AN IMPROVED RIVETING MACHINE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED RIVETING MACHINE."-A commu-
nication from abroad by John F. Allen, of the City and State of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th June 1875.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
5 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED RIVETING MACHINE," a
communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a riveting machine, which has a cylinder
with suitable valves operated by the cylinder piston, with the hammer
O attached to the piston rod. The hammer head is made to move tight in
a suitable revolving guide tube.

page_text: The lower edge of the piston is made with an inclined surface, so as to
open the lower air passage sooner or later, as may be desired, to corres-
pond with the finish of the rivet head.
The motive power I propose to use is compressed air. In the upper
and lower ends of the cylinder pins or plugs are arranged acting against
levers, which act against the valve rod to move the valve to admit and
exhaust the air at the end of the piston stroke. These plugs are operated
by the edges of the piston. The said valve may be operated by hand,
for which purpose small projections are made on the levers.
To the upper cylinder head a strong handle is attached to hold the
machine, and to the lower cylinder head a tube is attached and a bracket,
which is provided with a steady pin that enters the rivet holes in the
boiler plates to support the lower end of the machine and at the same
time to regulate and fix its position. Into the said tube another tube is
fitted, to which a band provided with a handle or projection is attached;
this handle passes through a circular slot in the first-named tube, and
allows the inner tube to be turned in any direction desired.
The hammer fits air-tight in the inner tube, and is provided with
projections on the sides working in grooves in the inside of the said tube
to guide said hammer, and at the same time allow it to be turned around
with the tube. This hammer is firmly attached to the end of the piston
rod, and its lower end is shaped to form a die for the desired shape of the
rivet head.
The piston is attached to the upper end of the piston rod. The upper
end of this piston is straight, while on its lower surface is an inclined
surface.
The piston, the rod, and the hammer being firmly connected, while
the hammer is guided and works in grooves in the inner tube, the
turning of said tube by means of its projection or handle will cause a
corresponding turning around of the piston, so as to bring any desired
point of the inclined surface in a line with the plug in the bottom of the
cylinder, regulating thereby the length of the downward stroke of the
piston, and consequently of the hammer.
A small air hole through the
inner tube admits air into said tube above the hammer head, which air
is after the hammer has passed said hole in its upward stroke com-
pressed in the upper part of the tube, and assists to increase the force of
the blow.

page_text: To the aforesaid bracket a bolt is firmly attached in such a position as
to fit and pass through the rivet holes in the plates to be riveted. The
lower part of this bolt is flattened to form a shoulder on its end, upon
which the head of the holding-on bar rests. This holding-on bar is
provided with a head having an opening to pass over the end of the said
bolt, and an oblong opening fitting on the flattened part of the bolt, as
well as a suitable recess for the end of the rivets.
When circular plates are to be riveted together the steady pin is made
with a collar to correspond with the distance of the plate and the bottom
of the bracket at the point, and the pin is placed at an angle to fit the
rivet holes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 "AN IMPROVED
RIVETING MACHINE," a communication to me from abroad by John F.
Allen, of the City and State of New York, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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

page_text: 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 Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
The nature of my Invention consists in the arrangement of a cylinder
with suitable valves, operated either by the cylinder piston or by the 1
compressed air or gases in one end of the cylinder, in combination with
a hammer attached to the piston rod. The hammer head is made to
movo tight in a revolving guide tube. One of the edges of the piston is
made with an inclined surface to open the lower air passage sooner or
later so as to increase or diminish the length of the stroke, as may be 1
desired, to correspond with the finish of the rivett head.
In order to explain this Invention as completely as possiblo I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying
the same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative
Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed and to the numeral figures and 2
letters of reference marked thereon respectively, as follows :-
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. I. represents a longitudinal
section of my rivetting machine embodying my Invention, with the
valves worked by the pressure of the air or gasses in one end of the
cylinder.
Fig. II. shows a similar view, with a positive motion for operating
the valves.
Similar letters represent similar parts in all the Figures.
A represents a cylinder with suitable valves E for the admission and
exhaustion of the air or other gases which operate the cylinder piston.
The motive power I propose to use is compressed air. In Fig. I.
pistons E¹, E", are attached above and below the main valve E, leaving
spaces between said pistons and the ends of the valve chamber, which
communicate through the passages in and 10' with the inside of the
cylinder A. To the end of the piston E' a valve stem D' is attached, a

