IMPROVE. MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAIN CABLES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I ANDREW MCSHAIN, of Saddle Hill, near Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAIN CABLES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR" to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of chain cables from homogeneous cast
steel, and in apparatus therefor, whereby the links can be cast in one solid piece
with the studs when such are required and I am enabled to produce much stronger
and lighter chain cables than hitherto.
In carrying out my invention I employ homogeneous mild cast steel which I run
into metal moulds of peculiar construction as hereinafter described to form the
links and swivels in the following manner.
The moulds to form alternate links of the cable either with or without studs are
constructed of metal in halves and are fixed between guides on a suitable stand
or gantry; the said guides are provided with suitable means for effecting the
separation and adjustment of the halves of the mould which are placed so as to
cast the links in a vertical or upright position; the moulds are formed with
suitable gets and vent holes; the inside faces of the mould having been previously
coated with asbestos rock or other non-conducting substance, alone or combined
with other suitable substances for preventing the metal from adhering to the
moulds, the molten metal is run into the moulds; the halves of the moulds are
then separated and the cast links will fall out of the moulds.
I then proceed to cast the intermediate or connecting links for the cable. For
this purpose I make the moulds to form the said links in segments or parts which
are fixed in guides on a stand or gantry in a similar manner to that herein before
referred to; the said guides are arranged at a certain distance apart for the
purpose hereinafter described.
The parts of the moulds constituting the cores for forming the openings in the
links are provided with holes which will allow of the ready cast links hereinbefore
described being inserted in the position in the moulds which they will occupy in

page_text: the connecting links when the same are moulded, the spaces between the moulds
allowing of their introduction.
The sections of the moulds having been first coated in a like manner to that
herein before described are placed in the guides in a similar position to that
described for the first named links which are inserted in the holes through the
cores of the moulds as above mentioned; the moulds are formed with gets and
vent holes and the molten metal being introduced through the gets, the links will be
formed ready interlinked with those previously cast, and the sections of the mould
being separated, the chain cable will be ready formed; It is then only necessary to
submit the cable to a suitable calcining process to uniformly temper the links.
The swivels for the improved chain cable can be manufactured and connected to
the links in a similar manner to that hereinbefore described.

page_text: i
Apparatus therefor.
I ANDREW M°SHAIN of Saddle Hill near Dunedin, Otago New Zealand
Engineer, 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:-
The object of the invention is to facilitate the manufacture of chain cables, by
casting the same from metal such as from steel of the character know as homo-
geneous cast steel, and to provide improved apparatus adapted to enable the
casting operation to be effected with certainty, rapidity and facility; and to avoid
many evils which have generally attended apparatus previously devised for the
purpose.
The links of metal chain cables cast according to my invention can be cast in
one solid piece and when the chain cables are required with studs, the studs also
are capable of being cast in one piece therewith.
The invention is also equally applicable to casting the ordinary additions to
chain cables, such as swivels, or rings, in one therewith, or interlinked varying the
form of the parts accordingly.
In casting chain cables it is most desirable to reduce the time during which the
molten metal is present in the metal moulds employed to a minimum and therefore
to provide means for instantaneously ejecting the moulded metal as soon as ever it
is cast from the mould so as to avoid uneven cooling or chill to the links or parts
of the chain-any unequal contraction being fatal to good work. Moreover, to
prevent this evil result it is necessary to provide for the cast link, or links, leaving
all parts of the mould practically simultaneously as well as immediately, after
pouring.
In carrying out my invention I run the moulten metal employed into metal moulds
constructed in parts adapted to be closely associated during the operation of pouring
in the metal, and of being tightly so held as long as necessary and then of being
instantly separated to release the enclosed link, or links.
The moulds are formed to provide studs, or not, as desired.
The mould, or moulds, to form the alternate links of a chain cable are according
to my invention, constructed in halves or main divisions with minor separable
parts. The half-moulds are supported with suitable guides on a stand, or framing,
so that the part moulds may be forced together, held, and instantly separated as
desired, suitable "gets" and vents being provided.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a cross section of the mould on the line A B of Figure 2, which
latter figure shows an internal view of one half of a mould with its sub divisions or
corner pieces removed ready for receiving an already cast link at either side to be
T
1

