An Improved Manufacture of Hook-nails or Spikes and Machinery therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Mar., 1882
Specification Accepted, 27th Apr.. 1889
An Improved Manufacture of Hook-nails or Spikes and Machinery
therefor..
I, WILHELM BOECKER, of the firm of Boecker & Co. of Schalke, Westphalia,
Germany, Manufacturer 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
My invention refers to a new method of manufacturing hook-nails or spikes and to
machinery for carrying out the same.
Hook-nails, such as are shewn in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, or of
similar construction, and employed for fastening rails, have been made hitherto
generally by band labor. According to the hereinafter described method in combination
with the machine shewn in the drawings and described in this specification it is
possible to obtain a perfect and well made hook-nail or spike almost entirely without
any hand labor.
The improved hook nails are made from bars of iron or of any other suitable
material, which are formed into the shape shewn at Figs. 2 and 3 by rolling, pressing,
hammering or by any other suitable means. As will he seen from the drawing, the
bars employed for inanufacturing the spikes are furnished with bosses at the places
where the heads of the spikes are to be formed.
For producing the blanks, the bar shewn in Figs. 2 and 3 is divided on the lines
marked in Fig. 4. The division may be effected by sawing, stamping, cutting
slitting, or by any other suitable operation, and the blanks W W W are thus obtained.
It is advantageous to divide a bar stretched by stamping (see Fig. 5) on the dotted
lines shewn in Fig. 5 in such manner that at each pressure exerted by the die, the two
cuts indicated at dotted lines are simultaneously effected by a suitably shaped tool, so
that at each descent of the tool two blanks WW, or W³ and W₁, and so on, will be
produced. After the cut has been made, the rod is advanced in the direction indicated
by the arrow until its edges e e strike against the stop A, and is then divided again
in the above described manner; whereby two other blanks are cut off.

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1
Figs. 6 and 7 shew a bar having bosses at both sides; the blanks for making
spikes are cut out from the rod in the same manner as above described. Fig. 8
represents the rod after the blanks W₁ W, W3 have been cut out. The said blanks
may now be worked and finished so as to form spikes by hand, or the herein-
after described machine may be used for this purpose. The blanks are first
heated in a furnace to a red heat, and are then separately introduced into the
matrix of the machine (see Figs. 10 and 11) in such a manner that the boss of
the blank enters the enlarged part of the matrix and its point strikes against the bottom
of the same.
A certain number of matrices are arranged in a disc and rotated together with the
latter by any suitable means, so that the matrices will be consecutively brought
underneath the die and be stopped there until by the pressure exerted by the
die the finished nail is formed in the matrix. Motion may be imparted to the disc
by the toothed wheels Z Z and by means of the machine shown in Figs. 9 and 10
of the accompanying drawing.
By means of the eccentric E (see Figs. 9 and 10) connecting rod S, lever H,
pawl K and ratchet wheel R, the disc B containing the matrices (C2 C3 C4 is turned
a quarter of a revolution, so that matrix C which has just been filled is brought
exactly underneath the die D (Fig. 9 and 10) the disc E and the matrices
being fixed in their position by spring holt F. catching into a corresponding recess
of the disc.
Another eccentric J presses the die D into the conically shaped aperture of
the matrix held fast by the spring bolt, whereby not only is the head jumped
into the mould but also the point which, in consequence of the oblique cutting,
stands laterally, is pressed exactly into the middle line of the blank as shewn at
Fig. 12.
On the further revolution of the disc B the matrix C is pushed out by the pressure
of the partially or entirely excentrically arranged fixed disc L, whereby the matrix
which is composed of 4 parts will in consequence of its conical side-surfaces, be
opened out somewhat, so that when arrived at its lowest position at C₁, it will let fall
the finished spike.
4'
The centre of the fixed cam disc. L is at a (see Fig. 11). The construction of the
disc B, moveable upon the fixed shaft V, and of the fixed disc I. is shewn in Figs. 11
and 12.
Owing to its multiple division, the matrix opens very easily, as may clearly be seen
in Figs. 12, 13 and 14, while the closure of the matrix is effected by its tapering side
surfaces in passing back into the tapered sockets of the disc B in consequence of its
own weight and by the pressure of the die. The lower heads of the matrices in
bearing upon the cam disc L during their rotation, cause the matrices to be
displaced radially towards the outside, and they prevent the matrices from
falling out when they have arrived at their lowest position. Fig. 11 shews a
front view of the matrices, Fig. 12 is a vertical cross section, Fig. 13 a plan
view and Fig. 14 a cross section shewing the construction of the checks of the
matrix.
The hook nail or spike is manufactured from the blanks obtained according to
Figs. 2 to 8 in the following way. The blank W is introduced by a workman into
the matrix C₁ (see Figs. 10 and 11) and the disc B is caused by eccentric E, rod S,
lever H pawl K and ratchet wheel R to make a quarter of a revolution in the direction
shewn by the arrow, while the eccentric makes a whole revolution; the blank contained
in the matrix is jumped by the die D, at the descending motion by the second eccentric;
into the matrix and the point is straightened. The die moves upwards, the disc con-
tinues its motion in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the matrix will be
opened by its head sliding on the fixed cam disc L, so that the finished hook-nail
falls automatically out of the opened matrix, when the latter has arrived at its lowest
position. Should the shape of the spike differ from that shewn in the drawing it is
only necessary to give the matrix another, corresponding, shape while all the other
arrangements above described remain the same.
..

page_text: The above described method of manufacture in combination with the illustrated
machine furnishes hook-nails or spikes which, as regards the finished shape and the
uniformity of work are considerably superior to those manufactured in the manner
hitherto in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. An improved manufacture of blanks for the production of hook-nails or spikes
whereby bars of iron or of any other suitable metal are provided on one or on both sides
by means of rolling, pressing, hammering or by any other suitable operation, with
bosses corresponding to the heads of the nails to be made, such bars being then divided
by vertical cuts through the head and by oblique cuts through the part corresponding
to the points of the spikes to be produced, substantially as herein described with
reference to Figs. 2 to 8 of the drawings.
2. The formation into hook nails of the blanks referred to in the preceding claim,
when previously heated to red heat, by pressing the head of the blank, and
simultaneously straightening the point of the same while the blank is situated in a
matrix carried by a disc B receiving a step-by-step rotary motion by suitable
mechanism, which disc contains a certain number of the said matrixes having a tapering
external form, and situated in correspondingly tapered sockets in the disc B, the said
matrices being composed of several pieces and actuated by a fixed cam-disc so as to
open out and allow the finished nail to fall out when carried to the lowest position,
substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 9 to 14 of the drawings.
3. In machines for producing nails or spikes from the blanks referred to in the
first claim, the use of longitudinally divided matrices arranged to open out and having
tapering side surfaces fitting in correspondingly tapered sockets of a revolving disc,
for the purpose of forming, by pressure by means of the said matrices and a die,
the head of the blank and simultaneously straightening the point of the nail,
while the matrix is closed, substantially as herein described with reference to the
drawings.
Dated this 26th day of March 1000