IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING, SHAPING, AND CRUSHING IRON AND OTHER MATERIALS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS OR MODIFICATIONS THEREOF ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER FOR GENERAL PURPOSES
Year: 1852

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th December 1852.
(Void by reason of notice to proceed not having been given within
the time prescribed by the Act.)
I, WILLIAM BROWN, of Chapel Hall, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING, SHAPING, AND CRUSHING IRON
AND OTHER MATERIALS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS OR MODIFICATIONS THEREOF
ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER FOR
GENERAL PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a modification of what is technically
known as the "steam (or pneumatic) hammer," at present employed
in forging and shaping metals or crushing and reducing mineral sub-
stances. As arranged for forging purposes, the hammer consists of a
pair of opposite or reverse side standards set vertically in the same
plane, their upper contiguous edges being set so as to afford a
vertical guide for the hammer or ram motion. This hammer
consists of a long narrow cylinder, bored at its upper end and closed
in at the top by a blank flange, whilst it is grooved vertically down

page_text: each side to slide on guide pieces on the standards and its lower
unbored end has attached to it the hammer face. A portion of this
long cylinder is slotted longitudinally through from side to side, and
through this slot, which must be fully equal to the greatest traverse
of the hammer, a horizontal bar is passed, the two ends of this bar
being secured to the framing. To the centre of this bar is attached
the lower end of a long bar of cylindrical section and turned to fit
the cylinder's bore, being set to project up into the cylinder, its
upper end terminating just within the cylinder's closed end when
the hammer is down. The upper end of this bar, or fixed piston as
it may be termed, is fitted with an elastic ring as a packing. This
piston is bored through longitudinally nearly from end to end, but
its lower end is closed and the supplying steam pipe enters this
bore laterally at the lower end, so that the actuating steam is thus
conducted up the bore and out at the clear open end of the piston,
to act against the blank flange end of the cylinder. By this
arrangement as the driving steam is supplied through the fixed
piston, it presses against the closed cylinder end or top, and thus
arises the cylinder in its slides and carries up the hammer face. Then
when the steain is allowed to exhaust back through the piston on a
change of the valves, the hammer falls and works in the usual
manner. The steam is supplied through an equilibrium or balanced
piston valve, so contrived by proportioning the respective diameters
of the piston and its rod that the steam pressure shall itself open
the steam inlet to the hammer cylinder, when the valve is unacted
upon by the proper mechanical movement. The spindle of this
piston valve is jointed to a short crank lever fast on a long vertical
spindle, which is set to oscillate in top and bottom bearings on the
fraine and carries an opposite or reverse lever adjustable at any given
height upon the spindle, whilst its free end has a pulley arranged to
bear against an incline or cam piece on the hammer cylinder. The
lower end of this long spindle carries a short pin or stop piece capable
of engagement with the hooked end of a small spring detent which
always bears upon the stop, and this spring detent is connected
with a second long vertical spindle capable of a slight lateral

page_text: traverse to the extent of the detent itself, and carried upon a fixed
stud centre by a short lever arm. This lateral traversing spindle
is actuated periodically by an oscillating catch hung on a stud in
the side of the cylinder and kept turned upwards by a very slight
spring. Then when the steam has elevated the hammer to the
required height the incline on the cylinder shuts off the steam and
opens the exhaust port by pressing upon the pulley lever arm on
the oscillating spindle working the valve. The hammer then falls,
and the sudden stop of the falling mass causes the vis inertia or
momentum of the oscillating catch on the cylinder to overcome its
supporting or antagonistic spring, and presses the heel of the catch
against the lateral traversing spindle. This motion then releases
the spring detent from the stop on the oscillating valve actuating
spindle, and the steam pressure therefore again opens the induction
valve for the succeeding elevating stroke. By this plan the steam
is prevented from gaining access to the cylinder during the hammer
fall, whilst it is again admitted at the precise moment of inten
elevation whatever may be the amount of traverse or the momentum
of the blow. The rate of working is modified by a stop valve on the
steam pipe, and a similar valve on the exhaust pipe softens the fall
of the hainmer more or less as required, and the amount of hammer
traverse is regulated by adjusting the pulley lever on the oscillating
valve spindle high or low, so as to be acted on sooner or later by the
incline on the cylinder.
It is obvious that these details are capable of minor modifications,
and the movement and general apparatus is applicable and suit.
able for working boring tools for mining as well as for pumping
water and giving motion to various kinds of machinery. It may
also be worked by compressed air instead of steam. If necessary
the steam may also be used for adding to the smartness of the blow
by placing a small piston outside the cylinder end to be worked in
the falling stroke.