page_text: the same after the four pieces at the respective corners h¹ h³ h³ and h' for com-
pleting the half mould have been inserted.
Figure 4 shews the same with the two links f, g in the mould ready to be
connected, provided the other half mould were in place. Fig. 5. shews a transverse
section through the line CD of Fig. 2 with the two links g to be connected in
place.
Fig. 6 shows one of the mould pieces separately.
Fig. 7 shews a cross vertical section of the mould, similarly to Figure 1, but
adapted to use for casting the links of separate form to be afterwards inserted into
moulds as described for the purpose of casting others interlinked therewith and the
parts of this mould are mounted upon the stand or supporting table and are
retained in correct relation to each other thereon by means of the guide pieces
at a a each side thereof embracing the table e each half mould being connected at
the back at a a³ to a part of the opening and closing device thus the part mould a
is by the link b at a³ connected to one arm 61 of a double ended or T lever c
centred at c³ to supports c from the framing e and the power is applied to this
lever by a continuation of the arm c and the other arm of this lever c³ engages
through e a slot d¹ in a sliding bar or plate d which slides to and fro in suitable
guide ways d', d², d, in the under framing e and this sliding bar d at its other end
carries a standard d' which being connected at d³ to the other half mould a¹ gives
like motion thereto and it will more clearly appear from the sectional view taken
longitudinally at Fig. 8 how the mould is mounted and guided on the table e
relatively to the bar d. Fig. 9 shews a plan of the bed plate e and bar d
separately.
Figure 10 is an end view of the T lever c.
In these figures 7 and 8 the lines of section taken are respectively indicated by
the dotted lines A B and D E therein.
The half moulds a, a¹, are each again divided into minor separable parts here
shewn as four in number to each half mould and marked respectively i¹, i, i³, 20
which fitting into four corresponding recesses formed for them in the half moulds
and marked respectively h1, h2, h3, h4, are therein held, and kept around the parts
of the inserted links f, g, whilst the casting of the connecting links is being
effected.
The moulds are formed with suitable gets and vent holes-as at a³,-j j are the
openings in which lie the links f, g.
In order to facilitate equal and complete disengagement of a link from its mould
in some cases a small drift m may be formed at the bottom part of the mould box
half way into each part mould and relatively to a projection n on the bed plate
passing into the part moulds so that a pin is formed on the link cast the end of
which projects into the projection n and upon the opening of the mould and the
separation of the part a & a¹ this pin remaining engaged in that fixed part n has
a tendency to more surely free the new cast link equally and avoid chill and
contraction occurring unequally from part remaining in prolonged contact with the
metal mould. This pin is afterwards removed.
The faces of the moulds which form the cast link or it may be part swivel may
be coated with asbestos, or other suitable non-conducting substance, or matter
adapted to prevent adhesion of link and mould.
L
In operation having formed the moulds complete according to Fig. 8 in a
suitably heated state the metal (with or without the provision for the pin m) is
run into the mould by the get as the halves of the mould are instantly separated
by means of the lever c and the link produced falls out and so on.
These separate links (or it may be part swivels, or similar parts) are then placed
in another mould (Figs. 1 to 6) in order to their being interlinked by intermediate
links (or connected to their corresponding part swivels cast thereupon as described,
and the parts of the moulds surrounding these already formed links form the cores
for the new links connecting them as will be seen particularly in Fig. 4.

page_text: In the case of swivels the interior stem and the part in one therewith are cast in
a mould first and then the stem part is coated or covered with abestos, or plumbago,
or other suitable non-conducting material and placed in a mould prepared and
constructed as described for interlinking the links of chain and then the sur-
rounding swivelling part of the swivel is cast thereupon as already described.
The minor or sub divisions i¹³,, of each half mould being separable can be
readily adjusted in place and around the links f g be interlinked and then as soon
as the casting of the interlink is complete the separation instantly is not interfered
with, because these sub-divisions part from the interlinked parts of the chain now
produced as well as from the half moulds or main supports with perfect ease.
The chain cables produced by thus casting in metal moulds are then properly
annealed ready for use.
The moulds should not be used at a less heat than 220° Fahr or upwards.
In place of the form of T lever shewn for effecting a practically instantaneous
releasal of the cast link upon the metal having been poured into the mould, other
forms of rapidly operating machinery may be employed adapted also to firmly
& rigidly hold the parts together during the casting operation, as for instance, an
eccentric such as indicated by Fig. 11 in which is an eccentric revolving within
an annular part when operated by a crank handle, or wheel, applied at the
squared part and as this partly revolves it forces to and fro the parts of the
mould, the part a by the connecting rod c and the part a¹ by the teeth on a
wheel shown in part by dotted lines applied on the same axis as the wheel l and
moving therewith taking into teeth in the bar d; or a toggle joint, or other
equivalent device may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I am
aware that it has been already proposed to cast metal chains in metal moulds
formed in divisible parts and I make no claim broadly thereto but what I do
claim is :-
The improvements in the manufacture of chain cables and the combinations or
arrangements of parts of apparatus for casting the same in metal moulds as set
forth herein and shewn in the accompanying drawings.