CERTAIN In- PROVEMENTS IN FORMING STRIP IRON INTO SKELPS, AND WELDING THE SAME INTO TUBES APPLICABLE FOR GAS, STEAM, WATER, OR OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clark Johnson, of Wednesbury, in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN In-
PROVEMENTS IN FORMING STRIP IRON INTO SKELPS, AND WELDING THE SAME
INTO TUBES APPLICABLE FOR GAS, STEAM, WATER, OR OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clark Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th January 1875.
I, JOHN CLARK JOHNSON, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FORKING STRIP IRON INTO SKELPS, AND WELDING
THE SAME INTO TUBES APPLICABLE FOR GAS, STEAK, WATER, OR OTHER PURPOSES,
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as follows (that is to

page_text: at a convenient distance from the same, I construct a base or strong
frame or bed plate for supporting the housings or frame for carrying a
pair of vertical grooved rolls, the lower rolls working in fixed bearings,
the upper or top roll being so constructed that its axis works in bearings
having a vertical action by the bearings clipping and working in parallel
and vertical openings in the housings or roll frame. These moveable
bearings are connected by strong rods to a cross head, to the centre of
which another rod is connected, the upper end of which is connected tɔ
the end of a lover working on a fulcrum.secured to and elevated from
the top of the housings, or otherwise curving or leaning sufficiently
forward to adjust the fulcrum to the leverage on the one side and tho
range of action on the other, so that the extreme end of the lever being
pulled down the top roll may be clevated the desired hight (sny
6 inches, more or less), for the purpose herin-after stated.
For the sake of conveniently controlling and actuating the lever an
additional or compound lever may be used, in which case the operation
of raising and lowering the top roll may be effected by the attendant or
junior assistant, either by the hand or foot. With these appliances
the operator stands in front of the rolls, and the top roll being elevated
he applies his tongs between the two rolls into the opening of the muffle,
and withdraws a heat or skelp until its end reacles the crown of the groove
of the lower roll, when the top roll is lowered, and if necessary held down,
and rapid motion being given to the lower roll the tube is quickly run
through and welded from end to end by the compressing force of tho
meeting of the rolls, the semicircular grooves of which being arranged
one with the other for this purpose. As soon as the tube thus treatod is
through the rolls the lever clevates the top roll, and the heated welded
tube is passed back into the furnace to be again further operated on by
passing it through the second or reduced groove in the rolls, which
completes the operation of welding.
To vary the size of the tubes by my improved arrangement I prefer
adapting my general arrangement for particular sizes, or changing the
rolls, as may be most convenient, for each size.
The frame or base herein-before mentioned may be fitted with a
latteral traversing motion, parallel with the front of the furnace, for the 3
convenience of presenting the rolls to the desired heated skelp to bo
withdrawn and welded, or the said frame may be fixed to a rear centre
with a traversing motion on a curved rail and wheels arranged at the front

page_text: or furnace end of the frame, in which case the front of the furnace may.
be curved at a radius from the fixed centre of the frame.
This arrangement, by the facility it affords in heating the apparatus,
may be kept moro continuous in motion by applying the driving
revolving power to the lower roll, which motion, by means of a
coupling or wabbler, may be thrown instantly in or out of action, as
required.
Instead of placing in the furnace skelps, as before mentioned, I may
put in flat strips of iron with ono end swaged or nosed (that is to say)
turned in a circular form at the end for commencing operations. These
strips when hot are brought to the operation of the rolls, as before
mentioned. The rolls gripping the circular or prepared part pull the
strip through or between two or more antifriction or shaping rolls (with
or without the additional uso of a shaping die or dies) placed in front of
the welding rolls, which prepare and bond the strip into the required
shape for welding by the draught of the revolving welding rolls. And
by the same means (if so prefored) flat strips may be skelped from end
to end as a preparatory operation before welding.
0
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said John Clark
Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLARK JOHNSON, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Clark Johnson, Her
special license that I, the said John Clark Johnson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Clark
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereaftor during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might

