Improvements in Plate Supporting and Conveying Apparatus for Use in Connection with Plate Shearing Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Plate Supporting and Conveying Apparatus for
Use in Connection with Plate Shearing Machines.
CHARLES DAVY of 30 Whitworth Road, Ranmoor, Sheffield, in the County of
York, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to reduce labor in the operation of shearing long
and heavy iron or steel plates, such as marine boiler plates, ship plates, etc. It is
necessary for the cutters to make several strokes in order to shear along the edge of
along plate which must be fed forward after each cut, this operation which is done
by hand involving considerable exertion on the part of the attendants. An ordinary
travelling crane is not adapted to convey the plate along, inasmuch as owing to the
vertical position of the lifting chain the plate is at liberty to swing from the upper
point of connection of the pendent part of the chain and the crane would have to
travel some distance before the chain could drag. the plate up to the shear and
moreover owing to the angular position then assumed by the chain, the plate would be
lifted to an undesirable extent.
To overcome these objections, 1 prefer to provide an overhead travelling crane
with two hoisting chains leading from a common point of attachment to the plate at
a very wide angle to separate chain barrels, or over guide pulleys to the same barrel,
on the crab. The hoisting chains diverge in a vertical plane parallel to the shear
blades, the consequent freedom from pendulous motion in that plane obtained by
such divergence being an essential feature of the invention; pendulous motion in
the plane at right angles to such plane being however unrestricted as is desirable in
order that the attendants may swing the plate into the exact line along which it is to
be cut. To permit of this divergence of the chains, the girders of the gantry would
be very wide apart and the hoisting crab of corresponding span if the blades of the
shearing machine be parallel to the track on which the crane travels; but preferably
the line of the shear blades is at right angles to the longitudinal track, and in this
case the gantry girders are placed as near together as possible but the wheel base of
the crab is much longer than is usual, to ensure the necessary stability. Instead
of employing two chains diverging upwards in a fore and aft plane from the point of
attachment to the plate, I may employ a single chain and prevent pendulous motion
in that plane whilst permitting it in the plane at right angles thereto by passing the
pendent chain through a guide tube situated as near down to the plate as possible,
said guide tube being at the apex of a V frame whose limbs are jointed at their
upper ends to the crab, the two limbs lying in a plane parallel with the shear blades
and the axes of the joints are in the same plane so that the V frame is free to swing
laterally.
All or any of the crane motions, hoisting, longitudinal, and cross-traverses, may be
worked by power or by hand, to suit the circumstances of any particular case.
In order that a plate may be readily suspended to the hoisting chain or chains,
I provide a jaw clamp deep enough in the jaw to reach about half way across the
plate. The lower member of the clamp is preferably provided at the extreme end
with a raised face upon which the plate may rest, whilst the corresponding end of the
upper member is provided with a clamping screw with a head on its lower end, the
screw being worked by worm or bevel gear actuated by a shaft and a hand wheel
placed near the bow of the jaw. One or more clamping screws may be used, or
instead of screws, a wedge action may be employed. The clamp may also be made
in the form of a pair of nippers having jaws of sufficient length to reach about half
way across a plate, the clamping action being obtained by a screw and hand wheel
acting on the tail ends

page_text: The plate is, in any case, clamped at or about its centre of gravity, and the clamp
is suspended from the chain or from the point of intersection of the two chains, as
the case may be, with as short a coupling as possible. To prevent the clamp when
not supporting a plate, hanging bow end downwards in an unfavorable position for
use, I provide the crab with a supplementary crane barrel and chain by which the
clamp can always be maintained in a convenient position for the insertion of a
plate.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Plate-supporting and Conveying Apparatus for
Use in Connection with Plate-shearing Machines.
I, CHARLES DAVY. of 30, Whitworth Road, Kannoor, Sheffield, 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 this invention is to reduce labor in the operation of shearing long
and heavy iron or steel plates such as marine boiler plates, ship-plates, etc. It is
necessary for the cutters to make several strokes in order to shear-along the edge
of a long plate which must be fed forward after each cut, this operation, which is
done by hand involving considerable exertion on the part of the attendants.
An ordinary travelling crane is not adapted to convey the plate along inasmuch as,
owing to the vertical position of the lifting chain, the plate is at liberty to swing
from the upper point of connection of the pendent part of the chain and the crane
would have to travel some distance before the chain could drag the plate up to the
shears. Moreover, owing to the angular position then assumed by the chain, the
late would be lifted to an undesirable extent.
