A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING METALLIC FLANGES FOR JOINTING PIPES AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BECK, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING METALLIC
FLANGES FOR JOINTING PIPES AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as
follows:
"
Heretofore the metallic socket flanges employed for connecting pipes and other
similar articles have been made either by casting or forging. When cast they are
generally deficient in strength and when forged considerable hand labour is
required and the welding or brazing is sometimes defective.
The process forming the subject of the present Invention consists in the
application of the stamping process to the manufacture in general of socket flanges
of wrought iron or any other metal that can be hammered or pressed into shape,
and for this purpose a washer or disc of the metal of which it is desired to form
the flange is placed over a die, a hole of suitable diameter having been previously
made in the centre of the said washer or disc; a suitable punch is then forced
down through the said hole by means of a press or stamp or otherwise so as to
press or force the metal round the hole in the washer or disc into the die so as to
form the socket of the flange to the required shape, the die being formed as may
be required for imparting to the metal the required angle-iron like shape. When
the nature of the metal employed admits of it, as for example when iron or steel
is used, the washer or disc may with advantage be heated to a white heat before
being placed over the die.
A single stroke of the punch is generally sufficient to stamp and shape the
metal perfectly, but in some cases, as for example when the washer or disc is of
considerable thickness, two or more strokes of the punch may be made.

page_text: Flanges may be made rapidly and economically by this process, and when so
made are not only not liable to rupture, but the part least requiring strength is
that which is driven down into the die by the punch and which is thinned to a
certain extent by that operation.
The means of effecting the stamping of the flanges may be varied, it may be
done by blows or by gradual pressure or by a combination of blows and pressure,
and the nature of the stamping tool and the apparatus for moving the same may
both be varied according to circumstances.

page_text: I, WILLIAM HENRY BECK of 115 Cannon Street in the City of London;
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING METALLIC
FLANGES FOR JOINTING PIPES AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES" 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
Drawings and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
Heretofore the annular metallic socket flanges of section similar to that of an
angle iron, employed for connecting together pipes and other similar articles, bave
been made either by casting or forging. When cast they are generally deficient in
strength, and when forged, considerable band labour is required, and the welding
or brazing is sometimes defective.
The process forming the subject of the present Invention consists in the
application of the stamping process to the manufacture, in general, of such flanges
of wrought iron, or any other metal that can be hammered or pressed into shape,
and for that purpose a washer or disc of the metal, of which it is desired to form
the flange, is placed over a die or matrix, a hole of suitable diameter having been
previously made in the centre of the said washer or disc: a suitable punch is then
forced down through the said hole by means of a press or stamp or otherwise so as
to press or forco the metal round the hole in the washer or disc into the die so as
to form the socket of the flange to the required shape; the die being formed as
may be required for imparting to the metal the required angle-iron-like shape.
When the nature of the metal employed admits of it, as for example, when iron
or steel is used, the washer or disc may with advantage be heated to a white heat
before being placed over the die.
In the Drawings hereto annexed Figure 1 represents the apparatus with the
parts in the positions they occupy at the beginning of the operation. Figure 2
shows the apparatus with the parts in the positions they occupy at the end of the
operation. Figure 3 is a plan of the washer before being formed into the angle-
iron-like shape. Figure 4 is a plan of the annular angle-iron-like flange
obtained.
a is the die with a recess b for the reception of the washer c to be stamped up
(see Figure 1) and for the action of the punch d, the initial position of which is
also shown in the same Figure.
The washer or disc c has a central hole e of suitablo dimensions formed through
it; it is placed at a white beat, when the metal is such as can be so treated, over
the die in the position shown in Figure 1; the punch d is forced down by the
press or stamp or other apparatus operating it, and acts upon the washer c either
by percussion or graduated pressure, forcing its way through the hole and
producing thereby the forcing down of the metal round the hole e as shown in
Figure 2. The washer is thus transformed into a socket flange or flange of
angle-iron-like section.
A single stroke of the punch is generally sufficient to stamp and shape the
metal perfectly, but in some cases, as for example when the washer or disc is of
considerable thickness; two or more strokes of the punch may be made.
Flanges may be made rapidly and economically by this process, and of circular,
elliptic or other forms to suit the shapes of the pipes the ends of which are
required to be jointed together and when so made they are not only not liable to
rupture being without weld, but the part least requiring strength is that which is

page_text: driven down into the die by the punch, and which is thinned to a certain extent
by that operation.
be
The means of effecting the stamping of the flanges may be varied; it may
done by blows or by gradual pressure, or by a combination of blows and pressure;
and the nature of the stamping tool, and the apparatus for moving the same, may
both be varied according to circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the naturo of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
The process hereinbefore described for obtaining metallic flanges from metal
which can be hammered or pressed into shapo; by upsetting or stamping whereby
joints or welds are avoided, such process consisting 1. in cutting out to the required
dimensions a metallic washer perforated with a hole at its centre; 2. in heating
this washer to any suitable degree (when the nature of the metal admits of such
treatment) and in placing the said washer in a suitable die; 3. in upsetting or
stamping of the metal in the said die by one or more strokes of a screw press or
by one or more blows of a stamp hammer, or by blows produced otherwise, or by
gradual pressure of the metal by means of a hydraulic press or otherwise.