IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR APPLYING TENSILE STRAIN TO CHAINS, ANCHORS, METALLIC WIRES AND BARS, AND TO OTHER ARTICLES AND MATERIALS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Grainger Lewis, of Netherton, near Dudley, in the
County of Worcester, Superintendent of Works, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR APPLYING TENSILE STRAIN TO
CHAINS, ANCHORS, METALLIC WIRES AND BARS, AND TO OTHER ARTICLES AND
MATERIALS"
Sealed the 22nd April 1879, and dated the 16th November 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Grainger Lewis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1878.
DANIEL GRAINGER LEWIS, of Netherton, near Dudley, in the County of Worcester,
Superintendent of Works. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
APPLYING TENSILE STRAIN TO CHAINS, ANCHORS, METALLIC WIRES AND BARS, AND
TO OTHER ARTICLES AND MATERIALS."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in the
machinery or apparatus employed for proving or testing the strength of chains,
anchors, metallic wires and bars, and other articles and materials.
The said proving or testing consists of the application to the said articles and
materials of a given tensile strain or the application of such a tensile strain as will
rupture the said articles or materials.
The said machinery or apparatus consists essentially of a hydraulic cylinder and
ram, the required strain being applied by the action of water under pressure on the
ram of the hydraulic cylinder.
The said machinery or apparatus as ordinarily constructed is liable to derangement
in consequence of the rapid wearing of the interior of the cylinder produced by
the friction of the water tight piston working in it. By constructing the said
machinery or apparatus according to my Invention the wearing away of the
cylinder is avoided and great economy in the use of the apparatus effected.
In constructing the said machinery or apparatus according to my Invention I.
employ a hollow cylinder, open at both ends, the opening at one end having the
1

page_text: same diameter as the interior of the cylinder, the other end being contracted. I
will call the former the open end and the latter the contracted end of the cylinder.
In the open end of the cylinder a hollow ram works, and through the contracted
a piston rod works, the piston rod being secured to the closed inner end of the
hollow ram by screwing or otherwise. The hollow ram has a diameter nearly equal
to that of the interior of the cylinder, so that it works in the cylinder without
coming into contact with it, and consequently moves in the cylinder without
wearing it away.
Both ends of the cylinder are provided with glands and cupped leathers, through
which the ram and piston rod respectively work watertight. The outer or open
end of the hollow ram is contracted, and is provided with a gland and cupped
leather. Through this gland and cupped leather a second ram of small diameter
and open at both ends is passed.
This second ram is of about the same length as the principal ram and is stationary,
being fixed in such a position in the principal ram that its inner end extends to
near the open end of the cylinder. The pipe by which the water under pressure is
supplied to the apparatus for the return motion is fixed in the outer end of the
second ram. The principal ram is guided in its motion by its outer end being
provided with a cross head having rollers at its ends, which rollers travel on fixed
rails.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
Water under pressure is admitted between the contracted end of the cylinder
and the inner end of the principal ram, thus moving it; the motion of the principal
is transmitted through the piston rod to the article or material to which tensile
strain is to be applied.
The return motion of the ram is effected by water under pressure being admitted
through the second or smaller ram into the principal ram, the water in the cylinder
being permitted at the same time to escape.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Daniel Grainger Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th May
1879.
DANIEL GRAINGER LEWIS, of Netherton, near Dudley, in the County of Worcester,
Superintendent of Works. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
APPLYING TENSILE STRAIN TO CHAINS, ANCHORS, METALLIC WIRES AND BARS, AND
TO OTHER ARTICLES AND MATERIALS."
.
My Invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the
machinery or apparatus employed for proving or testing the strength of chains,
anchors, metallic wires and bars, and other articles and materials.
4
The said proving or testing consists of the application to the said articles and
materials of a given tensile strain or the application of such a tensile strain as will
rupture the said articles or materials.

