Improved Method of Corrugating, Fluting, or Imparting an Ornamental Shape to Sheet Metal and other Objects.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1898-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
Improved Method of Corrugating, Fluting, or Imparting an
Ornamental Shape to Sheet Metal and other Objects.
A communication from LUDWIG POLLAK, of Postelberg, Bohemia, Merchant.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
When sheet metal and cylindrical hollow sheet metal articles are worked on
the well known shaping or beading machines, it is seldom possible, even when
pressing the two press rolls closely together to form in a sharp and exact manner
the desired beading, fluting, steps, mouldings, grooves etc. If, say, a curved sur-
face w, sketch I, is to project from the cylindrical surface C, the result generally
is that shown in sketch II, i.e. the edges between C and w, which ought to be
sharp, are blunt, and the cylindrical surface C appears slightly drawn in, near the
surface w. The result is not always as imperfect as shown in sketch II, but on
the other hand it is sometimes worse, especially when there are several high pro-
jections or deep recesses close together.
The inventor found that these drawbacks may be obviated, and sharply outlined
projections and recesses obtained by exercising, during the work on the edges of
the work a pressure in the axial direction of the shaping rolls, which pressure
tends to compress or to press said edges nearer together. The correct explanation
probably is that this pressure forces the sheet metal or material into the space
between the rolls during the time that the rolls begin to act and come closer and
closer together, so that there is sufficient material from the beginning for the
rolls to act upon and press into the space between the rolls so that too strong a
tension on the material is prevented.
Where flat sheet metal is to be worked, it is sufficient for carrying this inven-
tion into effect to simply provide guides for the two edges one at least of which
guides must be axially movable relatively to the rolls, said movable guide being
pressed towards the other during the rolling operation.
The carrying of this invention into effect becomes more complicated when closed
cylindrical sheet metal or other surfaces are to be treated, or hollow articles
(tins) already provided with a bottom. For, in this case, one of the rolls is
placed within the hollow article, and the abutment or support for one edge of the
work, which must rotate together with the work, must be so arranged as not to
come in contact with the spindle. For this purpose the support is formed as a
ring concentric with the work but surrounding the roll spindle eccentrically and
rotating on rollers; a presser plate or part concentric with the work pressing
on the bottom or the other edge of the work, the required pressure being exercised
by axial movement of said presser plate.

page_text: A machine according to this invention is illustrated in the accompanying
drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, Fig. 2 is a plan,
Fig. 3 a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 an end view viewed
from the left hand side of Fig. 1, Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of the annular
support and of the part adjustably carrying said support, on an enlarged scale,
Fig. 5 being a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 a cross-section on the
line 6-6 of Fig. 5 and Fig. 7 an elevation corresponding to said
part in Fig. 1 and Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged
scale and shows the broken line 1-1 upon which the section of Fig. 1 is taken.
The machine illustrated, by way of example, is arranged to be driven by power
from belt-pulleys 1 and 2, and as regards the bracket A provided with two hori-
zontal roll-spindles and two shaping rolls BB', is similar to an ordinary
machine of this description, but in this improved machine the lower spindle 61
is mounted in an oscillating bearing 3 (Figs. 1 and 3) and can be pressed upwards
against the spindle by means of a screw 40. Further the spindle for a
purpose to be hereinafter explained-is continued to the left beyond the roll B and
is supported in a bearing in the bracket D. The spindle b' is driven in the usual
way by a pair of wheels 4-5 (Fig. 1) operative in any position of the spindle 6¹.
The roll B is placed within the work to be operated upon, in this instance a
tin C with a bottom c.
Rods 6 are movable and adapted to be fixed in bosses or lugs a on the stan-
dard A, and are secured. in front. (or on the left hand side in the drawing) to a
transverse part 7 which, being provided with recesses in the centre of both edges,
passes between the two spindles 66'. The part 7 is provided with screws 8 form-
ing extensions of the rods 6 and serving to secure a plate 9 which is provided
with slots, so as to be vertically adjustable on the screws 8. On the front face
of the plate are arranged four radial rectilinear guides 10, in which the roller-
holders 11 are adjustable, and adapted to be fixed by bolts 12. Between the
rollers 13 is a ring E, the axial pressure being taken up by projections 13"
(Figs. 5 and 6) on the rollers. The ring E surrounds the spindle ¹ eccentrically.
The roller holders 11 are made radially adjustable so as to accommodate work
of different diameters requiring different sized rings. The plate 9 is made ver-
tically adjustable, since when the rolls remain the same, but the diameter of the
work is larger, the centre of the ring also moves downwards. A slot 9" (Fig. 5)
is made to enable this adjustment, relatively to the roll-spindle, to be effected.
The ring is stepped on the inside (Figs. 5 and 6), the edge of the work C
engaging with said step (Figs. 5 and 6 dotted). At the other end a presser plate
or disc F on a spindle f, arranged centrally relatively to C and E, exercises a
pressure on the bottom c or other end of the work, and serves as an abutment,
The presser plate or disc F is preferably of such diameter as to just cover the
bottom, and enable its projecting edge or flange to rest against its periphery
(Fig. 1). If there is no solid bottom but only a circular edge, the disc F would
have to be a little larger and stepped so as to press against the edge of the
work in the same way as the ring E. The spindle f is supported in a bracket D¹
which is vertically adjustable in the bracket 1) in a manner clearly shown in
Figs. 1 and 8, as the presser plate or disc F must be adjustable to the same extent
as the ring E. The spindle f, with the disc F, can be moved axially towards
the right hand side, by means of levers 14, 15, 16, 17 connected by a rod 18
to a treadle 19 on the floor. The vertical arm 14 of the bell crank lever engages
by means of a fork provided with pins 14ª, with a grooved sleeve 20 on the
'spindle f and is adjustable in a lug of the short horizontal arm 15. A spring 21
(Fig. 1) returns the spindle and the presser plate or disc F to its original posi-
tion after the pressure on the treadle has ceased.
In Fig. 1 the presser plate or disc F rests against the front end of the roll B
and occupies the outermost position and the tin C appears already shaped.

