USRE12658E - Paul louis toussaint heroult - Google Patents

Description

No. 12,658. REISSUED JUNE 4, 1907. A

' P. L. T. HnoUL'r. ELBcTIc FuNAcE AND PnooBss.

APPLIUATIOI FILED SEPT. 16, 1306.

WITNESSES To all .it may concern:

y cation.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELEUIRO METALLURGIQUE FRANCAISE, OF

FBOGES, ISERE,

ELEcrnlo FuBN'Acs AND riscosse.

No. 12,668. f

Bpeeieation of einuod origini n, vamos. naa :mi a, ma. Annina a am s .pmtm Ie. 190e. seuils. 27am.

Be it known that I, 'PAUL LoUIs ToussAIN'r Hmouur, acitizen ofthe Republic of France, and a resident' of La lPraz, Savoie,

- France, have invented certain new and useful- Improvements in Electric Furnaces and Processes, of which the following is a specifi- The improvements to which this invention relates have been devised in order to obtain f 'b the electric fumace soft metals, such as c em'ium, manganese, or iron, and generally'subs'tances which tend to combine with carbon. In order to. avoid as' muchaspossible all possible introduction into the material operated on of carbon from the electrodes instead of the single arc which usually heats an electric furnace, two separate arcs in series are, according to this invention, em loyed to play through the insulatinglayer of) the metal or the fused conducting materialy slag between `on the one hamiand the two electrodes'on the crucible-wall and projecting outsideand, inside of the same, so that the portion of thel `time by em the other hand. In o rder to insure the distinct formation' of these two arcs, two accessory circuits are arranged, connecting outside the furnace each of the two electrodes to the fused material, and in each of ,these circuits there is introduced in shunt a voltmeter, the indications of which serve .to constantly verify arid regulate the position of both electrodes vand to determine Whether or not the furnace is operating properllylf. Thus eitherby' hand or by automatic mec anism operated by the two shunt-currents 'each electrode can-b e raised or lowered to determine the,are,-as desired. The butgoi conductor consists of a rod passing throug rod 'which is melted is lreplacedjby molten material which fills u the space and insures goed conductivity. f en alternating currents are employed and the el tion of both can be regulated at the, same loyinga single voltmeter be?- t'ween one o the electrodes and the metal.

. Such is the` principle of lthe invention which is carried out as will be described re-.

' electrodes,

only cut oi the operation of the furnace, but

ferring to the accompanying drawings.

}*`igurcv1v1s an elevation, partly sectional,

. 'redesl are. arranged so as to consume equall the posit,

tory material-such as fire-brick, magasinie,

dolomite, lime, silica, ehrcrmite, or the'likeand it is inclosed in an iron casing. Such a crucible .is usually provided with, two tap,

the like.

,'electrodesb b carried in socketsc c havcurrent connections d d and long screw@I threaded rods e e, which pass throu h nuts ff, consisting 'of the 'of beve -wheels g g,'gearing with inions h h onspindles 'i i, that canbeturned yhand-Wheels'z. Each -of the electrodes and the parts'beio ltov it are carried by a cantaliver-frame k,w h

introduced in shunt between each-electrode and the moltenmetal, and these show how the' operation proceeds, so `that according to these indications the attendant can raise. or` lower eitherelectrode, so as to regulate each of the arcs.

to be carried by an insulated cross-head p, each 4having its current connection.

A voltmeter 1' is introduced in a shunt-cire' cuit between one of the electrodes and the moltenY metal.'v This indicates variations of electrodes and the bath of metal can be varied, as re screwed-ro s, which carries the electrode and -is worked in the same way as was described with reference to Fig; 1. Obviously such an arrangement could be -employed with triphas'e 'or'.plyphase currents by providing- 4 more than two electrodes with 'the means de- -scribed of regulating their positions.

the electrodes and the molten material, while the electrodes` themselves are 'in series with each other, serves to indicate at once and without the necessity of direct inspection the occurrence of a short circuit between the an occurrence which would not would damage the electrodes.

The arrangement described' is applicable holes at dierent levels', the one for .Y out metal, the other for out slig-or In the crucible is placed thefmaterial-to be treated, above' .which the two is hinged at l, so that it can be turned aside from over the furnace. A voltmeter 'm is.

uired, by raising or lowering thev The arrangement of the voltmeter between yna r. `Figl 2.s lio`ws the .samedi-furnace ada ted solei? to alternatingcurrents, e crucib e a is made of suitable'refrac-' In Fig. 2 the two electrodes n o shown l tension, so that the distance between thethe decarburization of substances. treated' with oxidizing slags or with air-blast, and itl may be combinedfwith nh arrangement for using gases evolved from t ie re'du'ein action in ,the crueible. so as to subject t e substances to be treated topreliininary4 heating the electrodes so aet'tliat the orevis ssY or reduction.

