Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of the Links of Metallic Chains and Metallic Rings and Hoops for various purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1893-Accepted, 10th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of the Links
of Metallic Chains and Metallic Rings and Hoops for various
purposes.
1, WILLIAM FIDDIAN, of Westgrove Oldswinford, Stourbridge in the County
of Worcester, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
My invention consists of improvements in an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to me dated the 28th February 1890 No. 3232 and has for its object
the simplification and perfecting of the said patented machinery.
I will describe my improvements in connection with machinery for making links
of iron chains.
For the purpose of facilitating the description of my improvements I remark
that the said machinery consists essentially of a mandril elliptical or nearly elliptical
in cross section. The said mandril has a rotary and also a sliding motion. The
heated rod is coiled on the mandril by the rotation of the said mandril and the coil
is cut into pieces having approximately the figure of the links of the chain to be
made. These pieces being linked together and the ends of each link being joined
by welding a chain is formed.
According to my present invention in order to avoid the torsion on the mandril
which arises when rotary motion is communicated to it from one end only I make
the mandril slide in a rotating sleeve by which rotating sleeve rotary motion is
communicated to the mandril near the part on which the heated rod is being
coiled. The sleeve has at that part and rotating with it an internal collar elliptical
in cross section. The mandril slides freely in this collar and is rotated by it.
The mandril also engages with the interior of the sleeve by a hexagonal collar
on it near its rear end taking into the hexagonal interior of the sleeve. The
The
mandril is thus made free to slide in while rotating with the sleeve.
advancing motion of the mandril is effected by the rotation of the sleeve causing
the rear screwed end of the mandril to advance in a screw box the rapid return
motion of the said mandril being effected by the rotation of the said screw box.
The rotation of the mandril is intermittent, that is after having performed a
rotation it is stationary for a time so as to permit of the severing of a single
convolution by a circular saw.
The circular saw by which a portion of the coiled rod is cut off is made to
advance to and retire from the coiled rod during the time the mandril is stationary.
The plane of the saw is inclined to the axis of the mandril so as to produce scarf
cuts. The saw may advance and retire by a horizontal or vertical motion I prefer
the latter which 1 effect by a compound rotating cam acting on the support of
the saw.
In order to prevent injury to the mandril by the saw in the act of cutting off
the coils of the rod, a longitudinal slot is made in the mandril at the part where
the saw would act on it. In order however to complete the elliptical figure of the
mandril at the part where the coiling takes place the said slot is at that part
temporarily closed by a make-up piece filling the slot and completing the figure
of the mandril at that part; the said make up piece is held by the front elliptical
bearing through which the inandril passes and rotates with it. The said piece has
a length equal to the two coils formed near the bearing. By the advance of the
mandril it passes from off the make up piece with the properly formed convolution
upon it and the saw is now free to cut the convolution without danger of injury to
the mandril.

page_text: The pieces cut from the coil by the circular saw are stripped from the mandril
by the withdrawal of the mandril which is effected by the rotation of the screw
box in which the screwed end of the mandril engages. In order to prevent the
distortion of the cut off pieces on the withdrawal of the mandril, the face of the
bearing against which the said pieces bear is inclined at the angle which
the convolutions of the coiled rod have.
The rising and falling motion of the rotating circular saw and the intermittent
rotation of the mandril are thus effected. Two shafts in the same line and parallel
to the mandril have each a ratchet wheel. The shaft on the left hand carries a
cam having four similar rises. The shaft on the right hand has a toothed wheel
which gears with a pinion on the sleeve of the mandril the said tooth wheel and
pinion being in the ratio of four to one. Each of the ratchet wheels has four
equidistant teeth on its periphery. An arm or lever having pawls in opposite
directions by a to and fro motion operates the ratchet wheels advancing one
ratchet wheel as it moves in one direction and advancing the other ratchet wheel
when it makes its return motion; the motions of the arm or lever are effected by
a crank pin on the face of one of the wheels of the machine. I do not however
limit myself to this particular kind of gearing for effecting the advancing and
retiring motion of the circular saw and the intermittent rotation of the mandril.
