Certain improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Wrought Taper Tubes.
Year: 1885

page_text: Certain improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of
Wrought Taper Tubes.
We, JAMES HUGHES, of Langley Engineering Works, near Oldbury, Worcester-
shire, Engineer, and EDWARD JOHNSON and JOSEPH THOMAS BLAKEMORE, both of
Langley Engineering Works, aforesaid, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
our invention for "ČERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF WROUGHT TAPER TUBES "
to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in the improvements in machinery for the manufacture
of wrought taper tubes as hereinafter described and it is particularly applicable to
the manufacture of such wrought taper tubes as are used in the frameworks of
bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes but it is also applicable to the manufacture
of wrought taper tubes for other purposes.
An ordinary method of manufacturing such tubes is to take a heated parallel
tube of suitable length and by means of a treadle oliver and a pair of suitable
taper swages to gradually draw it out and taper it lengthwise, the heating and
drawing out processes being repeated until the required amount of taper has been
attained. Such tubes are then sometimes finished by being passed through rolls
having taper grooves but hitherto difficulty has been experienced in keeping the
tubes straight as they are passing through the rolls.
By our Invention we are enabled to form such taper tubes from a parallel tube
without reheating and when finished by rolling to ensure their being straight after
passing through the rolls.
In carrying our Invention into practice we employ two or more pairs of dies or
swages side by side or a single pair may be used the bottom dies or swages of each
pair being fixed to the bed of the machine or otherwise the top ones being free to
be moved up and down above them. The said dies or swages are formed taper
to suit the outside of the tube when finished and when two or more pairs are
used side by side each succeeding pair is smaller in diameter than the preceeding
so as to suit different parts of the finished taper tube. The top die of each
pair is fixed preferably to an independent slide which receives a rapid up and
down motion in suitable guides by means of a connecting rod or by other equivalent
means from a revolving crank shaft.
The operation of this part of our Invention is as follows:-We take a heated
parallel tube of suitable length which, the machine having been set in motion, we
Price 1

page_text: pass backwards and forwards between the larger pair of dies the rapid blows of
We then pass it
the top one of which draw it down taper for a certain distance.
on to the next smaller pair to partly further reduce it and so on through each pair
until the necessary amount of taper has been obtained. The blows being delivered
very rapidly and the dies or swages being arranged in a gradual series side by side
as above described we do not, even when operating on very thin tubes, require to
reheat the tube during the operation of tapering.
When the tubes are required to be finished by being passed through the rolls we
employ the following arrangement of mechanism for maintaining them straight as
they are passing through the rolls :-
At the back of the rolls and opposite the groove through which the tube is rolled
we provide a slide which is free to be moved to and from the rolls in a straight
line in suitable guides at right angles thereto. As the tube is delivered from the
rolls the fore end thereof fits into a groove or recess in the said slide which
has been previously brought close up to the rolls and forces the slide backward
along the said guides and the slide moving in a straight line constrains the tube to
be straight also.
We sometimes when operating on tubes which are too thin to force the slide
backwards along the guides as hereinbefore described find it necessary to employ
suitable mechanical means for moving the slide along the guides, such for instance
as a rack attached thereto and operated by a pinion or a chain attached thereto
and passing round a revolving drum-suitable clutches or other equivalent means
being used for stopping and starting the mechanism at the proper time,

page_text: Wrought Taper Tubes.
We, JAMES HUGHES, of Langley Engineering Works, near Oldbury, Worcester-
shire, Engineer, and EDWARD JOHNSON and JOSEPH THOMAS BLAKEMORE, both of
Langley Engineering Works, aforesaid, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this 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 and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that
is to say-
Our Invention consists in the improvements in machinery for the manufacture of
wrought taper tubes as hereinafter described and it is particularly applicable to the
manufacture of such wrought taper tubes as are used in the frameworks of bicycles,
tricycles and other velocipedes but it is also applicable to the manufacture of
wrought taper tubes for other purposes.
An ordinary method of manufacturing such tubes is to take a heated parallel
tube of suitable length and by means of a treadle oliver and a pair of suitable
taper swages to gradually draw it out and taper it lengthwise, the heating and
drawing out processes being repeated until the required amount of taper has been
obtained. Such tubes are then sometimes finished by being passed through rolls
having taper grooves but hitherto difficulty has been experienced in keeping the
tubes straight as they are passing through the rolls.
By our Invention we are enabled to form such taper tubes from a parallel tube
without reheating and when finished by rolling to ensure their being straight after
passing through the rolls.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in front elevation and Fig. 2 in
sectional side elevation a machine embodying that part of our Invention which
refers to the manufacture of taper tubes from parallel tubes by hammering; Fig.
represents in front elevation and Fig. 4 in side elevation a pair of dies or swages
employed in the said manufacture and in the machine illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2;
and Fig. 5 is a plan of the bottom tool of the pair represented by Figs. 3 and 4;
Fig. 6 represents a round parallel tube from which a taper tube is required to be
formed and Fig. 7 represents a taper tube formed from the parallel tube represented
by Fig. 6. Fig. represents in sectional elevation and Fig. 9 in plan a pair of
finishing rolls with apparatus added according to our Invention for ensuring the
tubes being straight after passing through the rolls. In these Figures a tube is
shewn about to enter the rolls. Fig. 10 is a cross sectional elevation of part of the
said apparatus; Fig. 11 illustrates the same parts as Fig. 8 but in different positions
s hereinafter described; Fig. 13 represents a round taper tube finished by the
olls and apparatus illustrated by Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11, and Fig. 12 shews an oval
aper tube formed from a round taper tube by the same apparatus. Fig. 14 shews
n sectional elevation, end elevation and plan on an enlarged scale the slide
eparately forming part of the apparatus illustrated by Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 as
ereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
In carrying our Invention into practice we employ two or more pairs of dies or
wages side by side for instance as in the machine illustrated by Éics 1 and 2 in

page_text: which A¹ A2, B1 B2, C1 C2, are three pairs of dies or swages side by side the bottom
ones A2, B2, C2, of which are fixed to the bed D of the machine or otherwise firmly
held, the top ones A¹, B¹, C¹ being free to be moved up and down above them.
A single pair of dies or swages may be used similarly to the three pairs A¹ A²,
B¹ B2, C¹ C. The top dies A¹, B1, C1, of the pairs are each severally fixed prefer- 5
ably to independent slides E¹, E2, E3 which receive rapid up and down motion in
suitable guides F by means of connecting rods G1, G2, G3, from a revolving crank
shaft H or other means may be employed for imparting a reciprocating motion
to the dies or swages. The said dies or swages are formed taper to suit the
outside of the required finished tube and when two or more pairs are used side by 1
side, for instance as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, each succeeding pair is smaller
in diameter than the preceeding so as to suit different parts of the finished taper
tube. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the pair B¹ B2, are smaller than the pair A¹ A³,
as also the pair C¹ C³, are smaller than the pair B¹ B².
The operation of this part of our Invention is as follows:-We take a heated
parallel tube I of suitable length (see Fig. 6) which, the machine having been set
in motion, we pass backwards and forwards between the larger pair of dies A¹ A²,
the rapid blows of the top one A¹ of which draw it down taper for a certain
distance. We then pass the tube I on to the next smaller pair B¹ B₁ to partly
further reduce it and so on if required through the next pair C¹ C³ until the
necessary amount of taper has been obtained. The blows being delivered very
rapidly and the dies or swages being arranged in a gradual series side by side as
above described we do not, even when operating on very thin tubes, require to
rebeat the tube during the operation of tapering except when operating on long
tubes.
Although we have described the top dies or swages as moveable and the bottom
ones fixed still we do not limit ourselves to this as it will be evident the top dies
or swages may be fixed and the bottom ones arranged to move without departing
from the spirit of our Invention.
When the tubes are required to be finished by being passed through rolls we
employ the following arrangement of mechanism for maintaining them straight as
they are passing through the rolls :—
K, K¹ are a pair of ordinary rolls (see Figs. 8, 9 and 11) having taper grooves k, k¹
to suit the shape of the required tube and capable of revolving in the direction of
the arrows by gearing in the ordinary manner. At the back of the rolls K, K¹
and opposite the groove k through which the tube L is about to be rolled we
provide a slide M which is free to be moved to and from the rolls K, K¹, in a
straight line in suitable guides N at right angles thereto. As the tube L is
delivered from the rolls K, K¹ (see Fig. 9) the fore end 7 thereof fits into a groove
or recess m in the said slide (see Fig. 11) which has been previously brought close
up to the rolls (see Fig. 8) and forces the slide M backward along the said
guides N and the slide M moving in a straight line constrains the tube
straight also. We prefer to make the said guides NV shaped (see Fig. 10) so as
to be readily adjustable for wear and to prevent the slide M rising.
to be
We sometimes when operating on tubes which are too thin to force the slide M
backwards along the guides N as herein before described find it necessary to employ
suitable mechanical means for moving the slide along the guides, such for instance
as a rack attached thereto and operated by a pinion or a chain attached thereto
and passing around a revolving drum, suitable clutches or other equivalent means
being used for stopping and starting the mechanism at the proper times. In
Figs. 8, 9 and 11 we have shewn by dotted lines an arrangement of mechanism
for moving the slide M when operating on thin tubes. The drum O receives rotary
motion from the rolls K, K', by means of the spur wheels P, Q, and around the
said drum is passed a chain R which is led over a pulley S and attached to the
slide M. When a tube is being rolled by the rolls K, K¹, and its end has engaged
in the recess m, the drum O is caused to rotate at such a speed as to move the
slide M along the guides N at the same speed as the end of the tube L thereby

page_text: maintaining the tube straight without any tendency to buckle through its not
being strong enough to move back the slide M.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. The improvements in machinery for the manufacture of wrought taper tubes
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawing,
that is to say, the employment in a machine of two or more pairs of taper dies or
swages each succeeding pair being smaller than the preceeding and so arranged that
one die or swage of each pair has a rapid vibratory motion for the purpose and
substantially as described and illustrated.
2. In machinery for the manufacture of wrought taper tubes the application and
use of a pair of taper dies or swages so arranged that one die or swage of such
pair has a rapid vibratory motion for the purpose and substantially as described
and illustrated.
3. The improvements in machinery for the manufacture of wrought taper tubes
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 8 to 14 of the accompanying
drawing, that is to say, the application and use with rolls for rolling taper tubes of
a slide capable of being moved in a straight line to or from such rolls and situated
at the back thereof and arranged to hold the fore end of a tube whilst passing
through the said rolls for the purpose and substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 18th day of February 1886,
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.