Improvements in the Manufacture of Wrought Metal Headers for Sectional Steam-generators.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE BABCOCK & WILCOX Co., of New York,
in the United States of America, Steam Boiler Manufacturers.]
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wrought Metal Headers for
Sectional Steam-generators.
I, WALLACE FAIRWEATHER, C.E. of 62 Saint Vincent Street, in the County
of the City of Glasgow, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 the manufacture of those parts of a sectional steam-
geuerator known as the headers, to which parts the ends of the water-tubes are
connected. The invention consists in a header composed of two parts, which are
welded together, the finished header having sinuous sides and a face provided with
a series of zigzag depressions that furnish faces at right angles to the inclined
tubes which they receive. It consists, also, in a header having sinuous sides the
corrugations in which are inclined with relation to the hand-hole face of the
header, so that the water-tubes can be inserted and withdrawn through the hand-
holes without interference from said corrugations. It further consists in certain
improvements in means for forming the header, all as hereinafter described and
claimed.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 represents, in perspective, the two parts of the header, which have been
formed by dies, the upper half (in the view) having a series of zigzag faces, and
the lower half a series of flanged openings.
Figure 2 shows the completed header in perspective.
Figure 3 represents a plau view of the hand-hole face of the same.
Figure 4 shows a side view of the header when completed.
Figure 5 represents a transverse section of the same, on line xx of Figs. 3
and 4.
Figure 6, shows, on a smaller scale, a plan and two edge views of a plate from
which the trough-shape portion of the header may be made.
Figure 7 represents an interior plan view, an end and a side view of such portion
of the header partially completed, or in rudimentary form.
Figure 8 shows a top and an end view of such portion of the header after the
Fides thereof have been fully corrugated into serpentine form, and the top edges
have been serrated.
Figure 9 shows a side view of the same.
Figure 10 represents an end view cf two dies for stamping up such portion of
the header into rudimentary form, with the plate on one of them.
Figure 11 shows a transverse section of said dies when brought together to
perform their office on said plate.
Figure 12 represents an end view of two other dies for operating upon such.
rudimentary portion of the header, fully to corrugate the sides thereof and trim its
up-turned edges and ends; and an end view of such header-portion in place between
the dies, and lorated upon the upper die shown in Fig 10.
Figure 13 shows a transverse section of said dies and said hender-portion, after
the dies have been brought together to perform their office.

page_text: Figure 14 represents a plan and edge view of a plate from which the tube-
receiving portion of the header may be made.
Figure 15 shows a plan and edge view of said plate after the same has been
stamped by dies to produce zigzag impressions or indentations with sinuous edge-
outlines upon the plate.
"
Figure 16 represents a plan and edge view of the blank for such part of the
header, after it has been cut out of the plate.
Figure 17 shows a plan and edge view of the same after the ends have been bent
at right angles.
Figure 18 represents a side view of two dies for producing the indentations
shown in Fig. 15, the plate being in place on one of the dies, and the lower die
being supported on blocks; and a longitudinal section of a shearing die.
Figure 19 represents a similar view of said dies and plate, after the indenting dies
have been brought together to perform their office.
Figure 20 shows a similar view of all the dies, after the block supports of the
lower die have been withdrawn, and the upper die has moved downwards to cut out
the blank.
Figure 21 represents the same dies with the upper one raised and blocks placed
upon the end-portions of the blank preparatory to bending down said ends.
Figure 22 shows a similar view of the dies and blocks after the ends of the
blank have been bent.
Figure 23 represents in partial elevation and vertical section an hydraulic press
in which the dies shown in Figs. 18 to 22 may be used.
Figure 24 represents an end view of the two header-parts placed together, in
readiness to be heated.
Figure 25 shows, in transverse section, an apparatus suitable for welding the
parts together, with said parts represented in end view therein, in readiness to be
operated upon.
Figure 25 shows a similar view of the welding apparatus when the movable
blocks have been brought together to complete the welding.
Figure 27 represents an end view of the completed header.
The header A, shown in Figs. 1 to 5, is of that variety which is intended to
occupy a vertical position, and its tube-face a, is made zigzag in contour, as
particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so that the inclined faces a' which are
provided with tube-receiving holes a, shall be at right angles to the inclined
tubes that said face receives. The sides of the header are sinuous in outline,
as shown in Fig. 3, in order to connect the tubes in a staggered relation, which
is well understood; and the corrugations of said sinuous sides, in place of being
at right angles to the hand-hole face of the header, are at right angles to the
inclined faces a¹ of the tube-receiving face, so that the tubes may be inserted and
withdrawn through the hand-holes, without interference from said corrugations (as
would be the case were the latter at right angles to the hand-hole face of the
header), as shown in Fig. 4 where tubes Z, represented by dotted lines, are
indicated as being inserted or withdrawn through the hand-holes.
