Improved Means for Use in Preparing Metal Sheets for the Purpose of Galvanizing them or otherwise Coating them with Metal or Metallic Alloy.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Use in Preparing Metal Sheets for the Purpose
of Galvanizing them or otherwise Coating them with Metal or
Metallic Alloy.
We, DAVIES BROTHERS AND COMPANY, LIMITED, of the Crown Works,
Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, Galvanizers, EDWARD ALBERT
DAVIES, Managing Director of the said Company, and STEPHEN THORPE
THOMAS, Works Manager to the said Company, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improved means of detaching, from the surfaces
of metal sheets which are intended to be galvanized or otherwise coated with metal
or metallic alloy, scale which has been raised thereupon in any suitable scaling
furnace, and more especially the employment of such means with a scaling
furnace such as that described in the specification accompanying our application
No. 17,932 dated 25th September 1895 for a patent.
The scale is detached from the surfaces of the sheets, according to this invention,.
by an appliance provided with a number of beaters which, as a sheet is travelling
along with the under surface supported upon a plate or backing, strike the upper
surface thereof with great rapidity in such manner that nearly every portion of the
upper surface of the sheet receives a sharp blow on its passage through the
appliance. The scale is thus thoroughly loosened and detached from both surfaces
of the sheet.
Each sheet is drawn into the appliance by means of a pair of feed rolls, and
passes away therefrom through a pair of withdrawing rolls, the blows being struck:
the upper surface of the sheet by sets or series of beaters arranged in position
to strike upon the portion of the sheet which is passing between the two pairs of
rolls.
upon
The beating portion of the apparatus consists, in an approved form, of a frame
mounted upon a revolving spindle, and of a number of wings or beaters formed of a.
flat section of steel, curved somewhat longitudinally, which are hinged to the frame..
As the frame with the beaters hinged thereto revolves the beaters are thrown with
considerable violence upon the surface of the sheet, and each beater after it has
struck the sheet is dragged along the surface thereof until it is raised again
clear therefrom as its hinge rises up again with the continued revolution of the
frame. The beaters are curved outwardly so that their convex surfaces strike
upon the surface of the sheet, and the purpose of forming thein of a curved shape
longitudinally is to prevent their outer ends striking and denting the sheet. The
beaters may be arranged in rows lengthways of the frame, and the beaters of one
row may be formed to break joint with those of the adjacent row on each side.
The above described appliance for use in detaching the scale from the surfaces
of the sheets may be employed for treating sheets on the surfaces of which the
scale has been raised in any suitable scaling furnace; but it is preferred (and this
is the more immediate purpose of the invention) to use such appliance with a
scaling furnace formed with a long heating chamber through which the sheets are
carried automatically by means of endless chains in the manner described in our
aforesaid specification, and when this is the case the sheets are automatically
delivered, as they emerge from the furnace, by the endless chains, into the
feeding-in rolls and are thus carried forward under the beaters.

page_text: Two or more revolving frames carrying beaters may be employed in the
treatment, as above described, of each sheet upon which the scale has been
raised in the special form of scaling furnace above described, or other suitable
furnace.
Dated this 22nd day of M
1000
Improved Means for Use in Preparing Metal Sheets for the Purpose-
of Galvanizing them or otherwise Coating them with Metal or
Metallic Alloy.
We, DAVIES BROTHERS AND COMPANY, LIMITED, of the Crown Works,
Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, Galvanizers, EDWARD ALBERT
DAVIES, Managing Director of the said Company, and STEPHEN THORPE
THOMAS, formerly Works Manager to the said Company, but now of Highmoor
Cycle Works, Church Street, Wolverhampton, aforesaid, Cycle Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention has for its object improved means of detaching, from the surfaces
of metal sheets which are intended to be galvanized, or otherwise coated with
metal or metallic alloy, scale which has been raised thereupon in any suitable
scaling furnace, and more especially the employment of such means with a scaling
furnace such as that described in our Patent Specification No. 17,932 dated
25th September 1895.
The scale is detached from the surfaces of the sheets, according to this invention,
by an appliance provided with a number of beaters which, as a sheet is travelling
along with the under surface supported upon a plate or backing, strike the upper
surface thereof with great rapidity in such manner that nearly every portion of the
upper surface of the sheet receives a sharp blow on its passage through the
appliance. The scale is thus thoroughly loosened and detached from both surfaces
of the sheet.
Each sheet is drawn into the appliance by means of a pair of feed rolls, and
passes away therefrom through a pair of withdrawing rolls, the blows being struck
upper surface of the sheet by a number of beaters arranged in position
to strike upon the portion of the sheet which, is passing between the two pairs
of rolls.
An apparatus constructed according to, and for the purpose of, this invention, is
illustrated in plan view by Figure 1 of the drawings herewith, and in longitudinal
section, taken on line xx of Figure 1, by Figure 2.
a a are a pair of feeding-in rolls mounted in suitable bearings in the fixed framing B
of the apparatus, and b bare a pair of corresponding withdrawing rolls. c is a fixed
supporting plate along which the sheets pass between the rolls a a and the rolls b b.
A is a frame rigidly mounted upon a spindle d which is capable of revolving in
bearings carried by the framing of the machine. To the framing A are hinged or
pivoted a number of wings or heaters e, each formed conveniently of a flat section
of steel curved somewhat longitudinally as shewa. A detached section of the
frame A carrying the beaters is shewn, to an enlarged scale, by Figure 3; and a
short length of side elevation thereof is shewn, also to an enlarged scale, by
Figure 4. The beaters are conveniently arranged in rows lengthways of th

page_text: frame A, the beaters of one row being placed preferably to break joint with those
of the adjacent row on each side, as clearly shewn by Figures 1 and 4. The
frame A carrying the beaters is driven to revolve in the direction indicated by
the arrow f, Figure 2, and the beaters are hinged to the frame in such manner.
that, as the frame revolves, they fly out and strike with considerable force upon
the surface of a sheet which is passing between the rolls a a and rolls b b. The
beater lettered e' of Figure 3 is shewn to he in position in which it would be when
upon the surface of a sheet passing between the pairs of rolls. After a beater has
struck the sheet, it is dragged forward thereupon until it is lifted clear again
by the revolution of the frame A. The sheet is caused to travel along the
plate at a velocity of about twenty feet per minute, and the frame A is caused
to revolve at about one hundred revolutions per minute; and thus the several
lines of beaters acting upon the surface of a sheet in rapid succession cause the
scale to be dislodged from every part of the surface thereof. The action
of the beaters upon the one side of the sheet dislodges the scale not only from such
side but from the other side also, and renders it unnecessary to pass the sheets a
second time through the apparatas. The beaters are curved outwardly, as shewn,
so that their convex surfaces strike upon the surface of a sheet; and the purpose
of forming them of a curved shape longitudinally is to prevent their outer ends'
striking and indenting the sheet. The frame A may conveniently consist of"
portions g of the shape of band pulleys, which are fixed direct, at suitable distances
apart, to the spindle d, and of bars à which are parallel with the axis of the
spindle d and are fixed to the rims of the parts g. The beaters are hinged to lugs i
which are fixed to the bars h. Bars k, also running parallel with the axis of the
spindle d, are fixed to the rims of the parts g to prevent any beaters which are at
the upper side of the frame A, when such frame is at rest or moving slowly, from
falling too much inwards. The apparatus may be employed for trenting sheets on
the surface of which the scale has been raised in any suitable scaling furnace; but
it is preferred (and this is the more immediate purpose of the apparatas) to use such
apparatus with a scaling furnace formed with a long heating chamber through
which the sheets are enrried automatically by means of endless chains, in the
manner described in our aforesaid patent specification. The line 4, Figures 1 and 2,
indicates the end of the furnace through which the sheets pass out to the apparatus,
and the sprocket wheela m correspond to the wheels è shewn in the drawings,
accompanying our aforesaid patent specification, being the wheels around which the
endless chains pass by means of which the sheets are carried through the furnace.
