IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC PIPES OR TUBES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samson Fox, of The Leeds Forge Company, Limited,
Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer and Ironmaster, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC PIPES OR TUBES AND
APPARATUS THEREFOR "
Sealed the 9th May 1879, and dated the 25th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samson Fox at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th February 1879.
SAMSON Fox, of The Leeds Forge Company, Limited, Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer and Ironmaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
METALLIC PIPES OR TUBES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR."
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of metallic pipes or tubes
and apparatus therefor relates to the rolling or forming of metallic pipes or tubes
out of solid rings or blooms of metal, in such manner that the said rings or blooms
may in the process of manufacture into pipes or tubes be increased first in length
and afterwards in diameter.
way.
For the purpose of producing the increment in length I place the ring or bloom
while in a highly heated state on a suitably constructed mandrel, which together
with the heated ring or bloom I pass repeatedly through between a pair of grooved
rolls suitably driven, one of which rolls is made to approach the other in the usual
At each side of the said pair of grooved rolls I provide a carriage to receive
support, and move with the overhanging weight of the mandrel and ring or bloom
during their passage between said rolls. The carriages are or one of them is pro-
vided with means for moving the mandrel and ring or bloom in an angular or axial
direction, in order that at each succeeding passage of the mandrel with the ring or
bloom between the grooved rolls, the ring or bloom may be acted upon by such
rolls at a different part of its circumference to that which was acted upon during
the preceding passage through the rolls. This process is repeated until the ring or
bloon is sufficiently elongated (and which may now be termed a pipe or tube), or
until the thickness of metal of such pipe or tube is such as to allow the said pipe
or tube to be by the following process rolled or finished to the desired diameter and
thickness of metal at the same time.

page_text: The mandrel referred to on which I mount and roll the ring or bloom I so construct
in sections as to be easily removed from the ring, bloom, pipe, or tube after the
elongating process. The pipe or tube I now reheat and subject to another rolling
process, the action of which is at right angles to its axis and to that of the elon-
gating process above described, and for which process I use another pair of suitably
driven rolls. I place the partially finished pipe or tube over one roll of the pair,
which roll I will call the interior roll, as it acts on the interior of the pipe. or tube,
whilst the other which I will call the exterior roll, acts on the exterior of the pipe
or tube.
In order that the pipe or tube may be readily placed in position over the interior
roll that roll is mounted in three (or more) bearings, one of which bearings at the
end of the said roll is made in parts capable of being moved away from the axis
of the roll. By this arrangement when a pipe or tube is to be placed into position
for being operated upon the said end bearing is removed so as to leave one end of
the roll free, the roll being meanwhile retained by the other bearings in its normal
position, the pipe or tube is placed on the said roll which it surrounds, one lateral
portion of the pipe or tube being situate between the two rolls so that it will be
in a position to be operated upon (when the rolls are set in motion) on the inner
surface by the interior roll, and on the outer surface by the exterior roll. The pipe
or tube having been thus passed over the free end of the one roll, the bearing of
that end is replaced so as to properly support the roll, and the rolling operation may
be commenced. The exterior roll is caused to approach the interior roll with a
sufficient force to give effect to the rolling process.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samson Fox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th August
1879.
SAMSON Fox, of The Leeds Forge Company, Limited, Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer and Ironmaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
METALLIC PIPES OR TUBES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR."
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of metallic pipes or tubes
and apparatus therefor relates to the rolling or forming of metallic pipes or tubes
out of solid rings or blooms of metal, in such manner that the said rings or
blooms may in the process of manufacture into pipes or tubes be increased first in
length and afterwards in diameter. For the purpose of producing the increment
in length I place the ring or bloom (prepared by casting or forging, or by both
combined, or otherwise) while in a highly heated state on a suitably constructed
mandrel, which together with the heated ring or bloom I pass repeatedly through
between a pair of grooved rolls suitably driven, one of which rolls is made to
approach the other in the usual way. At each side of the said pair of grooved
rolls I provide a travelling carriage to receive, support, and move with the over-

