Patented Feb. 18, 193E _

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AL ' ' LOYS OF THE ‘ WITH OR OTHER METALS I ‘Gustaf?ewton Kirsebom, Oslo, Norway, assignor to Calloy limited, London, England, an English . joint-stock company -' . No . Application December 22, 1932, snug: No. 648,443. \In Great Britain June 11, 9 Claims. (Cl. 75—1) This'invention irelatesto a new or improved pounds of the alkaline earth metals, fox-example method of process for the production of alkaline from the alkaline earth . earth metals and alloys thereof with lead or other . In the process as set out above it must be v_ metals such as are hereinafter de?ned. understood that the term.“alkaline earth metals" I ere are certainmetals, especially lead, and includes not only , and , ' cadmium which do not readily with alu but also and . minium when both are in a molten condition and Where cadmium is employed in place of lead v in the presence of each other, e. g., when molten the procedure is similar and when‘ the alloy of lead is added to a bath of molten aluminium (or cadmium with the has been .10 whenlead and aluminium are melted together) formed-on completion of the process-the cad 10 . these two metals will not form an alloy but will mium can be distilled off so that the process af form separate layers which are not substantially fords a ready means of preparing the alkaline ' soluble in each other; and this I utilize in the earth metals in substantially pure condition. process according to the present invention for Broadly stated therefore the present invention 15 the production of alloys of the alkalineearth is for a process for preparing the alkaline earth 15 metals with lead or cadmium or other metals of ‘metals and alloys thereof, which process com~ the kind which do not readily alloy withalumin prises the steps ‘of mixing together in the molten . ium. ‘ vcondition a metal which does not readily form an. In my co-pending application for U. S. Patent alloy with aluminium and an alloy with alumin 20 Serial No. '620,574~?led 2nd July, 1932, I have ium of the said alkaline earth metal or metals .20 . described a process for producing alloys of the and allowing the ‘melt to form into two, layers and alkaline earth metals with aluminium (e. g. cal separating the aluminium. ' . cium-, strontium-aluminium al According to a further feature of my present ‘loy, etc.) by the reduction of compounds of alka invention the alkaline earth metals can be sep 25 line earth metals by aluminium and the pro arated from'the metal (e. g. lead or cadmium) 25 duction thereby of said alloys of aluminium; such ‘which does not readily alloywith aluminium as process being carried out by introducing one or ‘aforesaid; and this separation can be effected more compounds of the alkaline earth”metals in by the step of volatilizing off the volatile. metal pieces not less thanabout 1 mm. size into a bath from the alloy containing it whereby the alkaline 30 of molten aluminium thereby to reduce said com- . earth metal remains alone; and pure alkaline 30. pound or compounds and alloy said alkaline earth ‘ earth metal can thus be obtained. metal or metals with the aluminium. The invention will now be more speci?cally Now the. present invention is as f.o1l0wsi—- ‘ described with the aid of examples. \ I have found that alloys of the alkaline earth‘ In the case of lead:-— . 35 metals with lead and cadmium (or with other 3 (a) The aluminium alone may ?rst be placed 35 ' ' . metals which latter do ,not themselves readily in the heating chamber and melted; and after the alloy with aluminium under the conditions above alkaline earth metal in pieces or lumps _ referred to) can be produced, readily and eco have been placed on the bath of molten alumin nomically by reducing a ‘compound of an alkaline ium and reduced and an alloypof alkaline earth 40 earth metal in a bath of molten aluminium (e. g‘. metal or metals and aluminium has thereby been 40 in the manner hereinbefore referred ' to) and, formed as aforesaid; thereupon lead in a molten either before, during, or after, introducing said ‘condition (or otherwise) is introduced into said compound of the alkaline earth metals into said bath of‘ molten aluminium alloy through which bath of molten aluminium, admixing or otherwise latter the lead will descend and settle below’... 