The chains, of course, travel at the same speed as the surface velocity of the
rolls a a and b b. The sheets are delivered by the endless chains on to guides n and
between the rolls a a. The forward ends of the sheets are guided between the
rolls a a by means of the guides n and a slanting plate o. The pairs of rolls a a
and bb may be driven in any convenient manner. In Figure 1, the pair b b are
shewn to be driven by means of a chain from one of the rolls a, and the rolls a are
shewn to be driven through the medium of a shaft p from which the sprocket
wheels m are also driven. The shaft p is provided with fast and loose pulleys 9 so
that it may be readily stopped and started, and a hand-wheel r is fixed upon one
end of such shaft so that it may be turned back by hand to reverse the rolls a a in
case a sheet enters improperly between the rolls. The spindle d carrying the
revolving frame A is driven independently of the rolls a a and b b, so that it may
be caused to revolve only while a sheet is passing beneath it, and the unnecessary
wear and tear be thus avoided which would result from allowing the beaters to
strike upon the backing plate c all the time that the rolls were revolving while a
sheet was not passing beneath the beaters. The portions a' of the rolls, which
are between the ends of the operative surfaces thereof and the necks, are reduced
somewhat in diameter to prevent scale from the sheets creeping along the rolls onto
the necks.
Two or more revolving frames carrying beaters may be employed in the treatment,
as above described, of each sheet upon which the scafe has been raised in the special

page_text: form of scaling furnace above described, or other scaling furnace, but such will not
be found necessary.
A modified, and as we consider preferable, form of the apparatus is shewn
by Figures 5 and 6 which correspond, respectively, to Figures 1 and 2. The
apparatus differs from that already described only in respect of the beaters and the
method of mounting and operating them. In this case, the beaters s are each
formed of a flat section of bar shaped longitudinally as shewn. The beaters are
pivoted at their hinder ends to a round transverse bar t which is fixed at each end
to the framing of the machine. The beaters are arranged, as seen on plan, as near
together side by side as will admit of their movement independently of one
another, and are kept apart the required distance by washers u around the bar t,
and as an additional precaution are guided at their forward ends by guides u¹
carried by a transverse bar u². The beaters are formed so that when down upon
the sheet, as shewn by full lines Figure 6, a considerable length of straight flat
portion bears upon the surface of a sheet. The hiuder end of each beater is bent
up, conveniently of a curved form, to its pirot attachment with the bar t, and is
bent up at its forward end and terminates at such end in a short length of horizontal,
or horizontally inclined, portion v. A revolving frame, which may conveniently be
of the construction of the frame A above described, but having its longitudinal
bars formed as angle bars w, is mounted in such position that as it is caused to
revolve in the direction of the arrow f', Figure 6, the angle bars operate in
succession to lift the forward ends of the beaters each into the position indicated
by broken lines Figure 6, and in passing out of contact with such ends allows the
beaters to drop upon the sheet which is passing between the feeding-in and
withdrawing rolls.
on the
As in this modification the work comes somewhat suddenly upon the revolving
frame each time the set of beaters is raised, it is preferred to drive such frame
through the medium of a pinion g' on the band pulley shaft and wheel
spindle of the revolving frame, rather than to drive with a band passing around a
pulley fixed upon the spindle of the revolving frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim, is :-
1. Apparatus for use in detaching from the surfaces of metal sheets which are
intended to be galvanized or otherwise coated with metal, or metallic alloy, scale
which has been raised thereon in a scaling furnace, which comprises a number of
beaters which are caused to strike blows in rapid succession upon the surface of a
sheet as it is moved thereunder upon a suitable backing or support, substantially as
described.
2. Apparatus for use in detaching from the surfaces of metal sheets which are
intended to be galvanized, or otherwise coated with metal, or metallic alloy, scale
which has been raised thereon in a scaling furnace, which comprises a pair of
feeding rolls, a pair of withdrawing rolls, a plate or backing, fixed in position
between such pairs of rolls, along which a sheet passes on its passage from one
pair of rolls to the other pair, and a number of beaters arranged in position and
operated to strike blows in rapid succession upon the surface of a sheet as it travels
between the two pairs of rolls, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with a scaling furnace formed with a long heating chamber
through which sheets which are to be galvanized, or otherwise coated with metal
or metallic alloy, are carried automatically by means of endless chains in the
manner described in our aforesaid patent specification, of apparatus for use in
detaching from the surfaces of such sheets the scale which has been raised thereupon
during their passage through such furnace, which comprises a number of beaters
which are caused to strike blows in rapid succession upon the surface of a sheet as
it is moved thereunder upon a suitable backing or support, substantially as
described.

page_text: 4. Apparatus for use in detaching from the surfaces of metal sheets which are
intended to be galvanized or otherwise coated with metal, or metallic alloy, scale-
which has been raised thereon in a scaling furnace, constructed and operating-
substantially as described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1897.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicants.