IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR FORMATION OF CERTAIN PARTS OF STEAM BOILERS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PARTS OF STEAM BOLLERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samson Fox, of the Leeds Forge, Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR
FORMATION OF CERTAIN PARTS OF STEAM BOILERS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PARTS OF STEAM
BOLLERS"
Sealed the 11th June 1878, and dated the 29th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samson Fox at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1877.
SAMSON Fox, of the Leeds Forge, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR FORMATION OF CERTAIN PARTS OF
STEAM BOILERS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PARTS OF STEAM BOILERS."
One part of my Invention has reference to the cross-water tubes used in boiler
furnaces, combustion chambers, and flues, and is designed to increase and improve
the character of the heating surface presented by such tubes, as also to strengthen
the tubes. To this end I make such tubes with alternate grooves or recesses, and
ridges or projections running lengthwise of such tubes, the metal composing the
tubes being in cross section of the tubes, corrugated or of an undulating form, so
that the surface presented to the action of the products of combustion is in the form
of grooves or recesses, and ridges or projections alternating, which surface has the
property of causing the flame and heated gases to more thoroughly act upon and
dwell in contact with the surfaces of the tubes, thus to a greater extent utilizing
the heat. I form the grooves or recesses and ridges or projections with dies by
pressure in suitable apparatus after the tubes have been flanged.
Another part of my Invention has reference to the constructing of flues of steam
boilers with corrugations extending round them, for which purpose I use a suitably
mounted roll having corrugating annular grooves and projections in conjunction
with a traversing table having corrugating grooves, and projections, its projections

page_text: taking into or being opposite to the grooves of the roll, which may be provided
with a moveable end bearing to enable the tube to be passed on to the roll. The
traversing table may be made with its grooves gradually increasing in depth, or
may be caused during its travel to gradually move towards the axis of the roll, to
effect the corrugating gradually.
This apparatus may be modified by substituting for the traversing table a large
hollow pipe or cylinder surrounding and containing the aforesaid roll, and having
on its interior suitable corrugating grooves and projections.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samson Fox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th June
1878.
SAMSON Fox, of the Leeds Forge, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR FORMATION OF CERTAIN PARTS OF
STEAM BOILERS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PARTS OF STEAM BOILERS."
One part of my Invention has reference to the cross-water tubes used in boiler
furnaces, combustion chambers, and flues, and is designed to increase and improve
the character of the heating surface presented by such tubes, as also to strengthen
the said tubes. To this end I make such tubes with alternate grooves or recesses,
and ridges or projections running lengthwise of such tubes, the metal composing the
tubes being in cross section of the tubes corrugated or of an undulating form, so
that the surface presented to the action of the products of combustion is in the form
of grooves or recesses, and ridges or projections alternating, which surface has the
property of causing the flame and heated gases to more thoroughly act upon and
dwell in contact with the surfaces of the tubes, thus to a greater extent utilizing
the heat. I form the grooves or recesses, and ridges or projections with dies by
pressure in suitable apparatus after the tubes have been flanged.
The manner in which I form the grooves or recesses, and ridges or projections,
will be understood from the following description, reference being had to Sheet 1 of
the Drawings, in which Fig. 1 shews a conical tube, and Fig. 2, a parallel tube
formed with grooves or recesses, and ridges or projections according to my Invention,
and as shewn in cross section at G, Fig. 4.
Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a side view partly in section, and an end view of
apparatus for forming the grooves or recesses, and ridges or projections in the
tube.
