Improvements in Apparatus applicable for Assembling and Con- necting Radiator Loops for Steam or Hot Water Circulation.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1894--Accepted, 30th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus applicable for Assembling and Con-
necting Radiator Loops for Steam or Hot Water Circulation.
A communication by HARRISON H. TAYLOR and GEORGE THRALL, both of
Detroit, in the County of Wayne and State of Michigan, United States of
America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster and 323, High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer 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 :-
This invention relates to machines for assembling radiator loops, and consists of
the devices and appliances, together with their combinations and arrangements, as
more fully herewith illustrated in the drawings and more clearly hereinafter specified
and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings-
Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating features of this invention.
Figure 2 is a cross section along the line -, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of portions of the mechanism.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the chuck and related parts.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the clutch.
Figure 6, a modification of the nipple, and the manner of engaging the chuck
therewith.
This invention contemplates novel mechanism for the assemblage of radiator
loops, either for steam or hot water circulation, and therefore has in view to
provide mechanism whereby the radiator loops may be assembled and connected in
a desired manner at either or at both ends as may be required.
In the accompanying drawings is shown mechanism for connecting the loops at
both extremities. Where, however, it is only desired to connect the loops at one
extremity, or at the base simply, a portion of the mechanism herewith shown and
described may be removed or entirely dispensed with.
This invention contemplates also the union of the loops by means of a connecting
nipple constructed with right and left hand screw threads to engage correspondingly
screw tapped hubs on the respective loops.
The essential feature of this invention is, therefore, to provide suitable mechanism
to form the union of the nipples with the various loops as they are added to form
the completed radiator, and to accomplish the work in a simple, convenient,
expeditious and efficient manner.
To this end, A represents any suitable support for the first loop, or the loops
already assembled. Thus it may be constructed with a vertical arm A', provided
with a tapering shoulder a to engage the hub of the first loop and hold it in
position. Where it is desired to provide for connecting the loops at both ends, the
support may be constructed with an additional arm A³ provided with a similar
shoulder a. When provision is desired to be made to unite the loops at both ends,
moreover, one of the arms A'A' is preferably made movable laterally so as to
serve in assembling loops of any desired length. Thus, for instance, the support A,
of which the said arms form a part, may be constructed with a series of
perforations a², the arm A² being laterally adjustable and held in any desired loca-
tion by a bolt or pin a³ engaged in one of said perforations. The shoulders a a¹

page_text: each serves to help centre the work axially, as well as to hold the loop in proper
position.
B, B, etcetera, represent a series of radiator loops, and b denotes their respective
hubs. C represents a nipple for uniting adjacent loops, the nipple being
constructed with right and left hand threads to engage the correspondingly screw
tapped hubs of the loops.
D is a head block having, preferably, a movable engagement on the support A
in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by a dove-tailed engagement thereupon, as
shown at a', Figure 2, so that it may be readily reciprocated. This reciprocation
may be effected in any desired manner. Thus, the head-block may be provided
with a pinion d, meshing with a rack bar A³ upon the support A, the shaft of the
pinion being provided with a hand-wheel D¹. E is a rotary chuck which may be
mounted in said head-block, and is provided at one extremity with any suitable
means for interiorly engaging the nipple and screwing it into the adjacent loops.
Thus, the chuck may be shaped simply at said end so as to enter the nipple, the
nipple being constructed with bearing lugs c, c', whereby the nipple will be rotated
when the chuck is engaged therewith, or, as shown in Figure 4, the chuck may
consist of a more elaborate construction, the chuck being made with an expansible
head, the chuck consisting of a tubular arm E' located in the head block, and
having at one end the chuck provided with movable jaws e, e¹, etcetera, having a
spindle sleeved therein, the spindle being constructed with wedge-shaped
grooves e² adjacent to said jaws, the spindle extending also through the tubular
arm E and provided with an operating handle E2, with which it may have a screw
tapped engagement. The movable jaws, it will be readily observed, may thus be
quickly expanded and contracted, and, when entered in the nipple and expanded,
will carry the nipple, as a rotary movement is imparted thereto, thereby screwing
the nipple into the adjacent loops simultaneously.
It will be noted, as shown in the drawings, that the chuck is intended to extend
through the hub of the new loop to be added and thus interiorly engage the
nipple.
While the chuck is made to travel with the head-block, it will also be desirable
to give it an independent reciprocatory movement, since, when the new loop is to
be added, the chuck must be removed out of the way so that the loop can be
located in position. The head-block may then be engaged against the loop,
laterally, to press it up against the nipple when, in addition, a further movement
must also be given to extend the chuck through the hub of the loop and enter it in
the nipple.
The head-block may be reciprocated, carrying the chuck therewith, by means of
the hand wheel D' as already described. While this invention is not confined to
any definite means of reciprocating either the head-block or the chuck, the
reciprocation of the latter may conveniently be accomplished by constructing the
tubular arm E' with suitable teeth with which a gear e, journalled in any desired
manner upon the head-block, may mesh, the said gear being operated, for instance,
by a lever E³.
