying process by the union of the oxygen gas combining with the carbon of the crude iron, it is supposed the nitrogen gas ofthe air acts by cementation ou the ne paticles of iluidirou and produces the different kinds of refined iron or. steel or malleable semi-steel, according to the timel the blastl of air is continued which is indicated by the dame at the top of the refining-tire.

During the retin ingand purifying process 1 use a ux or solvent of common salt, which facilitates the refining and steelifyng of the crude metal by causing a separation of the impurities contained in the iron. Common salt has heretofore been attempted to be used in some forms of the iron business, but not, to

my knowledge, in the manner and for the purpose used by me.

My process for decarbonizing and purifying crude molten iron can be accomplished in the hearth of the common ironsmelting furnace either from the ore or from the remelted pigiron after a deposit has taken place in the inside with tire-clay cement or plumbago, or

the lower part of which can be lined with fireclay brick. It is preferable to' make thisrefilling-crumble in two parts for the convenience of lining the inside, as well as for clean ing the bottom. The top part is readily attached and'removed, when required, by attachin g-a-couple of drop-latches or fasteuings,

For conductingthe molton iron into/the relining fire or crucible, an iron trough-or gutter is connected to the furnace-hearth, lined with clay cement. This conductor is only attached at the time of discharging the lfluid metal into the crucible. must not be made too full, but to allow some space for the metal to rise during the refining process, It is necessary to place in the crucible some live coals, to Acause a moderate degree of' heat before the fluid metal'is run in. The atmospheric air can be introduced into the refining firev or cruciblev in different ways, so as to commingle the gases with the mass-` of metal to be refined and steelited. It isV preferable, however,.to force the air through one or more tnyerepipes from the top, and to dip down the nozzle sufficiently into the body of themass of molten metal, so as to effect a` perfect admixture of the gaseous matter of the air with the particles of f luid iron audits carbon to accomplish the` decarbouizing and purifying process. v y l In' attaching the refining tn vere pipes orl v4pipe they should dipdown into' the fluid iron which greatly relieves the pressure of the iron from the mouth of the tuyere-pipe, .by passing round the same direction with the air as it is' forced .into the fluid metal; and by giving the -m'olten irona rapid rotary and spiral motion i by the force of the .blasta more speedy ebullitiou of the mass of iron is effected' and a more perfect admixture of the gases ofthe `air with thefine particles of vliquid metal and its carbon is obtained than' otherwise would 'be if the blast entered directly against abodyl of ironstandin-g still. .The nozzle of lthe refining-pipeor openings for the discharge of the air` :must be of the proper size, so as to well compress the volume of air discharged to cause a rapid force of the blast as it penetrates into the mass of metal tole refined and ,steelified 4:

When the refined iron -is ready to be discharged from the crucible, a fire-clay plug is removed, placed' near the bottom for that purpose; oral properly-construci ed valve can be attached for the discharge of the refined iron. .t y My decarbonizing and refining process requires but-a few minutes, according tothe quantity of crude metal "to be operated on and the volume of air discharged, generally from eight to twenty minutes.

The refining-crucible As has been already stated, the process can be carried on either in the hearth of the smelt- While not confining myself to either mode or to any. particular form of-apparatus, I will proceed to describe a way in which it may be used vin yconnection with an ordinary blastfurnace.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 .represents a vertical section of such a furnace; and Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same, taken through the tuyere-arches and hearth of the furnace.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corre! sponding parts in both views.

` No change is made in the. shape and posi- 'tion of the upper part or crucible, a, the middle portion or boshesi, b, and the lower part or hearth, c, the only alteration required being the formationor one'or more additional tuyere- 'holes for the admission of the auxiliary tu yerepipe or pipes used forintroducing the blast into the iron. The ordinarytnyere-pipes used in the blast-furnaces are not dispensed` with, nor is their position or inode of' application necessarily varied, excepting that when the refining process is beingi carried on all the blast is caused tn-pass through the auxiliary tuyere-pipe or pipes, and is shut oi'or stopped from passing through the ordinary tuyerepipes.

To introduce the blast for refining the iron by-my process, I use a separate and independent tuyere-pipe, which is'introduced into the hearth of the furnace under the tymp-stone in lfront or at one of the "sides, as may be preferred. If it be introduced at one of the sides it is inserted through a tuyerearch, in a manner similar to the ordinary tuyerepipes, excepting vthat lthe nozzle of the auxiliary tuyere-pipe is muchlonger and enters lintoAt-he hearth, (which the nozzle of the lordif nary tuyere-pipe does not.) --The nozzle of the Jauxiliary tu yere pipe, after entering the cavity forming the hearth, dips downward to within a short distance of the hearth-stonel d, so that its'mouth is covered by the molten metal.' It l is preferable to set the nozzle of the auxiliary tuyere-pipe at such an angle as that the blast of air entering the iron may strike the Wall of the hearth at (as nearly as possible) aline tangential thereto, `so as to expend its force more `eii'ectually in causing the molten metal to rotate in the hearth, and to become more diffused through it, as every'particle of iron thus moved, around'must come in contact with the blast of vair and a more certain commingling .of them produced. The rotary motion thus given to the molten metal in the hearth greatly relieves the pressure against the incoming blast, as the motion of ithe metal is "in the I same direction in whichthe blast enters and the force of the blst is cumulative on the iron' when the latter is once set in motion. 1 The auxiliary tuyere h, as shown lin Fig. 2,

is represented as being rather a chord or seyin the hearth.

cant of the circle drawn within the hearth than atangent; but thatis about the rightinclin ation to e'ect a rapid rotation of the metal l If the auxiliary tuyere-pipe is to be introduced in front of the furnace, it is done. by inserting it through the small opening between the lower front edge of the tympstonc IC and the top oi the dam-stone f, in which case a movable tymp-plate, G, is placed over the dam f, covering the aperture between the tympstoue and the dam-stone. The aux iliary pipe is inserted in an opening of convenient size in said plate (i, so as to penetrate the liquid metal, near the bottom of the furnacehearth, and this plate may be swung out ot' the way when the reningprocess is over. will tliushe seen that myimprovement, though very important in its resnlts,requires so little alteration in the construction and arrangement of the ordinary blast-furnace as to be easily and cheaply introduced into practical operation. After the charge of iron has run down into thehearth of the blast-furnace,(the smelting process heilig carried on in the usual wny,) and when 'the molten metal is ready, ac-

cording to the ordinary process, to be run out into pigs, my refilling process is commenced. l The auxiliary tuyere pipe or pipes are now inl traduc-cd into the molten iron, andthe whole blast of air used for the blast-furnace is now diverted from the ordinary tuyere-pipes and 1 caused to pass with great force and pressure through-the auxiliary tuycre pipe or pipes tion, and for which I desire to obtain Letters Patent, is-

1. Blowing atmospheric air into and through ainass of molten crude iron from the ore orv from the rexnelted pig-iron, to commingle the gases of the air with the particles of Huidv iron It and its carbon, for the purpose ot' decarbonizing and converting the same into refined iion orsteel and malleable semi-steel Without the use of fuel to keep up combustion, such conversion being effected by the gaseous matter of the atmosphere.

2. Imparting a rotary or spiral motion to the molten iron by or during the introduction y of the air-blast., substantially as set forth.

3. The application of the flux or solvent, iny

the manner and for the purpose herein described, during the atmospheric refining process. K l

CHRISTIAN SHUNK.

Witnesses:

EDM. F. BROWN, OcTAvIUs KNIGHT.

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