Improved Method and Machinery or Apparatus for Effecting the Rivetting of Joints of Vessels such as Tanks.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1889-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method and Machinery or Apparatus for Effecting the
Rivetting of Joints of Vessels such as Tanks.
I, WALTER SKAIFE of 671 Commercial Road, in the County of Middlesex, Galvanised
Iron and Tank Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
With the apparatus heretofore ordinarily employed, it has not been found practicable
to rivet the plates intended to form the tops and bottoms of vessels such as tanks to
the side plates; consequently as a rule such rivetting has been done wholly or partly
by hand.
Now, my invention has reference to an improved method and means designed to
enable such rivetting to be effected by machinery, as I will proceed to explain.
A suitable rivetting tool, which may be a hydraulic Compressed air or other rivetter
actuated by a workman inside the tank or by motive fluid conveyed to the rivetter by
tubes or otherwise, is so placed within the tank as to bear at one end against one
side of the tank, and to present the moveable rivetting tool or snap, opposite a
rivet at the other side, the arrangement being such that the position of the
rivetter within the tank can be readily adjusted to suit the position of the rivet to be
closed.
Upon a suitable bed or frame are arranged two standards or uprights able to
be adjusted and so arranged that the tank can be placed on the bed between
them.
The arrangement is such as to admit of readily accommodating tanks or vessels
of different sizes and also to afford the necessary support or resistance during the
rivetting operation, and to admit of the ready introduction (by the moving back
at the required time, of one of the adjustable standards or uprights) of a fresh
rivet to be swaged or closed. Thus it will be understood that whilst a rivet is
being swaged and closed, two opposite walls of the tank or vessel being rivetted,
receive the pressure of the rivetter and are supported so as to transmit pressure to
the uprights, standards or frames, which therefore serve as abutments.
Where the machine is not required to be capable of accommodating tanks or
vessels of different sizes, the one standard or frame may be a fixture, the other
being either made adjustable to admit of the introduction of rivets, or being
provided with a removeable setting piece for that purpose.
To aid in keeping together the margins of plates intended to be connected by
rivets, stretchers are or may be inserted within the tank or vessel, and these
stretchers can be made adjustable.
According to a modification of my improved apparatus, instead of fixing two
uprights or standards to a bed plate they may be connected by tie rods or bolts,
and one or both of them may be provided with moveable setting pieces.
Dated this 5th day of October 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method and Machinery or Apparatus for Effecting the
Rivetting of Joints of Vessels such as Tanks.
"
I, WALTER SKAIFE of 671 Commercial Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Galvanised Iron and Tank Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
With rivetting machines such as are ordinarily employed, it has not been found
practicable to rivet the plates intended to form the tops and bottoms of vessels such as
tanks to the side plates; consequently as a rule such rivetting has been done wholly
or partly by hand.
In the specification of Letters Patent granted to me No 3314 of 1888, there is
described a method and means whereby such rivetting may be effected by machinery
and my present invention has reference to an improved method and means for this
purpose, as I will proceed to explain.
A suitable rivetting tool, which may be a hydraulic rivetter is so placed within the
tank as to bear at one end against one side of the tank, and to present the movable
rivetting tool or snap opposite a rivet at the other side, the arrangement being such
that the position of the rivetter within the tank or that of the tank relatively. to the
rivetter can be readily adjusted to suit the position of the rivet to be closed.
Upon a suitable bed or frame are arranged two standards or uprights (hereinafter
called standards) able to be adjusted and so arranged that the tank can be placed
on the bed or upon a support between them.
The arrangement is such as to admit of readily accommodating tanks or vessels of
different sizes and also to afford the necessary support or resistance during the
rivetting operation, and to admit of the ready introduction (by the moving back at the
required time of one of the adjustable standards or of part thereof) of a fresh
rivet to be swaged or closed, or of the removal and replacement of a holding up
tool or dolly as hereinafter described. Thus it will be understood that whilst a
rivet is being swaged and closed one of the standards serves as an abutment for
such rivet whilst the other standard receives the thrust of the rivetter transmitted
through the side of the tank or vessel opposite to that side being rivetted.
Where the machine is not required to be capable of accommodating tanks or vessels
of different sizes the one standard or frame may be a fixture, the other being either made
adjustable to admit of the introduction of rivets or being provided with a removable
or adjustable setting piece for that purpose.
To aid in keeping together the margins of plates intended to be connected by rivets,
stretchers are or may be inserted within the tank or vessel, and these stretchers can
be made adjustable.
According to a modification of my improved apparatus, instead of fixing two
uprights or standards to a bed plate they may be connected by tie rods or bolts, and
one or both of them may be provided with moveable setting pieces or adjustable blocks.
As will be evident it may in some cases be found convenient instead of using
a hydraulic rivetter. supplied with liquid under pressure from a main to-employ a
rivetter worked by other motive fluid such as compressed. air or.steam, or by, motive
fluid forced into the rivetter by a workman in the tank being rivetted.
Referring to the accompanying three sheets of illustrative drawings,
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of apparatus constructed according to this invention
shewn provided with an adjustably supported rivetter arranged to be inserted horizon-
tally into a tank to be rivetted a part of which is shewn in section; it also shews a
vertically adjustable rivetter with means for raising and lowering the same relatively
to the tank.
Fig. 2 is a plan on the line A B Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a hydraulic rivetter and an adjustable support therefor;
this support is carried by a bracket secured to the bed of the rivetting apparatus which

page_text: Fig. 4 shows partly in elevation and partly in section one of the standards
constructed with a movable block.
Fig. 5 shews partly in elevation and partly in section a holding up tool or dolly.
Figs. 4 & 5 are drawn to larger scales than Figs. 1 2 & 3.
