IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEAMLESS PIPES AND TUBES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jolin James Speed (the younger,) and John Aylesworth
Bailey, of New York, United States of America, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John James Speed and
John Aylesworth Bailey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with 'their Petition, on the 29th December 1856:
i
We, JOHN JAMES SPEED (the younger) and JOHN AYLESWORTH BAILEY, of
New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEAMLESS PIPES
AND TUBES," to be as follows:-
. Our Invention has no reference to what is termed lap-welded tubing, but
relates exclusively to the manufacture of that description of metal tubing in
which there is no seam or lap, but the tube is elongated or thinned out length-
wise, as it were, from a close, thick, and comparatively short tubular casting
of metal, having no seam or split in it, being therefore in fact an ingot.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of said improvement, (x), x),
Fig. 2, shewing the plane of section.
Figure 2, a transverse vertical section of ditto; (y), (y), Fig. 1, exhibits
the plane of section.

page_text: Figure 3 is a detached front view of the vibrating dies.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
At A is represented a bed plate, to which an upright head B is attached or
secured in any proper manner; C represents a shaft, the bearings of which
are placed in horizontal arms (a), áttached to the head B. On one end of
the shaft C a fly wheel D is placed, and on the centre of the shaft between
the arms (a) there is placed a crank (6), to which one end of a connecting rod G
is attached. The opposite end of this rod has a cylindrical cross arm (c)
connected to it, which arm is fitted between two plates (d) and (e), which are
placed as shewn in the head B. The upper end of the plate (d) is rounded,
and bears in a corresponding recess in the upper part of the bar or plate B.
The lower end of the plate (e) is concave, and fits over the rounded or semi
cylindrical top of a die II, which is placed in the head B, and is covered
therein by a plate I, secured in a recess by a cross bar (9), as shewn in
Figs. 1 and 2. Within the head B there are also placed two dies J, K, in
oblique or inclined positions, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and each has a
spring (n) attached to its under side to raise it from the ingot when not
pressed down.
The face edges of the three dies are made concave, the three faces forming
a circular aperture, through which the tubular casting is fed. At L is shewn
a screw rod, one end of which has its bearing in an upright M on the bod
plate A, and the other end being made perfectly smooth forms the mandrel L',
on which the ingot is drawn out by the dies, as will be presently explained.
On the screw rod L there is a nut N, having a ratchet (i) at one end, and
there is also a circular plate (0), having a pawl (j) attached to it, which
pawl takes into the ratchet (i). To the upper and lower end of the plate O
there are pivoted arms k, k, connected to the upper and lower ends of a work-
ing beam P, fitted loosely on a rock shaft Q, said shaft receiving its motion
through a connecting rod (1) attached to the pinion F, and to an arm (m) on
the shaft.
The casting or ingot R, out of which the tube is made, is placed on the
mandrel L'; one end of it being connected to the circular plate O, and motion
being given to the shaft C, a vibrating movement radially to the mandrel is
communicated to the dies H, J, K, the two plates d, e, forming a toggle; the
upper die II, when pressed by the said toggle, forcing down the two lower nud
lateral dies J, K, till the latter arrive at a solid bearing or seat, at which
time the circle formed by the combined curvatures of the inner faces of the
three dies is complete and unbroken, the two lower dies J, K, by their relative
position to the upper die H, restraining the compressed ingot or partially

