IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CASTING METAL TUBES AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sumner, of the City of Manchester, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN CASTING METAL TUBES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 29th June 1866, and dated the 19th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION leit by the said William. Sumner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
January 1866.
I, WILLIAM SUMNER, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CASTING METAL TUBES AND OTHER ARTICLES." to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to economise time and labour in casting
metal tools and other articles. My improvements are particularly applicable
in casting brass tubes, which are afterwards drawn out by the usual machinery
and made into seamless tubes for boilers and for other purposes, but they
may be either wholly or partially employed for casting other articles.
It has heretofore been customary to convey the crucible with the molten
metal, and to pour the metal into the moulds by manual labour; now, the
first part of my Invention consists in conveying the crucible from the furnace
to the moulds, and from one mould to another, on a truck with wheels; I
[Price 8d.1

page_text: also support the crucible on trunnions which are gradually raised, as the
metal is poured out, by cams,, or screws, or other mechanical equivalents, so
as to keep the lip or edge of the crucible at all times at the proper level
above the top of the mould.
The second part of my Invention relates, to the moulds which have hereto-
fore been made of two separate parts secured together by clamps or bridles.
I now propose to connect the two parts of the mould by hinges, and 1
secure them together by pins or studs and cottars; the pins or studs have slots
through them reaching from one cottar to the other, so that when the upper
cottars have been struck out the pins or studs may drop until they are held by
the lower cottars, thereby allowing the mould to be opened for removing the
cast metal tube or other article; or swivel bolts or bridles may be used instead
of the pins and cottars above described.
The last part of my Invention consists in certain combinations of machinery
for supporting the moulds, and in apparatus for cooling them when the
casting has been removed, thereby economising the manual labour hitherto
required for performing these operations. Each mould is attached to a
swivel lever supported in fixed bearings; the end of the lever opposite the
mould is counterweighted. When the mould is ready to receive the molten
metal from the crucible the lever is nearly vertical, being held at the proper
angle by a stop plate or otherwise; as soon as the molten metal has been
poured into the mould the lever and mould are swivelled partly round,
where they are held by a moveable catch until the mould has been opened
and the cast metal tube or other article has been removed; the catch is then
moved to allow the lever to assume a horizontal position, and the backs of
the open mould then dip into a water trough by which they are cooled; the
mould is then closed and otherwise prepared as usual for the next operation.
The machinery for supporting and moving the mould may be considerably
modified. Instead of connecting each mould to a swivel lever as described
two or more moulds may be connected to a swivel bar in a counterbalanced
swinged frame, by which arrangement when the moulds have been opened to
remove the tubes or other articles they may be turned over to bring the backs
of the moulds uppermost, which are then cooled by pouring water on them
as now customary: or each mould may be provided with trunnions supported
in a counterbalanced lever acting in the same manner as the swing frame above
described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Sumner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SUMNER, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Sumner, Her special license that I, the said William
Sumner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Sumner, 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CASTING METAL TUBES AND
OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Sumner, my executors or administrators, 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 William Sumner, 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 (that is to say):-
The object of my Invention is to economize time and labor in casting metal
tubes and other articles. My improvements are particularly applicable in
casting brass tubes, which are afterwards drawn out by the usual machinery
and made into seamless tubes for boilers and for other purposes, but they may
be either wholly or partially employed for casting other articles.
It has heretofore been customary to convey the crucible with the molten
metal, and to pour the metal into the moulds by manual labor. Now, the
first part of my Invention consists in conveying the crucible from the furnace

page_text: to the moulds and from one mould to another on a truck with wheels; I also
support the crucible on trunnions which are gradually raised as the metal is
poured out by cams or screws or other mechanical equivalents so as to keep
the lip or edge of the crucible at all times at the proper level above the
top of the mould; or the crucible can be swivelled on trunnions coinciding
with the lip.
The second part of my Invention relates to the moulds which have hereto-
fore been made of two separate parts secured together by clamps or bridles.
I now propose to connect the two parts of the mould by hinges, and I secure
them together by an improved arrangement of pins or studs and cottars or by
swivel bolts or bridles.
The last part of my Invention consists in certain combinations of machinery
for supporting the moulds, and in apparatus for cooling them when the casting
has been removed, thereby economizing the manual labor hitherto required for
performing these operations.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the five accompanying Sheets
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end view, and
Figure 3 a plan of a two-wheeled truck for conveying the crucible from the
furnace to the moulds and for tilting it. a is the crucible which is supported
in the clip or jaws b and b¹ hinged together at c; to the jaw b¹ is cast or forged
the bracket b on which the bottom of the crucible rests, and to the jaw is
cast or forged the lever 3. to which is jointed the screwed rod b* furnished
with a handle and nut b, the object of which is to hold the crucible between
the loose jaw b and the jaw b¹, which is keyed on the tube d; to this tube is
keyed the pinion d' and the counterweight, to which are fixed the spokes d³.
The pinion gears into the rack e formed on one side of the frame e, from
which project the trunnions for the wheels f. When the crucible with the
molten metal has been secured in the jaws by the attendant turning the
handle and nut b the truck is run from the furnace to the mould, and
the attendant by acting on the spokes d partially turns round the tube d so
as gradually to pour the molten metal into the mould, and in order to keep
the lip or edge of the crucible at all times at the proper level above the top
of the mould the attendant presses down the outer end of the tube d at the
same time that he turns the spokes d, the pinion d then gearing into the
rack e causes the tube and jaws to rise, by which means the crucible is tilted
sufficiently to pour the metal into the mould. When the crucible is empty,

page_text: the attendant, by acting on the spokes . causes it to regain its original
position, and by turning the handle b the jaws are opened to release the
crucible.
On Sheet 2, Figures 4, 5, and 6 represent three views of an apparatus con-
structed according to a modification of this part of my Invention. In this
case the crucible a is supported in the circular clip b and by the bracket b²
projecting from it. the trunnions on which the crucible swivels are let into the
clip b, and they nearly coincide with the lip of the crucible, consequently when
the crucible is tilted to pour out the molten metal the lip remains at the
proper level, as shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 4. The trunnions of the
crucible are supported in the standards e secured to the frame e forming
the body of the truck which is supported on the four wheels f. To one of
the trunnions of the crucible keyed the toothed segment d', which is turned
partly round to tilt the crucible by the pinion e¹ fixed on the shaft. e; to this
shaft is also fixed the ratchet wheel e having a retaining catch e and the
handle e. When the crucible is in its proper position near the mould the
attendant by turning the handle e slowly round gradually tilts the crucible to
pour the molten metal into the mould.
Figure 7 represents another modification of this part of my Invention; in
this case the crucible a swivels on trunnions coinciding nearly with the lip,
and it is supported on a four-wheeled truck, as shewn in Figure 5, but it is
tilted by the attendant acting on the long lever ef; this modification is par
ticularly adapted for light crucibles.
On Sheet 3, Figure 8 is a side elevation, and Figure 9 a plan of an ingot
mould constructed according to my Invention; Figure 10 is a section drawn
full size of the same; g and I are the two halves of the mould, which instead of
being secured together by bridles and screws as usual I now connect by the
hinges and h. To the moulds are cast projections through which pass the
pins or studs i; these studs have slots through them for the cottars ; these
slots reach from one cottar to the other, so that when the upper cottars have
been struck out the studs drop until they are supported by the lower cottars,
and the mould box may be opened, as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 10, to
liberate the ingot or cast metal tube j; the handles
upper part of the mould to assist in turning it over.
core of the usual construction, as shewn in the Drawing. By means of this
improved mode of connecting the two halves of the ingot mould a great saving
of time is effected; swivel bolts, as shewn in Figure 11, may also be employed
instead of the studs i and cottars i', above described, for connecting the two
fit into sockets in the
The tube is cast on a

