Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Making Metal Tubes, Troughs, Channels, and the like
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan.,
1897
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec.,
1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Making Metal Tubes,
Troughs, Channels, and the like."
We, WILLIAM COLT FRICK, Iron Manufacturer, and THOMAS JOHN PRICE, Mill
Superintendent, both of Danville, Montour County; and ABRAHAM STORM PATTERSON,
Iron Manufacturer, of 1510 Spruce Street, in the City and County of Philadelphia, all
in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a machine for the economical formation of
metal into tubes or other shape of a strength and elasticity specially fitting them for
certain structural purposes. Tubes or other shapes formed in accordance with this
invention are especially adapted for use in. structural work, such, for instance, as
frames for machinery, agricultural implements, railings, posts, and for various other
purposes where great strength is required.
Heretofore seamless or welded tubes have been universally used for frames, and tubes
made of material which will readily weld, will also bend and remain bent and are
therefore, not reliable for use in machines and implements where strength and
trueness are essential.
It has been found that a tube or other shape made in accordance with this inven-
tion will withstand great pressure without bending and even when the tension is
sufficient to slightly bend it, the tube or other shape upon the pressure being
removed, will immediately spring back to the normal position.
One method employed in manufacturing this tubing will now be described, which
will serve to explain also the general nature of the invention, it being understood
that the details may be modified without departing from the invention.
For instance, in the manufacture of tubing a short section of ordinary steel T-rail
is heated, after which it is passed through a series of rolls so as to reduce the head
and flange to the thickness of the web; the skelp thus formed, by preference is
immediately reheated and passed between a pair of rolls so as to reduce it to a
thickness slightly thicker than the metal of the finished tube. The object of this is
to provide for sufficient friction so that the skelp can be forced through a former,
instead of drawing it through, which is the method now commonly used in making
welded tubes.
The material used is steel of such a character that it will withstand the pressure
required to force the skelp into the first former. In the final step of the process the
skelp is introduced between two feeding rolls which reduce the thickness of the skelp
and from these rolls the skelp is forced into a trough-shaped former, tapering from a
flat to a U-shape. This former has a cover which is shaped to conformn with the
trough so that as the skelp is pushed, by the feeding rolls, into the said former it
will assume the shape of the passage in the said former.
In making shapes, such as channels, troughs, oges, and the like, the shape is
complete when passed through this former, but in order to draw the end of the shape
from the said former, rolls having a face corresponding to the rear end of the said
former are arranged directly at the rear of the said former so as to receive the shape as
it passes from the said former; these rolls also act to finish the shape.

page_text: But in the manufacture of tubes, either open or closed (whether circular or of
other shape) the shape is fed by the second pair of rolls through a second former,
which is preferably provided with a mandrel, although this mandrel is not absolutely
necessary. This second former bends over the flanges of the U-shaped section, either
to form a closed, or an open tube, and beyond this second former are preferably
arranged the final rolls for closing and trueing the tube. From these final rolls the
tube is forced through a box and then, in some cases, is subjected to the action of a
train of rolls in which the metal of the tube is allowed to cool and set sufficiently that
the abutting edges, when a closed tube is made, will not separate to any great
extent;
but in some cases this train of rolls may be dispensed with, without
departing from the invention.
The cover plate of the first former is preferably pivotted at the outer end and the
other end of the cover plate adapted to bear against the upper feeding roll. A
weight is connected to the cover plate, preferably by a rod and lever, this weight
tending to keep the cover plate always in contact with the upper feeding roll so that
the passage of the skelp between the cover plate and the said former is insured.
The abutting edges of a tube made in accordance with this invention as it comes
from the rolls are close together, and in fact in most instances touch so that only a
seam is visible, thus while the tube is not a welded tube still it is very strong owing
to its shape and the material from which it is made. The material which by
preference is used is steel high in carbon.
Dated this 10th dow of
1005
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX
47 Lincolns Inn Fields London W.C. Agents.
"Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Making Metal Tubes,
Troughs, Channels, and the like."
We, WILLIAM COLT FRICK, Iron Manufacturer, and THOMAS JOHN PRICE, Mill
Superintendent, both of Danville Montour County, and ABRAHAM STORM PATTERSON,
Iron Manufacturer, of 1510 Spruce Street, in the City and County of Philadelphia,
all in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a machine for the economical formation
of metal into tubes or other shape of a strength and elasticity specially fitting them
for certain structural purposes. Tubes or other shapes formed in accordance with
this invention are especially adapted for use in structural work, such for instance, as
frames for machinery, agricultural implements, railings, posts and for various other
purposes where great strength is required.
Heretofore seamless or welded tubes have been universally used for frames, and
tubes made of material which will readily weld, will also bend and remain bent and
are therefore, not reliable for use in machines and implements where strength
and trueness are essential.
It has been found that a tube or other shape made in accordance with this
invention will withstand great pressure without bending and even when the tension
is sufficient to slightly bend it the tube or other shape upon the pressure being
removed, will immediately spring back to the normal position.
We will describe our invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which
will serve to explain the general nature of the invention it being understood that the
details may be inodified without departing from the invention.
•
J

