Improvements in the Manufacture of Chains and Chain Cables, and in Connecting Links for Chains and Chain Cables.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Chains and Chain Cables, and in
Connecting Links for Chains and Chain Cables.
I, MARC-ANTOINE HIPPOLYTE RONGIER of Stepps Road, near Glasgow, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction of a weldless link or shackle for
uniting lengths of chain however made, and to the manufacture of weldless
chains and chain cables of links which are alternately solid or closed weldless links
and connecting links or shackles such as above referred to. This connecting link
or shackle consists of a sort of stayed link, made in one piece the two bow portions
being formed by stamping, forging, or otherwise in one with the body or stay
portion not however as closed hows but as straight or hooked members projecting
in opposite directions and having their extremities bent up at right angles to their
length to form rivet-studs the body or stay portion being formed of greater thick-
ness than these members and provided at the same or opposite sides with recesses
in which the end portions of these members may he so received as to lie wholly
nearly so in the plane of the body portion, the latter being also provided
with through holes in which the turned-up ends are received and secured by
upsetting or rivetting, the holes being countersunk to receive the ends so rivetted
over flush with the face of the body portion of the link.
Such a connecting link or shackle may have its bow portions curved and bent up
from the plane of the link in readiness to be coupled to une chains which it is to
unite and with its rivet studs opposite their respective holes ready to be inserted
or rivetted therein without special tools.
In the manufacture of weldless stayed chains and chain cables with such links
form the solid or closed weldless stayed links by rolling, pressing, stamping,
punching, or casting in their completely closed or jointless looped stayed form
whilst the coupling links with which they are to be alternated in making up the
chain are formed as before described, the members which are to form the bows or
loops being preferably formed straight if the links are produced by rolling, press-
ing, or stamping from the bar whilst if produced by casting they may be either
straight or partially curved to the looped form ready for enchainment with the
solid links, and for closing by rivetting their stud ends in the respective holes of
the body portion.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Chains and Chain Cables, and in
Connecting Links for Chains and Chain Cables.
I, MARC-ANTOINE HIPPOLYTE RONGER of Stepps Road, near Glasgow, North
Britain, 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:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of chains and chain cables formed of
closed jointless and weldless links alternated with connecting links of the special
construction hereafter described, the said connecting links being also adapted for
coupling together lengths of chain however made.
The Invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings
forming part of this Specification wherein I have illustrated the different stages
in the operation of forming the connecting link which forms the basis of my
Invention and the tools employed therein in so far as they are of special construc-
tion not evident by the form of the link. The drawings also illustrate one mode
of making a closed weldless link and the making up of a chain alternately of such
closed weldless links and of the special connecting links of my invention.
The Invention resides essentially in the special construction of the connecting
link hereafter described whereby the operation of welding is entirely avoided the
construction being such that the maximum of tensile strength is uniformly
ensured. The connecting link A of my invention resembles in its finished form
(as shewn in Figures 5 67) an ordinary stayed link so that when made up into
a chain of alternate jointless and connecting links they are uniform as regards
external form and dimensions.
The connecting link A of my Invention is formed by stamping and forging by
means of dies and swages and it comprises a body or stay portion 6 and two
members a which in the initial form of the link extend in opposite directions
from the body b as shewn in Figure 2, the end portions of said members being at
right angles to form rivet studs c. The body portion b is by the action of the
swages formed of slightly greater thickness than the members a and is provided
with recesses d in which the end portions of the members a when bent up to the
form of bows are received, and with through holes e in which the studs are
inserted, as shewn in Figures 45 6, the studs c after entering the holes c being
secured by rivetting over their extremities with which object the holes e áre
slightly coned or countersunk to receive the burr or metal so rivetted over flush
with the face of the body portion b. Such a connecting link A is shewn in Figure 3
as having its bow portions curved and bent up from the plane of the link in readi
ness to be coupled to the links which it is to unite and with its rivet studs c
opposite their respective holes e ready to be inserted and rivetted therein.