Dated the 29th day of July 1892.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of the Links
of Metallic Chains and Metallic Rings and Hoops for various
purposes.
I WILLIAM FIDDIAN of Westgrove Oldswinford, Stourbridge, in the County
of Worcester Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of improvements in an invention for which Letters Patent
were granted to me dated the 28th February 1890, No. 3232 and has for its object
the simplification and perfecting of the said patented machinery.
I will describe my improvements in connection with machinery for making links
of iron chains.
For the purpose of facilitating the description of my improvements I remark
that the said machinery consists essentially of a mandril elliptical or nearly elliptical
in cross section. The said mandril has a rotary and also a sliding motion. The
heated rod is coiled on the mandril by the rotation of the said mandril and the coil
is cut into pieces having approximately the figure of the links of the chain to be
made. These pieces being linked together and the ends of each link being joined
by welding, a chain is formed.
According to my present invention in order to avoid the torsion on the mandril
which arises when rotary motion is communicated to it from one end only I nake
the mandril slide in a rotating sleeve by which rotating sleeve, rotary motion is
communicated to the mandril near the part on which the heated rod is being coiled.
The sleeve has at that part and rotating with it an internal collar elliptical in cross
section. The mandril slides freely in this collar and is rotated by it. The
mandril also engages with the interior of the sleeve by slots in the face of a
collar on it near its rear end engaging with feathers on the interior of the
sleeve. The mandril is thus made free to slide in, while rotating with the sleeve.
The advancing motion of the mandril is effected by the rotation of the sleeve
causing the rear screwed end of the mandril to advance in a screw box the rapid
return motion of the said mandril being effected by the rapid rotation of the said

page_text: screw box. The rotation of the mandril is intermittent, that is, after having
performed a rotation it is stationary for a time so as to permit of the severing
of a single convolution by a circular saw.
The circular saw by which a portion of the coile.l rod is cut off is made to
advance to and retire from the coiled rod during the time the mandril is
stationary. The plane of the saw is inclined to the axis of the mandril so as
to produce scarf cuts. The saw may advance and retire by a horizontal or
vertical motion.
In order to prevent injury to the mandril by the saw in the act of cutting off the
coils of the rod, a longitudinal slot is made in the mandril at the part where the
saw would act on it. In order however to complete the elliptical figure of the
nandril at the part where the coiling takes place the said slot is at that part
temporarily closed by a make-up piece filling the slot and completing the figure of
the mandril at that part; the said make-up piece is held by the front elliptical
bearing through which the mandril passes and rotates with it. The said piece has
a length equal to the two coils formed near the bearing. By the advance of the
mandril it passes from off the make-up piece with the properly formed convolution
upon it and the saw is now free to cut the convolution without danger of injury to
the mandril.
The pieces cut from the coil by the circular saw are stripped from the mandril
by the withdrawal of the mandril which is effected by the rotation of the screw
box in which the screwed end of the mandril engages. In order to prevent the
distortion of the cut off pieces on the withdrawal of the mandril, the face of
the bearing against which the said pieces bear is inclined at the angle which the
convolutions of the coiled rod have.
one.
The horizontal sliding motion of the rotating circular saw and the intermittent
rotation of the mandril are thus effected. A shaft parallel to the mandril
has two ratchet wheels. The ratchet on the left hand is keyed to the shaft
The ratchet
which also carries a cam having three similar rises.
on the
right hand has a toothed wheel which gears with a pinion on the sleeve of
the mandril the said toothed wheel and pinion being in the ratio of three to
Each of the ratchet wheels has three equidistant teeth on its periphery.