The tubular arm E is provided at the outer end with any proper driving
mechanism, as a gear E. F is a rotary shaft mounted in extended arms D2, D3, of
the head-block, the said shaft being provided with a driving gear F' and a pinion ƒ
meshing with the gear E%.
As the said latter pinion is to mesh with the gear E' located upon the reciprocatory
tubular arm E', it is preferred to construct the said pinion of sufficient breadth to
mesh readily with the gear, in whichever direction it may be reciprocated.
G is a driving pulley mounted upon a shaft G' provided with a gear G³ meshing
with the gear F.
G is any suitable clutch having a permanent engagement upon the shaft G¹ while
the pulley is movable to engage or disengage the clutch.
The invention is not limited to any particular clutch mechanism, but the pulley
may be brought into frictional contact with the clutch by means of a conical sliding

page_text: block y provided with an operating lever g', said block operating upon jaws g³ g³ to
throw the pulley into and out of engagement with the clutch.
H is the main driving shaft belted with the pulley G, as shown at H¹. Any
driving mechanism may however be employed. The mechanism to unite the
opposite ends of the loops, it will be understood, will be the duplicate of that
herein before described, the driving shaft being belted with a pulley G' which may
be the counterpart of the pulley G, communicating its power through intermediate
mechanism similar to that already described to a corresponding head block and
reciprocatory chuck.
This duplicate mechanism may be employed or dispensed with, as may be desired.
By making the track A* of the head block movable upon the support A, as well as
the arm A, this duplicate mechanism shown in the upper part of Figure 1 and at
the right hand of Figure may readily be removed altogether if preferred, as well
as adjusted for various lengths of loops.
It will be immaterial, of course, which of the two duplicate mechanisms is made
adjustable the one to the other. So also the bead block has been shown and
described as movable but the adjustment of the arm A¹ or A³ is contemplated in
lieu of the reciprocation of the head block as coming within the scope of this
invention, though the reciprocation of the head block is preferable.
In order to centre and hold the hub of the new loop to be added in a proper
position for union with the nipple, it is preferable to cut away the tubular arm E
at e so that the chuck may enter the hub of the loop and properly hold the loop
in position.
In operation, a loop is first located in place upon the support, its hub being
engaged at one side upon the conical shaped shoulder a, and also upon the
shoulder a' if the loop is to be connected at both ends. A nipple may then be
simply entered by hand on the opposite side of the hub, the new loop to be added
located in position, and the head block brought into lateral engagement therewith.
The chuck is then moved forward and engaged with the nipple and given a rotary
movement. As the nipple is being thus united with the adjacent loops the head
block may be moved forward to maintain its pressure against the loop.
An important feature of this device is the fact that the hubs of two adjacent
loops may thus be brought into close contact, and without liability of stripping any
threads by undue strain in uniting the nipple therewith, as, when the engage-
ment of the nipple with the hubs approaches the limit, the pulley G may be eased
away from the adjacent clutch, causing a slower rotation of the chuck, the operation
of the chuck being thereby under control.
Where a duplicate mechanism is employed to unite the loops at both ends, since
said duplicate mechanism is made movable on the support, some suitable belt
tightener will be desired, as for instance, the roller E³.
It is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited to any particular
construction of the chuck, and that this invention contemplates any suitable device
for interiorly engaging the nipple to rotate it, and it is purposed to include under
the term chuck, in the following claims, any analogous device adapted to this end.
Any suitable means may be employed to give the chuck a reverse motion.
contemplated as a simple method of constructing the nipple to cut off suitable
lengths therefor from ordinary gas pipe and cut a right and a ieft hand screw
thread thereon.
It is
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In combination, a loop-support A, constructed to hold the loops in position, a
head-block, a shaft mounted in said head-block carrying a chuck E, projecting
beyond the face of the head-block, means for reciprocating the head-block; means
to reciprocate the chuck-shaft independently of the head-block, and meaus to
rotate the chuck-shaft, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. In combination, a loop-support A, constructed to hold the loops in position, a
sliding head-block D, a shaft mounted therein carrying an expansible chuck E,
projecting beyond the face of the head-block, means for rotating said chuck-shaft,
and means for reciprocating said chuck-shaft independently of the sliding movement
of the head-block, substantially as set forth.
3. In combination, a loop-support consisting of two parallel arms constructed to
hold the loops in position, and means for laterally adjusting one of said arms, a
head-block having a sliding engagement on one of said arms, means for reciprocating
the head-block, a shaft mounted therein carrying a chuck projecting beyond the
face of the head-block, means to reciprocate the said chuck independently of the
head-block, and means to rotate the chuck, substantially as set forth.
4. In combination, a loop-support A, constructed to hold the loops in position, a
head-block D, a shaft mounted therein carrying a chuck E, projecting beyond the
face of the head-block, and means to rotate the chuck, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 27th day of March 1894.