US376421A - Edwin d - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN \VASSELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANN ISABELLA WASSELL, OF SAME PLAQEJ METHOD OF TREATING IRON OR STEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 376,421, dated January 10, 1888.

Application and March 12, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN D, WASSELL,

I a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating Steel or Iron; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

My invention relates to the treatment of steel in rails, bars, piles, fagots, blooms, or ingots, and has for its object the production of a superior quality of steel from which the carbon has been eliminated to any desired extent. It is not, however, limited in its application to the treatment of steel, as practice has demonstrated that iron may be treated in like manner and its qualities improved, in that it becomes tougher and more malleable.

The invention will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters marked thereon, A represents a furnace, the lower part of which is formed of boiler-iron, a, and rests upon a saddle, b, which is pivotally secured to the bases 12 0, which are secured to the masonry of the furnace in the usual manner. At one end of the furnace is attached a gear-wheel, d, and pinion 6, and upon the shaftf, which supports the wheel d, is also mounted a wheel, 5/, which engages with a rack, h, attached to the boileriron a of the furnace, and at the opposite end the furnace rests upon rollers i, which run upon tracks is, (only one of which is shown,) attached to the part a.

The crown lot' the furnace is formed of firebrick, while the bottom at is made of a composition of pulverized iron ore, about two parts, and one part of pulverized fire-brick, or a sufficient quantity thereof to form a band between it and the iron ore B represents furnace-doors through which the metal to be treated is charged and re- Serial No. 230,627. (No model.)

moved. At each end of the furnace I have shown an air-chamber or regenerator, C, common to metallurgical furnaces, which may be air from the regenerator O are mixed in ports 1) as the gas issues from the orifice q and the air enters from the regenerators. The furnace may, however, be heated, inthe usual manner of-heating reverberating furnaces, by simply providing a furnace to be supplied with solid fuel.

The objectin providing a furnace with a bottom of iron ore is to supply a metallic oxide to the metal treated in the slag-bath, the oxide being given off by the iron ore and absorbed by the heated metal in the bath, where it combines with the metal. The bottom m of the furnace is renewed as it wears away, thus keeping up the supply of metallic oxide to the metal treated, and the bottom is formed by simply depositing alayer of the composition on the boiler-iron a and semi-liquifying it by heat. Another layer is then added, which cools the first layer and solidifies it. One layer after another is added until the required thickness has been obtained.

In working the furnace the composition is protected by the slag which covers its surface.

The method of preparing the bath or flux is not herein claimed, but will form the subjectmatter of another application for a patent.

The apparatus described forms no part of my invention, but is used merely to illustrate a means for carrying out my method claimed.

Theoperationis as follows: Broken or granulated blast or puddling furnace, cupola, hammer, or glass slag is charged into the furnace and subjected to heat until it liquefies and a bath is formed of sufficient depth to cover a number of piles, fagots, or ingots. The furnace is then tilted to one side, which causes the molten slag to run over to the opposite side of the furnace and leave the elevated side of the bottom free from slag. Piles, fagots, or ingots of metal-suoh as steel or iron-are then charged into the furnace through the doors B and placed in position on the bottom at, where they are heated to about a cherryred heat. The furnace is then adjusted until the slag has run back, found its level, and covered the metal to be treated; or the furnace may then be tilted up on the opposite side, the slag run over the piles, completely immersing them, while the side free from the slag is charged with piles or fagots, as in the first instance.

By operating the furnace in the aforesaid manner it may be worked double-that is to say, while one side is being charged the piles on the opposite side maybe sufficiently heated to reduce the carbon for the purposes to which the metal is intended to be applied. 'While the metal is immersed in the slag metallic ox ide from the iron ore is absorbed by the metal and combines therewith. The metal is re taincd in the molten slag from twenty to forty minutes, according to the extent to which it is desired to eliminate the carbon.

The supply of iron ore in the bottom, in, of the furnace is kept up by tilting the furnace to one side and fresh ore spread over the surface where it has been wasted away, then tilting the opposite side and repairing it in like manner. The intense heat of the furnace or the heat of the liquid slag will scmi-liquefy the iron ore in a very little time and cause it to form a new surface for the piles to lie upon.

In the practice of my invention it has been demonstrated that steel treated by my process forms a homogeneous weld under pressure either of rolls or an ordinary hammer, and the welding qualities of the steel are greatly augmented, which qualities are retained by the steel, so that it may be worked in a blacksmiths fire under as high a degree of heat as is usually applied to wrought iron for working it.

In working steelthe product of my invention-it can be welded without the application of chemical compounds, generally applied in welding steel. Furthermore, by submerging the metal in slag it is protected from oxida tion caused by the atmospheric air coming in contact with the surface of the metal when worked in the ordinary way, thus effecting a great saving of metal.

In heatingingots of Bessemer or openhearth steel in ordinary reverberatory furnaces the waste caused by oxidation of the metal amounts to from ten to twelve per cent, while in my process it is reduced to the minimum, rarely ever exceeding two per cent.

By making the furnace adjustable horizontally the workmen are enabled to regulate the depth of the slag-bath on either sidethat they may be working on, so that in removing the piles or fagots they can always keep them covered yet at the same time hold the slag in such a position that they can see the ends of the piles next to them lying in the slag, and thus facilitate their removal from the furnace. After one row of piles has been removed the furnace is tilted a little more until the outer ends of the piles of the next row are disclosed. By running the slag over from the side from which the piles are being removed the depth of the slag is increased on the remaining piles, which protects them from the intense heat of the furnace until they can be reached and re moved, and thus prevents any injurious effects which might otherwise be produced upon them by the heat.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The method of treating steel or iron, which consists in heating piles, fagots, blooms, or ingots in a bath of molten slag and combining a metallic oxide therewith, substantially as described.

2. The method of treating steel or iron,

which consists in charging piles, fagots, blooms, ingots, or bars into a furnace, heating the same to a cherry-red heat in the presence of ametallic oxide, and finally snbmcrging the metal in molten slag and continuing the heating thereof in the presence of a metallic oxide while in the slag until the carbon has been sufficiently reduced, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIh. D. \VASSELL. \Vitnesses:

S. A. PERRY, D. O. RnINoHL.

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