An improved melting and reducing furnace / [Rudolf Urbanitzky].

  • Urbanitzky, Rudolf.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An improved melting and reducing furnace / [Rudolf Urbanitzky]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    N° 7265 A.D, 1805 Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1895—Accepted, 11th May, 1895 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. An Improved Melting- and Reducing Furnace. I, Rudolf Urbanitzky, of No. 9 Hofgasse, Linz-on-the-Danube, in the Empire of Austro-Hungary, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven¬ tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:— 5 The improvements forming the subject of this invention relate to the melting and reducing furnace forming the subject of former Letters Patent No. 6965 of April 4, 1893 ; the end which these improvements are designed to attain being, to adapt the said furnace for use in obtaining aluminium. With this object in view, it is proposed to make the inner chamber or shaft of 10 the furnace so short as to leave only the portion provided with the basic lining, the mouth or orifice of which is closed by a lid or cover, which carries the positive electrodes together with their fittings or accessories. This lid like the lower or supporting plate, arranged at the lower orifice of the furnace has a current of water circulating in contact wdth, or through, it, and it is adapted to turn or oscillate 15 backwards and forwards about its central vertical axis, whereby the entire surface of the molten metal, below the carbon electrodes, is su flame-arc. In the centre of the metal lid there is erected a vertical tube, surrounded by a cooling jacket and serving both to discharge the gases as they are evolved, and to 20 admit the ores to be melted or reduced (or, where aluminium is to be obtained, to admit alumina). The rocking or swinging motion, in alternate directions, may be imparted to the lid either by hand or in any other convenient manner,—by electricity, for example, a current, branching off the main or “ working ” current, being employed to set in 25 motion a small auxiliary motor engine in the well-known manner ;—and, similarly, the positive electrodes may be shifted or adjusted within their guides by hand or any other suitable means. The construction of a melting and reducing furnace, in accordance with this invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which 30 Figure 1 is a vertical section thereof, on the line x—x of Figure 2 ; and As shown, the improved furnace consists of a very short shaft or chamber, constructed of basic non-conducting material its bottom being formed of a wedge- shaped body c, of electrical carbon, w'hich rests upon a plate cl of copper; which 35 plate also carries the projection or stud cL which serves for the attachment of the insulated cable e protected by the fire-clay pipe f. The copper plate cl is pressed by fire-clay blocks or wedges g against the bottom piece c, which is thereby forced into the furnace-shaft orifice. The positive electrodes l, consisting of carbon bars arranged edgewise, are 40 connected with the lid r by their guides p. The said lid r is supported by balls.? located in a groove t, which is provided for the purpose in the plate r] arranged at the orifice of the shaft, the arrangement being such that the said lid may readily be turned about its central vertical axis. The lid r is hollow, as are also the lower plate rl and guides p, all of which parts 45 are constantly traversed by currents of cooling water. In the centre of the lid r there is piovided a vertical tube u which serves both for the discharge of the gases evolved in the course of the operation of the \Vnce 8c/.] bjected to the action of the