AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT METAL PLATES FOR BEARING LOADS, AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF
WROUGHT METAL PLATES FOR BEARING LOADS, AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR
THAT PURPOSE." A communication from abroad by Martin Georg Mitter
and Carl Ludwig Wesenfeld, junior, both of Berlin, in the German Empire
ealed the 13th April 1877, and dated the 31st October 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st October 1876.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT METAL PLATES FOR BEARING LOADS,
AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE."
According to this Invention wrought metal plates are bent into a corrugated form
in such manner that the upper and lower curved portion, or the ridge and furrow of
each corrugation, are connected by a straight portion which is perpendicular or
nearly so to the general surface of the corrugated plate, and by preference of such
a height that the total depth of the corrugation is greater than the pitch or distance
from one corrugation to another. Such straight parts acting as girders give great
strength to the plate as compared with that of ordinary corrugated sheet metal,
wherein the upper curvature of the corrugation meets the lower curvature without
any such straight portion intervening, and wherein the total depth of the corruga-
tions cannot be made to exceed their pitch, owing to the fact that they are produced
by passing the sheet metal between corrugated rolls, the action of which would
injure the plate if the corrugations were made of greater depth in proportion to
their pitch.
The above described improved construction of plates is particularly applicable
for fireproof and other flooring, bridges, roofs, and in all cases where such plates are
required either to carry loads or simply to support their own weight over a
considerable span. The mode of manufacturing them is as follows:-
According to one arrangement, a female die is formed having the configuration
of one of the corrugations and a length equal to the width of the plate to be
corrugated, into which die fits a male die of corresponding configuration. The
extremity of the plate to be operated upon is placed across the female die, and the
[Price Gd.1

page_text: male die is made to descend so as to cause the plate to assume the form of the die;
the male die being then raised, the plate is again placed on the top of the female
die, but in an inverted position, with the corrugation already formed projecting
upwards, and so that the side of the corrugation is in line with the one side of the
die. By this means, when the mail die descends it only forms one side of the next
corrugation, and in thus facilitating the entrance of the plate into the die it is
prevented from being injured by undue strain. The plate is then again inverted
and shifted to produce the next half corrugation, and so on.
According to another arrangement, there are in addition to the above described
dies another male and female die corresponding in form to a second corrugation.
The two male dies are separate from each other, while one half of the second female
die is formed in one piece with the first one, the other half being separate. The
first male and female die having operated on the sheet metal, as above described, to
form the first corrugation, the second male die which slides up and down close
against the first one is then made to descend and cause the metal to assume the
shape of the half female die formed on the side of the first one, after which the
second half of the second die is made to ascend and bend the metal over the outer
side of the second male die so as to complete the second corrugation. The half
female die then again descends while the two male dies ascend, and the plate having
been raised and the last-formed corrugation of the metal placed in the first female
die, the above described operation is repeated. The dies are made in the form of
strong bars sliding with their ends in guides in side frames, and also with dovetail
projections on the side of one die fitting into corresponding grooves in the side of the
contiguous one. The necessary motion is imparted to the dies by cams on shafts
driven by gearing from any convenient motor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
April 1877.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT METAL PLATES FOR BEARING LOADS,
AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE." A communication from abroad by
Martin Georg Mitter and Carl Ludwig Wesenfeld, junior, both of Berlin, in the
German Empire.
According to this Invention, wrought metal plates are bent into a corrugated
form in such manner that the upper and lower curved portion, or the ridge and
furrow of each corrugation, are connected by a straight portion which is perpendicular
or nearly so to the general surface of the corrugated plate, and by preference of
such a height that the total depth of the corrugation is greater than the pitch or
distance from one corrugation to another. Such straight parts acting as girders give
great strength to the plate, as compared with that of ordinary corrugated sheet
metal, wherein the upper curvature of the corrugation meets the lower curvature
without any such straight portion intervening, and wherein the total depth of the
corrugations cannot be made to exceed their pitch, owing to the fact that they are
produced by passing the sheet metal between corrugated rolls, the action of which
would injure the plate if the corrugations were made of greater depth in proportion
to their pitch.
The above described improved construction of plates is particularly applicable
for fireproof and other flooring, bridges, roofs, and in all cases where such plates are
required either to carry loads or simply to support their own weight over a
considerable span. The mode of manufacturing them is as follows:-
According to one arrangement a female die is formed having the configuration of
one of the corrugations and a length equal to the width of the plate to be corrugated,