The complete header is made of two parts, I and 2, Fig. 1, which are cut out of,
and stamped up from plates into the forms shown, the part, 1, beiug subsequently
furnished with hand-holes as that are surrounded by projecting, circular flanges a*,
upon which the hand-hole plates are to be clamped."
In the formation of the header-part, 1, two dies, as B, C, Figs. 10 and 11, are
first employed to form a plate D, Fig. 6, into the trough-shape, rudimentary
header part d, shown in Fig. 7. These dies may be mounted in any suitable press,
and to take the thrust on the die B, a backing block B', Figs. 10 and 11, is shown
as being employed, which block should be so arranged that it can be slid from
behind the die B. This die is so mounted that it can be partially rotated, and it is
shown as hung up by end-pivots b' in links b². The plate is placed upon the die C,
as shown in Fig. 10, and the dies are brought together, as shown in Fig. 11,
thereby producing the trough shown in Fig. 7, the upper edges of which are

page_text: straight, the bottom having sinuous side-outlines, and the sides only partially
corrugated.
As plates come from the rolling mill in differing lengths, it is necessary that
they be trimmed, at some time, to the length of the finished header; but to
avoid the expense of a separate operation for this purpose, provision is preferably
made whereby the trimming is done during the formation of the completed
trough. The first step toward this trimming is the production on the ends of the
rudimentary trough d, and at the time it is formed, of raised straps or pieces 5,
which are cut from the bottom of the trough but are not detached at their ends
from its sides, as clearly shown in the end view, Fig. 7. To produce these straps,
the die C has a raised portion c, Fig. 10, at each end, and the length of the die B
is made slightly less than the distance between the adjacent sides of said die-
portions.
The contours of the sides of the cavity in the die C, are the same as those of the
rudimentary header-part d, which is produced therein; but the contours of the
sides of the die B, are those of the sides of the finished trough, as it is designed to use
the latter die as a mandrel upon which the final shape is given to the sides of the
finished header-part 1; and the top surface b, of the die B (Fig. 10) is serrated,
in the same forni as the top edges of the finished trough shown in Fig. 9.
When the dies B, C, are separated, the rudimentary header-part d, will stick to
the die B. The backing-block B' is now slid from behind the die B; the die C is
slid from under the die B, and said die is turned one-fourth of a revolution on its
pivets 6. Two other dies, E, F, are now moved into vertical alignment with the
die B, the three dies assuming the relations shown in Fig. 12.
The dies E, F, in conjunction with the die B, perform two offices-one being
to complete the corrugation of the sides of the part 1, and the other to trim off
the ends of the rudimentary trough and produce the zigzag outline on the top
edges thereof. Both of these results are accomplished when the dies are brought
together as shown in Fig. 13, the four edges of each of the die cavities E, F,
acting as cutters. The edges e, f, trim the top edges of the trough into the proper
zigzag outline, while the edges e, f, cut off the ends of the trough, until the cut
previously made to produce the straps 5, is met, thereby producing the finished
trough shown in Figs. 8 and 9.
The hand-holes a³ and surrounding flanges a, shown in Figs. 1 and 3, may now
be produced on this header-part by suitable means, such as properly shaped punches
and formers, in a well-understood way.
The header-part 2, is formed from a plate, as g, Fig. 14, by means of suitable
dies and formers, such means being shown in Figs. 18 to 22; and for operating the
same an hydraulic press may be employed, such for instance as shown in Fig. 23.
The dies represented are three in number, H, I and J, the last being secured upon
the ram K, from which depends a piston k, working in a cylinder k'. The die I, is
shown as secured to an auxiliary ram K', and upon interposed tubular supports, by
bolts k, the supports k passing loosely through holes in the bottom of the die .f.
Additional supports L, to the die I, are also preferably employed, the said supports
being laterally removable, and inserted in slots 4, in the die .J.
The dies H and I, have faces of a zigzag contour, and sinuous sides, while the
lower edges of the die H, in conjunction with the upper edges of the cavity in the
die, J, act as cutters, at the proper time.
The parts being in the relative positions shown in Figs. 18 and 23, a plate g is
placed upon the die 1, and the dies H and I, are brought together, as shown in
Fig. 19, by an upward movement of the ram K, thereby producing on the plate a
series of zigzag depressions a', having sinuous side outlines, as shown in Fig. 15.
