IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, RIVETS, AND SPIKES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Aspinall, of Great Tower Street, in the City
of London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, RIVETS, AND SPIKES."
Sealed the 5th July 1859, and dated the 6th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Aspinall, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th January 1859.
I, JOHN ASPINALL, of Great Tower Street, in the City of London, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, RIVETS, AND SPIKES," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the adaptation of the direct action of steam to the
forming of bolts, rivets, and spikes, and my arrangements are so made as to
cause the formation of the heads by a blow as from a hammer, in contra-
distinction to the formation thereof by pressure only.
I employ a resisting block and revolving disc, as now used in some rivet-
making machines, consequently these parts form no portion of my Invention.
At a suitable distance from the face of the revolving disc I erect a support in
which a box is free to slide to-and-fro when acted on as hereafter explained.
The front of this box forms a die of the shape of the intended rivet, bolt, or
spike head. Working tight through this box in the punch, which is acted

page_text: upon by the steam hammer set in a line with it, and now to be described.
The steam hammer is in the form of a hollow or solid trunk or piston rod, the
piston of which works in a steam cylinder. On the back or trunk side of the
piston there is an aperture always open to the boiler, but at some little distance
from the end or cover of the cylinder.
In case there should not be any metal in the revolving disc, the piston in its
progress closes this aperture, and prevents the steam contained in the cylinder,
between the aperture and cover, from escaping; it therefore forms an elastic
cushion, and prevents injury to the machinery.
There is an annular chamber for the reception of steam between the
cylinder cover and the piston, which steam effects the return stroke of the
piston. A peculiarly constructed valve box is fitted at the side of the cylinder
for the purpose of admitting steam to effect the forward stroke of the piston ;
connected to this box is a rod, which, working against a suitably formed cam,
causes the admission of the steam so as to drive the piston suddenly forward,
and thereby effect a blow or hammer action which drives forward the punch.
Just previous to the punch being driven, the box and die have been carried up
to the face of the disc by means of a spring, weight, or steam cylinder acting on
a bell crank lever, or by other like suitable agency; a piece of heated metal
having been placed by the usual means in an aperture in the disc, then upon
the punch being driven up through the die against the piece of metal, the
head is formed, the punch driving the metal against the sides of the die. A
cam next comes into action, drives back the box and die, then the punch
recedes, by which action the die is cleaned of scales or dirt and ready for the
next blow; the disc carries round the finished rivet, presents a fresh piece of
metal, and the operations are repeated. Instead of a steam cylinder, a
hydraulic ram may be substituted, though I prefer the steam cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Aspinall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th July 1859.
. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ASPINALL, of Great Tower Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord &
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Aspinall, Her special licence that I, the said John Aspinall, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Aspinall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BOLTS, RIVETS, AND SPIKES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Aspinall, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal 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 Aspinall, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the adaptation of the direct action of steam to the
forming of bolts, rivets, and spikes, and my arrangements are so made as to
cause the formation of the heads by a blow or blows as from a hammer in
contradistinction to the formation thereof by pressure only.
I employ a resisting block and revolving disc, as now used in some rivet-
making machines, consequently these parts form no portion of my Invention.
At a suitable distance from the face of the revolving disc I erect a support, in
which a box (or boxes) is free to slide to-and-fro when acted on, as hereafter
explained. The front of this box forms a die of the shape of the intended
rivet, bolt, or spike head. Working tight through this. box is the punch,
composed of two or more separate tools, acted upon by the steam hammer now
to be described. This steam hammer is in the form of a hollow or solid trunk
or piston rod, the piston of which works in a steam cylinder. On the back or
trunk side of the piston there is an aperture always open to the boiler, but at
some little distance from the end or cover of the cylinder. In case there.
should not be any metal in the revolving disc, the piston in its progress closes,
this aperture, and prevents the steam contained in the cylinder, between the
aperture and cover, from escaping; it therefore forms an elastic cushion, and
prevents injury to the machinery. There is an annular chamber for the

page_text: reception of steam between the cylinder cover and the piston, which steam
affects the return stroke of the piston. A peculiarly constructed valve box is
fitted at the side of the cylinder, for the purpose of admitting steam to effect
the forward stroke of the piston; connected to this box is a rod, which,
working against a suitably formed cam; causes the admission of the steam, so
as to drive the piston suddenly forward, and thereby effect a blow or hammer
action which drives forward the punching tools. Just previous to the first
punching tool being driven, the box and die. have been carried up to the face
of the disc by means of a spring weight or steam cylinder acting on a bell
crank lever, or by other like suitable agency. A piece of heated metal having
been placed by the usual means in an aperture in the disc, then upon the
punching tools being driven up through the die against the piece of metal the
head is formed, the punching tools driving the..metal against the sides of the
die. A cam next comes into action, drives back the box and die, then the
punching tools advance, by which action the die is cleaned of scales or dirt,
and ready for the next blow, the disc carries round the finished rivet, présents
a fresh piece of metal, and the operations are repeated. Instead of a steam
cylinder, a hydraulic ram may be substituted, though I prefer the steam
cylinder.
'
Figure 1, Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, partly
in section; Figure 2, Sheet 2. is a plan, and. Figure 3, Sheet 3 is an end. view
of a machine for the manufacture of bolts, rivets, and spikes constructed:
according to my Invention. A is the.main framing which supports a shaft B,
carrying a cog wheel C, to which motion is communicated through a pinion
on a shaft below, (not shewn in the Drawings), and which receives motion
from any prime mover; D is a mitre wheel on one end of the shaft B, which
gears into another mitre wheel. D', on a shaft E, carrying a cam F, which
works against a rod G in the valve box. H. Steam is. admitted to the valve
box from the boiler through an aperture I, and escapes through a passage K.
The rod G is connected to a valve L, L', (shewn in dotted lines, Figure 2), the
part L³ of the valve is somewhat smaller than that marked L, and is merely
employed to counterbalance the other part L; M is the passage by which the
steam is admitted from the valve box to the cylinder, N; O is the steam.
hammer or piston working in the cylinder N, and which acts on the. box
carrying the punching tools to form the bolt, as will be hereafter explained:;
P is an annular chamber or recess to admit steam to the cylinder, and effect:
the return stroke of the piston. The steam thus admitted acts as a sort. of
cushion or guard against the piston striking against the cylinder cover; or the
same effect can be produced by a spring placed in the annular chamber acting

page_text: in conjunction with or without the aid of steam; Q is a mitre wheel keyed on
the opposite side of the shaft B to the wheel D. This wheel Q gears into a
second mitre wheel R, on a shaft carrying a spur wheel S, gearing into a
similar wheel S¹, on a shaft T, carrying a cam T', which acts on a bell crank
lever U pivoted at a, and carrying a frame which holds the punch boxes V, V';
Z is a cylinder, the piston rod of which is connected to the bell crank lever U
through a lever U. This makes the lever U to cause the punch boxes to press
continually against the disc or plate W, to be hereafter described; c, c; are the
punching tools or dies contained in the boxes, one of which only is shewn in
the Drawing, and d is a helical spring for regulating the motion of the tools.
The shaft B carries a crank at its extreme end, to which a rod carrying a
pawl Y is attached, which takes into the teeth of a disc or plate W, and causes
it-to revolve. This disc W has a series of apertures b, b, formed in it for
holding dies to suit the diameter of the bolt, these apertures correspond with
holes formed in a stationary plate or bed X, as commonly used in bolt-making
machines.
Motion is communicated to the shaft B, and iron rods are placed in the dies
in the disc W, through the hole in the bed X, and as the disc revolves the
iron is cut into proper lengths. Steam is admitted to the cylinder through the
passage M, and by means of the rod G and the cam F, causes the hammer or
piston O to strike the punching tools twice or oftener before it moves on.
The pawl Y then causes the disc W to advance, carrying with it the bolt that
has just been struck ready to receive second blows from the other punching
tool which finishes the bolt. The cam T regulates the horizontal motion of
the punch boxes.
I do not limit myself to any form or number of punch boxes, or punching
tools and dies, but I shew at Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 3, in longitudinal section,
two forms I prefer. V is the outer casing or box; c is the punching tool,
which in this case is shewn hexagonal, but any other form can be employed;
d is a helical spring to give the punch a forward motion, and drive out any
scale or dirt that may be left in the mouth of the box. The difference
between the arrangement shewn at Figure 4, and that shewn at Figure 5 is,
that in the former the hammer strikes the punching tool c, and in the latter
the case or box V.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, the employment and adaptation of the direct action of steam, or of a
hydraulic ram to the forming of bolts, rivets, or spikes by a blow, or succession
of blows, as herein-before described.

page_text: Second, the construction of punch boxes and dies, herein-before described
and illustrated at Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 3, of the accompanying Drawings.
And, third, the general combination and method of action of machinery for
making bolts, rivets, and spikes, herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Aspinall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-nine.
JOHN ASPINALL. (L.S.)