IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFAC- TURE OF TUBES AND PIPES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Thomas Selby, of Smethwick Tube
Works, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF TUBES AND PIPES."
Sealed the 23rd March 1853, and dated the 30th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Thomas
Selby at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th October 1852.
I, GEORGE THOMAS SELBY, of Smethwick Tube Works, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF TUBES AND PIPES" to be as follows:-
I construct and arrange the machinery in such manner as to produce
tubes and pipes of different gauges, and either parallel for a certain
distance of one gauge, and tapering to another parallel of another
gauge, or tapering gradually from end to end or from any given point.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Thomas Selby in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th April 1833.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE THOMAS SELBY, of Smethwick Tube Works, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Iler reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Thomas Selby, Her special licence
that I, the said George Thomas Selby, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Thomas Selby, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBE3 AND PIPES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Thomas Selby, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the saine 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 George Thomas Selby, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the samo
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings liere-
unto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists in improved machinery for rolling metal in
strips or sheets in such a form as to produce tubes and pipes of any
gauge or gauges required, and either tapering from end to end or from
any given point, or parallel of one gauge and tapering to another gauge.

page_text: The Drawings hereunto annexed represent my improved machinery
for accomplishing the above objects, the same letters of reference
indicating similar parts.
Figure 1, is a sectional elevation of a rolling machine. Figure 2, a
plan. Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, are detail views of the gearing and
other different parts.
A, A, is the framework of the machine; B, B', are two rollers
mounted in the same vertical line in brasses in the bearings C, C.
The lower roller B, is stationary in its bearings, but free to revolve
upon its centres, while the upper roller B', is capable of having an up
and down motion imparted to it by means of wedges W, W, as herein-
after explained. These wedges W, W, are connected together in a
frame or bar f. f, and are so placed in the machine that they work
immediately under the set screws D, D, and upon the top of the brasses
which carry the journals of the upper roller B'. The screws D, D, are
for the purpose of regulating the distance between the surfaces of the
two rollers and consequent thickness of the rolled metal. The points
of the screws D, bear upon bars or pieces, the lower side of which are
made of a wedge shape, and corresponding to the bevil of the wedges
W, W. The end of the frame f. f, is attached to a cross head h, h, the
ends of which are made circular, as shewn in Figure 7, and have a
right and left handed screw thread cut in them in which work cor-
These screws are
responding right and left handed screws S, S'.
mounted upon the shafts P, P", parallel to each other, and connected
together by the spur wheels R, R. t, t', are pinions, which are keyed
upon the shafts P, P', and are alternately worked by a segmental
toothed wheel m, keyed upon a shaft m', working in the framework of
the machine. Figure 4, represents an end view of the wheel m, and'
more clearly indicates its position in reference to the pinions t, t'. E, is
a spur wheel on the shaft m', for imparting motion to the wheel m,
driven by the pinion F, on the shaft of the lower roller B, which is
actuated by the toothed wheel G, set in motion by means of a pinion on
the main driving shaft. H, H', arc pinions on the shafts of the upper
and lower rollers B, B', which gear into one another, and serve to impart
the necessary motion. The action of the machine is as follows:-The

page_text: metal is first rolled down in the usual manner until it is of the required
thickness for the thickest part of the tube or pipe, as shewn at Figures
8, and 9; motion is then imparted to the rollers B, B', through the
intervention of the gearing above described, and the end of the strip of
metal intended to be rolled inserted between them. The taper is given
to the strip by means of the wedges W, W, being removed from under
the set screws D, D, by the action of the teeth of the segmental
wheel m, gearing into the pinion t', which causes the endless screws
S, S', to revolve, and so draw back the cross head h, h, and with it
the frame f, and wedges W, W, whereby the distance between the
rollers B, B', is gradually increased, and the strip of metal as it passes
between them receives a gradual taper, as represented in Figure 10.
The onward revolution of the segmental wheel m, causes the teeth of
it to be disengaged from the pinion t', and thrown into gear with the
pinion t, which reverses the action of the screws S, S', and so causes
the cross head and wedges to be thrust forward, and so again diminish
the distance between the rollers, and adapt them for the passage of a
fresh strip of metal to be operated upon; the number of teeth upon
the segmental wheel m, must exactly correspond with the amount of
taper to be given to the strip, and also to the speed of the wheels F, F,
which can be change wheels, so as to alter the speed of the revolution
of the segmental wheel m. For producing a strip of metal similar to
that represented in Figures 11, and 12, the end a, of the strip must be
inserted between the rollers at the time that the last tooth of the
segmental wheel m, has left the pinion t, when the wedges will be
inserted under the set screws, and the least distance given between the
rollers B, B', which will be so maintained until the teeth of the wheel
m, will have arrived at the pinion t', so as to gear into the teeth of it;
the strip will also have passed between the rollers, and been rolled
parallel as far as the point b, when, upon the pinion t' revolving, the
wedges W, W, will be withdrawn, and the distance between the rollers
increased, so that the strip which has passed from 6, to c, will have
received the requisite taper between those points; the teeth of the
segmental wheel m, will then be disengaged from the teeth of the
pinion ; and during the time that clapses between its again coming

page_text: in gear with the pinion t', the strip will have passed between the rollers,
and have been rolled parallel and of its greatest thickness between the
points c, and d. The action of the pinion t, is to force in the wedges,
prepare the rollers for a fresh strip. It will be seen that by vary-
ing the number of teeth on the segmental wheel m, and also the speed
of it, great varieties may be produced in the taper to be given to the
and
strips.
Figures 18, and 14, represent sections of tubes made from strips
rolled similar to Figures 10, and 12, and before described.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim
the manufacturing of tubes and pipes from strips of metal having
the desired tapers imparted thereto by means of wedges acting in the
manner herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings here-
unto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Thomas Selby, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of
April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
GEORGE THOMAS SELBY. (L.S.)