Improvements in the Manufacture of Hoops for Springs and in the Machinery therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hoops for Springs and in the
Machinery therefor.
I, RICHARD RANDALL, of Main Road, Darnall, in the County of York, Smith,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to improve the manufacture of the metallic
hoops used in the construction of laminated springs for railway rolling stock, and
other purposes, and to reduce the cost of manufacture.
The hoop may be broadly described as two broad bars of iron, standing on their
edges, and their flat sides connected by short lengths of similar bar iron at a little
distance from each end, thus forming a centre oblong opening or box and two open
ends; and it is usual to forge these hoops with the aid of tools under a steam or
other power hammer.
In carrying out my invention, I forge roughly, and preferably by stamping out
of the solid material two halves of a hoop, divided longitudinally, and cutting
through the short transverse bars.
The parts which are to form these bars when joined together, are prepared for
welding by scarfing the ends, thus the ends on one half-part may be pointed or
chiseledged and the corresponding ends on the other half-part may be divided or
V shaped.
These corresponding halves are then paired and placed in position for welding,
and are put into the heating furnace to be got up to a welding heat.
I construct a press, preferably worked on the hydraulic system, and arranged as
follows: Upon a strong metal table I arrange four slides capable of being moved
horizontally, towards and from each other by hydraulic pressure, and centrally, or
at that point towards which the said slides move, I arrange a vertically moving
block, also worked by hydraulic pressure, and corresponding in shape with the
oblong central opening of the required hoop, and so constructed that when lowered
it will be level or flush with the top of the table, and when raised it will be level or
thereabouts with the top of the hoop.
The inner faces of the two horizontal slides hereafter called the side-slides are
made to correspond in length and width with the sides or side plates of the intended
hoop, and have overhanging top edges to pass over the said side plates.
The two other horizontal slides, hereafter called the end slides, have the ends
that are opposite each other, made to fit and slide between the open ends of the
hoop before described, and have shoulders prepared upon them on each side to fit
against the ends of the side-bars of the hoop, these shoulders being made concave,
or of other shape, to form the ends of the bars by pressure.
It will therefore be understood that when the four slides are closed upon a hoop
forging, the side-slides will press against the flat side bars, and the overhanging
top edges will fit over the top of the said side bars, while the end-slides will fill up
the open ends and cover the cross bars, and also bear against the ends of the
side bars.
The central block on the table will also fill the oblong opening of the hoop.
If therefore a pair of hoop sides prepared as before described, are put together
and brought to a welding heat, they will adhere, and in this crude state the hoop is
placed over the central block, the four slides brought into position, and pressure
applied, the result being that the hoop will be compressed into shape in every
direction and the weld made perfect.
I propose also to punch the several holes required in the hoop, at the same
operation, and by the same movement of the slides,

page_text: A bolt hole is required through the centre of each of the cross bars, and to
accomplish this I fit a projecting punch in each of the end-slides, and a corre-
sponding bed in each end of the centre block with means for the escape of the
punchings, so that before the end-slides reach the end of their movement the
punches will have passed through the cross bars.
Bolt holes are also usually required through the ends of the side bars, and I
therefore propose in one arrangement to prepare one of the side-slides with the
means for holding the required punches made sufficiently long to pass through both
sides of the hoop, and a corresponding bed in the side of the end slide another being
fixed in line, in the face of the opposite side-slide. When the hoop has been under
pressure, the side-slide to carry the punches is withdrawn the punches are placed
in position, and forced through the hot forging, thus punching the four ends of
the hoop.
I may as a second arrangement use short punches fixed in both the side-slides,
and hold the corresponding beds in the sides of the end-slides.
When the hoop has thus been pressed to its finished shape, the four slides are
drawn apart and the centre block lowered to the level of the table top, leaving the
hoop free to be removed.
may dispense with the before mentioned overhanging top edges on the horizontal
slides, and press the top edges of the hoop by a vertically moving slide block over
the table, and I may also make the central block loose, so that as it becomes hot, it
may be removed, and another substituted.
Dated the 18th day of August 1890.
ROBT. F. DRURY, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield, Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hoops for Springs and in the
Machinery therefor.
I, RICHARD RANDALL of Main Road, Darnall in the County of York Smith
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention has for its object to improve the manufacture of the metallic
hoops used in the construction of laminated springs for railway rolling stock and
other purposes, and to reduce the cost of manufacture.
The annexed drawings illustrate a machine made according to my invention, and
the method of manufacturing hoops for railway springs; similar letters refer to
similar parts in any of the figures.
Fig. 1, represents a finished hoop.
Figs. 2 & 3 the plates or bars from which the hoop is made.
Fig. 4, the same plates put together for pressing and welding.
Fig. 5, a pair of tools for bending the short plates into form.
Fig. 6, elevation of hydraulic press.
Fig. 7, plan of same.
The hoop usually employed and illustrated in Fig. 1, may be broadly described
as consisting of two broad bars of iron A, and A', having their flat sides connected
at equal distances from the ends by two cross bars B, B¹, and thus producing an
oblong centre opening O, and two open ends E, and it is usual to forge these hoops
and weld the parts together in various ways under the steam hammer. The ends of
the hoop beyond the central opening O, require to be thicker than the remainder,
and they are usually rounded as shown, and are provided with bolt holes indicated
in the drawings.
The difficulty at the present time, and by the present method of construction,
to obtain sound welds, and I claim that according to my method, I secure a
perfectly

page_text: welded and sound hoop, practically perfect in its construction, and at reduced cost
of manufacture.
In carrying out my invention, I construct a press as shown in Figs. 6, and 7,
having four hydraulic cylinders C1, C2, C3, C4, the rams of which work horizontally
and two vertical cylinders C³, and C, the ram of C5, working downwards and that
of C, working upwards.
The rams of C', C2, C3, C4, move towards a common centre upon a strong metal
table T, on the same horizontal plane-each carrying its special pressing tool.
The two vertical rams C³, and C, also move towards the same common centre.
The ram C, carries a block or drift D, tapered at its top end but otherwise
corresponding in shape with the size of the oblong central opening O, in the hoop,
and this drift can be projected through a central opening in the table T, and can be
lowered flush or level with the face of table as desired.
The ram C, carries a pressing tool P³, the face of which is large enough to
cover all the parts of the hoop, and there is a recess in its face to receive the taper
end of the drift D; the drift D may in some cases be carried by the pressing
tool P.
The rams of C1, C2, carry side slides or pressing tools P1, P2, for pressing the
flat sides A, of the hoop, and the rams of C3, C4, carry end slides or pressing
tools P3, P4, formed to fit into the end openings E, and made concave on each side
or shoulder to round the ends of the side bars A, A', of the hoop, or they may be
of any other form to press the ends of sides A, A¹, to the desired shape.
These hydraulic rams may be operated separately or in pairs or otherwise as
found most convenient and by the usual means of levers under the control of an
attendant, and the rams when relieved may be drawn back by counter weights or
the like.
I construct the hoop from two bars A and A', and I take bars B, B', and bend
them into the arched (or squared) form seen in Fig. 4. I accomplish this by the
use of pressing tools shown in Fig. 5, and preferably in the hydraulic press. The
bars are laid either singly or in numbers across the slotted bottom tool F, according
to its width as indicated by the dotted lines and the top tool G, brought down upon
them centrally pressing them into the groove as shown-I then take two of these
bent bars and place them in the position shown in Fig. 4, and secure them by
wire W, or otherwise. When these built up hoops are brought to a welding heat
they are ready to be put into the press.
The pressing tools are all drawn back, and the top one raised; the drift D, in
the bottom ram projects through the face of the table T, and the hoop at a welding
heat is placed over the drift, the tapered end of which projects above it.
The rams are now set in motion, and close up the pressing tools to their respective
positions, enclosing the hoop on every side and ends, and pressing upon every part
of its surface, thus producing a perfect welding of the bars A, and B, and
accurately forming the hoop to shape. The travel of the rams is determined by a
solid projecting facing H, so that the hoop cannot be reduced beyond the fixed
measurements.
In addition to simply forming the hoop to shape and welding the parts together
as described, I may further complete the manufacture of the hoops by punching
the holes J, and the other holes through the cross bars at the same operation as the
pressing to shape before described.
To accomplish the punching of the holes in the cross bars, I fit in each end of the
slides P³, P, a projecting punch, and corresponding beds in each end of the drift
block D, with a central opening in the said drift block for the escape of the
punchings, and to punch the holes J, I fit to one of the side slides or pressing
tools P¹, two punches of sufficient length to pass through both sides of the ends of
the hoop and through a hole or die in the pressing tools P3, P4, or the beds and
punches may be otherwise arranged to be operated by the pressing tools P1, P2.
The punching operation may be performed immediately after the pressing
operation is completed, by drawing back the pressing tools, fixing the beds and

page_text: punches and forcing them forward again. The vertically moving drift block D, is
made so that as it becomes hot it can be readily removed, and be replaced by
another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same may be carried into practice, I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of hoops for springs, such as shown in Fig. 1, and built
up as described; closing and welding the parts together by hydraulic pressure
applied to the sides and ends, or to every part of the hoop simultaneously,
substantially in the manner as herein before described.
2.-A hydraulic press having four horizontal rams, and two vertical rams, capable
of pressing every side of a "spring hoop" simultaneously, arranged and constructed
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in Figs. 6 and 7.
Dated the 10th 1 of Ma 1001
ROBT. F. DRURY, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield, Agent for Applicant.