page_text: make, use, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING STRIP IRON INTO SKELPS, AND WELDING
THE SAME INTO TUBES APPLICABLE FOR GAS, STEAM, WATER, OR OTHER PURPOSES,
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Clark Johnson, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the naturo of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Clarke Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
-
In carrying my improvements into effect I proceed in the following
way: In the front of a furnace suitable for tube welding, according to
my new arrangement, and placed at a convenient distance in front of the
same, I construct a base or strong frame or bed plate for supporting the
housings or frame for carrying a pair of vertical grooved rolls, the lower
roll working in fixed bearings, the upper or top roll being so constructed
that its axis works in bearings having a vertical action by the bearings
clipping and working in parallel and vertical guides or openings in the
housings or roll frame. These moveable bearings are connected by
strong vertical rods to a cross head, to the centre of which anothor
vertical arm or rod is connected, the upper end of which is connected to
the end of a lever working on a fulcrum secured to and elevated from
the top of, by preference, the right-hand housing, or otherwise curving
or leaning laterally forward to adjust the fulcrum to the leverage on the
one side and the range of action on the other, so that the extremo end
of the lever being pulled down the top roll may be elevated the
desired height, say 6 inches, more or less, for the purpose herein-after
stated.
For the sake of conveniently controlling and actuating the lever an
additional or compound lever may be used, in which case the operation
of raising and lowering the top roll may be effected by the attendant or
junior assistant cither by the hand or foot. With these appliances the

page_text: operator stands conveniently in front of the rolls, and the top roll being
clevated he receives the skelp or applies his tongs between the two rolls
into the opening of the furnace and withdraws a heat or skelp until its
end reaches the crown of the groove of the lower roll, when the top roll
is lowered, and if necessary held down, and rapid motion being given to
the rolls the tube is quickly run through and welded from end to end by
the compressing force of the meeting of the rolls, the semicircular
grooves of which being arranged ono with the other for this purpose.
As soon as the tube thus treated is through the rolls the lever elevates
the top roll, and the heated welded tube is passed back into the furnace
to be again further operated on by passing it through the second or
reduced groove in the rolls which completes the operation of reducing
and welding the tube.
To vary the size of the tubes by my improved arrangement I prefer
adapting my general arrangement for particular sizes, or changing the
rolls, as may be most convenient for cach size.
The frame or base herein-before mentioned may be fitted with a
lateral traversing motion parallel with the front of the furnace for the
convenience of presenting the rolls to the desired heated skelp to be
withdrawn and welded; or the said frame may be fixed to a rear centre
with a traversing motion on a curved rail and wheels arranged at the
front or furnace end of the frame, in which caso the front of the furnace
may be curved at a radius from the fixed centre of the frame.
This arrangement by the facility it affords in heating the apparatus
may be kept more continuous in motion by applying the driving
revolving power to the lower roll, which motion by means of a coupling
ог wabbler may be thrown instantly in or out of action, as required.
Instead of placing in the furnace skelps, as before mentioned, I may
put in flat strips of iron with one end swaged or nosed (that is to say)
turned in a circular form at the end for commencing operations. Theso
strips when hot are brought to the operation of the rolls, as before
mentioned, the rolls gripping the circular or prepared part, pull the strip
through or between two or more antifriction or shaping rolls (with or
without the additional use of a shaping dic or dies) placed in the front
of the welding rolls, which prepare and bend the strip into the required
shape for welding by tho draught of the revolving welding rolls. And
by the same means, if so preferred, flat strips may be skelped from end
to end as a preparatory operation before welding.

