Improved Machine for Punching Fire Clay Tuyeres.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1894-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machine for Punching Fire Clay Tuyeres.
1 RICHARD GRAVES of Gillhead Colliery Flimby in the County of Cumber-
land Colliery Proprietor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
3#
This machine consists of two vertical cast iron columns standing on a bed plate
and having a cast iron plate placed over their crowns and bolted thereto, which
supports a steam cylinder. The piston rod works with a downward stroke (as in
the case of a steam hammer). On the lower end face of the piston rod is fitted a
plate secured thereto by means of a cross head bolt and nut, and to the plate, and
on its under side is fitted a wrought iron disc, into which is secured some 13 (more
or less) 3 (inch) steel rods of sufficient length to go through a tuyere from end to
end. These steel rods are driven by the downward stroke of the piston rod right
through the fire clay tuyere in its unbaked state being withdrawn by the upward
stroke leaving a clean perforation through its entire length. The tuyere when
ready for punching is so placed in a movable mould as to be readily adjusted in a
vertical position directly beneath the stroke of the piston rod, which drives the
steel rods through it from end to end, the clay which they displace being driven
out at the bottom of the mould through holes corresponding in position with the
punching rods.
Dated this Eighth day of June 1893.
RICHARD GRAVES,
Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machine for Punching Fire Clay Tuyeres.
I, RICHARD GRAVES, of Gillhead Colliery, Flimsby, in the County of Cumber-
land, Colliery Manager 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 :—
My invention relates to an improved machine for moulding and perforating while
in a plastic condition such fire-clay tuyeres as are usually employed for conveying
the blast to the bottoms or other lower parts of blast furnaces, smiths' forges and
the like, and has for its object to mould and perforate such tuyeres in
operation by simple and easy means capable of being managed by a lad or other
unskilled person.
one
In order that my invention and the manner of its operation may be clearly
understood, I have hereunto appended two sheets of drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine, partly in vertical
cross section.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same as it would appear when viewed from left
to right of Fig. 1.

page_text: Fig. 3 Sheet 2 is a norizontal section of the same, taken upon the line A. D,
while
Fig. 4 is a like section taken upon the line C D, the mould having been removed
therefrom.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of a complete finished tuyere according to my invention.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the same.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the same viewed from its larger end, shewing
the position and number of the perforations I prefer shall be therein provided.
I carry my invention into effect by providing a suitable bed plate, upon which I
mount and bolt or otherwise fix thereto, two vertical and preferably cast iron
columns A and B, joined at their crowns by a plate C, bolted to each, upon which
is mounted and bolted thereto a steam cylinder D, receiving its supply of steam
from any available source, and provided with suitable cocks and valves in the
usual way.
To the lower end of the cylinder piston rod is fitted a circular or
other shaped metallic plate E, secured thereto by a suitable bolt and nut F, and
to the under surface of the said plate E is fitted and fixed a preferably wrought
iron circular or other shaped disc G, to which is rigidly secured, and depending
therefrom, steel rods H, which may vary in number and disposition according
the number of holes or perforations to be made in the tuyere, but for general
purposes, I find in practice that, thirteen or thereabouts such perforations is the
most suitable, and consequently I prefer to use this number of perforating rods H,
these being pointed or sharpened at their lower ends, in order that the plastic
fire clay of which (according to my invention) the said tuyeres are made, may
be more easily pierced thereby and pass entirely therethrough, without displacing
more of the said plastic material than is absolutely necessary, thereby adding to
the strength and stability of the tuyere when finished. The rods H may be of
the same cross sectional diameter for the whole of their length when it is desired
that the perforations made thereby shall be perfectly parallel from end to end,
but in some cases I find it more convenient that the said periorations be tapered
towards their lower ends as shewn by the sectional view Fig. 6, and to effect this
the rods H would be tapered in like manuer.
Upon the bed plate to which the columns A B are fixed, and between these, is
bolted or otherwise fixed, two suitable lengths of angle iron a b, upon which slides
a metallic table J, to the sides of which are pivotally connected one end of a pair
of arms KK, their opposite ends being in like manner connected to arms L L',
fixed to and depending from a horizontal shaft M, carried by the columns A B,
and upon either end of M is mounted a lever N, the lowering and raising of which
operates, by the agency of L L' and K K', the sliding movement of the table J, in
a direction from the front to the back of the machine, and vice versa. The table J
carries the tuyere mould O, and this when placed thereon is retained in position by
the means of an upright P', swivelled upon, or otherwise loosely connected to, the
table J, a slot in the upper end of which engages with a projecting pin R upon O.
The said upright P has two projecting pins P with which engage one end of a
pair of arms cd, their opposite ends being pivotally connected to the depending
arms L L', or to the same bolts or pins as connect these with K K, and capable
of moving therewith when operated by the lever N.
The columns A B are each formed with a hollow web S, and upon the inner
surface of each of these, and at a suitable distance from the base, is bolted a short
length of rod e bent upward so as to be perfectly perpendicular, and upon these
slide vertically a horizontal plate T, which is retained in its lowest position thereon
by the tension of spiral springs surrounding the rods, such tension being
regulated by suitable nuts gone. The plate T has bolted or otherwise rigidly
connected thereto a pair of vertical rods, which extend upwardly therefrom
and pass loosely through holes in the plate E, and above this the said rods are
provided with cotters or pins jj', and guide bolts k k' fixed to the webs S.
The plate T is provided, centrally, with holes corresponding in number and
position to the rods H, through which the lower and pointed ends of these always