The embossing or swaging dies A and B are formed with faces (inclined in the
direction of their length when intended for a tapering tube), having grooves and
projections corresponding with and being counterparts of the formation to be given
to the conical tube or parallel tube (as the case may be) to be operated upon, and
are so made that the projecting parts C of such dies on being brought into contact
with the tube in its plain form press simultaneously or nearly so upon the tube so

page_text: as to draw the corrugations or flutes out of the normal thickness of the metal of the
tube by pressing the said plain tubes over the projections D and into the recesses E
of the mandrel F which is inserted into the tube, and has a counter configuration to
the required internal form of the finished tube. The tube is partially revolved at
each stroke of the dies by means of a cross handle H so as to bring each projection
or ridge successively into a fresh groove of the dies. The dies are made suitable for
being attached to and worked by a steam hammer, but may be so made as to be
operated by hand, hydraulic, or other suitable pressure.
Another part of my Invention has reference to the constructing of flues of steam
boilers with corrugations extending round them, as described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me the 19th March 1877, No. 1097. For this purpose I
use a suitably mounted roll having corrugating annular grooves and projections in
conjunction with a traversing table having corrugating grooves and projections, its
projections taking into or being opposite to the grooves of the roll.
The traversing table may be made with its grooves gradually increasing in depth,
or may be caused during its travel to gradually rise towards the axis of the said
roll, so as to effect the corrugating gradually. This part of my Invention is
illustrated on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, Fig. 5 being a plan, Fig. 6 a side view, and
Fig. 7 an end view of the improved apparatus.
The roll A is suitably mounted in bearings B, C, and D, and is capable of revolving
freely therein. A traversing table E, moving in V slides on the bed F, is arranged
under the roll A, and capable of being moved forward and backward by means of
the gearing G, G1, G2, rack pinion H and rack H', a reversing motion being applied
to this gearing as in an ordinary rolling mill. The roll A has corrugating annular
grooves and projections formed on its periphery. The traversing table E has cor-
responding corrugating grooves and projections on its upper surface, so relatively
arranged that they take into or are opposite to the grooves in the roll A. The roll
A receives its motion from the same source as the table E, the main wheel G being
keyed on the axle of the roll. The arrangement of driving gear is such that the
surface speeds of the periphery of the roll A and of the traversing table E coincide,
and both receive at the same time the forward and backward motion imparted by
the reversing motion. The bed F is mounted upon a gudgeon I and eccentric J, by
which means the bed F and table E are capable of being raised or lowered in order
that the tubes may be corrugated gradually, as required. The corrugating grooves
on the table E, from the end E¹ to the middle of its length, are made on an incline
about equal to the depth of the grooves themselves, which will also perform the
corrugating somewhat gradually. The grooves for the remainder of the length of table
being parallel with the V slides, the tube is permitted to make at least one revolution
after receiving the full depth of corrugating, and by means of the reversing motion
to the train of gearing may be rolled forward and backward on the parallel part of
the table until it is sufficiently cooled to allow of removal from the roll. The
eccentric elevating motion of bed and table will also regulate the opening between
the roll A and table E to suit the thickness of the material of which the tubes are
composed.
->
In order that tubes to be operated upon may be readily got into position over the
roll A which has to operate on the inner surfaces of such tubes, the end bearing D
is constructed in parts which are capable of being moved away from the axis of the
said roll A by means of the hand wheels K, K', gearing K2, K³, and screws K, K³.
By this arrangement, when a tube is to be placed in position to be operated upon,
the said bearing D, D, is moved back, as shewn in plan and side view, Figs. 5 and 6,
so as to leave the one end of the said roll A free, the roll being meanwhile retained
in its normal or horizontal position by the other bearings B and C. The tube Z to
be operated on is placed whilst at a good red heat (such as is usual for flanging) on
the said roll A, which it surrounds, a portion of the tube being throughout its length
situated between the roll A and table E, so that it will be in a position to be
operated upon (when the machine is started) on its inner surface by the roll A, and
on its outer surface by the table E. The tube having been passed over the free end

page_text: of the roll A, the bearing D is then closed, so as to properly support the roll, the
table being placed in such a position that its leading end E' is a little beyond the
centre of the roll A (as distinguished from the position in which it is shewn in the
Drawings); the corrugating operation may be commenced by setting the machine
in motion, the corrugating being gradually performed partly by the inclined
portion of the table surface, and partly by the lifting of the bed F by the eccentric
motion J.
