IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Sturgeon, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
HAMMERS."
Sealed the 20th November 1863, and dated the 23rd May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Sturgeon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
May 1863.
I, JOHN STURGEON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Consulting Engi-
neer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to render the valve gearing of steam
hammers self-regulating, so that the valve will adapt itself to the variations in
the length of stroke of the hammer consequent on the variations in the thick-
ness of the material under operation. The hammer will thus be rendered
perfectly self-acting and independent of the attention of the workman, except
for starting and stopping the hammer, or when the striking of light blows is
required.
I
In order to effect this object I cause that part of the valve gear employed
for reversing the valve for the up stroke to follow up the motion of the
hammer throughout the whole stroke, so as to be always in position for
reversing at the moment when the hammer strikes the object underneath, the
jerk caused by the impact giving the necessary motion to the valve. The

page_text: gearing for effecting the desired object admits of considerable modification,
but a convenient arrangement consists of two levers working on a stud or joint
pin as a fulcrum, which is fixed to the framing of the hammer; one of the
levers is free to shift up and down through a short distance at its centre suffi-
cient to give the requisite motion to the valve, and at the same time to oscillate
through an arc, while the other lever moves through an arc only, without the
up-and-down motion. One of these levers is connected to the piston rod by
means of a link, so that the motion of the piston rod causes the lever to move
through an arc, 'the end of the link which moves with the piston rod being so
attached as to allow it to move up and down through a certain requisite dis-
tance on the piston rod. It is held up in its position by means of a spring.
The other lever is connected either directly to the link itself, or to the link
through the intervention of one or more other links, or else directly by a link
to the piston rod itself, being at the same time coupled or otherwise connected
by a knuckle joint or other equivalent contrivance to the first lever, or left
unconnected altogether, and acting only through the intervention of bowls,
tappets, or other equivalent gearing. When the hammer comes in contact
with the object underneath, the jerk occasioned by the blow overcomes the
tension of the spring, and causes the link to be projected forward a short
distance, and with it the lever to which it is connected. The motion thus
obtained is communicated through the links or tappets to the shifting lever,
which gives the requisite motion to the valve gearing. A catch or other
equivalent contrivance is also applied to the levers to prevent the recoil of the
spring from acting, so as to cause the valve to be reversed again before the
steam has commenced to lift the hammer. The rest of the motion consists of
two hand levers hung upon the same stud or joint pin as the working levers,
the ends of which hand levers work through circular slots in the frame, so that
they can be set to any required position. One of these levers, through the
intervention of a cam, bowl, tappet, or other equivalent means, reverses the
valve for the down stroke. The other is used for the purpose of reversing the
valve at any moment when required before the blow is struck.
In those cases where a hammer block or tap is used in place of a plain
piston rod and head, the requisite connection of the links can be made in front
of the hammer block, instead of on the piston rod itself.
Instead of the shifting lever, as above described, an excentric lever or a
lever on an excentric boss, or a cam or other equivalent contrivance, may be
employed.
In applying the self-regulating motion to existing hammers (as, for instance,
· Morrison's or Naylor's) the arrangement has to be modified to suit. I find

page_text: that in one arrangement the spring supporting the loose link may be dis-
pensed with as a support, and used only as a cushion to prevent damage from
constant rapping.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Sturgeon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
STURGEON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Consulting Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Sturgeon, Her special license that I, the said John Sturgeon, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Sturgeon, 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
STEAM HAMMERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Sturgeon, by.an instrument 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 same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Sturgeon, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object to render the valve gearing of steam
hammers self-acting and self-regulating, so that the valve will adapt itself to
the variations in the length of stroke of the hammer consequent on the
variations in the thickness of the material under operation.
In order to effect this object I cause that part of the valve gear which is