page_text: halves of the mould; these swivel bolts, when the nuts are slackened, are
swivelled round, as shewn in dotted lines, to allow the mould to be opened.
On Sheet 4, Figure 12 is an elevation, and Figure 13 a plan of my improve-
ments in machinery for supporting the moulds and for cooling them when the
casting has been removed; g and h are the two halves of the mould which is
shewn open in the plan. The lower part of the mould, marked h, is bolted to
the lever, which swivels on trunnions supported in the standards 1; the mould
is counterbalanced by the weights fixed to the lever ; n is a trough con-
taining water to cool the mould, and n¹ is a catch to hold the mould in a
slanting position. When the mould is ready to receive the molten metal
from the crucible the lever and mould are held in the position indicated by
the dotted lines in Figure 12, the mould resting against the edge of the stop
plate m which is level with the floor of the foundry from which the crucibles
are poured; as soon as the molten metal has been poured into the mould
the lever and mould are swivelled partly round, and they are held in the
santing position, shewn by the full lines in Figure 12, by the catch n', while
the attendants strike out the cottars i', open the mould, and remove the ingot
or tube; the catch is then withdrawn to allow the lever and mould to
assume a horizontal position. The back of the mould then dips into the water
in the trough n, and has time to cool while the attendants are cleaning it
out, replacing another core, and securing the two halves of the mould box
together ready for the next operation; or these operations may be performed
after the mould is cool, and when it is held in the slanting position shewn.
The partition 2 near the end of the trough is to allow the water that might
be displaced by the sudden descent of the mould to run over without splash-
ing into the mould or on to the floor of the room; a similar partition may also
be made along the sides of the trough. It is evident that by making the
weights to counterbalance the mould the manual labor required for per-
forming the various operations is greatly reduced, and instead of requiring
several men for moving the moulds, they can be manipulated by a boy.
Figure 14 represents a modification of the machinery shewn in Figures 12
and 13; in this view the trunnions of the lever project from the plate to
which the mould is secured; by this arrangement the lever is reduced in
length, and consequently the foundation for the standards does not require to
bé so deep.
In order to avoid the necessity of lowering the mould into the trough, the
mould may be cooled while the ingot is being removed, and when in the
slanting position shewn in Figure 12 by means of the perforated tubes o, see

page_text: Figures 10, 14, and 15, which are united together and connected to a water
main. As soon as the ingot has been cast and the mould lowered to its
proper slanting position and opened the water is turned on and is spirted
through the perforations against the backs of the mould. By this apparatus
the steam generated by the heat of the back of the mould is at liberty to
escape, and a constant stream of cold water is supplied during the preparing
of the mould for the next operation. When this mode of cooling the mould
box is adopted the water from the pipes o is caught in the trough o¹ and con-
veyed to the trough o placed under the standards 1.
On Sheet 5, Figure 16 is an elevation, and Figure 17 a front view, of a
modification of this part of my Invention; in these views the mould box g, h,
is secured to the swivel bar g, the trunnions of which are supported in the
counterbalanced swing frame r, mounted on the axle s, which is supported in
bearings fixed to the standards t. When the ingot or tube has been cast the
mould box is lowered, as before described; the mould box is then opened to
remove the ingot or tube, and the mould box is held upen by the cottars u.
The mould box is then swivelled half round on the swivel bar q to bring the
backs of the mould box uppermost, which are then cooled by pouring water on
them as now customary.
In Figure 17 I have shewn the swivel bar q of the requisite length for
supporting only a single mould box, but by increasing the length thereof two
or more mould boxes may be fixed to the same swivel bar and turned over
simultaneously.
By means of the improved machinery above described the various operations
for casting metal tubes and other articles are performed more expeditiously
and with less manual labor than heretofore.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described several
modes of carrying the same into operation, I wish it to be distinctly under-
stood that I do not intend to limit myself to the particular arrangements
shewn and described, as various combinations and modifications of the same
may be adopted without departing from their peculiar character; but what I
do claim as my improvements in machinery and apparatus employed in
casting metal tubes and other articles is,-
First, supporting the crucible on trucks with wheels and the machinery
described, or any modification thereof for tilting crucibles so as to keep the lip
at the proper level above the top of the mould.
Secondly, connecting the two parts of the mould box by hinges, as
described.

page_text: Thirdly, the improved studs with long slots for the cottars, as described.
Fourthly, supporting the moulds on axles or on swivel levers, or on a
swivel bar connected to a swing frame, and counterbalancing: the weight of
the moulds and their accessories, for the purposes described.
And, lastly, the improved mode of cooling the moulds, as shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sumner. have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six.
WM. SUMNER. (L.S.)