US8055A - Improved apparatus for rolling tapered metallic rods - Google Patents

Description

NNITED STATES PATENT Trice..

IMPROVED APPARATUS 'FOR ROLLING TAPERED METALLIC RODS. i

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. @,055, dated April 22, 1851.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, 'VILLIAM CLAY, of Clif ton Lodge, in the county of Cumberland, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented Improvements in Machinery for Rolling Iron or other Metals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of my said invention.

Myinvention of certain mprovementsin machinery for rolling iron or other metals is designed to produce by the process of rolling bars of taper forms-as, for instance, wedgeshaped bars or conical bars. The tapering of metal oars I effect by allowing one of the shaping-rollers to recede gradually from the other as the rolling operation goes on, and thus eularge the space or distance between the rollers, whcrebythe metal,in passing between them, is made to assume a gradually-increasing thickness, either in a wedge, conical, or other form, according to the shape of the grooves cut in the rollers.

My invention consists in the adaptation to rolling machinery of pistons bearing against confined columns of water or other non-elastic transversely through the head of one ofthe standards wherein the bearings of the journals of the rollers are mounted, showing the piston, its rod, and appendages, with the column of water against which the piston bears, and the valve whereby a small quantity of the uid may he allowed gradually to escape. Fig. 2 represents a partial front view of the rollers, the bearings, and part of the regulating apparatus in the head of the standard, being shown in section. Of course it will be understood that two such standards support the ends of the rollers. Fig.3isahorizontal section taken on the line l 2 of Fig. l, showing the parts inverted or as seen from below; and Fig. ais another horizontal section taken on the upper side in the line 3 4 of Fig. l, showing the entrance and exit valves of the chamber of water andthe means of working or regulating the exit-valve. In the rolling-mills usually employed for rolling bar-iron the rollers are generally mounted in iXed bearing or bearings, which, during the operation ot' rolling, are rendered immovable by being maintained in their places by strong screws or bolts.

In my improved machinery or apparatus the ends of the bearing A of the upper roller are let into grooves in the standards, as in ordinary rolling-mlls, in such a manner as to admitotl their sliding up and down therein, in order that by so sliding the parallel distance between the rollers may be allowed to change.l

The rising of the bearings with the upper roller is regulated and governed by 'piston-rods a, which rest on the tops of the bearings, the upper end of the piston-rod being connected to the solid piston b of the hydraulic cylininder or water-chamber c, as shown in Figs. l and 2. This cylinder c is lled with water or other non-elastic Huid or liquid, and is furnished with leather or other suitable packing for the purpose of preventing any leakage of the water. The packing is kept in its place by a metallic ring or plate, d, which is firmly secured to the body of the cylinder by strong screw-bolts. The cylinder is supplied with water from any convenient 'source by a lateral tube, p, (shown in Fig. 4.) through the rising feed-valve e, the construction and operation of which will be clearly understood by referring to the drawings.

fis the exit-valve, through which, when partially open, the water is allowed to escape from the chamber c on pressure being applied to the lower end of the rod a, by which pressure the piston l) will be made to rise and partially to expel the water, as will be the case when a bar of iron is passed between the shaping-rollers B B. The valve fis constructed in such a manner that the opening for the discharge ot' the water may be regulated with the greatest exactness by merely advancing or receding the plug g, worked by the screw at its back end, and the effect of which will beto open or close the valve to any extent that may be required. There is a slight spring behind the plug g, which is merely intended to push it forward and close the aperture of the valve when the upward pressure of the piston is not in action, as will be the case when the rolling operation is suspended. An additional valve, h, is also made to communicate with the exit-passage t'. This valve, however, is always kept closed by a strong spring, as shown, and will never allow any water to escape this way from the cylinder, except when any extraordinary pressure takes place, at which time the power ot' the spring will be overcome, and, by yielding, prevent the machinery from being too greatly strained.

In introducinginto my improved machinery a mass of iron between the shaping-rollerssay fQI' the purpose of producing a wedgeformed bar having parallel edges-I employ a pair of rollers o't' the ordinary kind having the grooves and iianges, as shown atm mmm in Fig. 2. The mass ot' iron being about to be 'introduced between the rollers in the iirst groove, I open the valvef by withdrawing the screw behind the plug g to such an extent as will allow the escape ot' water from the chamber c in asmall current, regulating the opening for the intended discharge according to the required taper of the bar to be formed, the required extent of which opening will readily be found by the experience ot' the workman. The operation of rolling now proceeding, the pressure of the metal passingoetween therollers will cause the bearings of the upper roller to rise and force up the piston-rod a, in doing which the piston will be made to rise in the chamber c,- but the ascent ot' the piston being resisted by the non-elastic iiuid in the chamber c, the escape of water through the valvef and outlet t' must take, place to allow ot' the ascent of the piston, and consequently the separation of the rollers. According,vthere fore, to the rate ofthe escape ofwater will the taper or inclined shape of the bar to be produced be determined.

It will thus be seen that by my improved apparatus the process of rolling metals is carried on much in the usual manner, except that byv means of opening the valve more or less the escape ofthe water from the chamber will allow the upper roller to rise, and consequently give the requisite tapered form to the bar under operation, according to the rapidity with which the water is allowed to How out of the chamber. As 1 do not intend to confine myself to any particular forms of bars to be produced by my improved machinery, it is not necessary to describe more precisely the shapes of the rollers. I will therefore only add that by forming the grooves of the rollers-in elliptical shapes, as ata a in Fig. 2, I am enabled -by the gradual rise oi' one of the rollers and repetitions of the rolling operation to produce bars of conical figures.

It is sometimes desirable to roll a bar taper or wedge formed for a portion of its length and level for the remainder of its length. For this purpose it will be necessary to allow the upper roller to rise to a certain distance only, and then to stop. This I effect by means ot' adj usting-screws k c-one over each bearing of the rollers-similar to those heretofore used, except that it is through the axes of these adjusting-screws, forming guides, that the pistonrods a pass, as shown in the drawings at Fig. 1, and it will therefore be understood that when, by the escape of the water from the chamber, the bearings of the rollers have been allowed to force up the piston-rod and the piston a certain determined distance, then the upper edge of the bearing Aoi.5V the top -roller will come into contact with the under side of the adjusting-screw k, beyond which it cannot rise; and as the bea-ring will for the time become fixed the bar of iron Linder operation will, for the remaining portion of the process, be rolled parallel. The adj nsti iig-screw 7tpasses through a hollow s crew made in a socket fixed in the frame, and the screw can easily be raised or lowered, so as to limit the rise ofthe bearing A by merely turning the hand-wheel l, attached to its lower part.

.It may be as well to observe that the standards or housings may be of any convenient known pattern, and thatalever or other known balance may be used with advantage to support the rollerin its rise and fall. A portion, also, of the head ofthe standard in which the piston works is made removable for the purpose of getting at the piston and packing when required, as will be seen at q q in Figs. 2 and 3.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Permitting the rollers to recede from each other by means of the hydraulic apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. The adjustable screw lc, Figs. 1 and 2, in conjunction with the apparatus claimed above, whereby bars of metal are enabled to be rolled taper for a portion of their length and parallel for the remaining part thereof.

In witness whereof I, the said WILLIAM CLAY, have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of November, in the year ofour Lord 1850.

WILLIAM CLAY.

Witnesses:

J. W. MoFFA'r'r, FRED. WALKDEN, Clerks t0 Newton d'; Son, GG Chancery Lane,

London.

Images