page_text: employed for reversing the valve for the up stroke, to follow up the motion of
the hammer throughout the whole stroke, so as to be always in a position for
reversing at the moment when the hammer strikes the object underneath, the
jerk caused by the impact giving the necessary motion to the valve.
EL
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a partial side elevation of
a steam hammer, with my improvement adapted thereto; Fig. 2 shows a cor-
responding vertical section through the levers. Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
shew a few of the various ways in which this Invention may be applied,
together with some of the various arrangements of apparatus suitable in this
case for reversing the valve for the down stroke.
.
..
up
In Fig. 1, a, a, is the frame or standard; b the piston rod, and c the
hammer block or tup, in the face or side of which there is a groove or slot d,
in which works the end e¹ of the link e, and to which is also fixed a stud or
joint fi carrying another link f. The link e is connected at its other end by a
joint el to a lever h, which is free to work through an arc, its boss h¹ working
on the plain part of the stud l. These two are connected together by the short
elbow link i to the other link 'f, and also to another lever g, as shown in
section in Fig. 2, and partly in plan in Fig. 3. This lever is so arranged as
to be able to move through an arc, and at the same time admit of an up-and-
down movement at its centre. This I effect by preference in the following
manner, namely, by fitting the boss k of the lever g upon another round
boss k¹, in which is cut an oblong hole which fits so as to work and down
upon the square part of the stud l, and is also steadied and guided in its
movement by the straight stem k", which works through the guide m. "By
this arrangement the lever g is enabled to work through an arc, and at the
same time (at any required point in its motion) to move the boss k up and
down on the stud l. The upper end of the stem " is connected by a joint n¹
to a rocking lever n working in a centre n, and having the valve rod r
attached to its other end, as seen in Fig. 1. When the hammer strikes the
object on the anvil, the end e¹ of the link e is immediately thrown forward by
the jerk or shock of the blow into the position shown by the dotted lines, and
thus lifts up the lever'g, thereby depressing the valve rod n, and reversing
the valve. The hammer c then begins immediately to ascend until it brings
the end of the rods (which works through a guide s¹)'against the stop t, which
forces down the lever g, and again raises the end e' of the link e to its former
position. As the stop t acts through the pressure of the spring it is enabled
to yield sufficiently to accommodate itself to the additional movement of the
hammer caused by its vis viva after the reversing of the valve. This stop
may be either fixed, as in hammers where the stroke is only short, or it may
1

page_text: be carried on an adjustable plate, in order to admit of any required variations
in the height of fall being given. When it is required to work the valve by
hand, or to strike a "dead blow," the rocking lever n can be disconnected
from the other part of the motion by simply drawing out the handle p, Fig. 2,
and thus allowing the stem k to work through the slot in the end of the
rocking lever, as shewn in section in Fig. 2 and in plan in Fig. 4. The
joint e" of the lever e may, in this case, also be tightened in the grooved by
means of a bolt.
Fig. 5 shows another of the various methods which may be employed for
connecting the links to the hammer block, namely, by attaching the moveable
link e by a joint to the end of a rocking lever u, as shewn by dots in the Figure.
The other link is connected to the centre pin u¹ on which the rocking lever u
works. This lever works through a radial slot v formed by a recess in the
plate v, which is bolted against the face of the tup, and thus forms an opening
to enable the lever to work through its requisite axial distance, as indicated by
dots in the Figure.
Fig. 6 shews another of the various methods which may be employed for
imparting the up-and-down motion to the lever g, and consists of an eccen-
tric w working in the end of the lever g, and made fast to the pin w¹. This
pin also carries the end of the lever h and the end of the link f. The
requisite motion is imparted to the eccentric w by means of a small crank x
connected by a joint to and receiving its motion from the moveable link e.
In this arrangement the valve may be reversed for the down stroke by means
of a small arm ¹ carrying a bowl all, so arranged that when the bowl all comes
in contact with a fixed or adjustable incline or cam y, a reverse movement is
imparted to the crank x.
Another method is shewn in Fig. 7. In this arrangement the two levers y
and h are left wholly unconnected by any link, the lever g being raised by
means of a cam w, which acts upon a bowl g' at the lower end of the lever g,
when the link e receives its forward motion.
In Fig. 8 is shown another arrangement for reversing the valve for the
down stroke. In this arrangement the lever n has a short arm n¹ forged
upon it, which arm is connected by means of a short link to the upper end of
the link z, the other end of which is connected by a joint to the lower end
of the lever g. The bowl on the upper end of the link z is carried forward by
the motion of the hammer until it meets the incline or cam y, which may be
either fixed or adjustable. The cam y by pressing back the link z will draw
forward the short arm n¹ of the lever n, thereby depressing the end of the
lever n,
and forcing down the lever g, which is connected therewith.

page_text: In the arrangement shewn in Fig. 9. the short link i is made in one piece,
with an arm carrying a bowle ", which by the motion of, the hammer is
made to act, against a fixed or adjustable incline or cam, and. thus by
depressing the arm the valve, is reversed, and at the same time the link e is
raised to its former position. On the end of this arm ¹ is a handle or knob.
to enable it to be worked by hand when required. In this Figure is also
shewn a catch a², shewn by dots in the Figure, which by falling into a notch
in the lever h obviates the liability of the rebound of the link e, acting so as to
reverse the valve again. On the end of this catch is fitted a small bowl b²,
which by acting against a curved incline or cam lifts the catch a² out of the
notch in the lever h at the proper time.
Having now described my Invention of "
described my Invention of "Improvements in Steam
Hammers," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the
mode or, modes herein set forth of causing the blow of the hammer to act on
the valve or valve gear.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sturgeon, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of November, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
year of
Witness, .
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JOHN STURGEON. (L.S.)