I is the bed or frame of the rivetting apparatus upon which are mounted two
standards 2 and 3. The standard 2 in the example shown is fixed and the standard 3
is so arranged as to be capable of adjustment in a longitudinal sense along the
bed 1 by means of a screwed shaft 4, and hand wheel 5. 6 is part of a tank or vessel
to be rivetted; it is located between the standards or uprights 2 and 3, and has
one side bearing against the adjustable standard 3 whilst the opposite or unfinished
side is at such a distance from the fixed standard 2 that when a dolly or holding
up tool 7 is brought into position between the two by means of a handle 7* the
fixed standard 2 forms an abutment against which a rivet can be swaged by a
rivetter 8. The rivetter in the example shewn, is a hydraulic rivetter that may be of
any suitable construction, and which according to this invention is placed within
the tank or vessel to be rivetted. The rivetter is provided with a rain the head 9
of which serves to effect the swaging or closing of the inner ends of
rivets 6 that are inserted from the exterior of the tank or vessel; it is also pro-
vided with a removable extension piece 10 that bears against the inner side of the tank
that is opposite to the side being rivetted, and serves to transmit the pressure of the ram
of the rivetter to the standard 3. The head 9 of the ram may or may not be provided
with a snap according to the form of rivet head required. Where both ends of the
rivets are to be flush with the surfaces of the tank, the face of the ram head 9 and also
that of the dolly or holding up tool must be flat. For rivetting two plates to a
third plate to form three sides of a tank or vessel and for rivetting or partly
rivetting the bottom plate to the four side plates of a tank the rivetter may advan-
tageously be suspended by two rods or bars 11 that are connected at their upper ends
by a cross bar 12 through the centre of which passes a tube 13 for supplying motive
fluid to the rivetter. When the last side plate and also when the top plate of the
tank are to be rivetted in place the suspended rivetter must be raised out of the
partly finished tank or vessel. To enable this to be readilly effected the cross-bar 12
is suspended by a chain 14 that passes over suitable sheaves to any conveniently
arranged hoisting apparatus, the necessary vertical movement of the tube 13 being
provided for by an arrangement of jointed tubes 15 working in suitable glands 16.
To enable the last of the four side plates to be rivetted in place a rivetter may advan-
tageously be supported by a horizontally adjustable arm 17 as shown in Figs. 1 & 3.
This arin is journalled to a hollow support or pintle 18 that may be carried by a
bracket 19 that forms part of or is securely fixed to the bed 1 of the machine as
shown, or be carried by an independent standard or support.
With this arrangement the rivetter can be placed in position within the tank and
after the rivetting in place of the fourth plate is completed the tank can be removed,
and the rivetter 8 turned radially out of position.
To enable the rivetter to be thus readily placed in and out of position, the
extension piece 10 should be removed, or the standard 3 moved back.
The hydraulic rivetter 8 supported by the arm 17 is supplied with motive fluid
through tubes 20 and 21 that work in glands carried by the support or pintle 18.
Instead of using the vertically adjustable rivetter for rivetting two plates to a third
plate to form three sides of a tank as hereinbefore mentioned the rivetter carried by the
adjustable arm 17 may be employed for rivetting the four side plates together, the
vertically adjustable rivetter being then employed only for rivetting the bottom plate
to the side plates.
For rivetting the last plate of a close tank, a small rivetter fed with motive fluid
through flexible or jointed metal tubing may be inserted through the man hole. This
rivetter may be made adjustable in length by a screw or screws or be provided with
extension blocks so as to be made of the requisite length after insertion within the
tank for use in accordance with this invention.

page_text: In order that the dolly or holding up tool 7 may be placed in position between the
standard 2 and the head of a fresh rivet to be swaged or closed without the necessity
of moving the standard 2, this standard may be constructed with a recess 2ª as shown in
Figs. 1 and 4 within which is arranged a cam 22 that normally bears against and
maintains in the vertical or locked position an articulated block 23 that serves as an
abutment against which the holding up tool or dolly bears whilst a rivet is being
swaged. When it is required to remove this holding up tool or dolly and to replace
it in position to support a fresh rivet the cam 14 is turned down by means of a hand
lever 24 so as to leave the block 23 free to fall back into the inclined position, shown
in dotted lines in Fig. 4, by the action of a weighted lever 25.
Instead of fixing the standard 2 and providing it with a movable block 23 as shown,
it may be solid and be made movable as herein before mentioned for the purpose set
forth. The standard may in this case be recessed or formed to receive the heads of
the rivets to be swaged or closed, thus dispensing with the use of the movable holding
up tool or dolly.
In order that the tank or vessel may be readily traversed between the standards
2 and 3 to allow of the swaging or closing of successive rivets it may be placed upon
channel irons or bars 26 and 27 that are provided-with antifriction rollers and are
capable of moving endways upon a fixed rail 28 and an adjustable rail 29 respectively.
The rail 29 may be connected to the standard 3, and the standards 30 carrying this
rail may be arranged to run on rails 31 so that when the standard 3 is adjusted upon
the bed 1 the channel iron or bar 27 will be correspondingly adjusted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The rivetting of the joints of a vessel such as a tank in the improved manner
hereinabove described the vessel being placed between two standards or supports and
the rivetter within the vessel so that it bears at one end against one side of the vessel
and one of the standards or supports serves during the swaging or closing of a rivet,
as an abutment for the rivet whilst the other receives the thrust of the rivetter
transmitted through the side of the vessel opposite to that side being rivetted as set
forth.
2. The improved machine as herein described and shown in the drawings annexed
for the purpose specified whether constructed with the standard 2 movable or fixed.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1889.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.