page_text: "
hanging weight of the mandrel and ring or bloom during their passage between
said rolls. The carriages are or one of them is provided with moans for moving
the mandrel and ring or bloom in an angular or axial direction, in order that at
each succeeding passage of the mandrel with the ring or bloom between the grooved
rolls, the ring or bloom may be acted upon by such rolls at a different part of its
circumference to that which was acted upon during the preceding passage through
the rolls. This process is repeated until the ring or blooms is sufficiently elongated
(and which may now be termed a pipe or tube), or until the thickness of metal of
such pipe or tube is such as to allow the said pipe or tube to be by the following
process rolled or finished to the desired diameter and thickness of metal at the
same time. The mandrel referred to on which I mount and roll the ring or bloom
for elongation I so construct in sections as to be easily removed from the ring,
bloom, pipe, or tube after the elongating process.
The pipe or tube I now re-heat and subject to another rolling process, the action
of which is at right angles to its axis and to that of the elongating process above
described, and for which process I use another pair of suitably mounted and driven
⚫ rolls.
I place the partially finished pipe or tube over one roll of the pair, which roll
I will call the interior roll, as it acts on the interior of the pipe or tube, whilst
the other, which I will call the exterior roll, acts on the exterior of the pipe or
tube.
In order that the pipe or tube may be readily placed in position over the interior
roll, that roll is mounted in three (or more) bearings, one of which bearings at the
end of the said roll is made in parts capable of being moved away from the axis of
the roll. By this arrangement when a pipe or tube is to be placed into position for
being operated upon, the said end bearing is removed so as to leave one end of the
roll freo, the roll being meanwhile retained by the other bearings in its normal
position. The pipe or tube is placed on the said roll, which it surrounds, one lateral
portion of the pipe or tube being situate between the two rolls, so that it will be in
a position to be operated upon (when the rolls are set in motion) on the inner
surface by the interior roll and on the outer surface by the exterior roll. The pipe
or tube having been thus passed over the free end of the one roll, the bearing of
that end is replaced so as to properly support the roll, and the rolling operation may
be commenced. The exterior roll is caused to approach the interior roll with a
sufficient force to give effect to the rolling process. And in order that my said
Invention and the manner of carrying the same into practical effect may be fully
and properly understood, I now proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, in which the same reference letters and figures are used to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated. Fig. 1 is a front elevation
of a pair of drawing or elongating rolls; Fig. 2 is an end elevation; and Fig. 3 is
a plan of the same. The rolls are inounted in suitable housings, and are provided
with driving gear in the usual way. A, Fig. 4, is a ring or bloom of metal in the
first stage of manufacture; B, Fig. 5, is the same after passing through the process
of drawing or elongating. The sectional or collapsible mandrel C, Figs. 2 and 3, is
shown in position with the elongated pipe or tube B upon it.
At the respective sides of the rolls are the travelling and supporting carriages D
and E mounted upon and guided by a sort of tramway F, F, at right angles to the
axes of the rolls. On these carriages is mounted the said sectional or collapsible
mandrel C with the bloom or ring pipe or tube B upon it, as shewn in Figs. 2-3,
where the bloom or ring is supposed to have undergone the process of drawing or
elongating. In order that the drawing or elongating may proceed regularly I mount
on one end of the central arbor G of the said mandrel a dividing index H, into the
notches of which a pawl I takes. The operator at each passage of the ring or
bloom between the rolls turns the said sectional or collapsible mandrel angularly a
certain number of notches, as may be found necessary to the proper drawing of the
bloom. A worin and wheel or other kind of power gear may be used for this
purpose. After the drawing or elongating process the mandrel with the pipe or

page_text: tube B upon it is lifted out of the carriages D and E, the central arbor or core G
is withdrawn, and thereupon the outer parts J, J, K, K', collapse, and are easily
removed from the pipe or tube B. The parts J, J, K, K¹, are afterwards put
together again ready to receive another bloom or ring. The sectional or collapsible
mandrel C, in Figs. 2 and 3, is shown in longitudinal section in Figs. 8-9, whilst
Fig. 10 is a cross section of the same at L, and Fig. 11 is a cross section at M. The
central core or arbor G is tapered. The outer sections J, J, K, K¹, are also tapered
internally to fit the central arbor or core G, and are dovetailed together and tapered
longitudinally at their joints so as to be easily removable. Figs. 6-7 are end views
of the travelling and supporting carriages D and E. The drawn bloom or ring,
which is now in the form of a pipe or tube, is next re-heated and subjected to
another kind of rolling, in order to enlarge it to the required diameter, and at the
same time to reduce the metal to the required thickness. This rolling process is at
right angles to that for elongating, and is performed in a rolling machine of similar
construction to one which is fully described in the. Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me 30th June 1877, No. 2530, and used by me for corrugating tubes and
plates, the difference being that for my present purpose of enlarging pipes or tubes
I use plain rolls having a hand or selfacting positive feed motion for causing the
rolls to approach each other, instead of the grooved rolls and lever motion with
steam, hydraulic, or other power, as described in the aforesaid Letters Patent.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of carrying
the same into practical effect, I desire to have it understood that I do not claim
generally as of this Invention the use of a rolling machine for rolling metal into
pipes or tubes, and, save and except as hereinafter mentioned, I do not intend to
claim any of the mechanical parts of the apparatus herein before shewn and
described when taken separately and apart from the combination or application
thereof in manner and for the purposes herein described, but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me under the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is as follows:-
1. The method, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated, of manu-
facturing metallic pipes or tubes from blooms or rings.
2. Also the use in combination of a rolling mill having grooved rolls, a sectionally
constructed collapsible mandrel and supporting carriages, all substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samson Fox, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty first day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.