IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC FORGING PRESSES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, BENJAMIN WALKER Engineer Goodman Street Works Leeds do hereby declare
the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC FORGING PRESSES,"
to be as follows:--
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction and working of
hydraulic presses for working steel and iron. I construct the press of four pillars
joining a top and a bottom crosshead-the bottom crosshead may be entirely in one
casting but generally I prefer it made in two as this lessens the risk in contraction
and expansion by the heat of the forging.
At the top of the four pillars is a light crosshead for keeping these four pillars
central and for carrying cylinders for lifting a main top crosshead which carries the
main hydraulic cylinder of the press.
Standing out from each of the pillars are a number of projections at different
levels The projections on one being at corresponding levels with those on the
others. These projections pass through four grooves in the main top crosshead-
The crosshead can be locked at any desired height by four collars which it carries
and which are made to turn around the four pillars-these collars have grooves in
them similar to those in the crosshead and when these grooves are made to
correspond with grooves in the crosshead the crosshead may be raised or lowered
as rapidly as the action of the hydraulic cylinders will admit but by turning the
collars the crosshead can be locked to the pillars at any desired height. When the
crosshead is so locked the strain of the press will be transferred by the collars to
the projections on the pillars.
The turning of the collars is preferably effected by small hydraulic cylinders
carried by the crosshead.
The cylinders for raising and lowering the crosshead I supply from an independent
accumulator fed from a small separate hydraulic engine. The large engines for
working the ram of the press rapidly to and fro are in direct communication with
the press cylinder through a telescopic pipe and I stop the action of these engines
instantly to suit the amount of work required that is to say I do not let the
engines work continuously but stop them at each stroke. By this means I give as
it were a blow to the steel I am treating-and the force of that blow will depend
upon the amount of steam admitted into the steam cylinders.-I stop the engines
by introducing a valve over the exhaust port, by this means I can either give a
light or heavy pressure to suit the work required and I use steam corresponding
with the work done.
”..
1
C Th 1
100M
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, BENJAMIN WALKER Engineer, Goodman Street Works Leeds 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 improvements in the construction and working of
hydraulic presses for working steel and iron. I construct the press of four pillars
joining a top and a bottom cross head-the bottom cross head may be entirely in
one casting but generally I prefer it made in two as this lessens the risk in
contraction and expansion by the heat of the forging.
At the top of the four pillars is a light cross head for keeping these four pillars
central and for carrying cylinders for lifting a main top cross head which carries
the main hydraulic cylinder of the press. Standing out from each of the pillars are
a number of projections at different levels the projections on one being at corre-
sponding levels with those on the others. These projections pass through four
grooves in the main top cross head. The cross head can be locked at any desired
height by four collars which it carries and which are made to turn around the four
pillars these collars have grooves in them similar to those in the crosshead and
when these grooves are made to correspond with grooves in the crosshead the
crosshead may be raised or lowered as rapidly as the action of the hydraulie
cylinders will admit-but by turning the collars the cross head can be locked to
the pillars at any desired height. When the cross head is so locked the strain of
the press will be transferred by the collars to the projections on the pillars.
The turning of the collars is preferably effected by small hydraulic cylinders
carried by the cross head.
The cylinders for raising and lowering the crosshead I supply from an independent
accumulator fed from a small separate hydraulic engine. The large engines for
working the ram of the press rapidly to and fro are in direct communication with
the press cylinder through a telescopic pipe and I stop the action of these engines
instantly to suit the amount of work required that is to say I do not let the engines
work continuously but stop them at each stroke. By this means I give as it were
a blow to the steel I am trenting-and the force of that blow will depend upon
the amount of steam admitted into the steam cylinders. I stop the engines by
introducing a valve over the exhaust port, by this means I can either give a light
or heavy pressure to suit the work required and I use steam corresponding with the
work done.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section of an hydraulic forging press.

page_text: a is the bottom cross head and the top cross head. cccc are four columns by
which these two crossheads are rigidly connected. The lower cross head is cast in
two parts and supports the anvil d. The part of the cross head a on which the
anvil directly rests is cast separately from the part beneath into which the columns
of the press are fixed; one of the advantages of this arrangement is that it lessens
the risk of breakage from unequal expansion and contraction. e is the main or
movable top crosshead. It is suspended from the cross head b by means of four
hydraulic cylinders f. The piston rods of the pistons working in these cylinders
are attached at their lower ends to the moveable cross head e. Water under
pressure can be admitted into the cylinders beneath the pistons through the piston
rods which are hollow, and through pipe connections leading to a valve box g where
are the handles for working the apparatus. This valve box and the platform on
which the man stands when working the machine, are carried by the moveable
cross-head c. Connection is made with the several water supplies by means of
telescopic pipes h. h.
When by means of the gear above described, the moveable cross head e has been
brought to the position required upon the columns c. c. it is there locked. This is
effected by means of the four collars i. i. which are carried upon the cross head e.
and are capable of being turned partly round by means of the small hydraulic
presses and rams k. k. The cross heads of these presses are connected by rods k¹
and one press serves to rotate the collars in one direction and the other to produce
movement in the contrary direction. The columns c. c. are furnished with a series
of lugs or projections c¹ c¹ and the crosshead e is so formed that it can pass these
projections and so also can the collars i. the holes through the centre of the collars
being of a suitable form. But it is only when the collars are in one position that
they can so pass the projections or lugs, and when the collars are turned from this
position parts of them enter between the lugs, and so the main cross head becomes
securely locked upon the columns ready for the forging to be commenced.
1, is the forging cylinder it is fixed in the main cross head e. m is the forging
ram working within this cylinder, and arms upon it pass to the piston rods n. n.
These rods are attached to the arms, and at their upper ends are furnished with
pistons working in cylinders o. o. carried on the main cross-head e.
The spaces in
the cylinders o, below the pistons are constantly supplied with water under pressure
from an accumulator, and this pressure operating beneath the pistons raises the
ram m. whenever the hydraulic cylinders o are not overpowered by the more
powerful downward pressure in the cylinder . The cylinder 7 is supplied by the
pipe p which passes to the valve box g and thence by one of the telescopic pipes h
away to the pumping engines.
9 is a swage or tup carried by the forge ram m and between this and the anvil d,
the forging is effected.
The engine may consist of a steam cylinder with a piston connected by its rod
with a ram working in an hydraulic cylinder. Steam is admitted by the steam
cylinder by a valve which is more or less opened as the work may require.
At a certain point in the stroke the exhaust port is opened and the steam
escaping from the steam cylinder the forging ram m. rises. By means of a slide
operated by a hand lever the exhaust port can be kept closed when striking a
heavy blow and when it is required to prevent the immediate return of the
forging ram.
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. A forging press in which a moveable cross head carries the forging cylinder
and ram and is raised and lowered upon the columns of the press and locked in
position thereon by hydraulic gear substantially as described.
2. A forging press in which the lower cross head of the press is cast in two parts
substantially as described.

page_text: 3. The arrangements for supplying water under pressure to the main forging
cylinder in which the engine is stopped and started for each blow or stroke of the
press substantially as described.
4. My improved hydraulic forging press substantially as herein described and
represented by the annexed drawings.