page_text: formed tube from yielding laterally one way or the other under the action of
the upper die, and thus effecting an equal reduction or uniform thinning of the
tubing at every point on its surface.
Our arrangement, it will be observed, is a radial compressive action when
the tube is at rest, taking in every point in the circle or circumference of the
tube, the screw feed of the ingot R being intermittent and made automatically
alternate with the action of the dies by means of the nut N, plate O, pawl (j),
ratchet arms h, k, beam P, and rock shaft Q operating together.
Thus it will be seen that the two lower side dies J, K, not only effectually
prevent unequal lateral disturbance by the downward thrust of the upper one,
but the three dies taking in the whole circle do away with the formation of
longitudinal seams or ridges at the junction of the dies, as occur with an
arrangement of two encircling dies only, and which have a tendency to
produce an oval formation of the tube.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John James Speed and John Aylesworth Bailey in the
Great Seal Patent Offico on the 29th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, JOHN
JAMES SPEED (the younger) and JOHN AYLESWORTH BAILEY, of New York,
United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in tho twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John James Speed and John Aylesworth Bailey, Her special licence that
we, the said John James Speed and John Aylesworth Bailey, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John James Speed
and John Aylesworth Bailoy, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SEAMLESS PIPES AND TUBES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that wo, the said John James Speed and John Aylesworth
Bailey, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seal, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 we, the said John James Speed and John
Aylesworth Bailey, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention is certain improvements in the manufacture of seamless
metal pipes or tubing, and, reference being had to the annexed Drawings,
making a part of this Specification, show,
Fig. 1, a longitudinal vertical section of said improvement; (a), (a), Fig. 2,
showing the plane of section.
Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section of do.; (y, y), Fig. 1, exhibits the
plane of section.
.
"
Fig. 3 is a detached front view of the vibrating dies.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
To what is termed "lap-welded tubing" our improvement has no reference,
but it pertains exclusively to the manufacture of that description of metal
tubing in which there is no seam or lap, since in making it the tube is
elongated or thinned out lengthwise, as it were, from a close, thick, and com.
paratively short tubular casting of metal, having no seam or split in it, being
therefore in fact an "ingot.".
At A is represented a bed plate, to which an upright head B is attached
or secured in any proper manner. At C is represented a shaft, the bearings
of which are placed in horizontal arms (a) attached to the head B. On one
end of the shaft C a fly wheel D is placed, and on the centre of the shaft
between the arms (a) there is a crank (), to which one end of a connecting
red G is attached. The opposite end of this rod has a cylindrical cross arm (c)
connected to it, which arm is fitted between two plates (d) and (e), placed as
shown in the head B. The upper end of the plate (d) is rounded, and bears in
a corresponding recess in the upper part of the head B. The lower end of
the plate (e) is concave, and fits over the rounded or semicylindrical top of a die
11, which is placed in the head B, and is covered therein by a plate I, secured
in a recess by a cross bar (g), as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. Within the head B
there are also placed two dies J, K, in oblique or inclined positions, as clearly
shown in Fig. 1, and each has a spring (h) attached to its under side to raise
it from the ingot when not pressed down.

page_text: The face edges of the three dies are made concave, the three faces forming
a circular aperture, through which the tubular casting is fed. At L is shown a
screw. rod, one end of which has its bearing in an upright M on the bed
plate A, and the other end being made perfectly smooth, forms the mandril L',
on which the ingot is drawn out by the dies, as will be presently explained.
On the screw rod L there is a nut N, having a ratchet (i) at one end; and
there is also a circular plate O, having a pawl (j) attached to it, which pawl
takes into the ratchet (i). To the upper and lower ends of the plate O there
are pivoted arms (k), (k), connected to the upper and lower ends of a working
beam P, fitted loosely on a rock shaft Q, said shaft receiving its motion
through a connecting rod (1) attached to the pinion F, and to an arm (m) on the
rock shaft.
The "casting" or ingot R out of which the tube is to be made is placed on
the mandrel L'; one end of it being connected to the circular plate O, and
motion being given to the shaft C, a vibrating movement radially to the
mandrel is communicated to the dies II, J, K, the two plates (d), (e), forming a
toggle, the upper die H, when pressed by tho said toggle, forcing down the
two lower and lateral dies J, K, till the latter arrive at a solid bearing or seat,
at which time the circle formed by the combined curvatures of the inner faces
of the three dies is complete and unbroken, the two lower dies J, K, by their
relative position to tho upper die H, restraining the compressed ingot or
partially formed tube from yielding laterally one way or the other under the
action of the upper die, and thus effecting an equal reduction or uniform
thinning of the tubing at every point on its surface.
Our arrangement, it will be observed, is a radial compressive action when
the tube is at rest, taking in every point in the circle or circumference of the
tube, the screw feed of the ingot R being intermittent and made automatically
alternate with the action of the dies by means of the nut N, plate O, paul (j,)
ratchet arms (k,) (k,) beam P, and rock shaft Q operating together.
Thus it will be seen that the two lower side dies J, K, not only effectually
prevent unequallateral disturbance by the downward thrust of the upper one,
but the three dies taking in the whole circle do away with the formation of
longitudinal seams or ridges at the junction of the dies, as occurs with an
arrangement of two encircling dies only, and which have a tendency to produce
an oval formation of the tube.
We claim, as an improvement in the manufacture of seamless metal pipes
or tubing, the three encircling and radial hammering or pressure dies H, J, K,
when arranged relatively to each other and operating together on the tubular
ingot while stationary, as specified, and in combination with the intermittent

page_text: feed to the ingot or partially formed tube on or over the mandrel alternate
with the compressive action of the dies, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the aforesaid John James Speed, junior, and
John Aylesworth Bailey, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
29th day of May, A. D. 1857.
(L.S.)
JOHN AYLESWORTH BAILEY. (L.S.)
JOHN JAMES SPEED, JUNIOR.
Taken and declared at Her Britannick
Majesty's Consulate at New York, this
Twenty-ninth day of May, A. D. 1857,
before me,
L.S.
JOSEPH FOWLER,
H. B. M. Ag. Consul,
New York, 29 May, 1857.