45 bringing-lead or cadmium‘?or other such metal ‘ same in the-heating chamber; or-*- - ' as aforesaid) in a molten condition into contact (b) ,The lead and aluminium may be, néatea with the molten aluminium alloy whereupon the (melted) together in a suitable heating chamber - alkaline earth metal leaves the aluminium and .or the lead may be heated (melted) ?rst and goes to the lead' or cadmium (or other such metal then ‘the aluminium; and thereafter the alkaline to as aforesaid) ‘and alloys with the lead (or other earth metal oxides in other than powder form, 50 such metal .as aforesaid). } ' ' 1. e. in pieces or lumps, introduced by placing It is to. be understood that'the alkaline earth ' said pieces or lumps on top of the molten alu (metals can be prepared-by they process of the , minium. ‘ present invention-not only from the alkaline ‘whereupon, whichever procedure is followed,‘ 65 earthv metal oxides but ‘also from other com itwillbefoundthatthealkalineearthmetal 2 2,031,486 or metals in the aluminium will have left the molten alloy and allowed to settle therethrough. latter and gone into the lead and in alloy there This enables the process to be carried out in one with. operation. (0) Or an alkaline earth metal alloy of alu I have carried out this operation in a graph minium may be melted down and molten lead ite crucible which was heated in a furnace of added' to the melt and thereupon the lead will usual type to the desired temperatures. extract the alkaline earth metal from the alu Any suitable type of furnace can be used for minium thus forming an alkaline earth metal the operation. alloy with the lead, which latter will sink to the I have found that a great recovery of the alka 10 bottom leaving the aluminium on top of the bath line earth metal or metals was obtained in the 10 substantially free from alkaline earth metal. lead, inthe case of extracting calcium from cal For example, I have in this way melted down cium-aluminium alloy by means of lead, viz. as a calcium aluminium alloy containing 10% cal much as ‘90% of the calcium went into the cium, viz. I have melted same at about 700-l000° lead, while not a trace of calcium was found in 15 C.; and, after having melted some lead at about the remaining aluminium. 15 350° C. I have added this molten lead to the I have further found that it is possible tov get alloy bath; and on pouring out this melt I found higher percentages of the alkaline earth metal that after cooling, there were present two differ into the lead by passing the total amount of the ent layers the top one consisting of substantially lead (or other such metal) to be passed once 20 pure aluminium and the bottom layer of lead (or more than once if desired) through the bath 20 containing 6.5% Ca and containing but small of molten aluminium alloy slowly and yell dis traces of ‘aluminium. tributed throughout the bath in order to obtain In a similar manner I have made strontium a better contact of the metals. lead from strontium-aluminium alloy by pour v25 A convenient way of securing good distribution ing molten lead over the molten strontium-alu of the lead throughout the bath is to add the 25 minium alloy, and in this way obtained a stron lead in granulated form to the molten bath. tium lead of a crystalline structure and analyz Furthermore (as aforesaid) the production of ing 5.3% strontium. the aluminium alloy is not confined to oxides of In a similar way I have produced barium the alkaline earth metals as starting materials 30 lead containing 3% barium. but other compounds may be used and in par 30 Similarly magnesium was introduced into lead ticular silicates. Thus if burnt rich from a magnesium-aluminium alloy containing in silica (l6 per'cent) is used, an aluminium up to 5% Mg; and a magnesium lead alloy ob magnesium- alloy is produced. In the tained running up to 2% Mg. same way other alkaline earth silicates produce Also beryllium has been obtained in the lead the triple alloy of aluminium silicon and alka 35 or cadmium in this way. . line earth metal. When this triple alloy is treat In the case of beryllium; the following is an ed with lead or cadmium the alkaline earth sili example of carrying my present invention into cide in the alloy is broken up, the alkaline earth practice:— metal going to the lead or cadmium and the sili To a molten bath of aluminium heated to about con remaining with the aluminium. 40 1100° C. I add thereto natural (in lumps Where cadmium is employed in place of lead or pieces) which is a consisting of a the temperature of the aluminium alloy bath is beryllium aluminium with a formula lowered, for example, to 700°-800° C. and then 3Be0. A1203. 6SiO2. I the cadmium in a/molten condition is poured 45 By adding gradually the beryl in pieces to gradually into this bath. 45 the metal (molten aluminium) this latter I‘ The process of the invention may he carried found gradually rose in silicon content and I out with more than one alkaline earth metal in ended up with a metal containing 20% silicon, the alloy with aluminium. ’ ' ' having thus reduced the silica in the beryl to The amount or proportion of lead or cadmium 50 silicon which alloyed with the aluminium. Al etc. to be added to the molten bath of aluminium 50 though I have so far been unable to analyze this‘ alloy will depend on the results it is desired to alloy for beryllium (the analysis of this metal obtain. with the presence of aluminium being extremely For example with equal proportions by weight di?icult) I have found