IMPROVE- MENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES FOR STAMPING, FORGING, AND SHAPING METALS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ralph Hart Tweddell, of 14, Delahay Street, West-
minster, in the County of Middlesex, and James Platt and John Fielding,
Engineers, both of the City of Gloucester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES FOR STAMPING, FORGING, AND SHAPING
METALS."
Sealed the 6th February 1877, and dated the 7th August 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ralph Hart Tweddell, James
Platt, and John Fielding at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 7th August 1876.
RALPH HART TWEDDELL, of 14, Delahay Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, and JAMES PLATT, and JOHN FIELDING, Engineers, both of the City of
Gloucester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES FOR STAMPING, FORGING, AND
SHAPING METALS."
.This Invention relates to an improved method of opening and closing the dies or
moulds used in certain operations connected with forging, shaping, and stamping
metals, and other like substances, also for imparting pressure to the work being
operated upon in addition to that due to the ordinary press.
We offect this first by the addition of a hydraulic press acting at right angles
(preferably but they may be varied) to the main press.
Connected to this additional
press are dies of suitable shape, which can be opened and closed as may be desired,
and when necessary these dies can be so worked that a part of the forging
operation can be done while bringing them together by the pressure imparted
through them by the cylinder or cylinders to which they are connected.
We prefer constructing the presses as follows:-By making the auxiliary press
self contained so that it can be withdrawn from the larger one, and thus we can
have two simple presses for doing ordinary stamping and preparing these pieces for
being united or made into more complete forgings under the action of the combined
press.
We prefer to construct our forging presses with the cylinder of the main press
placed vertically on the top of the machine; the downward stroke, unless it meets
with resistance, is thus accomplished by gravity, only the vacant space left by the
descent of the rain being filled from a tank or other convenient supply, thus only a
small quantity of water under a high pressure is required, and this we have stored
[Price 6d1

page_text: up in an accumulator with a long stroke in proportion to its area. By this we
ensure the effect of a sharp blow caused by the suddenly arrested momentum of
the falling weight of the accumulator, and we obtain the benefits due to the blow
in addition to the static pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
.
the said Ralph Hart Tweddell, James Platt, and John Fielding in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 7th February 1877.
RALPH HART TWEDDELL, of 14, Delahay Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, and JAMES PLATT, and JOHN FIELDING, Engineers, both of the City
of Gloucester. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES FOR STAMPING, FORGING,
AND SHAPING METALS."
This Invention relates to an improved method of opening and closing the dies or
moulds used in certain operations connected with forging, shaping, and stamping
metals and other substances, also for imparting pressure to the work being operated
upon in addition to that due to the ordinary press.
We effect this first by the addition of a hydraulic press acting at right angles
Connected to this
(preferably, but they may be varied) to the main press.
additional press are dies of suitable shape, which can be opened and closed as may
be desired, and when necessary these dies can be so worked that a part of the
forging operation can be done while bringing them together by the pressure
imparted through them by the cylinder or cylinders to which they are connected.
We prefer constructing the presses as follows:-By making the auxiliary press
self contained so that it can be withdrawn from the larger one and thus we can
have two simple presses for doing ordinary stamping and preparing these pieces for
being united or made into more complete forgings under the action of the combined
press.
We prefer to construct our forging presses with the cylinder of the main press
placed vertically on the top of the machine. The downward stroke, until it meets
with resistance, is thus accomplished by gravity only, the vacant space left by the
descent of the ram being filled from a tank or other convenient supply, thus only a
small quantity of water under a high pressure is required, and this we have stored
up in an accumulator with a long stroke in proportion to its area. By this we
ensure the effect of a sharp blow caused by the suddenly arrested momentum of the
falling weight of the accumulator, and we obtain the benefits due to the blow in
addition to the static pressure.
Our Invention will be well understood on reference to the accompanying
Drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical section of our press, and Figure
a section on the line X, X, of the same. Figures 3 and 4 are an end and a side
view respectively, and Figure 5 shows a plan of a double hydraulic press, in which
the top or upper table E descends until the table meets the resistance of the article
upon the lower press table.
A, A, A, A, represent the top and bottom castings of an ordinary hydraulic press
which are connected together in the usual manner by columns B, B, B, B.
In the top frame is fixed a hydraulic cylinder C, in which work one or more rams
D fitted with a self-acting drawback gear, and the usual valves to admit water at
first (if so desired) at a low pressure, and at the end of the stroke at a high|
pressure, or vice versa, as may be desired, but as there is no novelty in the manner
in which this is proposed to be done the Drawing, with a view to simplicity, does
not show them in detail.
Attached to the ram D is a moving table E, which is guided by the columns
B, B, B, B. Arrangements are inado to keep this filled with cold water circulating