AD arm
or lever having pawls in opposite directions by a to and fro motion
operates the ratchet wheels advancing one ratchet wheel as it moves in one
direction and advancing the other ratchet wheel when it makes its return motion;
the motions of the arm or lever are effected by a crank pin on the face of one of
the wheels of the machine. I do not however limit myself to this particular kind
of gearing for effecting the advancing and retiring motion of the circular saw and
the intermittent rotation of the mandril.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents partly in front elevation and
partly in section the machinery constituting my invention and Figure 2 represents
the same in plan partly in horizontal section;
Figure 3 represents a section of the machine taken on the line a, a Figure 2 the
gearing being represented mainly in dotted lines, and
Figures 4 and 5 represent end and front elevations respectively, the latter partly
in section, of the saw and parts of the mechanism by which it is operated as herein-
after described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
b is the belt or driving pulley turning loosely on the clutch shaft c from which
the several motions of the elliptical mandril and the saw hereinafter described are
By
taken. On the said shaft c are the clutches g, pinion d and toothed wheel e.
throwing the sliding clutch g into gear with its clutch box the rotary motion of the
driving pulley b is transmitted to the pinion d and by throwing the clutch finto
gear with its clutch box the rotary motion of the pulley is transmitted to the
toothed wheel e. The clutches are operated by a hand lever by the action of
which the clutch g or the clutch may be thrown into or out of gear with the

page_text: pulley b. When the operating lever is in its intermediate position the pulley runs
loose on the clutch shaft c.
The rotary motion of the pinion d is made to communicate a rotary and sliding
motion to the elliptical mandril 4 on which the heated rod to form the chain links
is coiled by means of the following arrangement of parts and gearing.
d
The pinion & gears with a toothed wheel to which the lever or connecting rod k
is connected by a crank pin.
The said connecting rod carries at its front end two pawls l, in arranged in
opposite directions which on the to and fro motion of the connecting rod engage
alternately with one of the three ratchet teeth of each of the ratchet wheels n, p.
The ratchet wheel n is fixed to or cast in one piece with the toothed wheel n' and
turns loosely on the shaft q. The other ratchet wheel p is keyed to the said shaft q.
The connecting rod k and its pawls 1, m and the teeth on the ratchet wheels n, pare
so arranged that on the forward motion of the connecting rod k the pawl advances
the ratchet wheel n and its toothed wheel n¹ through a third of a rotation in the
direction of the dotted arrow Figure 3, and on the backward motion of the con-
necting rod its pawl m advances the ratchet wheel p and its shaft q through a
third of a rotation in the direction of the full line arrow Figure 3.
The toothed wheel n' on the axis q gears with the pinion r on the hollow shaft s
the internal surface of which has two oppositely arranged feathers or webs s', s
which take into guide ways or slots in the boss or collar 43 on the mandril h. The
hollow shafts has in its mouth or outer end the hollow sleeves (see Figure 2)
which has internally the same elliptical figure in cross section as the mandril. The
said sleeve s² has also slots in its outer surface similar to the slots in the collar /*
on the mandril h which slots take onto the webs or feathers on the internal
surface of the hollow shaft 8. Hence on the rotation of the hollow shaft & the
elliptical mandril h is driven at its front end where the heated rod a to form the
chain links is coiled upon it as well as at its rear end and the torsion of the said
mandril hereinbefore referred to is thereby prevented.
The diameters of the toothed wheel and pinion are in the ratio of three to
one so that the one third rotation of the said wheel n' given to it through the
connecting rod and the ratchet n effects a complete rotation of the mandril h
through the collar and sleeves, hollow shafts and pinion on the said shafts.
The rear part 3 of the mandril h is cylindrical and has formed on it a screw
thread which works in the screw box situated in the boss or hub part of the
toothed wheel t' which wheel t¹ is operated by the wheel e herein before described.
On the rotation of the mandril and screwed part 3 situated in the screw box tan
outward sliding motion of the said mandril his produced.
Situated on and keyed to the shaft q is a cam gl having three rises. The said
cam operates on the short arm of the weighted lever u to the axis or fulcrum of
which is fixed the arm a² the other end of which is connected to and works the
horizontally sliding carriage e of the saw w.