page_text: passing through the cover of the valve chamber for the purpose of
working the valve by hand, if required, and at the same time to decrease
the area of said piston E' for the purpose hereafter described.
To the lower end F of the cylinder A a tube H is attached and a
strong bracket J, which latter is provided with a steady pin L, which
enters the rivett holes in the boiler plates to support the lower end
of the machine, and at the same time to regulate and fix its position.
Into the tube H another tube N is fitted, to which a band a provided
with a handle M is attached. This handle passes through a slot in the
tube H, and enables the inner tube N to be turned in any desired
direction. P is the hammer fitted air-tight into the tube N, and provided
with projections C on its sides working in suitable grooves in the tube N
to guide said hammer P, and at the same time allow the hammer to be
turned around with the tube N; this hammer is firmly attached to the
end of the piston rod R, and its lower end is shaped to form a die for the
desired shape of the rivett head. In Fig. II. a side view of this hammer
is represented. S is the piston attached to the upper end of the piston
rod R. The upper end of the piston in Fig. I. has an inclined surface m
extending about one-half around its circumference, while in Fig. II.
this inclined surface is made at the lower end of the piston for purposes
hereafter described.
The piston S, rod R, and hammer P being firmly attached together,
while the bammer P is guided and works in grooves in the tube N,
the turning of said tube will cause a corresponding turning of the
piston S, so as to bring any desired point of the inclined surface m
in a line with the passage 20¹, (Fig. I.,) or with the plug B, Fig. II.,
regulating thereby the length of the downward stroke of the piston, and
consequently of the hammer P by opening the lower port or passage
sooner or later, as may be desired, and in the manner hereafter
described.
Into the bracket J a bolt T is firmly attached in such a position as to
fit and pass through the rivett holes next to the rivett holes in line with
the center of the machine, and through which the rivett is to be driven.
The lower part of this bolt T is flattened at v (see Fig. III., which
shews a side view of said bolt), so as to leave a shoulder i on its end,
upon which the head of the holding-on bar W rests. This holding-on
bar is provided with a head Q, having an opening ' to pass over the
end of the bolt T, and an oblong opening fitting on the flattened

page_text: part of said bolt, as well as a suitable recess for the end of the rivett
head (see Fig. IV.).
The machine is placed against the sides or upon the boiler plates to be
rivetted by being suspended, properly counterbalanced, either by the
hook G or G', and the steady pin L and bolt T passed into the cor-
responding rivett holes, whereby the holes through which a rivett is to be
driven comes in line with the centre of the machine. A heated rivett is
then put through these holes, and the holding-on bar W attached to
the bolt T pressed against the end of said rivett, whereby the rivett is
held firmly in its place, and the machine securely fastened in the proper
position.
The operation of the machine as represented in Fig. I. is as
follows: The tube N is turned so as to bring the lowest point 2 of the
inclined surface m on the piston S in a line with the passage 10'. Air
having been admitted through the passage h, and forced the piston S
downwards, this air in the upper part of the cylinder will as soon as
point 2 of the piston passes the opening w¹ pass into the valve chamber
below the valve piston E", and force the same, together with the main
valve E, upwards so as to open the passage to admit the pressure
below the piston S, and form a connection between the upper passage h
and the exhaust port y. The surface of the piston E", against which
the air acts, being greater than the surface of the top piston E¹, to which
the rod D¹ is attached, enables the air to move the valve E, otherwise
perfectly balanced upwards, as described. When the piston S has moved
upwards and passed the opening the air still remaining in the head of the
cylinder will be further compressed, and forced through the passage w
to act upon the top of the valve piston E¹, so as to force the valve down
again to allow the pressure to pass through the passage / upon the top
of the cylinder, and to form a connection between the passage k and the
exhaust port y. The passage h is arranged so as to enter the top of the
cylinder at two different points, one at h¹ in the usual manner, and onc
at above the extreme end of the cylinder. This latter passage h¹¹ is
covered by a flexible material z, such as rubber, leather, or thick canvas,
forming a valve against said opening, and at the same time a cushion
for the end of the piston to strike against in case the same should move a
so far upwards. The pressure entering through the passage h will pass
at the beginning through this secondary passage " until the motion of
the piston has uncovered the opening h'.

