IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRENGTHENING METALLIC RINGS AND TUBES, SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO BOILER FLUES OR FIRE-BOXES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HOMAN PRICE FENBY, of 13 Westfield Place, Leeds in the County of York,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR STRENGTHENING METALLIC RINGS AND TUBES, SPECIALLY
APPLICABLE TO BOILER FLUES OR FIRE-BOXES," to be as follows:-
In a previous patent granted to me for Improvements in strengthening metallic
rings and tubes and chiefly intended for the construction of boiler flues or fire-
boxes, I described the means by which I effected the same, namely by forming a
number of flutes or alternate ridges and hollows running round the tube or flue
askew, preferably at an angle of about forty-five degrees, thus giving the said tube
or flue great longitudinal strength as well as rigidity to resist collapse.
My present Invention relates to Improved means of manufacture of the said
tubes or flues and has reference chiefly to a machine for rolling or embossing the
skew ridges and hollows either before or after the metal is in the form of a tube.
In a pair of suitable housings I mount a pair of rolls, having the skew ridges
and hollows formed on their peripheries, and arranged so that the ridges of one roll
fit into the hollows of the other one, so that the said rolls gear into one another
like a pair of long helical pinions. These rolls I gear together by means of a pair
of cogged wheels, to ensure that they shall always bear the same relationship to
one another. One of these rolls I make capable of adjustment towards the other
by means of cams, or screws, or other suitable mechanism, so that any required
amount of pressure may be put upon the plate or tube to be embossed.
The other roll I arrange so that one of the outer bearings can be removed for
the purpose of withdrawing the finished tube. At one side of the pair of
embossing rolls, I place a third roll which may be plain, having its axis parallel to
the two embossing rolls, and capable of adjustment by means of cams, screws or
other suitable mechanism towards the embossing rolls.
A hot plate of sufficient size to form the required tube or flue, on being presented
to the embossing rolls, is seized by them and impressed on its passage through,
with the ridges and hollows running across the said plate in a diagonal direction.
As the plate emerges at the back of the rolls it is set to the required curve to form

page_text: the tube by the pressure of the third or plain roll. Such a tube may now be
rivetted up at the joint or it may be welded."
For the purpose of welding the joint I use the same machine with the addition
of a large moveable blow pipe placed under or at one side of the embossing rolls,
such blow pipe being provided with a long slit or a series of holes through which
I force, a mixture of compressed air and gas by means of a fan, blower, or from an
accumulator. When a sufficient heat is arrived at along the edges of the plate
which are to form the joint, I start the rolls revolving so as to draw the parts so
heated in between the said rolls where they receive the necessary pressure to unite
them. The rolls. are then reversed backward and forward by a reversing motion,
the pressure on the plate or tube being increased by the rolls being forced gradually
together until the joint becomes of the same thickness as the remainder of the tube.
The tube may then be run round in one continuous direction until it assumes a
perfectly cylindrical form with the flutes or ridges and hollows running askew
round it and from end to end or for any portion of its length as may be required.
The above described machine does equally well for making and welding plain
tubes or flues.
A plain plate may be embossed or impressed the whole or parts of its length with
the diagonal ridges and hollows by means of the above mentioned machine, and
afterwards bent into the form of a tube or flue by ordinary bending rolls.
By another process a plain tube or flue, after being made hot, may be subjected
to the action of the embossing rolls, and so strengthened on my Improved system,
or the same result may be effected by subjecting the tube or flue to the action of
"embossing dies actuated by steam, hydraulic or other motive power.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Strengthening Metallic Rings
and Tubes, Specially Applicable to Boiler Flues or Fire-
boxes.
I, HOMAN PRICE FENBY of the Manor House, Farnley n³ Leeds in the County
of York, formerly of 13 Westfield Place, Leeds in the County of York, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR STRENGTHENING METALLIC RINGS AND TUBES, SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO
BOILER FLUES OR FIRE-BOXES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My present Invention relates to machinery for the manufacture of tubular flues or
fire-boxes as described and claimed in the specification of my application for letters
Patent No 12639 22 Oct. 1885, but it is applicable for use in the manufacture of
such like tubes for other purposes, the machine being designed for rolling or
embossing the ridges and hollows or corrugations of rapid twist or thread either
before or after the metal is in the form of a tube.