page_text: To enable work to be removed, the presser plate must be completely withdrawn
after the spindle 6¹ has been lowered by the screw 40. This withdrawal can be
effected together with the frame D D', which is rigidly connected to the frame D³
(for the treadle and lever), or it can be effected by moving the spindle f rela-
tively to said frame, which in such case remains stationary. Such relative
adjustment of the parts can obviously be effected in various ways, and in itself
is not claimed under this application. If the spindle f is to be moved in the
frame DD, whilst the latter remains stationary in a given position, the
sleeve 20 is preferably provided with a set screw 22, a collar 23 being secured
on the left hand side on the spindle f in front of the sleeve 20. When the
screw 22 is unscrewed, the spindle f can be moved towards the left hand side
through the sleeve 20. When pushing it again towards the right hand side
(after new work has been put in), the collar 23 enables the former position for
the sleeve to be found at once, the sleeve being then again fixed on the spindle f
by the screw 22.
The two abutments E and F must rotate together with the work rotating about
the roll B. If the axial pressure is not too strong, the work itself will carry
the two abutments with it. In this case the disc F can be rotatable about the
spindle f and the latter need not be a rotatably supported spindle. In most cases,
however, it is preferable to drive the disc F, secured to the spindle f, which disc
then assists in rotating the work C and through the latter the ring E, thus
cooperating with the rolls. The rate of transmission of movement to the spindle f
will depend of course, on the ratio of the diameter of work to that of the rolls.
This rotation is effected from the extended roll spindle b by means of change
wheels 24, 25. The wheel 24 is mounted by means of a feather and groove on
the shaft b, so that it cannot rotate on it, and is held fast at the desired point
by a ring 26 and set screw. The wheel 25 is mounted on the shaft f by means
of a feather and groove and is held between the two bearings of the bracket D¹
so that the spindle f can be moved in said wheel. Finally, the arrangement of
feather and groove at band f allows of the already mentioned longitudinal
adjustability of the frame D, DD2 for receiving work of different lengths.
must be also pointed out that the shaping rolls may be made in one piece or of
several interchangeable rings or discs which together give the shape desired. They
are secured to the spindles b or bin any suitable manner, as for instance by
means of a feather and groove and a collar 27 (Fig. 1 at 6) or by a nut 28
(Fig. 1 at b¹).
It
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The method of forming sharply outlined projections, corrugations or orna-
mentations on sheet metal or other articles, consisting in operating upon the work
with forming rolls, and subjecting it during such operation to a pressure acting
ou its edges in the direction of the axes of the rolls.
2. A machine for the practical application of the process according to Claim 1
supporting the edge of the work by a ring as E, concentric with it but eccentric
relatively to the spindle of the inner roll, said ring engaging with rollers as 13,
and being provided on the inner side with a stepped edge a presser plate or disc,
as F, pressing against the bottom or other edge of the work, said presser plate
being mounted on a spindle arranged centrally of the work and adjustable in a
longitudinal direction, so that when said plate is pressed upon during the work-
ing, a pressure is exercised through it and the ring in the direction of the axes
of the rolls.
3. A machine of the kind described, comprising an adjustable spindle of the
presser plate driven from a spindle of one of the rolls at a speed depending on
the ratio of the diameter of the work to that of the forming roll.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete

page_text: machine for forming sharply outlined projections, corrugations or ornamentations
on sheet metal or other articles, substantially as described or illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.