page_text: The tube N is gradually moved around by means of its handle M as
the height of the end of the rivet diminished, producing a corresponding
motion on the piston S, and bringing thereby a less depth of the inclined
part of the piston in a line with the passage w¹, whereby the valve is
made to open later, and consequently the length of the stroke is gradually
increased, until the piston has been moved so far around that the highest
point 3 of the piston is in line with the opening w³, when the piston and
consequently the hammer makes its full stroke, and the head of the
rivett will be finished.
The
In Fig. II. the valves are arranged to be operated by a positive
motion. Plugs B, B', are arranged in the side of the cylinder, projecting
slightly into the inside of the same; these plugs operate the levers C, C³,
which act against the valve rod D, moving thereby the valve E in
the usual manner. The plugs B, B¹, are operated by the edges of
the piston S coming in contact with their projecting parts.
valve E may be operated by hand, for which purpose small pro-
jections d, d, are made on the levers C, C¹. In this arrangement the
upper end of the piston S is made straight, while on its lower end the
inclined surface m is arranged, operating thereby the lower plug B sooner
or later, as may be required, and corresponding with the position given
to the piston for the same purpose above described of lengthening or
shortening the stroke of the piston and hammer.
An air hole may be arranged into the tube N to admit air above the
hammer head P, which said air, after the hammer has passed the
opening in its upward stroke is compressed in the upper part of the tube,
and will assist in the downward motion of the hammer to increase the
force of the blow.
To prevent any overheating of the hammer head resulting from the
striking upon the hot rivetts the exhaust passage y may be connected
with the upper part of the inside of the tube N, and then allowed to
escape through suitable holes out of the same again, by which arrange-
ment the hammer will be made to pass through the escaping cold air,
counteracting and cooling thereby any heat received from its contact
with the heated rivetts.
When circular plates are to be rivetted, as represented in Fig. II., the
steady pin L is made with a collar p, and the pin itself is placed at an
angle corresponding with the radius of the plates so as to fit the rivett

page_text: holes, and in the same manner the bolt T is arranged diagonally. The
steady pin Land bolt T may be secured into the end of the bracket J
by being screwed into the same, as shewn in Fig. III., or the same may
be attached by entering suitable grooves in said bracket, and fastened in
their proper positions by means of set screws. By this arrangement the
position of the same can be readily changed to correspond with the
distances of the rivett holes from each other.
The inclined surface m on the piston S, for the purpose of opening
the lower port sooner or later in the manner above described, may in
some cases be dispensed with when the valve is operated by the pressure
of the air, as shown in Fig. I.; as, for example, when the machine is
used on rivetts with countersunk heads, as in ship building, &c.,
as in that case the valve being opened by an ellastic medium the hammer
can descend the required range to give the necessary blow upon the
rivett before the pressure is admitted, and will act against the under sido
of the piston.
The internal guide tube N can then also be dispensed with, and the
hammer head guided in the tube H, as it will not be necessary to revolve
the hammer for the purpose of finishing the rivett head whenever the
hammer head has a full bearing.
Having now fully described and set forth the said Invention, as com-
municated to me by the above-mentioned John Franklin Allen, and the
manner of performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. A rivetting machine consisting of a cylinder A, with suitable
valves, in combination with the piston S, rod R, hammer P, guide
tube N, projecting guide tube H, bracket J, steady pin L, bolt T, and
holding-on bar W, arranged and operating substantially in the manner
as described.
Second. I claim a cylinder A provided with auxiliary ports to, 20', in
combination with a valve E arranged with pistons E¹, E", the regular
passage having two distinct openings h¹ and " into the end of the
cylinder for the purpose set forth.
Third. I claim a cylinder having ports h³, h¹, wo, and w³, opening all
into one and the same end of said cylinder when the piston has finished
its down stroke, in combination with a valve E, having pistons E¹, E",
arranged and constructed in the manner and for the purpose substantially
as specified.

page_text: Fourth. I claim the combination of the cylinder A, plùgs B, B', levers
or horns C, C³, valve E, piston S, rod R, and hammer P, substantially in
the manner described.
Fifth. I claim an inclined surface m on one end of the piston S in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as set forth and specified.
Sixth. I claim connecting the exhaust passage y with the inside of the
guide tube for the hammer for the purpose substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here.
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of December in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
JA". EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)