Improvements in Pipes of Malleable Metal and their Mode of Manufacture.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct.. 1886.
Complete Left, 15th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 16th Aug., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pipes of Malleable Metal and their Mode of
Manufacture.
We GEORGE HERBERT LLOYD of Maney House Sutton Coldfield, ARTHUR
LLEWELLYN LLOYD of 41 Clarendon Square Leamington and HUBERT BEWLAY of
Alcester Road Moseley Birmingham Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Whereas. Malleable metal pipes are from time to time used for the conduct of
water Air, Gas, &c. in preference to the hitherto more generally used cast iron
mains especially in cases where long inland carriage is necessary, as the malleable
pipes weighing only say about one fourth of the weight of cast iron pipes effect a
very great saving in cost of transport. Various methods have been proposed and
used for connecting these malleable pipes together such as sockets of various kinds
attached to or expanded out of the pipe, or loose double socket collars, flanges stuffing
boxes &c., but all of these as far as we are aware are more or less objectionable
either on account of their being difficult or expensive to manufacture or unsightly
and taking up space in shipment-now the object of our invention is to form on to
the malleable pipe or plate that is being formed into a pipe a socket which while being
of the shape best calculated to serve its purpose viz. an approximate imitation of the
cast iron socket shall also by being made during one of the ordinary processes of the
manufacture of the tube, not add appreciably to the cost of manufacture. We propose
to carry out our invention as follows. We provide a set of rolls, similar in their
mode of working to ordinary plate bending rolls as used by a Boiler maker, by
preference 3 rolls, one upper roll moveable up and down in its housing and two lower
rolls. The upper roll is made so as to withdraw through its housings by screw
gearing by preference or otherwise move so as to let the tube out, after it has been
formed around it. At one end of the upper roll, it is thickened or allowed to be left
wider than the other part so as to form on it a solid enlargement of approximately
the exact shape of a socket on a cast iron pipe. The lower rolls have recesses cast or
turned out of them to exactly correspond with the projecting parts of the upper roll.
When therefore the plate of which we are going to form the pipe is brought from
Γ

page_text: the furnace and gripped by the rolls the plate has at one end to assume the shape
given it by the rolls in the course of its being bent round to form the tube. In the
case of tubes in which the straight joint is to be afterwards welded, when the tube has
been completely bent the edges of the plate forming the tube just meet or overlap
one another but the edges of the plate forming the socket will be some distance apart,
as the socket is larger in diameter than the Tube; this space is easily and securely
fitted up by welding or otherwise fastening a piece into it so that a complete tube is
formed whether riveted or welded or otherwise joined as to the edges, with the socket
formed on to it during the ordinary processes of manufacture. Another part of our
invention relates to the spigot end of the tube, it is desirable that the extreme edge
of this end should be thickened or strengthened as in cast iron pipes, both to give it
strength against collapse and also that when fitted into the socket above described, it
should rise well into the curve from which the socket springs and not allow the
packing which is forced against it to be pushed past it.
This has been hitherto effected by enlarging the spigot or by attaching a separate
strengthening piece around it, by this invention we heat the spigot end of the tube
and beat jump up or upset the edge of the plate in such a way as to thicken it on itself
and thus form a thickening of the edge which admirably effects the objects aimed at.
Dated this Fifteenth day of October One thousand eight hundred and eighty-six.

