IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wilkinson, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Metal Dealer, and George Edward Taylor, of
the Lozells, near Birmingham aforesaid, Metal Roller, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CASTING
METALS."
.
Sealed the 23rd May 1873, and dated the 7th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wilkinson
and George Edward Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 7th December 1872.
We, WILLIAM WILKINSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Metal Dealer, and GEORGE EDWARD TAYLOR, of the Lozells, near Bir-
mingham aforesaid, Metal Roller, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CASTING
METALS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the construction and arrangement of parts
of machinery or apparatus hercin-after described for casting long or
continuous ingots, bars, or strips of metal. The said long or continuous

page_text: ingots, bars, or strips are more convenient and economical in the manu-
facture of rolled plates and drawn rods and wires than ingots of the
ordinary kind.
In order to facilitate the description of our Invention we remark that
ingots of metal are ordinarily cast in a mould consisting of two parts,
each having the figure of a shallow trough open at one end. When the
two parts of the mould are placed on one another and secured together
there is produced a mould having the figure of a flat box open at one
end. This mould is placed in a nearly vertical position with its open
end uppermost, and the melted metal is poured therein.
In constructing according to our Invention machinery or apparatus
for casting metals we take two series of plates, one series being trough-
shaped and the other flat, the trough-shaped plates being open at both
their shorter sides or ends. The plates of each series are jointed together
so as to form two endless bands, which are supported by and work upon
two pairs of drums or pulleys. The said drums or pulleys are so situated
relative to each other that the concave side of the endless band of jointed
trough-shaped plates is presented to and kept in contact with one side
of the other endless band of jointed flat plates. When the said endless
bands are made to move at the same rate they constitute a travelling or
endless mould, the two parts of the mould being brought together near
the upper drums or pulleys over which the endless bands of plates pass,
and are separated near the lower drums or pulleys, the plates being in
contact during the time they are passing from the upper to the lower
drums or pulleys. The framing of the machine or apparatus is so
arranged that the endless bands of jointed plates are situated nearly in
a vertical position, and the parts of the said bands in contact have a
descending motion, the separated parts after passing over the drums or
pulleys having an ascending motion until arriving at their respective
drums or pulleys, when they again take a descending motion and are
again brought into contact. Motion is communicated to the endless
bands by means of racks on their backs into which racks pinions take.
These pinions are geared together and are driven by steam power or by
hand. The trough-shaped plates travel on V shaped or other guides,
and the plain plates are pressed at back by springs for the purpose of
keeping them in close contact with the trough-shaped plates.
In using our improved machinery or apparatus a stop or temporary
bottom is fixed in one of the trough-shaped plates so as to prevent the

page_text: metal poured into the apparatus from running through. The molten
metal is poured into the apparatus through a suitably shaped funnel
fixed over the upper drums or pulleys, and motion being given to the
endless bands of jointed plates the molten metal is poured into the said
funnel. The rate of motion and the pouring of the metal are so adjusted
with respect to each other that the travelling mould is kept full. The
ingot or bar formed by the solidification of the metal in the mould
passes out at the bottom of the machine, the stop or temporary bottom
of the mould passing out in front of the ingot or bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Wilkinson and George Edward Taylor in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WILKINSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Metal Dealer,
and GEORGE EDWARD TAYLOR, of the Lozells, near Birmingham afore-
said, Metal Roller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Wilkinson and George Edward Taylor
Her special license that we, the said William Wilkinson and George
Edward Taylor, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said William Wilkinson and George Edward Taylor, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CASTING METALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Wilkinson and George Edward
Taylor, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing

page_text: under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Wilkinson and George
Edward Taylor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to 1
say :-
Our Invention consists of the construction and arrangement of parts
of machinery or apparatus herein-after described for casting long or con-
tinuous ingots, bars, or strips of metal. The said long or continuous
ingots, bars, or strips are more convenient and economical in the manu- ]
facture of rolled plates, and drawn rods, and wires than ingots of the
ordinary kind.
In order to facilitate the description of our Invention we remark that
ingots of metal are ordinarily cast in a mould consisting of two parts,
each having the figure of a shallow trough open at one end. When the
two parts of the mould are placed on one another and secured together
there is produced a mould having the figure of a flat box open at one
end. This mould is placed in a nearly vertical position with its open
end uppermost and the melted metal is poured therein.
'
In constructing according to our Invention machinery or apparatus:
for casting metals we take two series of plates, one series being trough
shaped and the other flat, the trough-shaped plates being open at both
their shorter sides or ends. The plates of each series are jointed together
so' as to form two endless bands which are supported by and work upon
two pairs of drums or pulleys. The said drums or pulleys are so situated
relative to each other that the concave side of the endless band of jointed
trough-shaped plates is presented to and kept in contact with one side of
the other endless band of jointed flat plates. When the said endless
bands are made to move at the same rate they constitute a travelling or
endless mould, the two parts of the mould being brought together near
the upper drums or pulleys over which the endless bands of plates pass,
and are separated near the lower drums or pulleys, the plates being in

