IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL TUBES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes and
Son, Patent Agents, 128, Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL TUBES."- A communi-
cation from abroad by C. Kesseler, of Greifswald, in the Kingdom of
Prussia.
Sealed the 24th May 1861, and dated the 30th November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th November 1860.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
128, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL TUBES," a
communication to me from abroad by C. Kesseler, of Greifswald, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, to be as follows:-
The metal is passed through grooved rollers and rolled to the necessary
curvature in sections, and joined to form an inner tube, which is then covered
by an outer tube, also formed in sections, but so arranged that the joints of
each tube shall not come opposite each other. In rolling the metal into a
curved shape, it slides over a stationary tongue in the middle of a groove on the
rollers; concentrical with the said groove is fitted a bar of suitable metal lying in

page_text: the grooves of the rollers, with a head at the end of it adjusted loosely by a pin.
The said head is made a little conical, and forms the interior of the tube..by
sliding on its inclined surface. This loose adjusting of the heads on the tongue
allows a quick motion in the rolling process, and after it has passed one groove,
the head is easily removed and another of different size replaced. And in
order to prevent deflection in the metal bar, another pair of grooved rollers is
used to support it, the grooves being exactly the same as in the first-named
rollers, but of a different diameter, so as not to perform a full rotation. Across
all the grooves a key bed is fitted to carry a metal plate, which, concentrical
with the grooves of the rollers, contain semicircular gaits to support the bar of
metal. Or a tube of the smallest diameter that can be got over the tongues, but
of a thick substance of metal, to allow of being drawn, may be used; the said
tube to be filled with sand, quartz, coke, powdered coal, or some similar sub-
stance that will retain the heat. Both ends of the tube being well plugged it
may be passed through the grooved rollers, and thus drawn out as before
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes & Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chancery Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special licence that I, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL TUBES," a con-
imunication to me from abroad by C. Kesseler, of Greifswald, in the Kingdom
of Prussia, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward

page_text: Thomas Hughes, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
Instead of bending the metal in the form of a tube, and afterwards welding
or joining it in a straight seam from end to end, as at present adopted, I roll
or form a number of segments or sections of metal of the required curvature
and thickness, and place them together in the form of an inner and outer tube,
as shewn in Fig. 2, in which it is seen that the outer sections 5, 6, 7, 8, cover
the joints of the inner sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and that the joints of one tube are
not opposite to those of the other. The edges of the sections in the Figure
radiate from the centre of the tube, but their forms may be varied to any shape
required, and the sections are held together in a bundle with wire or by any
other means.
For producing tubes of wrought iron the aforesaid segments or sections are
formed directly from the puddle bar or from finished rod iron, according to
the quality required, and for tubes of brass or other metal they are formed
from sheets or bars.
.
This Invention also consists in certain improved arrangements for facilitating
the quick rolling of the bundles of sections. The interior of each bundle
is caused to slide over a. tongue fixed in the middle of the groove of the press-
ing rollers. In Fig. 1, A, B, represents the rollers having the largest
transverse section of groove, concentric with which is the aforesaid tongue,
consisting of a bar a of steel or iron, formed smaller at the end, as at b, so as
to carry loosely the head c, which parts are also shewn enlarged in the longi-
tudinal section, Fig. 3. The head c is the part that forms the interior of the
tube, and is made a little conical, which thereby causes only a slight pressure,
as the tube in passing along is always sliding on the inclined surface. This
arrangement of employing conical heads makes it necessary for each following
groove to use a head of smaller diameter, in order that the tube which was
tightly pressed on the preceding head may slide easily over that which
follows.

page_text: The, hollow bundle having been welded and passed through the first grooves
of the rollers, is already a solid tube, without a welding seam passing through
it, but it is afterwards finished as required by passing through the other smaller
grooves of the rollers. Thus, in consequence of the heads being loose on the
tongue, the rolling can be performed expeditiously, as after each passage of
the tube through a groove of the roller the used head is instantly removed,
which is a great improvement upon the old method, as that requires the tube
to be removed at each passage in the opposite direction, which causes a
loss of time and diminution in the heat of the tube.
... In order to prevent the deflection of the bar of the tongue when it is
required to be small or thin, it is supported at or about the middle of its length
in such a manner that the passage of the tube is not prevented. This arrange-
ment is also represented in Fig. 1, in which the bar a to be supported is
supposed to be about twelve feet long. At about the middle there are two
rollers D, E, having grooves exactly similar to those of the rollers A, B, but of
such a diameter that they do not perform an entire rotation, and consequently,
when six feet of tube is to pass through them, they will have to be about two
feet in diameter. Across the grooves of the rollers there are key beds, into
which are fixed the keys or plates-f, g, having semicircular cuts. or notches for:
embracing the bar a, the upper roller being raised, depressed, and retained in.
its proper position by any ordinary mechanical arrangement. When the tube
has been rolled to such a length that it comes in contact with the plates f, g,
which have hitherto prevented the deflection of the tongue, the rollers D and E.
"will turn and the tube will enter the grooves and take upon itself the support
of the tongue, and thereby prevent its deflection. Near the truss frame of the
upper roller E there is a frame or lever h carrying a pulley i, so that when the
upper roller is lifted, and the tongue removed from the holder k, it can be
supported; and drawn back over another working roller.
This Invention also consists of an improved mode or system of manufacturing
tubes of smaller diameters than can be finished over tongues.
The intended tube is first made over a tongue of the smallest diameter that.
can be employed, but formed with a greater or less thickness of metal, necord-
ing to the required length and diameter of the finished tube. The said tube
after it has been removed. from the tongue, is filled with sand, quartz, coke,
asbes, lime, magnesia, or any other material of which the particles are not.
joined, together by beat, and both ends of the tube are closed with well-fitted
stoppers,, after which it is welded or soldered, and then rolled out in a similar
manner to the rolling of rods of small dimensions. After the rolling is com-
pleted the stopped ends are cut off and the contents of the tube removed, the'

page_text: result of which is a finished tube of smaller dimensions than could be made
over a tongue.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Invention, as
communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood
I do not confine myself to the precise details herein described, as such may be
varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but in the
manufacture of metal tubes I claim,-
First, the mode or system of forming tubes of a number of segments or
sections of metal having any desired lateral section and any form of edges.
Secondly, the system of rolling puddle bars and also finished rod iron into
curved transverse sections, which are formed into a hollow bundle and beld
together by wire or other nicans.
Thirdly, the system of manufacturing smaller tubes than can be made over
tongues, by first making them over the smallest tongues and then filling them
with sand, quartz, coke, ashes, lime, magnesia, or other material which will not
unite, and after stopping the ends, rolling them in the same manner as rolling
rods to as small a diameter as required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES.
(L.S.)