that the alloy had' a of the aluminium and lead the percentage of 55 grey appearance suggesting the presence of be the calcium in the aluminium (before transfer) 55 ryllium. By then treating this allow (beryllium will be about the same in the lead (after trans aluminium-silicon) with cadmium in the afore fer); while with a smaller percentage of lead said manner, an alloy of cadmium and beryllium there will be a higher percentage of the calcium was formed (the cadmium becoming quite brit etc. in the lead. 60 tle—which suggested that the beryllium had gone What I claim is:-—' 60 into the cadmium) and thereafter the cadmium 1. A process for preparing alkaline earth met can be distilled off thus leaving metallic be al alloys which process comprises melting to ryllium. gether a non~metallic compound of the said alka I have found that the migration of the alka line earth metal and aluminum and mixing 65 line earth metal or metals into the lead takes therewith while in molten‘ condition metallic lead 65 place with great rapidity; e. g. only a few min and allowing the metal to form into two layers utes after adding the lead the melt could be and separating the aluminium vlayer. Poured. - 2. A process for the production of lead alka I/have also found‘ that if pure aluminum is line earth metal alloys, which process comprises 70 melted down and alkaline earth metal in reducing an alkaline earth metal with molten lump form, that'is, in pieces and not in powder, aluminum to form an aluminum alkaline earth added the melt being left for some hours at about metal alloy, and while the said alloy is in a molten 1200° 0., an alloy will be formed. When the condition adding lead thereto and allowing the temperature of this alloy has dropped between same to settle through the molten alloy thereby 75 700 and 1000° C., the lead can be poured into this to effect an alloying of the alkaline earth metal 2,081,488 3 of the alloy with the lead, allowing the melt to process comprises melting together form into two layers and ‘separating the alumi in pieces more than 1 mm. in size and aluminium num layer. . g ‘and mixing therewith while in the molten condi 3. A process for preparing alkaline earth met tion metallic lead and allowing the melt to form als, which process comprises in combination the into two layers and separating the aluminium 5 steps of melting together an alkaline earth metal layer. . oxide in pieces more than 1 mm. in size and me 7. A process for preparing calcium alloys, which tallic aluminium; mixing therewith while in the process comprises in combination the ‘steps of molten condition metallic lead; allowing the melt melting together calcium oxide in pieces more to form into two layers;'separating the alumin than 1 mm. in size, and aluminium at a tempera 10 ium layer and separating by'known means the ture 01' over 1000° C. maintaining the melt at lead alkaline earth metal alloy into its constit about 1200° C. for some hours; reducing the tem uent metals. ' ' perature to 700-1000? 0.; mixing metallic lead 4. The process for the production of lead alka and allowing the melt to form into two layers and 15 line earth metal alloys, which process comprises separating the aluminium layer. reducing an alkaline earth metal with molten 8. The process which comprises reducing mag aluminum to form a aluminum alkaline earth ‘ nes'ium with molten aluminum to form an alumi metal alloy and while the said alloy is at a tem num alloy containing magnesium, and while the perature of from 700 to 1000° C. adding metallic, 1' said alloy is in a molten condition adding me 20 lead thereto and allowing the same to settle tallic lead thereto and allowing the same to set 20 therethrough, thereby to e?ect analloying of the’ tle therethrough. thereby to e?ect an alloying alkaline earth metal of the alloy with the lead, of the magnesium with the lead, allowing the allowing the melt to form into two layers and sep-' I melt to form into two layers and separating the arating the aluminum layer. aluminum layer. ~ 25 5. The process which comprises reducing eal- I 9. A process for preparing magnesium alloys, 25 cium with molten aluminum to form an alumi which process comprises in combination the steps = num alloy containing calcium and while the said of melting together magnesite in pieces more alloy is in a molten condition adding metallic = than 1 mm. in size, and aluminium at a tempera lead thereto, allowing the same to settle through ture of over 1000° C.; maintaining the melt at 30 the alloy thereby to e?ect an alloying of the about 1200° C. for some hours: reducing the tem 30 calcium of the said alloy with the lead, allowing perature to 700-1000" (3.: mixing metallic lead‘ the melt to form- into two layers and separating and allowing the melt to form into two layers the aluminum layer. » and separating the aluminium layer. 6. A process for preparing calcium alloys which __ GUSTAP NEWTON KIRSEBOM.