page_text: continually through to prevent the rams and other working parts getting too hot
while working.
The lower casting or table A of the press has an opening in the centre, and in
this is fixed (when desired only) a cylinder F, F, the object of which is explained
hereafter. When this cylinder F is not required for use the pressure from the
accumulator can be shut off, and the platform G in that case would rest on the
table A to form practically part of the latter; but there are sundry operations in
welding and forging where a piece of metal has to be forged or welded on to a long
bar; then, and in other cases, the cylinder F is removed, leaving a clear opening
through the centre of frame A from the anvil block.
His a horizontal hydraulic cylinder, which is fastened, as is also its abutment I,
by bolts J, J, to opposite sides of the frame A. In the smaller machines the
cylinder and abutment can be made in one and self-contained and run in between
the columns B, B. In the larger machines, however, the, arrangement shewn is
preferable, as H serves as a separate press with horizontal action by fitting a lining
piece between H. and I to replace the frame of the bottom of press A.
Suitable dies and blocks K, K₁, are attached to ram H, and abutment I, and in
the application shown in Figures 1 and 2 the blocks K, K, are shown holding
together the dies L, L, adapted to form a railway crossing, this being shaped to suit
the forms known as Price Williams' continuous crossing. In this case, and in many
other forgings, this application of side pressure dispenses with the use of bolts,
keys, and other modes of fastening dies temporarily together which require to be
parted to get the finished forging out, and in addition the retaining pressure thus
obtained is used to give shape and form to the metal in the dies themselves.
In the special application shown in Figures 1 and 2 the vertical press is being
used to remove the metal from one part of the rail to the other. on the principle
enunciated in R. Price Williams' Patent, No. 2938, of 1875, but in practise it is
not found possible to do this satisfactorily without the side_pressure also. The
upper die required to do this is not shown on the Drawings. For ordinary forging,
such as stamping wrought-iron bosses on to wheels connecting rod ends, cross heads,
etc., the dies h, k, can be removed if necessary so as to leave room for the ordinary
container, or in many cases, as in the one just described, the side pressure can be
used to act not only as the container, but to give shape to the metal under
pressure.
Should the press not be required for forging, but if it be desired to flange plates,
the dies K, K,, can be removed, and also, if desired, the casting H and I. These,
however, can be connected together, thus forming a second press, and it is proposed
then to utilize this for faggotting the iron into rough inasses or blooms ready for.
being placed in the dies under the larger press. This adaptation is applicable to
the direct forging and finishing of crossings, chairs, switches, and the like for
railways.
For flanging plates, circular or other suitable blocks and matrices are attached to
the moving table E and to the bottom table A. There is nothing novel in this, as
it has been done for many years in some presses, and later by hydraulic power by
Piedboeuf, and by others.
In our arrangement the hydraulic cylinder is above, the weight of the rain, the
following table E, and the dies attached to it causes the ram to descend by gravity
the greater part of the stroke, thus it is only necessary to fill the vacant space left
in the cylinder as the rams run out by low-pressure water from a tank on level
with the top of the machine. In Figure 1 is shown (dotted) the matrix N, which
in our machine is a fixture, and the block or die O travels with the upper table E.
Pressure from the accumulator is then admitted into the cylinder F, and the ram
Frises until stopped by the nuts on the four rods M, M, M, M, the platform G
being thus raised up to the level of the top of the matrix N, and the plate to be
stamped laid on the platform G. The upper table E with the block or die then
descends until it meets the plate lying on the platform G. The plate is held
rigidly between the platform G and the block O, and is thus prevented buckling

page_text: while in the downward progress of the block O which forces the projecting ends or
sides of the plate in between the outer surface of the block and the inner surface
of the matrix N to flange it. Suitable dies being attached to the platform G,
flanging and shaping can be done by them also while the nintrix N is doing the
above work.
The water in cylinder F is during the above operation forced back into the
accumulator, and as soon as the plate is flanged the valve in cylinder C being
open to the exhaust tho ram F ascends and forces the plate now flanged out of the
matrix ready to be drawn off by the workmen. A further application of this ram
and cylinder F is that for many smaller operations in flanging, such as drumheads
for thrashing machines, eye-bolts for tension rods, for bridges, etc., the power in
this cylinder is ample, and great economy and speed in working can be attained by
using this cylindor only when the work is light. Again, in many cases of forging
and stamping, a separate cylinder with a die on it may be arranged to give some
final finishing or shape to the larger forging just completed by the main press, and
to be able to do this while the forging is still in the dies ensures that accuracy
which is one of the chief advantages of hydraulic over other machines for doing
such work.
Having thus described generally our Invention, we do not confine ourselves to
the particular arrangements shown, which may be varied in many ways, but we
claim,―
Firstly. The employment of hydraulic presses, with top, bottom, and side
pressure combined as described and substantially as shown, by which the moulding,
forging, and stamping of metals, either as blooms or finished forgings, can be
effected so that the pressure may be imparted in the former caso throughout, and
into the whole body or mass of metal, and in the latter in addition to shaping the
metal in dies as is now done to apply the power exerted by the additional cylinders
to hold the said dies together, and if necessary also to give shape by pressure to the
metal being operated upon.
Secondly. We claim specially the combined bydraulic apparatus shown in Figure
1 in the annexed Drawings, in or by which railway crossings, switches, chairs, and
the like can be produced by direct pressure, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ralph Hart Tweddell, for myself and on
behalf of the said James Platt and John Fielding, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Seventh day of February, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-seven.
DATD TT
WANDELT