page_text: into which die fits a male die of corresponding configuration. The extremity of the
plate to be operated upon is placed across the female die, and the male die is made
to descend so as to cause the plate to assume the form of the die; the male die being
then raised the plate is again placed on the top of the female die, but in an inverted
position, with the corrugation already formed projecting upwards, and so that the
side of the corrugation is in line with the one side of the die. By this means, when
the male die descends it only forms one side of the next corrugation, and in thus
facilitating the entrance of the plate into the die it is prevented from being injured
by undue strain. The plate is then again inverted and shifted to produce the
next half corrugation, and so on.
According to another arrangement there are, in addition to the above described
dies, another male and female die corresponding in form to a second corrugation.
The two male dies are separate from each other, while one half of the second female
die is formed in one piece with the first one, the other half being separate. The
first male and female die having operated on the sheet metal, as above described,
to form the first corrugation, the second male die, which slides up and down close
against the first one, is then made to descend and cause the metal to assume the
shape of the half female die formed on the side of the first one, after which the
second half of the second die is made to ascend and bend the metal over the outer
side of the second male die so as to complete the second corrugation. The half
female die then again descends while the two male dies ascend, and the plate having
been raised, and the last formed corrugation of the metal placed in the first female
die, the above described operation is repeated. The dies are made in the form of
strong bars sliding with their ends in guides in side frames, and also with dovetail
projections on the side of one die fitting into corresponding grooves in the side of
the contiguous one. The necessary motion is imparted to the dies by cams on shafts
driven by gearing from any convenient motor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 6 of the Drawings shews a perspective view of the improved form of
corrugated plates; Figs. V. and VII. shew the consecutive operations of the dies for
producing the same; Fig. 1 shews a part longitudinal section of the machine; Fig. 1b
shews a part front elevation; Fig. 2 shews a cross section; Fig. 3a shews a part
plan; Fig. 3b, a part sectional plan; and, Fig. 4 shews an end elevation.
As shewn in Fig. 6, the corrugated plate is formed with a straight portion
intervening between its upper and lower curved portions, such. straight portions
being made to act as girders, and their depth consequently determining the bearing
strength of the plate. Fig. 7 shews one arrangement of dies for producing this
form of plate. Assuming that the male die II. has an alternate up-and-down
motion imparted to it in and out of the female die I., the end of the plate is first
placed across the female die as at a; the male die then descends and bends the plate
into the die as at b. The male die then ascends again as at c, and the plate being
lifted out of the die and turned over as at d; the male die then again descends,
forming another half corrugation as at c. The male die then again ascends, the
plate is again turned over, as at f, and the next half corrugation is formed by the
descent of the male die, and so on. If instead of inverting the plate as described,
it were attempted to make a complete corrugation at each operation by placing the
plate across the female die, as at g, then on the descent of the male die the plate
would be dragged over the edge by the male die, as at h, thereby producing the
form as at i instead of that required. Fig. 5 shews the same operation as performed
by four dies. There are two moveable male dies I. and II., one fixed female die III.
for one complete corrugation and half of the next one, and a second moveable
female die IV. for the second half of the second corrugation. Both male dies being
raised as at a, the plate is placed across III.; I. and II. then descend as at b, and I.
enters III., bending the plate as at c. II. then descends, bending the plate into the
half die at the side of III., as at d, after which IV. ascends, bending the plate

page_text: over II., thus completing the second corrugation as at c. The moveable dies then
recede, as at f, and the plate is shifted to the position shown at g, after which
I. first descends, holding the plate in the die as at h, while II. and IV. are consecutively
brought into operation for forming the next corrugation, as previously described.
Figs. 1 to 4 shew the construction of a machine with dies operating as last
described. The female die III. is fixed in a strong transverse beam of the
framing A. The female die IV. is fixed on a beam the ends of which slide up and
down between guides in the upright of the framing; it receives the requisite up-
and-down motion by means of cams C¹, C", fixed on a shaft driven from the
pinion on the driving shaft a through the spur wheel b¹¹, the cam c¹ being made
to work inside a stirrup C for imparting the upward motion to the dic, while the
cam C acts upon the roller C attached to the stirrup for moving the die
downwards.
The male dies I. and II. receive their requisite motion from cams f, g, h, on
shafts e driven through bevil gearing a, and countershaft d and spur wheel b¹ from
the driving pinion b. The cams f, g, work in stirrups f¹, g¹, sliding in guides f", g¹¹,
and the cam h acts against rollers h¹ carried by the stirrup g².
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim,―
First. The manufacture of corrugated metal plates wherein the curved ridge and
furrow of each corrugation are connected by a straight portion which is perpendicular
or nearly so to the general surface of the corrugated plate, substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.
Second. The method of producing such corrugated plates by means of dies
arranged and operating substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. V.
and VII., and I. to IV. of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
CHA. D. ABEL.
(L.S.)