page_text: The said machinery or apparatus consists essentially of a hydraulic cylinder and
ram, the required strain being applied by the action of water under pressure on the
ram of the hydraulic cylinder.
The said machinery or apparatus as ordinarily constructed is liable to derangement
in consequence of the rapid wearing of the interior of the cylinder produced by
the friction of the water-tight piston working in it. By constructing the said.
machinery or apparatus according to my Invention the wearing away of the
cylinder is avoided and great economy in the use of the apparatus effected.
In constructing the said machinery or apparatus according to my Invention I.
employ a hollow cylinder, open at both ends, the opening at one end having the
same diameter as the interior of the cylinder, the other end being contracted. I
will call the former the open end and the latter the contracted end of the cylinder.
In the open end of the cylinder a hollow ram works, and through the contracted
end a piston rod works, the piston rod being secured to the closed inner end of the
hollow rain by screwing or otherwise. The hollow ram has a diameter nearly equal
to that of the interior of the cylinder, so that it works in the cylinder without.
coming into contact with it, and consequently moves in the cylinder without
wearing it away. Both ends of the cylinder are provided with glands and cupped.
leathers, through which the ram and piston rod respectively work water tight. The
outer or open end of the hollow ram is contracted, and is provided with a gland
and cupped leather. Through this gland and cupped leather a second ram of small
diameter and open at both ends is passed. This second ram is of about the same
length as the principal ram, and is stationary, being fixed in such a position in the
principal ran that its inner end extends to near the open end of the cylinder. The
pipe by which the water under pressure is supplied to the apparatus for the return
motion is fixed in the outer end of the second ram. The principal ram is guided
in its motion by its outer end being provided with a cross head having rollers at its
ends, which rollers travel on fixed rails.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe, with
reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same is to be
performed.
Figure 1 represents in horizontal section partly in plan, and Figure 2 in side,
elevation, machinery or apparatus constructed according to my Invention, the bed
or foundation carrying the apparatus being omitted; Figures 3 and 4 represent
parts of the said apparatus detached drawn to a larger scale. The same letters.
indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
a is the hydraulic cylinder of the machinery or apparatus, and b is the hollow.
ram working through the open end 62 of the said hydraulic cylinder. The other.
end 63 of the hydraulic cylinder is contracted, and through the said contracted end
the piston rod c works. To the said piston rod c the article to which tensile strain
is to be applied for testing or proving the same is connected in the ordinary way.
The said piston rod c is attached preferably by screwing to the hollow ram b, and
the open end 62 of the cylinder a is provided with a gland and cupped leather at b*,
and the contracted end 63 of the cylinder is provided with a similar gland and
cupped leather at 55, so that the ram b and piston rod c work water-tight in the
respective ends of the cylinder a. It will be seen by an examination of the section,
Figure 1, that the hollow ram b has a diameter nearly equal to that of the interior
of the hydraulic cylinder a, so that the said ram works in the said cylinder without
coming in contact therewith, and hence the movement of the rain b in the cylinder
does not wear away the said cylinder. The ram b is connected at its outer end to
a cross head d having flanged rollers e, e, at its ends. These rollers e, e, travel on
the motion of the ram b on the fixed rails g, g. The cross head d and its rollers e, e,
are shewn drawn to a larger scale in end elevation and plan in Figure 3. By
means of the said cross head and its rollers and the rails g, g, the ram b is guided
in its motion in the hydraulic cylinder a; f is the secondary and smaller ram of
the apparatus stationed in the hollow principal ram.b. The said secondary and
stationary ram f is about the same length as the principal ram b, and works water-

page_text: tight through a gland and cupped leather at h in the open end of the principal
ram b, as represented in Figure 1.
The small stationary ram f is hollow or tubular, and open at both ends, and is so
arranged that its inner end extends to near the open end of the hydraulic cylinder a.
The other end of the small stationary ram f is supported by the cross piece or
support i, which also serves to secure the outer ends of the rails g, g, to. The
opposite ends of the rails are fixed to the open end of the hydraulic cylinder a.
The cross support i is represented detached, drawn to a larger scale in end elevation
and plan in Figure 4. From an examination of the said Figure 4 it will be seen
that the said support i is provided with a seat at k, in which the outer end of the
secondary ram f seats itself, and is fixed in its place by an upper cap. The cross
support is fixed by its ends 2,, to the foundation of the machine. m (see
Figure 2) is a pipe at the contracted end of the hydraulic cylinder a for admitting
water under pressure into the said cylinder for actuating the principal ram b. To
the outer end of the fixed hollow ram ƒ a pipe is connected for conveying water
under pressure into the principal ram b for effecting the return motion of the latter.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Water under pressure is admitted
through the pipe m, Figure 2, between the contracted end of the cylinder a and
the inner end of the principal ram b, thereby forcing the said ram out of the open
end 62 of the said cylinder, the said ram b in its motion working upon the stationary
secondary ram f, and being guided by the cross head d and rails g, g. The motion
of the principal ram b is transmitted through the piston rod c to the article or
material to which the tensile strain is to be applied. The return motion of the
ram bis effected by water under pressure being admitted by the pipe n through the
secondary or smaller ram f into the principal ram b, the water in the cylinder a
being permitted at the same time to escape.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
the improvements in machinery or apparatus for applying tensile strain to chains,
anchors, metallic wires and bars, and to other articles and materials herein-before
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing; that is to say, the
combination with the hydraulic cylinder a of the hollow ram b (of less diameter
than that of the interior of the said hydraulic cylinder) working upon a stationary
hollow ram f, the said principal ram b being guided in its motion and the said
stationary ram f being fixed in its place, and the several parts being constructed
and working substantially as described and illustrated, whereby the rapid wearing
away of the interior of the hydraulic cylinder of the machinery or apparatus is
avoided and great economy in the use of the apparatus obtained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Grainger Lewis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
FRANCIS ALFRED NORTHALL,
Netherton,
Nr. Dudley.
DANIEL GRAINGER LEWIS. (L.S.)