page_text: But with a view of being clearly understood as to the nature of my
improvements in the production of (jump joint) welded iron tubes, I will
further describo my Invention aided by the Drawings hereunto annexed,
reference being made to the figures and letters marked thereon, observing
that I have limited the Drawings to the details required (taken in con-
nection with the description) in the shaping and welding of such tubes,
omitting such parts from the Drawings not affecting the essential or
important features of my Inventon (that is to say)
11
Fig. 1 is an elevation of housings, rolls, and attendant parts con-
structed for clovating the top roll marked A; Fig. 2 is a side view; and
Fig. 3, a top view of the same.
The top roll A rests on bearings B, B, that slide up and down within
the frame or housings marked C, C; the said bearings B, B, shown
separate in an edge and flat view at Fig. 4 are connected to the cross
head D by extended vertical arms a, a, as well as the cross stay piece b, b,
so as to ensure parallel rigidity. The cross head D is centrally attached
to the arm E which forms the connecting link between the cross head
and the lever F, which works on a fulcrum formed by the standard G
supported by the lateral bracket H secured to the top and sides of tho
housings, a plan of which bracket is shown at Figure 3 secured by the
two nuts c, c; but if preferred the fulcrum formed at the top of the
standard G on which the lever F works, marked h, may be conveniently
suspended from above, thus rendering the bracket H as well as the
standard G unnecessary. The outer end of the lever F is connected by
the pin d to the forked rod I, which again is united to the lower lever J
broken off for convenience of space, but which lever works on the
fulcrum K, seen best in Figure 2. The operator or attendant by tho
clevation of the frco end of the lever J will be easily enabled to bring
the lever F into the position indicated by the dotted lines e and f, which
will elevate the top roll to the extent of the distance between e and g,
and the Drawings being made to a scale of two inches to the foot will
represent a distance of three inches, which may be increased if found
necessary; this will permit the operator standing on the sole plate L to
pass his tongs or other suitable appliances through the upper and lower
peripheries of the rolls as required, hercafter further described. The
upper roll has a spur wheel M secured to its axis which loses its motion
with the elevation of the roll or by the wabbler N actuated by the lever O
taking the spur wheel P out of gear with the spur wheel Q; motion is

page_text: imparted to the lower roll R by the spur wheel Q and conveyed to the
top roll by the spur wheel S gearing with the wheel M; the driving
shaft T derives its motion from the spur wheel U gearing with the
primary driving wheel, partially shown, marked V, which derives its
3 motion from a main driving shaft working beneath the floor, which
arrangement I prefer when it can conveniently be carried out.
To the cross stay piece b, b, a hanging guide marked W is secured,
shown principally in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2, and in a top viow
at Figure 3, which forms a guide equivalent to the space between the
grooves in the rolls, thereby affording a guiding assistance to the operator
in his work, which proceeds as follows:-The skelp being heated in a
suitable furnace, which is by preference slightly inclined upwards from
front to back, as exhibited in a skeleton section at Fig. 5. The operator
takes his place in front of the stationary rolls, as at X, the top roll being
› elevated by his attendant (by means of the levers herein-before described)
he is enabled to pass his pliers between the rolls through the mouth or
contracted opening of the furnace Y, Figure 5, to seize the prepared
skelp and bring it forward to the largest groove of the rolls, when his
attendant drops the top roll, and the operator by means of the wabbler
sets the rolls in motion when the skelp is delivered on to a suitable rest
in the form of a welded or partially welded tube in its entire length.
The top roll is then again elevated, the rolls stopped by the action of the
wabbler, and tho tubo so treated returned to the furnace for re-heating,
when another skelp can be brought forward and treated as the former,
› and so continued until the first tube is sufficiently hot to go through the
reduced groove, which second rolling in a general way completes the
welding, and reduces such jump-joint welded tubes to their proper size
and diameter, according to the size of the grooves in the rolls or the
diameter of the tube required, and these operations (which depend much
on the amount of heat imparted and kept up in the furnace for heating
the skelps) may be continued, whereby tubes will be more rapidly and
uniformly welded and shaped than by the ordinary processes now in
usc.
When suitable vertical and lateral guide rolls are used for bending
the heated strip of iron into a partially circular or tubular form before it
passes between the rolls for welding in the manner herein-before
described I apply such lateral shaping rolls in front of the rolls herein
described and exhibited, with or without a leading shaping mouth or

page_text: die, so that the heated strip may be drawn forward into the dio or
partially shaping mouth, and thence to the revolving lateral and vertical
skelping or bending rolls preparatory to its rapid advance to and
between the welding rolls herein-before described; thus the preparatory
process of skelping may be avoided.
In the arrangement of my furnace for heating strips and skelps for
the manufacture of jump-joint welded iron tubes I prefer feeding the
furnace with strips or skelps from the rear or back end, which I am
better enabled to do by inclining the bed of such furnace from front to
back, as before described, taking care for the economising of heat in tho
performance of such operations to keep the furnace closed as much as
possible, so as to exclude the entrance of cold air, which may be con-
veniently done by a lover or lovers under control of the furnace feeder
from the rear end, by which means the front opening, as at Y, Figure 5,
for withdrawing the strips or skelps may be closed, unless actually
required open for the withdrawal of such strips or skelps, and in like
manner the rear opening may be opened or closed at the pleasure of the
attendant by a hanging door or stopper in connection with a lover, as
before mentioned, or other convenient modes, the beating of such
furnaces being by preference derived from the combustion of gas, as it
bas the effect of more evenly distributing the heat; and in some cases
where the heating process is found to be slower than the welding or tubo
rolling process herein described the rolls and housings with the other
attendant parts may be constructed on a suitable sole plate having a
fixed centre, whilst the end in front of the furnace may move on small
grooved rolls working on a curved rail or bed that the rolls may have
lateral motion, and be kept in work by being moved so as to bring them
in a line with two or more furnaces or furnace openings, according to
the despatch or heating power of the said furnaces, to bring tho strips or
skelps to a welding heat before passing through the shaping or welding
rolls, in which case the heat may be greatly economised by directing the
course of gas under combustion from the furnace in active use to or
through the next or extra furnace or furnaces preparatory to the full
supply of gas being admitted to such furnaces that may in succession be
brought into use, so as to work in rotation forward and backward, the
gearing or principle of motion being arranged accordingly.
In practice, instead of the strip or skelp or partially welded tube being
drawn forward by the operator in front of the rolls, the strip, skelp, or

page_text: tube may be forced forward and directed from the rear end of the
furnace, and after being operated on, instead of being passed back
between the rolls into the furnace for reheating, it may be lifted on to a
suitable endless linked chain carriage forming a continuous motion from
the front of the rolls to the back of the furnace, so that a skelp or tube
partially welded or requiring to be reheated may be laid upon such
chain carriage and carried back, so that the attendant may casily pass
bars under such tube to bring it to the rear mouth of the furnace, into
which it may be again placed for rcheating, or this same necessary
process of removing back the skelp or partially welded tube for reheating
may be performed by other equivalent means.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same may be carried into effect by machinists accustomed
to the construction of such kind of appliances, as well as artizans used
to the manufacture of jump-jointed welded iron tubes, I wish it under-
stood that I do not purpose limiting myself to the details heroin
described and exhibited for the manufacture of such tubes, as the same
may be varied without affecting the object of my Invention, but what I
claim and desire to protect by these my in part recited Letters Patent is,
the general arrangement and adaptation of appliances herein described
and set forth for the more rapid shaping and welding of jump-joint iron
tubes by the process of rolling, the said welding rolls being so arranged
that either the top or the bottom roll may be depressed or clevated as
may be preferred for assisting and facilitating the operation of receiving,
relieving, or delivering skelps or tubes so formed or welded.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clark Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord Ono thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
30 Witness,
W. ATTLEE,
JOHN CLARK JOHNSON. (L.S.)
Clerk to James S. Cockings,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.