The operations of forming such links from a flat iron bar of uniform thickness
are as follows:-The bar A; Figure 1, is first punched out with apertures such
as B at suitable intervals apart as a first stage towards removing surplus metal,
this operation being done cold whilst for all the subsequent operations the metal
is preferably heated. The portions of the bar left are then stamped between pairs
of swages, such as shewn in Figures 8 and 9 (which represent a pair) of the
requisite form to bring the bar to the configuration shewn in the upper part of
Figure 1, the succession of partially formed links being united by a fin C formed of
the surplus metal. The oppositely extending members of the partially formed
links are of round or approximately round section and the two swages of a pair
are alike except that the one swage has bosses d'as shewn in Figure 8, by which

page_text: the recesses d are formed in the body portion & whilst the other swage has circular
bosses (which coincide in position with the inner semi-circular ends of the
recesses ) by which depressions corresponding to the rivet holes e are formed at
the opposite side of the bar to the recesses d. The partially formed links are then
broken apart and the fins removed by clipping and the stud holes e are com-
pleted by punching out the fin left by the operation of the swages, the partially
formed link being then in the form shewn in Figure 2, the return ends of the
members a which are to form the studs è lying in the plane of the link. The
members a are now twisted so as to bring the return ends c into positions perpen-
dicular to the plane of the link and towards the same side as 'the recesses d. This
done, the link is then bent, by means of a tool such as shown in Figure 10, to the
form shewn in Figure 3 and is then closed by inserting the studs c in their
holes e, as shewn in Figures 45 and 6, the shape of the link heing at same
time rectified by pressure between swages of appropriate form, without however
the studs c being rivetted down. The link having been thus brought to shape it
is opened again to the form shewn in Figure 3 in order that it may be coupled to
or enchained with other links for making up into a chain or for uniting two
lengths of chain as the case may be.
The operation of closing the link after coupling it to other links, as in Figure 7,
may he performed by hammering the ends of the members down until the studs e
are entered well through the holes e, the operation being completed by means of
swages as shewn in Figure 11, whereby the rivetting over of the studs c may also
he performed.
The links with which such connecting links are enchained to form chains or
chain cables are formed preferably by punching out of a bar and pressing or
stamping, as shewn in Figures 12 and 13, from which it will he seen that the
links are formed as completely closed or jointless stayed links G by means of any
suitable tools as will be readily understood, the jointless and the connecting links
being alternated with each other and forming when the connecting links are
closed a chain of links of uniform shape and dimensions,
pro-
The tool shewn in Figure 10 whereby the bending of the connecting link from
the form shewn in Figure 2 to the form shewn in Figure 3 is effected, consists of
two similar pairs of tongs the member D of each of which is pivoted about a fixed
centre D' whilst the other member E is pivoted to D about a centre E¹ and
vided with an operating jaw Ea acting in conjunction with a recess D2 in the
member D, the two pairs of tongs heing synimetrically pivoted with regard to a
pair of anvil studs F so that hy swinging the member D about its centre
the member a of the link is initially bent ahout its anvil stud F
the completion of the bending operation and the bringing of the rivet stud into
the relation to its hole indicated in the Figure being effected by bringing the
jaw E into action.
It will be obvious that a chain might be composed entirely of rivetted connecting
links such as herein described and that in that case one of the bows of each such
link might be punched out of the completely closed form like one of the bows of
the link G shewn in Figure 13 the other bow being formed of a member a shaped
by bending and secured by rivetting its right-angled end e in a groove d and hole e
in the body portion & of the link as above described.
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 manufacture of a connecting link having a grooved and apertured
central body portion and oppositely extending members terminating in right
angled ends, the said members heing bent to form the bows and adapted to be
closed by engaging and rivetting the angled ends in the grooves and holes of the
body portion substantially as herein specified.
2. A chain link formed of a grooved and apertured body portion and of members

page_text: extending therefrom and terminating in right angled ends the said members
being bent to form the bows of the link and secured by the angled ends being
rivetted in the grooves and holes of the body portion substantially as specified.
3. A chain link formed of a grooved and apertured body portion and having one
how formed as described and secured to the body portion by rivetting in a groove
and aperture therein as described.
4. The manufacture of a chain by the combination of alternate solid or jointless
links and of connecting links constructed each of a grooved and apertured body
portion and of members extending therefrom and terminating in right angled
ends the members being bent to form the bows of the link and secured by rivetting
their angled ends in the body portion as described.
5. The manufacture of chain links from the bar by punching, stamping,
bending, and rivetting as herein specified..
Dated this 11th day of Now 180*
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.