AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF WELDLESS CHAIN to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: We, GEORGE ALLAN and HORACE MARK GREGORY, both of Corngreaves in the
County of Stafford, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF WELDLESS CHAIN to be as follows:-
"
In the Specons No 2522 of 1881 and N° 3016 of 1883 are described a method
and apparatus for the manufacture of weldless chains from bars of iron or steel of
cruciform shape, the method so described consisting generally in punching out or
cutting away portions of the metal and then shaping the material left to the form
of links. Our invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for effecting
this manufacture, whereby we save waste of metal, obtain greater soundness in the
links, and are enabled to use more effective and durable tools for the successive
operations required. We first roll the cruciform bar with its ribs having rounded
edges and slightly tapering to increased thickness towards the middle of the bar.
Heating the bar, we place it between two dies which we force together by hydraulic
or other suitable pressure, these dies squeezing the two side ribs approximately to
the external shape of the two sides and part of the ends of a link, and also
indenting these ribs on each side of the perpendicular rib, so as to leave only thin
fins of metal within and around the link, which fins may be afterwards removed
by punching and shearing, or by the tools used for the subsequent operations.
Having thus moulded approximately one link, we feed the bar onwards and
similarly mould the link next in order on the same plane. In order to provide for
cooling the dies, we prefer to employ them in duplicate, withdrawing laterally the
pair that have operated on a link and advancing another cool pair to mould the
next link in order.
When all the links on one plane are thus moulded, we turn the bar one quarter
round, and operate in like manner so as to mould the links on the other plane. In
each case suitable feed arrangements are employed to advance the bar step by step
for the successive links. At this stage of the process the bar is still rigid, the links
of each plane being connected to those of the other and to one another by metal.
connecting their bows. The metal being still heated we first by means of suitable
swage-punches forced in obliquely on each side between the bow of a link on the
one plane and the bow of the link on the other plane, all but separate those links,
leaving only between them thin fins of metal which can afterwards be removed,
and thus giving approximately the rounded form to the inside portions of links
which were not previously acted on. We then, by means of swage purches deal in
[Prin Q71

page_text: like manner with the external junctions of the links first on the one plane and
then on the other. The fins that had been left by the dies and swage punches are
then removed and the links are now all separated. Afterwards we turn each link
partly round so as to present its ends to suitable swages by which these ends are
properly shaped. In cases where the links are to have internal studs, we first by
means of a drift widen each link at its middle so that a stud can be introduced,
and after its introduction we again close up the link by squeezing it between
suitable dies fixing the stud and giving the link its final shape. In operating on
the bar as above described, it is convenient to place the machinery which works
the tools and dies between two long furnaces so that the bar may pass hot from
the one through the tools, and into the other, where its heat is maintained for the
.subsequent operations.

page_text: We, GEORGE ALLAN and HORACE MARK GREGORY both of Corngreaves in the
County of Stafford, Engineers, 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:-
In the Specifications N° 2522 of 1881 and N° 3016 of 1883 are described a method
and apparatus for the manufacture of weldless chains from bars of iron or steel of
cruciform shape, the method so described consisting generally in punching out or
cutting away portions of the metal and then shaping the material left to the form
of links. Our invention relates to, an improved.method and apparatus for effecting
this manufacture, whereby we save waste of metal, obtain greater soundness in the
links, and are enabled to use more effective and durable tools for the successive'
operations required. We first 'roll. the cruciform bar with its ribs having rounded
edges and slightly tapering to increased thickness towards the middle of the bar.
Heating the bar, we place it between two dies which we force together by hydraulic
or other suitable pressure, these dies squeezing the two side ribs approximately to
the external shape of the two sides and part of the ends of a link and also indenting
these ribs on each side of the perpendicular rib, so as to leave only thin fins of
metal within and around, the link, which fins may be afterwards removed by
punching and shearing or by the tools used for the subsequent operations. Having
thus moulded approximately one link, we feed the bar onwards and similarly mould
the link next in order on the same plane. In order to provide for cooling the dies,
we prefer to employ them in duplicate, withdrawing laterally the pair that have
operated on a link and advancing another cool pair to mould the next link in
order.
When all the links on one plane are thus moulded, we turn the bar one quarter
round, and operate in like manner so as to mould the links on the other plane. In
each case suitable feed arrangements are employed to advance the bar step by step
for the successive links. At this stage of the process the bar is still rigid, the links
of each plane being connected to those of the other and to one another by metal
connecting their bows. The metal being still heated we first by means of suitable
swage-punches forced in obliquely on each side between the bow of a link on the
one plane and the bow of the link on the other plane, all but separate those links,
leaving only between them thin fins of metal which can afterwards be removed,
and thus giving approximately the rounded form to the inside portions of links
which were not previously acted on. We then, by means of swage punches deal in
like manner with the external junctions of the links. The fins. that had been left
by the dies are removed and the links are now all separated. Afterwards we turn
each link partly round so as to present its ends to suitable swages by which these
ends are properly shaped. In cases where the links are to have internal studs, we
first by means of a drift widen each link at its middle so that a stud can be
introduced, and after its introduction we again close up the link by squeezing it
between suitable dies fixing the stud and giving the link its final shape. In
operating on the bar as above described, it is convenient to place the machinery

page_text: which works the tools and dies between two long furnaces so that the bar may pass
hot from the one through the tools, and into the other, where its heat is maintained
for the subsequent operations.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a section and Fig. 1ª a plan of the
cruciform bar from which the chain is made. Figs. 2 and 2a shew the result of the
first operation which is effected by the dies shewn in transverse section at Fig. 10,
longitudinal section at Fig. 10° and plan at Fig. 10b. The bar when turned one
quarter round is acted on by the same or similar dies and then has the form shewn
at Figs. 3 and 3ª. Tools, of which Fig. 11 is a transverse section are then used to
cut off the thin fins of metal, the bar being now as shewn at Figs. 4 and 4. Then
by means of punches of which Fig. 12 is a front view Fig. 12 a side view and
Fig. 12 an end view, the metal left. in the middle between the bows of the links.
is reduced to the form shewn in Figs. 5 and 5ª, 6 and 6ª, and by punches, which
may be either as shewn in the front view Fig. 13, side view Fig. 136 and end view
Fig. 13, or as shewn in the corresponding views Figs. 14, 14 and 14b, the metal
at the ends of the bows is dealt with, so that the links are brought to the condition
shewn in Figs. 7 and 7ª, and being now readily separated as shewn in Figs. 8
and 8, they are swelled out in the middle and forged to shape, as shewn in
Figs. 9 and 94.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
•
The manufacture of weldless chain by subjecting a cruciform bar of metal to the
action of successive dies and punches constructed and applied substantially as
herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings..
Dated DIS 10th day of September food.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.