Improvements in Machinery and Apparatus connected therewith for Pressing or Stamping Boats from Sheet Metal.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1882-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery and Apparatus connected therewith for
Pressing or Stamping Boats from Sheet Metal.
I, WILLIAM HESLOP, of Calder Vale Road,. Wakefield, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the Specifications of Patents granted to me, No. 4695, A.D. 1889, No. 7801,
A.D. 1889, and No. 4379, A.D. 1890, I have described and shewn in the drawings
certain improvements in, and arrangements of, dies for manufacturing seamless
metal boats.
The object of my present invention is to further develop the manufacture of
boats when such boats are made in two halves.
According to my present invention I employ an upper or male die, and a lower
or female die, such dies being made up of any required number of sections in
accordance with the required size and shape of the boat to be produced, each die
corresponding in form to the general configuration required to be imparted to the
metallic plates necessary for the formation of the seamless boat sides, such sections
being bolted together in any suitable way.
I take the plate of metal which is to be pressed to the shape of one half of a
boat, and heat the same in a suitable furnace, and the plate thus heated is laid
on the lower die ready to be pressed into shape, or the plate of metal to be
pressed may be laid on the lower die and then heated by a movable gas furnace,
having a combustion chamber consisting of an arch made of metal or other suitable
material, and having the interior lined with fire clay. This gas furnace may be
attached to or hung from the press, or it may be mounted on a truck carried on
wheels running on rails or on the ground or floor. The furnace, which necessarily
projects beyond the truck, may be counterbalanced by an overhanging weight
chamber, or by other suitable means, and the whole furnace may be raised and
lowered at will relatively to the truck upon which it is carried, by means of a rack
and pinion actuated by a worm, which latter may be operated in any suitable
manner. Gas and air being admitted to the combustion chamber and ignited, a
very hot flame is produced, which, when brought over the plate to be pressed,
heats same very quickly, or the plate may be heated in a separate furnace, and by
the movable gas furnace simultaneously.
The apparatus described above may be also employed for heating the dies before
the pressing operation, and the number of such apparatus may vary according
to the size of the plate or die to be heated.
In order to prevent the edges of the plate "buckling" during the pressing
operation, I employ a rim or holding down plate, which latter holds or guides the
plate during the pressing operation. The holding down plate is fastened to the
ends of levers fulcrumed on the upper extremities of hydraulic rams, and
balanced by counterbalance weights at the other extremities of the levers, in such
a manner that the holding down plate can be raised and lowered by means of the
hydraulic rams and held down with any required pressure. The upper or male
die should be fixed; the lower or female die with its supporting table is movable.
In order to support the plate to be pressed before the pressing operation, and also
for the purpose of removing or pushing out the pressed half boat, I provide a ram
or rams situated in the lower or moving table of the press, which ram or rams is or
are attached to a section or sections of the die, which can be brought up at will,
either for the purpose of supporting the plate or for pushing out the half boat
when Anchiet

page_text: The plate may be pressed to the required shape in one operation, or the plate
may be re-heated as often as required, and whilst hot subjected to a further
pressing or stamping operation or operations, whereby the required formation of
the plate is eventually produced.
Distance pieces are or may be employed for the purpose of keeping the dies up
to their work after the lower or female die has half enclosed the male die.
Plungers or rams situated in the upper or male die may be employed, carrying
on their ends a bar which is free to pass sideways through the side of the upper
die, and opposite this bar when the fower die is in the raised position, is a corre-
sponding recess or aperture in said lower die, the said recesses and har being so
formed and situated, that on the plate being pressed between the two dies, and the
plungers or rams being forced outwards, the bar draws or indents the pressed plate,
leaving a rim or corrugation in same.
The upper die may be made in upper and lower sets of sections, which render the
sections respectively lighter and more easily manipulated, and the sections thus
måde may be bolted together through or by lugs or in any suitable manner.
Dated this 18th day of March 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery and Apparatus connected therewith for
Pressing or Stamping Boats from Sheet Metal.
I, WILLIAM HESLOP, of Calder Vale Road, Wakefield, in the County of York,
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 :-
The object of my present invention is to further develop the machinery and
apparatus connected with the manufacture of boats when such boats are made in
separate halves.
According to my present invention I employ an upper or male die, and a lower
or female die, such dies being made up of any required number of sections in
accordance with the required size and shape of the boat to be produced, each die
when so built up corresponding in form to the general configuration required to be
imparted to the metallic plates necessary for the formation of the seamless boat
sides, such sections being bolted together in any suitable way.
