IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREW NUTS
Year: 1874

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREW NUTS."-A commu-
nication from abroad by William Manning Van Anden, of Brooklyn,
in the County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th June 1874.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREW NUTS," to be as
follows: :-
Nuts for screw bolts that are made by pinching or cutting them from
bars of rolled metal have the fibre or grain of the iron disposed

page_text: diametrically to them in some parts so that a splitting or bursting strain
on the nut acts on the metal in the direction of the least adhesion, that
is, transversely to the grain so that they split open easily. Nuts
also which are formed of short sections of tubes are in all parts exposed
to the action of bursting strain in the direction in which the metal has
least adhesion.
According to this Invention nuts are made capable of greater resistance
to splitting strains than any heretofore made by cutting off slugs or
short pieces from rods, upsetting the slugs in the lengthwise direction of
the fibre, and swaging the principal part of the metal from the portion
of the core to be displaced for making the hole into the body of the nut.
The blank is made considerably longer and smaller than the finished
nut is to be, and it is upset so as to shorten and broaden it to the size
required by subjecting it to very powerful pressure so as to bulge the
metal out hard against the sides of the die and condense it more
thoroughly than it is in the rod, besides curving and interlocking the
fibre so as to produce far greater adhesion than it can have while the
fibre remains straight and parallel as it lays in the rod. By upsetting
the metal the middle portion is bulged outward, and the ends and core
sunk or driven inward in a way calculated to bend, cross, and interlock
the fibres, and knot them together in a hard and tenacious mass. By
swaging the core out into the body of the nut the fibre is still further
interlocked at the same time that the metal is economized and its
density increased.. In thus swaging the core out into the body cavities
are formed in the core of the nut, one on each side, at the time it is
upset by a projecting stud or point on each die.
In addition to the above the grain of the metal is so disposed that it
will cross the lines in which the metal is liable to separate or split by
the bursting strains, and thus oppose said strains by its greatest power of
adhesion; and to this end before cutting up the rods or tubes into the
short pieces required for the nuts, I twist them so as to give a spiral
direction to the fibre or grain of more or less pitch as may be required,
and thus have the longitudinal tension of it to oppose the bursting or
splitting action, which will increase the strength to a very great extent,
for it makes the difference between pulling the fibre apart endwise or
splitting the parallel fibre. In practice I will, for superior nuts, twist
the rod, say, so as to have about half a turn in the length of the nut, then
cut off the section a little longer than the actual length of the nut to be

page_text: produced, and "upset" it to the length required, and then finish it up
in any approved nut making machine. For general purposes, however,
the twisting of the rods may be omitted, the slugs or blanks being upset
only.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Mel-
ville Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREW NUTS," a communication
to me from abroad by William Manning Van Anden, of Brooklyn, in
the County of Kings, and State of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same.

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
Nuts for screw bolts that are made by punching or cutting them from
bars of rolled metal have the fibre or grain of the iron disposed
diametrically to them in some parts so that a splitting or bursting strain
on
the nut acts on the metal in the direction of the least adhesion, that
is, transversely to the grain, so that they split open easily. Nuts which
are formed of short sections of tubes are in all parts exposed to the
action of a bursting strain in the direction in which the metal has least
adhesion.
According to this Invention it is proposed to make nuts capable of
greater resistance to splitting strains than any heretofore made, by
cutting off slugs or short pieces from rods, upsetting the slugs in the
lengthwise direction of the fibre, and swaging the principal part of the
metal from the portion of the core to be displaced for making the hole
into the body of the nut. I make the blanks considerably longer and
smaller than the finished nuts are to be, and upset them so as to shorten
and broaden them to the size required by subjecting them to very.
powerful pressure, so as to bulge the metal out hard against the sides of
the die and condense it more thoroughly than it is in the rod, besides
curving and interlocking the fibre so as to produce far greater adhesion
than it can have while the fibre remains straight and parallel as it lays in
the rod. By upsetting the metal the middle portion is bulged outward,
and the ends and core sunk or driven inward in a way calculated to
bend, cross, and interlock the fibres, and knit them together in a hard
and tenacious mass. By swaging the core out into the body of the nut
the fibre is still further interlocked at the same time that the metal is.
economized and its density increased.
In addition to the above it is also proposed to so dispose the grain of
the metal that it will cross the lines in which the metal is liable to
separate or split by the bursting strains, and thus oppose said strains by
its greatest power of adhesion. And to this end I twist the rods or
tubes of which I make the nuts so as to give a spiral direction to the
fibre or grain of more or less pitch, as may be required, and thus have
the longitudinal tension of it to oppose the bursting or splitting action.

page_text: which will increase the strength to a very great extent, for it makes the
difference between pulling the fibre apart endwise or splitting the
parallel fibre. In practice I will, for superior nuts, twist the rod, say, so
as to have about half a turn in the length of the nut, then cut off the
section a little longer than the actual length of the nut and "upset" it
to the length required, and then finish it up in any approved nut
making machine. But for general purposes I would omit the twisting
of the rods and only upset the slugs or blanks as before described.

page_text: through rolls after being twisted to condense the metal again, or they
may be twisted while being rolled.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. Nuts having the fibres upset on the longitudinal direction in
combination with the middle portion of the blank swaged into the body,
substantially as specified.
2ndly. Nuts in which the fibre of the iron is coiled spirally to the axis
of the hole, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of Deember,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
HY SWALES,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.).