page_text: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of our improved machine for coming auu suaping
tubes.
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 illustrates the different forms which the skelp assumes in passing through
the machine.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the skelp, shewing the different stages of
bending.
Figure 5 is a detached perspective view of the first former; and Figure 6 is a
detached perspective view of the second former.
Unwelded tubes can be made from ordinary steel T-rail by first heating the said
rails to the necessary temperature and then passing them through a series of rolls
so as to reduce the head and flanges of the rail to the thickness of the web thereby
forming a skelp of a thickness slightly greater than the metal of the finished tube to
be made.
Instead of making the skelps from T-rails the said skelps may be made from other
shaped bars or plates of steel of such a character that it will withstand the pressure
required to force the skelp into the first former. The skelp is passed between the..
reducing and feeding rolls a a, which are mounted in housings A, one of the said
rolls the upper, by preference-being driven in any suitable manner. In order to
guide the skelp into the rolls, we provide guide-plates a¹ on each side of the table a²,
so that the skelp will be guided between the rolls at the proper point. Suitably
mounted on the frame, beyond the rolls, is a former B. The end 6 of this former is
flat and is adapted to rest against the lower roll a. This former has a wide mouth
and is gradually, contracted into a U shape, (for making tubes of cylindrical form in
transverse section) as shewn clearly in Figure 5.
Pivoted at 6¹ to the former B is a cover plate B¹, which fits within the former and
is shaped to correspond with the interior of the said former, there being sufficient.
space left between the two for the passage of the skelp. Connected to the cover
plate 61 by a rod 62 and a lever 6³ is a weight 64, which tends to keep the cover plate,
always in contact with the upper roll a, so that the passage of the skelp between the
plate and the former is insured, and the skelp caused to assume the shape of
the passage in the said former. The lever 63 is mounted on a bar a² on the
housings A. Other means of connecting the weight to the plate may be used
without departing from our invention, and a spring may be substituted for the.
weight.
In making shapes, such as channels, troughs, oges, and the like, the shape is
complete when passed through this former, but in order to draw the end of the shape
from the said former, rolls having faces corresponding to the rear end of the said
former are arranged directly at the rear of the said former.
For forming cylindrical tubes the former B is of U shape as before described and
the under roll c¹ of the pair of rolls at the rear of the said former has a U-shaped.
groove, and the upper roll c has a U-shaped tongue adapted to the groove, the rolls
being so set that they will engage the partially formed tube as it passes from the
former B.
To form the skelp into a tube of a shape other than cylindrical, rolls and formers
are provided of the necessary shape. The partially formed tube is fed by the pair of
rolls c c¹ as it leaves the former B through a second former, D, which is preferably
provided with a mandrel d² pivoted at e³ to the frame of the machine, although this
mandrel is not absolutely necessary.
The former D is made in two parts d d¹ and is so shaped that it will turn the unbent
sides or edges of the partially formed tube over the mandrel d², which is preferably
provided with a tongue d³, extending to the rolls c c¹, in order to direct the partially
formed tube correctly to the former D..
After the tube is bent in the former D so that the edges nearly abut, it is passed
between closing and shaping rolls e e, which are grooved to fit the tube, and is then
discharged through the box E.
If it be desired to confine the tube while it cools and sets, it is passed through a

page_text: series of grooved rolls f, to confine the tube at intervals and hold it until the metal
sets, so that the abutting edges will not separate.
The abutting edges of the tube as it comes from the rolls e are close together, and,
in most instances, touch, so that only a seam is visible. Thus while the tube is not a
welded tube still it is very strong, owing to its shape and the material from which it
is made; the material we prefer to use being high carbon steel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a rolled steel tube having an open seam and
made from steel skelp high in carbon.
2. The process herein described of making steel tubes or other shapes, consisting
in forcing the skelp through a former by means of feed rolls which at the same time
operate to reduce the thickness of the skelp, then feeding the partially formed tube
or other shape through a second former to turn the edges of the tube and finally
passing the tube or other shape through trueing rolls, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The combination in a machine for rolling tubes, of the reducing and feeding
rolls, a former having a movable cover, the openings between the cover and former
being flat at the inlet end and tapering gradually to the shape desired at the discharge
end, and means for keeping the cover of the said former in contact with the upper
feeding roll, substantially as hereinbefore described.
1. In a machine for rolling tubes by a continuous operation, the combination of
reducing and feeding rolls, a former having a pivoted cover plate, a weight adapted
to keep the said plate against the upper feed roll, the plate and former being tapered
and shaped to bend the flat blank to U-shape, rolis beyond the former, one of the
said rolls having a U-shaped groove in its periphery, the other having a U-shaped
tongue adapted to the groove, a former beyond the rolis, U-shaped at the inlet end,
and circular at the opposite end, a pivoted mandrel within the former, and a pair of
grooved rolls beyond the former, substantially as herein before described.
5. In a machine for making tubing, the combination of the feeding and reducing
rolls (a), the former (B) having the pivoted plate, a weight adapted to force the weight
up against the upper feed roll, a passage in the former (B) tapering from a flat to a
U-shape a pair of feeding rolls beyond the former, one of said rolls having
a U-shaped groove and the other having a U-shaped tongue adapted to the groove;
the former (D) beyond this pair of rolls, the said former tapering from a U-shape to a
round and having a pivoted mandrel therein; and a train of setting rolls adapted to
confine the tube until the metal sets, substantially as hereinbefore described.
6. A device for forming a blank or skelp into a trough or U-shaped form, consisting
essentially of a pass having a tapered passage-way therein tapered from the flat to a
U-shape, with a cover pivoted at the U-shaped end, the opposite end of the said
cover being shaped to conform to one of the feeding rolls, and means for keeping the
cover against the roll, substantially as hereinbefore described.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.