With these upper and lower dies I combine a movable lower section or sections,
actuated by hydraulic or other rams, for extracting the finished half boat from the
press or for supporting the plate. I also employ a holding down plate for preventing
buckling during the pressing operation, together with auxiliary plungers for
producing ribs in the plates, and the invention includes a specially arranged furnace
for heating the plates; and in order that my invention may be better understood
and more easily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe same with reference
to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters refer to like parts in all the
figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of the lower die and holding down plate constructed according
to my invention for the purpose of pressing the whole side or one half of a boat out
of one sheet of metal.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section showing the upper die with the lower die and
holding down plate raised and almost closed upon such upper die.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the dies and plate in position ready to be pressed.
Figure 4 is a similar view showing the lower die raised and the plate pressed to
the shape required.

page_text: Figure 5 is a similar view showing the lower die lowered to its normal position,
and the half boat lifted out ready for removal.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are respectively a transverse section, side view, and part
sectional plan, of heating apparatus for heating the plate and dies.
Figure 9 is a plan of the upper die fitted with an arrangement for forming a rib
or corrugation in the boat side.
Figure 10 is a section of same showing the plate pressed and the rib or corrugation
formed by the plungers or rams, and
Figure 11 shows in section a boat constructed of two sides or halves which have
been previously formed in the dies.
I take the plate T of metal which is to be pressed to the shape of one half of
a boat, and heat the same in a suitable furnace, and the plate thus heated is laid
on the lower die B as at Fig. 3, ready to be pressed into shape, or the plate of
metal to be pressed may be laid on the lower die B and then heated by a movable
gas furnace, Figs. 6, 7 and 8, having a combustion chamber K consisting of an
arch made of metal or other suitable material, and having the interior lined with
fire-clay. The number of combustion chambers employed depends upon the size
of plate or dies to be heated, so it is obvious that more than one may be employed.
This gas furnace may be attached to or hung from the press, or it may be mounted
on a truck L carried on wheels L', running on rails or on the ground or floor.
The furnace proper, which necessarily projects beyond the truck L, may be
counterbalanced, for example, by an overhanging weight chamber O, and the whole
furnace may be raised and lowered at will relatively to the truck upon which it is
carried, by means of a rack N and pinion N¹ actuated by a worm wheel N and
worm N, which latter may be operated in any suitable manner. Gas and air
being admitted to the combustion chamber K and ignited, a very hot flame is
produced, which when brought over the plate T to be pressed heats the latter very
quickly, or the plate may be heated in a separate furnace and by the movable gas
furnace. P and P₁ are the gas and air inlets respectively, or the gas and air may
be previously mixed together and ignited at P.
The apparatus described above may be also employed for heating the dies before.
the pressing operation, and the number of such apparatus may vary according to
the size of the plate or die to be heated.
In order to prevent the edges of the plate T buckling during the pressing
operation, I employ a rim or holding down plate C, which latter holds or guides
the plate T during the pressing operation. The holding down plate C is fastened
to the ends of levers fulcrummed on the upper extremities of hydraulic rams E and
balanced by counterbalance weights D at the other extremities of the levers, in
such a manner that the holding down plate C can be raised and lowered by means
of the hydraulic rams E and held down with any required pressure. The upper
or male die A should be stationary; the lower or female die H with its supporting
table should be movable. In order to support the plate to be pressed before the
pressing operation, and also for the purpose of removing or pushing out the pressed
half boat, I provide a ram F situated in the lower or moving table H of the
press, which ram F¹ is attached to a section or sections of the die, which can be
brought up at will either for the purpose of supporting the plate, or for pushing
out the half boat when finished; and I also provide rams F, which may be caused
also to aid in supporting the plate and the extraction of the pressed half boat.
The plate may be pressed to the required shape in one operation, or the plate
may be re-heated as often as required, and whilst hot subjected to a further
pressing or stamping operation or operations, whereby the required formation of
the plate is eventually produced.
Distance pieces G are or may be employed for the purpose of keeping the dies
up to their work after the lower or female die has half enclosed the male die, as
hereafter mentioned during the description of the action of the apparatus.
Plungers or rams R Figs. 9 and 10 situated in the upper or male die may be

page_text: employed, carrying on their ends a bar S which is free to pass sideways through
the side of the upper die, and opposite this bar S when the lower die is in the
raised position, is a corresponding recess or aperture in said lower die, the said
recesses and bar being so formed and situated, that on the plate being pressed
between the two dies, and the plungers or rams R being forced outwards, the bar
indents the pressed plate, leaving a rim or corrugation in same as shown at Fig. 10,
and in the finished boat as shown at Fig. 11.
The upper die may be made in upper and lower sets of sections as at Fig. 10,
which renders the sections respectively lighter and more easily manipulated, and
the sections thus made may be bolted together through or by lugs or in any suitable
manner.