'hen the arrangement is applied tothe manufacture of `steel or melted iron, there 4is directlxvobtainnt'iirrher decarburized by the slag, and the reducing. gases iii passing through the soft ore between rtly reduced befoij undergoi electrical digion. Cast -iron can also be de'ear )ureted or dephos. phorated b v the use of reagents .according to the Thomas Qcess. Y

The lslag' wliie'fifo'rms the resisting medium ii. which the heat is produeed'ma)Y be of vaf rious compositions. For example, whenthe furnace is used' for the production of metals the slag is mostlx" imperfectly-reduced min'- eral matter, or if the furnace be used to btain stability of composition of mixtures of fine steel with other elements-such as chromium, nickel. tungsten, &et i-the slag is comsed chiefly of reagents designed to act onY the bath of metal-'sueh as lime, dol'omite,"or

r 5 `oxid of ironliqueied by the additionof silica-r 'or it mav be suhstantiall) neutral, such as a fusible'silicate `which hasni chemical action on thc bath.

The voltliieter-terminal which communientes with the material in the erucible is preferablyarod of tli`` same metal as that being produced in thev erueible and is built into or passe'sthiough the-refractory wall of the crucible into the material y within the same. f'hen the rod melts, the spaeeor Iiole which Vit leaves in the wall is illid with molten con- .ducting material. 'the extent of fusion of which is limited h v the proximity of the cold' exterior Wall. As the current carried by this terminal-.is only, a fewA milliamperes,' this ar rangement works verv well.

I am aware that there are already in use electric furnaces having two eleetrmles of the Cowles kind; but in these furnaces, which are generally inclosed in non-,conducting materials, it is only bj accident that the main aresubdividea into several partial ares. 'lhis s may also happen in fumaces in which the are plays on the treated substance or is blown upon it b v a mag., et. l am also aware that there are furnac with multiple clectrmles producing several arcs playing above thema'- terial treated and heating h v radiation and not b passing through it. Icaimzv 1 l. In 'the manufacture ofJ soft metals Huch as chromium, manganese or iron by means of an electric i'umaetgthe method which consrsts in playing two separateart-s in series through an insulating layer of slag between :aan

-electrodes with the metal.

3. In the manufacture of metals'liavingl si `strong aflinity for carbon, s'uch as chromium,

manganese, iron, or the like, b means of an electric furnace with carbon e eetrodes, the method which consists in passing the current from one electrode into and through the metal, thence through another electrode, and regulating the position ofl each electrode se aratelv, so as to lavoid contactthereof n with the metal.

4. In the manufacture of metals having strong affinity for carbon, such as chromium, manganese, iron, or the like, b means of an electric furnace with carbon e ectro'des, the method which consists in maintaining a' laver of non-rond ucting slag between the end Vo fvan electrode and the ymolten metal, so as to avoid the combining of the carbon of the electrode with the metal,

5. In an electric furnace, the combination of a crucible--Yadapted to.canfy.a bath 0 f molten material, two electrodes supported above it and connected in series, a conductor in position to eect contact with material contained in the crucible and a voltineter in shunt between one of said electrodes and said conductor, saidconductor consisting of a rod passing through the refractory material of the crucibleaiid projecting outside and inside of the same whereby the portion 'of the rod which is melted isreplaced by moltenmatcrialagvhich fills up the space and thus insures good conductivity. l

6. .An apparatusfor the manufacture of metals having a strong alinity for' carbon, such'as chromium,-manganese iron or the,- like, consisting of anV electric furnace with carbon electrodes arranged to lfoi'inarcs in series by passing'the eurrentfrom one electrodev through' an arc into and through the metal and then'throiigh another arc to an-v other electrode, a voltineter in shunt be- Witnesses:

tween eachelcctrode and the metal in thov furnace for indicating the length of each arc Separately, and means for regulating the position of cach' electrode separately so as to avoid contact thereof with the metal,

In wit-ness whereof ,.I have hereunto signed y n'ame in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. lAUli `LOUIS TOUSSANT IIKOUIII'.

DoMiNoo A. UsiNA, T iiizoiioin-i 'l.. SNELL.

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