page_text: contact during the time they are passing from the upper to the lower
drums or pulleys. The framing of the machine or apparatus is so
arranged that the endless bands of jointed plates are situated nearly in a
vertical position, and the parts of the said bands in contact have a
descending motion; the separated parts after passing over the drums or
pulleys, having an ascending motion until arriving at their respective
drums or pulleys, when they again take a descending motion and are
again brought into contact. Motion is communicated to the endless
bands by means of racks on their backs into which racks pinions take.
These pinions are geared together and are driven by steam power or by
hand. The trough-shaped plates travel on V shaped or other guides and
the plain plates are pressed at back by springs for the purpose of keeping
them in close contact with the trough-shaped plates.
In using the machinery a temporary bottom is fixed in one of the
trough-shaped plates, and motion being given to the endless bands of
jointed plates, molten metal is poured into the apparatus through a
funnel fixed near the upper drums or pulleys.
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation; Figure 2, an end elevation; and
Figure 3 a vertical section of a machine or apparatus constructed
according to our Invention for casting long or continuous ingots, bars,
or strips of metal; Figure 4 represents an end elevation of the machine
with the endless bands of jointed plates removed; Figures 5 and 6
represent a portion of the machine detached; and Figure 7 represents in
cross section drawn to a larger scale, the two parts of the mould brought
together. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the
several Figures of the Drawings.
a is the frame supporting the several parts of the machine; b, b, are
the trough-shaped plates forming one of the endless bands of the
machine; and c, c, are the flat plates forming the other endless band of
the machine; the said plates c, c, being broader than the plates b, b.
The two series of plates b, b, and c, c, constitute a travelling or endless
mould. The shape of the said plates b, b, and c, c, of which the endless
mould is composed is best seen in Figure 7. The plates of the endless

page_text: bands b, b, and c, c, are jointed together in the manner herein-after
described. The endless band b, b, passes over and is supported by the
pair of drums or pulleys d, e, and the endless band c, c, passes over and
is supported by the pair of drums or pulleys f, g. The pulleys d, e, work
in bearings at h, i; and the pulleys f, g, work in bearings at k, l. The
bearings 1, 1, of the pulley 7 are made adjustable on the frame of the
machine by the pins and slots at m, whereby the endless band c, c, may
be tightened at pleasure. An elevation of the back or inner side of the
endless band c, c, is represented in Figure 5; and the said band in con-
junction with the pulley fis represented in edge view (partly in section)
in Figure 6.
By an examination of Figures 1 and 3 it will be seen that the pairs
of drums or pulleys d, e, and f, g, are so situated with respect to each
other that the concave side of the endless band of plates b, b, is presented
to and kept in contact with one side of the other endless band of flat
plates c, c. The plates of the endless band b, b, are furnished on their
back or inner side with V depressions 62 (see Figure 7), which travel
upon V shaped guides n, n, (sec Figure 4), on the central plate p, bolted
to the framing of the machine. The trough-shaped plates b, b, are
jointed together by knuckles at 6³, Figure 7, through which knuckles
pins or axes * are passed. These pins b' project on either side the
endless band of plates b, b, and on the plates arriving at the pulleys or
drums d, e, the said pins enter depressions in the flanges of the said
pulleys, and the said plates are thereby locked or engaged with the
pulleys during the time the endless band is passing over them. The
flat plates of the endless band c, c, are jointed together by links q, q,
(best seen in Figures 5 and 6), the said links being pinned to ribs on
the back or inner side of the said plates c, c. The endless band c, c, is
supported and guided by the pulleys f, g, over which it works in the
manner best seen in Figure 6.
Motion is communicated to the endless band b, b, by a pinion r
gearing with a racks on its back or inner side, and motion is com-
municated to the endless band c, c, by the pinion t gearing with the
rack u on its back or inner side. These pinions r, s, are driven at the
same speed by a train of toothed wheels in the following manner :-
"³ is the driving shaft provided with a pinion v, which gears with the
toothed wheel w. On the axis of the wheel w is a pinion which gears
with a toothed wheel y on the axis z carrying the pinion engaging

page_text: with the racks of the endless band b, b. The wheel y on the.axis z of.
the pinion gears with a toothed wheel y³ on the axis z³ carrying the
pinion which gears with the rack u of the endless band c, c. The
way in which motion is transmitted from the driving shaft u³ through
the train of wheels described to the axes of the pinions and t will be
readily traced by referring to the dotted circles in Figure 1. When the
machine is set to work the endless bands b, b, and c, c, constituting the
mould travel at the same rate and in the same direction, the plates of
the bands being brought together near the upper drum or pulley ƒ, and,
separating near the lower drum, or pulley g, the said plates being in
contact during the time they are passing from the upper to the lower
drums f, g, and forming between them a travelling mould. The said
travelling mould is situated in a nearly vertical position, and the
parts b, b, c, c, of the mould in contact have a descending motion.. On
the separation of the parts b, b, c, c, of the mould, and after passing over
their respective bottom pulleys c, g, the said parts have an ascending
motion until arriving at the top pulleys d, f; they again tako a
descending motion, and are again brought into contact as best seen in
Figure 3. The plates of the endless band c, c, are pressed at back on the
descending side by means of fixed springs, which springs press against
the said plates of the band, so as to hold them closely in contact with
the trough plates of the other endless band b, b. These springs may
have rollers at their ends to diminish friction. We have not represented
these springs in the Drawings. The molten metal is poured into the
travelling mould b, b, c, c, through the fixed funnel 2 (see Figure 3) near
the top pulley f of the endless band c, c. The plates of the endless
bands b, b, c, c, are cleaned as they make their ascending motion by the
circular brushes 3, 4, and are also brushed over with oil by the circular
brushes 5, 6. The said brushes 5, 6, are supplied with oil by means
of the feeding rollers 7 and 8 dipping into the oil in the vats or
reservoirs 9, 10. Rotatory motion is given to the circular brushes 3, 5,
and 4, 6, and feeding rollers 7 and 8 by bands from the driving
pulley 11.

page_text: mould b, b, c, c, is set in motion, and the molten metal is poured into
the funnel 2, from whence it passes into the mould. The rate of motion
and the pouring of the metal are so adjusted with respect to each other
that the travelling mould is kept full.
The ingot or bar formed by the solidification of the metal in the
mould passes out at the bottom of the machine, as indicated at 12,
Figure 3, the stop or temporary bottom of the mould passing out in front
of the ingot or bar.
Instead of jointing together the plates of which the travelling mould
is composed, as herein-before described and illustrated, the said plates
may be unconnected with each other, and be driven by toothed wheels
with which toothed wheels the ends of the said plates engage. A
machine constructed according to this modification of our Invention is
illustrated in the Diagrams, Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11, where Figure 8
shows a section, Figure 9. an end elevation, and Figures 10 and 11
parts thereof.
In this modification, the plates of which the endless
bands 13, 14, are composed, have at each end studs 15, 15, (see
Figure 10,) which engage with the teeth of the double toothed wheels
(see Figure 11) at top and bottom of the machine. The double toothed
wheels of the endless band 13 are marked 16, 16, and the double toothed
wheels of the endless band 14 are marked 17, 17. In Figure 8 portions
only of the endless bands are shewn. The plates of the endless bands
are guided in their motion by slots or grooves 18, 18, in the framing of
the machine. When the top or bottom toothed wheels of the endless
bands 13 and 14 of the mould are rotated motion is given to the said
bands by the studs 15, 15, of their plates engaging with the teeth of
the said toothed wheels, and the said bands are made to travel at the
same speed. As the plates of the endless bands make their descending
motion the said plates are disengaged from the top toothed wheels, and
on approaching the bottom of the machine the said plates are engaged
with the teeth of the bottom toothed wheels, and are carried forward by
the said wheels to the ascending side of the band, and so on.
In order to facilitate the motion of the plates forming the endless
bands 13, 14, the studs 15, 15, of the said plates may be provided with
antifriction rollers.
By the use of our Invention ingots, bars, or strips of any required
length may be cast, and ingots, plates, or strips produced much thinner
than can be produced by the use of moulds of the ordinary kind.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein-before described
and illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention, the improve-
ments in machinery or apparatus for casting metals herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
machinery or apparatus for casting long or continuous ingots, bars, or
strips of metal, consisting essentially of a travelling or endless mould
composed of two endless bands of jointed or unjointed plates moving
in the same direction and at the same speed, the said endless bands being
brought together and forming a mould between them, and being separated
from each other, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Wilkinson and George
Edward Taylor, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.
WILLIAM WILKINSON.
(L.S.)
GEORGE EDWARD TAYLOR. (L.S.)
20 Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.