The action of the apparatus and the process of manufacture of boats constructed
according to my invention is as follows:-
The upper or male die A formed of sections A' is fixed to the stationary head of
a hydraulic or other press, and the lower or female die B formed of sections B' is
mounted on the rising table H of such press, and in order to impart the desired
form or shape to the plates, each plate T is placed upon the lower die B ready for
the pressing operation, the said plate being supported by rams F and section B",
all as aforesaid, but before the plate T is pressed into shape I heat same, while on
the said die B by the movable gas furnace (Figs. 6, 7 and 8) which is placed over
said plate.as shown at Fig. 7, or the plate may be heated in a separate furnace, or
a separate furnace and the gas furnace may be employed one after the other.
The dies employed for pressing the plate may be heated by the gas heating
apparatus to any required extent before the operation of pressing, and thus prevent
chilling of,the metal during such operation.
The plate being now properly heated, the gas furnace is moved away and the
holding down plate C is then brought down by the hydraulic or other rams E onto
the plate T as shown at Fig. 3, which holds the edge down with any desired
pressure. The rams F being then lowered, the latter having been previously sup-
porting the plate, the table H is raised and the upper or male die A commences to
enter the lower or female die B, taking with it the plate T, such plate T.being
forced down into the lower die B. The dies fit one another excepting at the
entrance of the male into the female die, there is a clearance space between the
straight faces of the two dies, because when the upper die first enters the lower die
and takes the plate with it, the upper die has the plate extending up its curved
side, and also a short distance up its straight side, and the aforesaid clearance at this
time allows of the entrance into the female die of these two thicknesses of plate.
As the lower die ascends, the part of the plate lapping the straight side is drawn
under the upper or male die, leaving only the opposite or curved side of the plate
and the upper die to fill the width of the lower. It is at this time that the distance
pieces or projections G come into operation and occupy the clearance space which
exists between the two dies, thus preventing any sideway motion between the two
dies. The plate being pressed is during the operation being gradually withdrawn
from under the holding down plate C, whereby said plate is prevented from
buckling as it is being pressed into shape, and on the table H reaching the position
shown at Fig. 4, the plate T is pressed or stamped to the required shape and ready
for removal. The table H is now lowered into its normal position and the holding
down plate C is raised on its rams E, when the pressed plate forming the half boat
can be pushed out of the lower die B by raising the section B", and if necessary
the rams F, whereby such pressed plate or half boat is raised clear of the die B as
shown at Fig. 5.
Should it be desired to make a rib or corrugation in and along the side of the boat,
the rama R are moved forward when the dies are together carrying with them the
bar S which passes through an aperture in the side of the upper die A, and presses
the plate T into a recess or longitudinal slot in the lower die B as shown at
Figure 10, thua,forming the desired rib therein.or.thereon.

page_text: In making up a boat two of the plates T stamped or pressed as above described,
are placed together, having a keel between them, to which such plates are welded
or rivetted, thus forming a complete boat as shown at Fig. 11.
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 what I
claim is :-
1. In machinery for the pressing of plates for making metal boats therefrom, the
combination with the upper and lower dies of a movable lower section, actuated by
hydraulic or other rams, for extracting the finished half boat or for supporting the
plate substantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. In machinery for the manufacture of metal boats, the employment of a holding
down plate for preventing the buckling of the plate during the pressing operation
substantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. In machinery for the manufacture of metal boats, the combination of the
upper and lower dies, holding down plate, rams for actuating same, and weights
and levers for balancing the said holding down plate, substantially as described and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
4. In machinery for the manufacture of metal boats, the auxiliary plungers
carrying a longitudinal bar, the longitudinal slot in the upper die, and corresponding
slot in the lower die, for making a rib or corrugation in the boat's side, substantially
as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
5. In combination with the dies as previously claimed, the construction and
arrangement of movable gas furnace substantially as described and for the purposes
set forth.
6. In machinery for the stamping of plates for the formation of boats therefrom,
the combination therewith of means described for holding the plates at one or more
sides whilst the opposite side or sides is or are pressed to the shape required, sub-
stantially as set forth.
7. The machinery composed of an upper and lower die for the pressing of plates
for making boats therefrom, having the lower die made with movable lower section
operated by hydraulic power for supporting the plate while being placed in position
and for pushing it out when stamped and for supporting same until removed together
with the holding down plate for grasping the edge of the plate to prevent the
buckling of the plate during the pressing operation both dies being furnished with
distance pieces to allow for the entrance of plate between the dies and the after
guidance of dies, and when desired the auxiliary ram plungers for producing a
longitudinal rib in the plate, the above dies producing pressed metal plates, two of
which when placed opposite to one another and rivetted together make the complete
shell of a boat.
D
T11000