Process for casting steel and compositions of matter for use therein

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR CASTING STEEL WHEREIN MOLTEN STEEL IS POURED INTO A MOLD CONSTRUCTED PRINCIPALLY OF SAND AND A BINDER AND HAVING A CAVITY THEREINADAPTED TO RECEIVE MOLTEN STEEL, CEROXIDE NORMALLY COLLECTS IN A SURFACE LAYER OF THE STEEL, A THIN LAYER OF MOLTEN GLASSY MATERIAL HAVING A TENDENCY TO WET AND ADHERE TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN STEEL NORMALLY FORMS UPON A FACE OF THE MOLD DEFINING THE CAVITY, AND THE POURED MOLTEN STEEL IS COOLED AND SOLIDIFIED IN THE CAVITY, THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THERMALLY DECOMPOSING A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF AN ORGANIC MATERIAL CONTAINING FROM 20 TO 90 PERCENT OF AN ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORINE, BROMINE AND IODINE AND WHICH DECOMPOSES SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY WITH RELEASE OF SAID ELEMENT IN GASEOUS CONDITION AT A TEMPERATURE NEAR THE BOILING POINT OF SAID ORGANIC MATERIAL AND NORMALLY PRESENT IN THE MOLD DURING THE STEP OF POURING STEEL THEREINTO TO GENERATE AN ATMOSPHERE RICH IN SAID ELEMENT IN THE MOLD ADJACENT THE CAVITYU; MAINTAINING SAID ELEMENT IN GASEOUS CONDITION IN THE MOLD ADJACENT TO SAID CAVITY UNTIL A THIN LAYER OF SOLIDIFIED STEEL FORMS UPON THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN STEEL, REACTING SAID ELEMENT IN GASEOUS CONDITION WITH SAID MOLTEN GLASSY LAYER ON THE FACE OF THE MOLD UNTIL SAID GLASSY LAYER NO LONGER TENDS TO WET AND ADHERE TO THE SURFACE OF THE STEEL AND TRANSMITTING CEROXIDE FROM THE SURFACE OF THE STEEL THROUGH SAID MOLTEN GLASSY LAYER INTO THE MOLD ADJACENT SAID CAVITY.