The accompanying drawing represents in side elevation in Fig. 1, and transverse
section in Fig. 2, and in end elevation in Fig. 3, a machine made according to my
Invention, and Fig. 4 the rolls for the same. In housings A I mount, a pair of
rolls B. C. having the ridges and hollows formed on their peripheries, the said
ridges and hollows being of a multiple thread of or about an angle of forty-five
degrees and arranged so that the ridges of one roll fit into the hollows of the other
roll and the said rolls gear into one another like a pair of long helical pinions.
gear them together by means of a pair of cogged wheels D. E. to ensure that they
shall always bear the same relationship to one another, and I drive one of them by
any suitable means such for example as the worm wheel r on the axis of the roll C
with which gears a worm 8 on shaft & driven by the motor. One of these rolls
I make capable of adjustment towards the other by means of cams or screws or
other suitable mechanism so that any required amount of pressure may be put
upon the plate or tube to be embossed.
I have shewn in the drawing for this purpose a worm shaft f operated by a
handwheel g the worm gearing with a worm wheel h on a shaft i carrying
cams, which act on the bearings for the roll B. The other roll C I arrange so
that one of the outer bearings 6 can be removed for the purpose of withdrawing
the finished tube.
At one side of the embossing rolls B. C. I place a third roll J which may be
plain, having its axis parallel to those of the two embossing rolls B. C. and capable
of adjustment by means of cams or screws or other suitable mechanism towards
the embossing rolls. I have shewn for this purpose in the drawings arms k
centered at kl to the housings A and carrying the said roll J. the arms k being
acted upon by cams 7 on a shaft m provided with a worm wheel n operated by a
worm p on a shaft p 2 provided with a handwheel p 3.
A hot plate of sufficient size to form the required tube or flue, or the tube
or flue already formed on being presented to the embossing rolls B. C. is seized
by them and impressed on its passage through them with the ridges and hollows

page_text: running across the said plate in a diagonal direction or helically there around or
partly so. When a plate is being operated upon as it emerges at the back of the
rolls it is set to the required curve to form the tube by the pressure of the third
roll J.
Such a tube may now be rivetted up at the joint or it may be welded.
For the purpose of welding the joint I use the same machine with the addition
of a large moveable blowpipe Q placed under or at one side of the embossing rolls
and provided with a long slit q or a series of holes through which I force a mixture
of compressed air and gas by means of a fan or blower or from an accumulator and
I thereat ignite it. When a sufficient heat is arrived at along the edges of the
plate which are to form the joint I start the rolls revolving so as to draw the parts
so heated in between the said rolls B. C. where they receive the necessary pressure
to unite them. The rolls B. C. are then reversed backward and forward by a
reversing motion which may be effected by a reversing pulley x on the shaft t.
The pressure on the tube or plate is increased by the rolls being gradually forced
together until the joint becomes of the same thickness as the remainder of the tube.
The tube may then be run round in one continuous direction until it assumes a
perfectly cylindrical form with, the flutes or ridges and hollows running round it
and from end to end as hereinbèfore described or for any portion of its length as
may be required in accordance with the ridges and hollows of the rolls B. C. This
machine does equally well for making and welding plain flues or tubes which may
afterwards be corrugated.
A plain plate may be embossed or impressed the whole or part of its length with
the diagonal ridges and hollows by means of the above mentioned machine and
afterwards bent into the form of a tube or flue by ordinary bending rolls or as
before stated a plain tube or flue after being made hot may be subjected to the
action of the embossing rolls and so strengthened on my improved system.
By another method of manufacture I dispense with the rolling machine for
producing the spiral corrugations and use instead embossing or swaging dies
having the angular ridges and hollows on their faces and actuated by steam,
hydraulic, air or other motive power.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. For the manufacture of tubular flues or fire-boxes or other tubes a rolling
machine provided with rolls with ridges and hollows to impress the tubes with
corrugations in the form and disposition of a number of helices after the manner of
a multiple or many threaded screw of or approximating to an angle of forty-five
degrees substantially as hereinbefore explained.
2. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the rolling machine
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of the blow pipe and rolls for the purpose of welding either
plain or corrugated flues or fire-boxes as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
4. The construction of boiler flues or fire-boxes having the spiral corrugations as
described by means of embossing or swaging dies actuated by steam, hydraulic, air
or other motive power.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1886