page_text: Improvements in Pipes of Malleable Metal and their Mode of
Manufacture.
We, GEORGE HERBERT LLOYD, of Mancy House, Sutton Coldfield, ARTHUR
LLEWELLYN LLOYD, of 41, Clarendon Square, Leamington, and HUBERT BEWLAY, of
Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, Manufacturers, 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 :-
Malleable metal pipes are sometimes employed as conduits for water, air, gas and
other fluids, in preference to the cast iron mains formerly more generally used;
especially in cases where long overland transport is involved; as, under such
conditions, the malleable pipes, weighing only about one fourth of the weight of cast
iron mains of corresponding strength, a great saving in the cost of transport is
effected. For connecting such malleable metal pipes together, various methods have
been proposed and carried into practice; as for example, sockets of various kinds
attached to or expanded out of each pipe, loose double socket collars, flanges, stuffing-
boxes; but all these methods have, so far as we are aware, proved more or less
objectionable, either in consequence of their being difficult or expensive to manu-
facture, or unsightly in appearance, or on account of occupying excessive space in
shipment.
The object of our invention is to form malleable metal pipes in such a manner that
during one of the ordinary processes of their manufacture from plates and without
materially adding to the cost of production, a socket is formed resembling the
ordinary cast iron socket and consequently of the shape best calculated to serve its
purpose.
In carrying out our invention, we proceed in the following manner, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, whereof Figure 1 represents in sectional
elevation a malleable metal plate a rolled into a cylindrical shape for the formation of
a pipe, the said plate being provided with a socket a¹ produced in a manner herein-
after described, Figure 2 being a side elevation of a machine adapted to roll the
malleable metal plates into the required form. The said machine consists preferably
of a set of three rolls, one upper roll b, moveable vertically in its housing c, and two
lower rolls, revolving in fixed bearings; the three rolls working similarly to the
ordinary plate-bending rolls used by boiler-makers. The upper roll b is so constructed
as to enable it to be withdrawn, preferably by means of screw-gearing such as d,
through its housing in order to liberate the tube after the latter has been formed
around the roll. The upper roll is provided at one end, preferably that adjacent to
the withdrawing mechanism, with a solid enlargement 6' of a form approximately corre-
sponding with that of the socket usually found on a cast iron main; the two lower rolls
being made with recesses corresponding with the projection on the upper roll. When
the plate from which the pipe is to be formed is brought from the furnace and

page_text: gripped by the rolls, and whilst being bent to form the tube, it is caused to assume
at one end a shape corresponding with that of the enlargement on the upper roll b.
In the case of a tube in which the longitudinal joint is to be afterwards welded, when
the process of bending the plate has been completed, the edges thereof for the length
of the tube-body meet or overlap one another, but, owing to the socket being of
greater diameter, a gap is formed between the edges of the plate at that part, as
shewn at a² (Figure 1), the interval being subsequently occupied by a filling piece,
which may be readily secured in position by welding or otherwise. The edges of the
plate, instead of being welded, may, if preferred, be rivetted together. A complete
tube may thus be formed, and whether rivetted, welded or otherwise joined as to its
edges, the socket is produced during one of the ordinary processes of manufacture
and is of the same or nearly the same thickness in substance as the pipe, instead of
being considerably thinner, as is the case when the socket is formed in the ordinary
manner by expanding a portion of a finished tube.
Another part of our invention relates to the formation of the spigot end of the pipe.
It is desirable that the extreme edge of this end should be thickened or strengthened,
as in cast iron mains, both to guard against collapse, and so that, when fitted into the
socket of a contiguous pipe, it may take a proper concentric bearing and retain the
packing used to form the joint in place. This has hitherto been effected by enlarging
the spigot end or by welding or otherwise attaching a separate strengthening piece
around it, but we prefer to heat the end of the tube, and to beat, jump or upset the
extremity of the plate or tube in such a way as to thicken it to the required extent,
as indicated at a³ in Figure 1, and thus strengthen and form the edge in a manner
which effectually accomplishes the objects aimed at.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, we claim :-
1. The herein described method of manufacturing malleable metal pipes by forming
the main portion of the socket during the process of rolling the plate to a cylindrical
shape, completing the socket by the insertion of a filling piece and forming a collar
on the spigot end of the pipe from the solid metal by "jumping" or equivalent
means.
2. In the manufacture of malleable metal pipes, forming the main portion of the
socket during the process of rolling the plate to a cylindrical shape and without
materially reducing the thickness of the metal, substantially as described.
3. In the manufacture of malleable metal pipes, forming the collar or enlargement
at the spigot end by upsetting the edge of the tube at that extremity, substantially as
set forth.
4. In the manufacture of malleable metal pipes, the use of a set of rolls arranged
and operated as herein set forth and adapted for enabling the plate under treatment
to be inanipulated substantially in the manner described.
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.