To overcome these objections, pendulous motion of the plate is prevented in the
direction of the line of cut of the shears so as to cause the crab to carry the plate
forward with it when traversed on the gantry, whilst pendulous motion is freely
permitted in the direction transverse to the line of cut.
This is accomplished by the arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawings
forming part of this specification and will be described with reference thereto.
Figures 1 and 2 are an elevation and plan of a crab on a gantry, the latter being
partly broken away and the track on which it travels being in cross-section in
figure 1. Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of a modified arrangement, the plate
(omitted from figure 1) being shewn suspended from the crab. Figure 5 is a cross-
section of the gantry, showing the crab upon it. Figure 6 is an elevation of a
crab provided with a modified means of preventing pendulous motion in the direction
of cut. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Referring to figures 1 to 5, which shew the preferred arrangements, I provide an
overhead travelling crane with two hoisting chains A A leading at a very wide angle
from a common point of attachment to the plate, to separate hoisting barrels B B, as
in figures 1 and 2, or over guide pulleys CC to the same hoisting barrel B on the
crab D, as in figures 3, 4, 5; The hoisting chains diverge in a vertical plane parallel
to the shear-blades whereby pendulous motion in that plane is prevented without,
however, being unrestricted in the vertical plane at right angles to the line of cut as
is desirable in order that the plate may be swung into the exact position required with
regard to the line of cut of the shears.
In figures 1 and 2, the blades E of the shearing machine are at right angles to the
direction of the main track F on which the gantry. G travels, which is the preferred
arrangement, and, in this case, the gantry girders are placed as near together as

page_text: possible but the wheel base of the crab is much longer than is usual, to ensure the
necessary stability. In figures 3 to 5, the shear blades E are parallel with the main
track and, to permit of the necessary divergence of the chains, the crab D is of long
span and the girders of the gantry G are at a corresponding width apart.
Instead of employing two chains diverging upwards from the point of attachment
to the plate, I may employ a single chain, as in figure 6, and prevent pendulous
motion in the plane parallel with the line of cut, whilst permitting it in the plane at
right angles thereto, by passing the pendent chain A through a guide tube H situated
as near down to the plate as possible, said guide tube being at the apex of a V-frame
1 whose limbs are jointed at their upper ends to the crab D so as to allow of lateral
swinging motion of the frame, the two limbs of which occupy the same relative
position as
the double chain of the former arrangement.
All or any of the crane motions, hoisting, longitudinal, and cross-traverses, may be
worked by power or by hand to suit the circumstances of any particular case, the
gearing being of the usual description. In figures 1, 2, and 6, the cross-traversing
may be performed by pushing the suspended plate in the direction of the shears.
In order that a plate may be readily suspended to the hoisting chain or chains,
I provide a jaw-clamp K, represented in figure 3, deep enough in the jaw to reach
about half-way across the plate P. The lower member of the clamp is preferably
provided at the extreme end with a raised face upon which the plate may rest whilst
the corresponding end of the upper member is provided with a clamping screw k
with a bead on its lower end, the screw being worked by worm or bevel gear actuated
by a shaft and a hand wheel / placed near the bow of the clamp. One or more
clamping screws may be used or, instead of screws, a wedge action may be employed,
as will be readily understood. The clamp may also be made in the form of a pair
of tongs having jaws of sufficient length to reach about half-way across a plate, the
clamping action being obtained. by a screw and hand wheel acting upon the tail
ends.
The plate P is, in any case, clamped at or about its centre of gravity, and the
clamp is suspended from the point of intersection of the two chains A A or from
the single chain, as the case may be, with as short a coupling as possible. To prevent
the clamp, when not supporting a plate, hanging bow-end downwards in an unfavorable
position for use I provide the crab with a supplementary crane barrel M and chain m
by which the clainp can always be maintained in a convenient position for the
insertion of a plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described means of preventing pendulous motion of the plate in the
direction of cut of the shears whilst permitting it in a direction at right angles
thereto, which consists in suspending the plate from a pair of hoisting chains
diverging upwards in a plane parallel to the line of cut and winding on separate
barrels or passing over pulleys to the same barrel, as respectively described and
illustrated in figures 1, 2, and 3, 4, 5.
2. The herein described means of staying a single hoisting chain in the direction
of cut of the shears whilst permitting it to swing laterally thereto, which consists of
a pendent V-frame pivoted to the crab and terminating in a guide through which the
chain passes, as described with reference to figure 6.
Llated this Ynd der of Alax IX8U
Later this 2nd der of
CHAS. DAVY.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.