The ram K, is now allowed to recede, and the auxiliary ram K' is slightly elevated
to allow the blocks L to be withdrawn. This being done, the ram K', is allowed
to recede until the die I, rests upon the bottom of the cavity in the die J. The
ram K is now elevated to bring the dies together, as shown in Fig. 20, thereby -
causing the dies H and J, to cut out of the plate the blank G, shown in Fig. 16.

page_text: The ram K, is now allowed to recede, and forming-blocks M, are placed upon the
ends 6, of the blank G, as shown in Fig. 21, when the ram K is again elevated to
cause the ends 6, of the blank to be bent downward at right angles, as shown in
Figs. 22 and 17, thereby producing the header-part 2, shown in Fig. 1. The ram K
now recedes to separate the dies, leaving the header-part and the blocks M, in the
die J. The ram K' is now elevated to raise the dic 1 to its original position,
preparatory to removing the header-part therefrom.
As the header-part closely hugs the ends of the die, I, and considerable force
would be required to remove it, the die I is preferably constructed to facilitate
the operation by making its lower portion of less length than its upper portion,
and providing the ends of the latter portion with wedge-shape blocks i, which are
dove-tailed, or otherwise secured to the die, so they can move upward in an inclined
direction. When the header part is seized and raised, therefore, the blocks i will
be elevated and will approach each other, thereby freeing the header-part and
enabling it to be easily withdrawn.
The two hender-parts, which are now ready to be welded together, are assembled
as shown in Fig. 24, by placing the part 2, within the part 1, and the parts are
then put into a proper furnace where they are brought to a welding heat. From
this furnace they are removed into a welding-apparatus, such for instance as shown
in transverse section in Figs. 25 and 26, where they rest upon a Led-block N. This
block is preferably provided with a series of pistons n (one being shown in Fig. 26)
that work in cylinders n', so that the block can be raised by hydraulic pressure. The
block N is arranged to move in a channel O, the width of which is slightly greater
than the header, and the upper part of the apparatus is furnished with a head-
block P, the lower face of which conforms to the upper face of the header, and
receives the same when the block N is forced upward. The pressure exerted on
the header by such upward movement of the block N welds the lower edges of the
down-turned ends of the part 2, to the bottom of the part 1. The apparatus is
also provided with two laterally movable blocks QQ, each of which is furnished
with a series of pistons g working cylinders q', as shown in Fig. 26, the adjacent
faces of said blocks conforming to the sides of the finished header. These blocks
are now made to appoach each other by hydraulic pressure, to force the sides of
the part 1, toward each other, and to weld the same to the edges of the part 2,
throughout their length, thereby completing the welding operation, and the header,
as shown in Fig. 27.
The holes a2 and as, may be punched in the part 2, before welding, but in order to
avoid any possible distortion of said holes during the welding, they are preferably
produced after such operation, by boring; though the holes a² may be made by
punches introduced through the hand-holes after the parts have been welded
together.
Instead of welding together the parts of the headers by the application of furnace
heat the joints may be made by welding them by electrical means in a manner
well understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inveu-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A header, for sectional steam-generators, composed of a trough-shape part
having sinuous sides with serrated edges, and a second part having bent ends and a
zigzag face, which latter part fits the trough and is secured to it, substantially as
set forth.
2. A header, for sectional steam-generators, composed of a trough-shape part
having sinuous sides with serrated edges, the corrugations in which sides are
inclined as described, and a second part having bent ends and a zigzag face,
which latter part fits the trough and is secured to it, substantially as set
forth.
3. A header, for sectional steam-generators, provided with a series of hand-holes

page_text: and with a zigzag tube-hole face, and having sinuous sides the corrugations in
which are inclined as described, whereby the boiler-tubes may be inserted and
withdrawn through said holes without interference from said corrugations,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a machine for making the trough-shape part of a header, the combination
of two formers, one of which has the shape of the finished trough, and the other is
approximately of such shape and is furnished with projections for partially
detaching end-straps from the rudimentary trough; and two other formers which
give the sides of the trough their finished outline and trim the same to its finished
length, substantially as set forth.
5. In a machine for making in two parts a header for steam-generators, the
combination of the following elements; two formers for making a trough-shape
part, one of which formers is of the approximate shape of the part and the other
of its finished shape; two formers that give the sides of said part their finished
outline and trim the same to its finished length; and formers, substantially as
described, for making the other part with a zigzag face and bent ends, to fit said
trough-shape part, substantially as set forth.
6. The die 1, having the diagonally-movable end-blocks, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
7. The die I, having its lower portion of less length than its upper portion and
such latter portion provided with diagonally-movable end-blocks, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 11th day of February 1896.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER.