US1353716A - Production of iron and steel - Google Patents

Description

C. S; BRADLEY.

PRODUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 5.191s.

1,353,71 6. PatentedSept. 21,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

CHARLES S. BRADLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

PRODUCTIONOF IRON AND STEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept; 21 1920 Application filed October 5, 1916. Serial No. 123,878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S; BRADLEY, a

' citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Production of Iron and Steel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the production of metals, such as for example iron and steel, from metal bearing substances.

The principles of the invention will be clearly understood from the description of a specific embodiment thereof for the production of iron from the ore.

' One of the important features of the invention is to roduce a non-coherent mixture of finely divided metal and gangue and to separate the metal from the gangue without' resorting to the operation of slagging the aluminous and silicacious material. Another important feature of the invention resides in the reduction of themetal content of the ore or other metal bearing substance to metallic form at a temperature below the fusion point of the metal.

apparatus for the separation of the finely divided metal from the gangue material. Apparatus suitable for carryin out the process is diagrammatically shown in the accompanyinf drawing.

In.sa1d rawing: 2 Figure 1 represents a system for the treatment of finely crushed ore, comprising reduction and. separation apparatus, with one form of apparatus for consolidating the separated metal after its removal from the gangue; and

Fig.v 2 represents another embodiment of the, consolidating apparatus, wherein the finely divided material is made coherent by pressure.

.It is assumed in the example of the inven tion which will be described, that iron ore, for example in the form of 'oxid or carbonate, has alreadybeen finely crushed and dried, before being subjected to the treatg ments herein described.

Referring in detail to the annexed drawing, 10 indicates a reduction drum towhich the finely crushed and dried iron ore is fedby wa of the hopper 11 and screw conve er 12. he drum 10 is mounted on suita le bearing rollers 13, one or more of which may be suitably driven to effect a rotation of the drum. A series of longitudinal riflies or ribs A further feature of importance is an improved process and 14 raise the crushed ore which repeatedly falls from the top of the drum through a heated reducing gas which is maintainedwithin the drum, as will be described. A spiral discharge 15 conveys the reduced mixture in finely divided non-coherent form to the discharge neck 16 from which it is delivered by the chute 17 to a conveyor belt 18. The reduced ore on its way to the con.

- veyer belt' 18 is subjected to the influence of a magnet 19 of metal construction, which attracts the finely divided metal particles and magnetically conveys them to a point above the metal discharge hopper 20. The gangue from which the metal has'thus been removed is delivered by the conveyor belt 18 to a gangue hopper 21 from which it is discharged in any suitable manner as for example by the screw conveyer 22. The metal hopper 20 has its discharge neck submerged within the body of molten metal maintained within the crucible 23 which is suitably heated,,as for example by means of the gas flame The electro-magnet 19 forms a roof over the separating chamber and comprises a suitably formed body of iron or the like having perforations 25 for the reception of water cooling pipes 26 through which 'the magnet coils or windings are led for producing the magnetic flux employed in the separation of the finely divided metal from the gangue. The magnet windings are supplied with multiphase" alternating current and suitably connected to produce a progressive magnetic pole or series of poles which advance from left toright in the drawing. I have illustrated the connections the separationchamber, the current of the air and gas being from right to left in the drawing, resulting in the production of a flame in thedischarge 'end ofdrum 10 whereby the reducing temperature is maintained. The reducing gas supplied through pipe 28 will represent in proportion to the air delivered through pipe 27, that quantity which will not only maintain the reducmetal content of the ore. In the case of ore containing ferr c oxid Fe O being reduced to metallic iron by the action of'natural gas,

CH the temperature would be'maintainedat a low red heat and the chemical reaction might be represented by the equations An excess of gas is necessary on account of the equilibrium constants of the products of reaction. The products of combustion and reduction gas are discharged from the drum 10 into the flue 29.

I have shown in Fig. 1, a metal consoli dating apparatus iWhlQh operates on the principle of fusion. In Fig. 2 the consoli dating apparatus comprises an extrusion or squirting nozzle or die which receives the finely divided metalfrom the metal hopper 20 and in which the finely divided metal is subjected to compression by the hydraulic plunger 31 under suitable control. A spring 32 returns the plunger to normal position within its; cylinder 33 and the hydraulic fluid, is admitted by way of the port 34: to reciprocate the plunger in the compressin or consolidating operation. With eac stroke of the plunger, a corresponding discharge of consolidated metal occurs from the outlet of the die 30, which product may be severed into unit lengths in any suitable manner.

I Tnthe embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the fused metal accumulates in the crucible and its level rises to the point of contact with the contact points 35 of a signal system 36, whereupon a displacing plunger 37 of inert material of high fusion point, may be lowered into the molten metal to cause the overflow of a measured quantity of the metal for the production of pigs.

It will be apparent from the above example of the invention that the principles are applicable to those metals which can be reduced below the fusion point and subjected to a separation step either magnetically performed as in the present example, or 1nsome other manner which does not require slaggmg of the aluminous or silicaceous materials. It is also apparent that the features of the magnetic separator herein shown,-are

applicable to the ores of magnetic 'metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, etc., which can be reduced below the fusionpoint or which may be otherwise obtained in the-form of a non-coherent mixture of finely dividedmetal and gangue.

In place of natural gas or any gaseous reducing a cut, I may employ a solid or other suita le reducing. agent, as for example coal, whlch may lee-introduced with the finely crushed ore into the reduction perature drum. The subsequent separation step lends itself to the avoidance of the reducing agent in the purified product, as the ash would be eliminated as well as the gangue. v V

For the manufactureof steel and alloys of iron, suitable addition agents may be introduced into the pure iron crucible or the extrusion apparatus.

ll claim 1. The method of obtaining values from ores which are reducible below fusion temperature, which comprises reducing the values in finely divided ore by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon gas with a deficiency of air in the presence of the ore to be reduced, and separating the reduced values in finely divided solid form from the commingled gangue.

2. The method of obtaining values from ores, which are reducible below fusion temperature, which comprises reducing the values in finely divided ore, without fusion, by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon gas with a deficiency of air in the presence of the ore to be reduced, separating the reduced finely divided values from the gan e in the atmosphere of the incoming h rocarbon gas 'prior to commingling o the latter with the deficiency of alr for combustion, and consolidating the separated values.

3. The method of obtaining values from ores, which are reducible below fusion temperature, which comprises reducing the values in finely divided ore, without fusion, by the incomplete combustion of hydro carbon gas with a deficiency of air in the presence of the ore to be reduced, separating the reduced finely divided values from the gangue in the atmosphere of the incoming hydrocarbon gas prior to commingling of the latter with the deficiency of air for combustion, and fusing the separated values. a

4:. The method of obtaining values from ore,. ,which comprises reducing the values in finely divided ore to metallic state at a-tembelow the fusion point of the values,-separating the values from the commingled gangue while still maintaining the temperature below the fusion point, subsequently fusing the values into a coherent product, and displacing a predetermined amount ofthe fused metal from time to time to cause the measured overflow of a unit product.

5. The method of obtainin values from ore, which comprises subjecting the finely divided ore at low red heat. to a reducing gas to obtain a commingled mass of finely divided non-coherent metal and gangue, separating the metal in finely divided solid form from thegangue, thereafter fusing the metal to obtain a coherent product, and dieplacing a predetermined amount of the fused metal from time to time to cause the measured overflow of a unit product.

6. The method of obtaining values from ore of magnetic metal, which comprises reducing the values in the finely divided ore to non-coherent metallic state, exposing the resultant mixture of finely divided materials to a magnetic flux for the separation of the metal from the gangue then fusing the metal to obtain a product in coherent form, and displacing a predetermined amount of the fused metal from time to time to cause the measured overflow of a unit product.

7. The method of obtaining values from ore of magnetic metal, which comprises subjecting the finely divided ore to the action of a reducing gas at a temperature below the fusion point of the metal, whereby a finely divided non-coherent mixture of gangue, andmetal is obtained, magnetically separating the metal from the gangue, then fusing the metal to obtain a product in coherent form, and displacing a predetermined amount of the fused metal from time a unit product.

CHARLES s. BRADLEY.

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