page_text: protrude, as shewn in Fig. 1, and which form a steadying guide therefor, a like
number of holes m being formed in the table J, through which the said ends of H
pass at the finish of their down stroke. The manner of operation is as follows.
The mould O having been tightly filled and slightly heaped up with fire clay in
a plastic condition, the lever N would be raised so as to bring the table J to the
front of the machine, or to the right of Fig. 2, when the filled mould would be
placed thereon in such a position that the holes m in J were centrally therewith as
shewn at Fig. 3, and to ensure this, I may, if necessary, provide a suitable number
of projecting pins upon the lower surface of 0, which may register with corre-
sponding holes in the table J. The upright P would then be placed in connection
with the pin R upon O, and the arms ed with the pins P¹ on P. The lever N
would then be lowered until was in such a position that, the four or more
pointed projecting pins n upon the under surface of the plate T, would, when T
was lowered or J and O raised, engage with holes p in the upper rim of O, thus
ensuring that the rods H when lowered would pass centrally through the contents
of O. Steam would then be turned into the cylinder D, and the piston thereof
commencing its down stroke, the rods hand hand the plate T (until now held
suspended by the plate E engaging with the cotters or pins jj) would be instantly
Jowered by the tension of the springs f, and the pins n thereof engage with the
holes p in O, the same tension of operating to press T upon the topped up clay
in O, and so force this into the countersunk mouth thereof, and there fix it, while
the down stroke of the piston rod continuing, the perforating or punching rods H
would be forced thereby entirely through the plastic material in O, and the holes m
in the table J, through which such of the plastic material as may be displaced by
the rods H would be forced. The return or upstroke of the piston would withdraw
the rods H, leaving behind corresponding apertures s, in the plastic tuyere in the
mould O, and at the finish of the said upstroke the plate E, by colliding with the
cotters or pins jj, would raise the rods and the plate T, thereby partly com-
pressing the springs f, and leaving a clearance between T and O as at Fig. 1.
The lever N would then be farther depressed, and the table J slid along ab until
the mould O was placed at the opposite side of A. B to that shewn by Fig. 2, when
the mould and its contents would be removed, and the drying and baking process
be carried out in the usual way, ultimately producing the finished tuyere O' as
shewn by Figs. 5 and 6. The lever N would then be again raised returning the
empty table J to its original position as at Fig. 4, ready to receive another filled
inould to be operated upon in the same way.
I may if more convenient, especially when making tuyeres less in height than
that illustrated by the drawings, arrange a lever capable of being operated by the
foot of the machine attendant, by which the mould O (and table J if necessary)
may be partly raised to effect the registering of the pins n on T with the holes p
in O, before the commencement of the down stroke of the piston, and it is obvious
that the lowering of the rods H for perforating the tuyere as described may be
effected by manual power if desired, by a suitable arrangement of a lever or its
equivalent.
"I wish it understood that I do not confine myself to the use of any number of
rods H, nor to any particular manner of arranging the position of these, but I
prefer, as previously stated, to employ thirteen of these, or thereabouts arranged in
such a manner that the perforations s made thereby in the tuyere O', shall be
disposed as shewn by the enlarged plan view Fig. 7.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I am aware
that machines with vertical cylinders, and rods operated by hydraulic and other
power, and having moulds sliding in and out, have been proposed for manufacturing
tuyeres and like articles, and I do not claim such construction of machines generally,
but what I do claim is
1st. In the moulding and perforation of fire clay tuyeres, the construction and

page_text: use of the herein described apparatus, and the arrangement of the parts and
accessories constituting the same, the whole connected, combined and operating
by steam or manual power substantially as herein set forth and shewn by the
accompanying drawings.
2nd. In an improved machine for moulding and perforating tuyeres made of
fire-clay, the construction and use of a pair of columns A B, mounted upon a
suitable base, and each provided with a hollow web S, and surmounted by a crown
plate C, carrying a vertical steam cylinder D, the piston rod of which carries a
plate E and disc G, the latter holding any number of depending parallel or tapered
rods H, arranged in any suitable form, and extend downwardly through holes in a
plate T, arranged to slide vertically upon guides e provided with springs f, and
having perpendicular rods h h¹ extending upwardly therefrom and passing through
boles in the plate E, and provided with pins or cotters j j¹ and guides k k¹.
mould O, with recesses p, for registering with pins n upon the plate T, when
mounted upon a table J, arranged to slide upon guides 6 when operated by a
lever N, and arms L, L, K and K', and steadied by an upright P, engaging with a
pin R upon O. The manner of raising the plate T against the tension of the
springs, by the upstroke of the piston rod, for the release of the mould O and its
contents, the whole connected, combined and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of Janu 1801
The
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.