When the pulley is driving the pinion d the mandril and saw carriage v are
alternately operated, that is, the saw remains at rest while the mandril rotates and
the mandril remains at rest while the saw advances towards it.
The saw w, the axis of which is inclined to the bed of the machine so that it
makes a scarf or inclined cut, is rotated through the independent belt pulley w¹.
In order to prevent the saw w cutting and thereby damaging the mandril ha
longitudinal slot 4 (see Figure 3) is made in that side of the mandril / which is
presented to the saw w. To ensure the perfect form of the elliptical pieces of the
rod to form the chain links the sleeves is provided with a filling in pieces³
which completes the elliptical figure of the mandril h at the part where the rod is
coiled on the said mandril h. The outer end of the mandril is also provided with a
hole into which the end of the chain link rod is introduced before the rotation of
the maudril is commenced.
The face of the bearing block y against which the elliptical pieces of the rod
bear in the act of coiling the said rod z on the mandril and against which the

page_text: face of the rear elliptical piece bears in the act of stripping them off the mandril as
hereinafter described is inclined at the angle which the convolutions of the coiled
rod have so as to prevent distortion of the elliptical pieces of the coiled rod in the
said act of stripping.
The action of the machine is as follows; The heated rod a having been intro-
duced into the hole in the end of the mandril h, the said mandril is rotated by the
mechanism hercinbefore described through one complete rotation and advanced
outwards to an extent equal to the pitch of the screw on its rear or inner end.
The rod has thereby made one complete coil on the elliptical mandril h. The
said mandril h now remains at rest while the rotating saw w is advanced by its
mechanism towards the mandril and then retires. This action is repeated until
the completion of the third coil when the rotating saw on its advance motion comes
By the non-action of the
into action and severs one of the coils from the rod x.
saw on the formation of the first three coils the necessary grip of the rod on the
mandril during the formation of the subsequent coils is secured. The cut produced
by the rotating saw is inclined and the link when finished has what is technically
called a scarf joint. On each subsequent operation of the saw a coil is severed from
the rod. The operations described are repeated until the whole length of the
mandril has been filled with the coiled and severed pieces of the rod ; the saw
each time it is brought into operation making a scarf cut and severing the coil just
formed from the one immediately before it.
The pulley which I have assumed to be driving the pinion d through the
clutch g, is now made to drive the wheel e through the clutch and rotation is
communicated to the toothed wheel t' and screw box t. The screw h³ and mandril /
are thereby made to retire inwards, and the coiled and severed pieces of the rod c
are stripped off the mandril h by the bearing block y. The machine is now ready
to repeat the operations hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention of " Improvements in machinery for the manufacture of the links of
inetallic chains and metallic rings and hoops for various purposes" ;-
First The combination of the elliptical mandril on which the rod to form the
chain links rings or hoops is coiled, the said mandril being capable of a rotary and
advancing motion and of a retiring sliding motion with a rotating saw capable of an
advancing and retiring motion to and from the mandril the said mandril and saw
being alternately brought into operation for the purposes and substantially in the
manner hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Secondly-The arrangement or combination of the parts of the machinery for
giving the respective motions to the mandril and saw substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated; also the combination or arrangement of the parts for
giving the retiring motion to the mandril for stripping the links rings or hoops
therefrom.
Thirdly-In machinery for the manufacture of the links of metallic chains and
metallic rings and hoops for various purposes the use of a hollow shaft and the
adjuncts described and represented for driving the mandril whereby the driving
power is exerted near the front of the mandril, that is, at the part of the mandril
where the rod is coiled upon it substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
;-
Fourthly The combination with the slotted mandril of a filling or make up
piece at the part where the rod is coiled on the said mandril for securing the
perfect forin of the coils substantially as herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
:-
Fifthly Making the face of the bearing block against which the coils are
formed and against which the rear coil bears in the act of stripping the mandril,

page_text: inclined at the angle which the convolutions of the coils have so as to prevent
distortion of the said coils during the said stripping substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twentieth day of April 1893.
WILLIAM FIDDIAN.