The gradual corrugating of the tubes may also be effected by making the upper
corrugating surface of the table E parallel with its V slides, and raising the bed
bodily by a system of compound levers operated by hydraulic or other pressure, in
a similar manner to that described for raising the bottom roll in the Specification
of Letters Patent granted to me the 30th June 1877, No. 2530, or by other
suitable means.
In order to better support and guide the tubes whilst undergoing the corrugating
operation, and that they may assume and retain a comparatively true circular form,
a pair of rolls O, 01, formed with grooves and projections alternating, so as not to
injure the corrugations formed in the tubes by the corrugating roll A and table E,
is arranged one on each side of, but above the "bight," of the main roll A and
table E. The said rolls O and O' are mounted on slides P, P1, P2, P3, and are
capable of being caused by the gearing Q and its connecting shafts R and hand
wheels S to approach or recede from the roll A simultaneously, as may be required.
These rolls 0, 0¹, are moved simultaneously up to the tube after it has made two or
three revolutions, and as the corrugating proceeds the table E is to be gradually
pressed further towards the main roll A, and the rolls O and O¹ are to be kept up
against the surface of the tube. The plain tube to be corrugated must be made
slightly longer than its intended length after corrugation, because the two free ends
of the tube will be drawn in slightly in the formation of the two last or outside
grooves, say, about five-eighths of an inch at each end, when the depth of corrugation
is two inches, and the distance from centre to centre of the grooves is six inches, but
these dimensions will vary with circumstances.
A modification of the machine last described is the substitution for the traversing
table E of a large hollow pipe or cylinder E, containing and surrounding the afore-
said roll A, as shewn in Sheet 3 of the Drawings, Figs. 8, 9, and 10, and having on
its interior corrugating grooves and projections corresponding with and taking into
the corrugating grooves and projections in the main roll A. On the outside of the
hollow cylinder E, shown in section in Fig. 8, and partly in section in Fig. 9, are two
circular racks H', into which the pinions H take, and by which the hollow cylinder
is driven, the said hollow cylinder or pipe being mounted and revolving on anti-
friction rollers I, whose axles are in bearings J, which bearings have a vertical sliding
motion. They are actuated through a system of compound levers L (shewn in detail
at Fig. 11, and having their fulcra at L*) by steam, hydraulic, or other suitable
power connected with the part M, for the purpose of bringing up the hollow cylin-
der or pipe E towards the main roll A during the operation of corrugating. The
opening end bearing D, the pair of guide rollers 0, 0₁, and other parts employed in
my last-described machine, are provided in this modification of my Invention.
To facilitate comprehension the same reference letters are used as far as practicable
in Sheets 2 and 3 of the Drawings.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and explained the mode of
performing it, I would have it understood that what I consider to be novel and
original, and claim as my Invention, is as follows:-
1st. The constructing cross-water tubes for use in the furnaces, combustion
chambers, or flucs of steam boilers, with longitudinal corrugations or flutes, as herein-
before described and shewn.
2nd. The embossing or swaging apparatus shewn in and described with reference
to Figs. 3 and 4 of the Drawings.
3rd. The construction of corrugating machine, shewn in and described with
reference to Figs. 5, 6, and 7 of the Drawings, and particularly the use in combina-

page_text: tion of the corrugating roll with stationary and moveable bearings, the sliding table
with longitudinal projections and grooves, its projections being opposite the grooves
of the said roll, and means for causing the table to approach the said roll, substan-
tially as described.
4th. The construction of corrugating machine, shewn in and described with
reference to Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the Drawings, and particularly the use in com-
bination of the corrugating roll and the large hollow cylinder or pipe having internal
annular grooves and projections, such projections being opposite to the grooves of
the aforesaid roll, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samson Fox, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this 21st day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
SAMSON FOX. (L.B.)