Melting Brass in a Rocking Electric Furnace Page: 23
138 p. : ill.View a full description of this report.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
ELECTRIC BRASS FURNACES COMMERCIALLY TESTED.
from the are, the unwashed part of the roof should be as small as
possible.
Hence a cylindrical furnace lying approximately horizontal with
the electrodes entering at the ends seemed the most promising form,
although on account of the limited space in the ends of any except
a large furnace, of, say, 2-ton capacity, a single-phase arc is required
and the electrical advantage of multiphase operation is lost.
Of the furnaces mentioned, only the Carrere and the Weeks come
anywhere near meeting the conditions imposed. These both have
stationary ends and a revolving body, a construction that involves
many difficulties in maintaining a gas-tight seal over so large a joint,
and in sealing the charging door to prevent leakage of metal when
the furnace is revolved. The charging door, on account of lack of
space on the ends, above the melt, must be placed on the circumfer-
ence of the drum.
No account of any actual experiments with the Carrere furnace
has been found in the literature. The Weeks zinc furnace, as has
been previously stated, was tested by Hansen at the General Electric
Co. plant at Schenectady, N. Y., for zinc smelting; also a couple of
heats of copper were made in it. The patent specifications for the
Weeks furnace make mention of revolving the body of the furnace
to interchange the roof and hearth, the advantage being in "uni-
formly wearing the lining and applying substantially all the heat to
the contents," but in a published description of the furnace Weeks a
makes no mention of revolving the furnace or of the effect of stirring
on metal losses. He assumes a figure for metal losses on yellow
brass, but it is not based on any experiments.
Hansen,b in describing the Weeks zinc furnace, says:
The drum was mounted on rollers which could be motor driven. * * * The
heat was supplied by radiation from an are and the rotation of the furnace body was
intended to equalize temperature of the furnace lining by periodically bringing all
the parts of it in contact with the charge. Incidentally, thorough mixture of the
charge would be secured by this rotation. The copper-melting experiments were of
purely secondary consideration to Mr. Weeks * * *
Hansen states C that in melting zinc with this furnace the electrodes
become soldered in place by condensed zinc and could not be adjusted
to regulate the are. Mr. Weeks has informed one of the writers that
the furnace, though designed to rotate, was not rotated in the cop-
per-melting experiments. No experiments were made with brass, and
the effect of stirring on the superheating of the surface of the melt
and on loss of zinc was evidently not impressed on Hansen by the few
experiments that were made, for, instead of continuing to experiment
a WA'eeks, C. A., Melting nonferrous metals in an electric furnace: Met. and Chem. Eng., vol. 9, 1911,
p. 363.
b Hansen, C. A., Electric melting of copper and brass: Trans. Am. Inst. Metals, vol. 6, 1912, p. 110.
c Hansen, C. A., work quoted, p. 126.23
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Gillett, H. W. & Rhoads, A. E. Melting Brass in a Rocking Electric Furnace, report, 1918; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc12367/m1/23/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.