Improvements in Machines for Rivetting.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th June, 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Machines for Rivetting.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK GILMER of 8 Sardinia Terrace, Hillhead, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines for rivetting and has for its
object to provide a machine for rivetting by hydraulic, steam, compressed air or other
fluid power which is capable of being applied to all or nearly all the rivets in such
structures as the hulls of ships, bridges, girders and so forth.
The complete machine is made up of two parts, one part being on each side of the
structure to be rivetted together. When in use the two parts are connected togother
by bolts passing through rivet holes in the structure. Each of the two parts consists
of a main lever, carriage, and brackets or frames to which the carriage
connected
by tension olinks. The main lever is connected to a shaft which is pivotted in the
centre of the carriage by a fork or other suitable joint.
A slot in the lever and a pin in the fork gives facility for lengthening or shortening
the reach of the lever as may be required to reach the work or to allow of its being
turned round clear of projections and when clear thrust forward to do the work in
recesses which would otherwise be out of reach unless the whole machine were moved.
The central shaft of the carriage is capable of being turned round in the carriage and
carries the lever round with it.
A cylinder is formed on one end of the lever, or it may be formed separately and
fixed in position or it may be formed separately and made to revolve in an eye
formed at the end of the lever. This cylinder has a piston actuated by hydraulic or
other pressure for communicating the power to the rivetting tool. The piston of
this hydraulic press has a shaft let into it. This shaft can be turned round and
moved freely to and from the inner face of the piston, the latter motion being
checked by a pin thrust through the piston and acting in a recess cut in the shaft
equal to the stroke of the piston. This shaft projects from the inner face of the
piston and is connected to a crosshead by means of a suitable joint which allows the
crosshead to oscillate so as to make itself adjustable to any curve or irregularity of
the structure. At one end of the cross head the rivetting tool is fitted into a recess
and at the other end a bearing surface. The rivetting tool and bearing surface are
fitted into the cross-head by a ball and socket or other suitable joint which allows
them automatically to adapt themselves to any surface. The bearing surface may be
a curved surface formed on one end of the cross head.
The cross head and shaft are connected by a fork or other suitable joint and. this
joint has a shoulder as near as possible to the cross-head.
When the machine is at rest the distance of the end of the piston from the
shoulder will be equal or nearly equal to the length of the stroke.
An arrangement is provided to raise the cross head when it has to pass over any
projection on the structure being rivetted. This cross head can be turned round
with the shaft as an axis and the main lever can be turned round with the central
shaft which is pivotted in the carriage by hydraulic or other power for the purpose
of bringing the rivetting tool to the various positions required.
The shaft of the crosshead may be prolonged through the piston and project through the
outer end so as when desirable, as in such parts of a ship as between the frames of
the double bottom and similar inaccessable parts of the structure, to be capable of being
acted on at the other end in order to turn the cross head and to adjust the rivetting
tool to the proper position.
The opposite end of the main lever has a backstay bar projecting from the inner

page_text: face and resting on the plating which equalises the strain upon the carriage brackets
and bolts connecting the two parts of the machine. The length of the stay bar is
adjustable
suit different cases.
At each end of the carriage carrying the lever there are bars or beains moveable
in slots so as to be adjustable to provide for variation in the pitch of ship's frames.
Each of these bars or beams has a screw working in its centre, the inner end bearing
in a socket provided in the centre of a compensating lever of the brackets or frames
on which the carriage rests.
The carriage and brackets or frames are connected together by tension links which
can be turned over so as to catch the ends of the bars or beams.
The complete machine consists of two of the above described lever carriage and
brackets or frames, one being fixed on each side of the structure by bolts attaching
the brackets or frames to the structure. The rivetting tool being on one side and the
holding up tool on the other side of the structure.
In order that the centres of the machine on both sides of the structure may
-correspond with each other or nearly so, an adjustable plate is fixed at one end of the
carriage by means of set screws or some similar contrivance. This plato is adjusted
so that the distance between its centre and the centre of the carriage is equal to half
the pitch of the ships frames or equal to half the pitch of the bracket.
In the centre of this plate, the screw working in the beam or bar works freely.
At the other end there is a similar plate but in place of having a simple hole it has a
slot cut transversely to the length of the plate as a guide for the beam screw to work
These plates are provided to prevent the beams slipping as also to allow of the
beam being pivotted on its centre and adjusted readily to any angle the machine
inay be at.
in.
It may frequently happen that, owing to the nature of the structure the surfaces of
the two brackets on which the carriage would rest, will not be in the same plane and
it would be found difficult to fix the carriage in the proper position with the tension
links. In order to overcome such difficulties, I employ a compensating lever or beam
pivotted at the centre of each bracket and I attach the tension links for connecting the
carriage to the brackets to these compensating levers or beams. These levers or
beams are free to arrange themselves so that the parts on which the carriage rests
may be in the same plane.
may in some cases construct the machine differently and put the rivetting tool in
a recess in the back stay bar instead of in the cross head.
Where the irregularities of the structure is greater than the compensating lever
provides for the struts, being screws, may be lengthened or shortened as may bo
necessary.
In order to facilitate the securing of the aforesaid brackets together at curved parts
of the structure, which has heretofore been difficult by reason of the unavoidable
angularity of the tension bolts by which the said brackets are connected together
when such bolts are passed through the rivet holes, I form the backs of the brackets
into suitable ratchet-like teeth or notches and adapt suitable washers to take into such
teeth after being passed over the ends of the tension bolts, and I make the nuts by
which the said tension bolts are screwed up, and the washers against which they screw
so that the said nuts and washers shall act together after the manner of ball and
socket joints. By these means, although the tension bolts may stand at a considerable
angle with the brackets, their nuts and washers cannot slip; the nuts have a bearing
normal to the washers and there is therefore no danger of the machine yielding
when the pressure is applied. Instead of the above described arrangements,
sometimes employ tension bolts bent to an angle to suit the curvature and so that
they the strain at right angles to the brackets instead of at an angle thereto, and I
sometimes form the tension boits in two parts connected together by any suitable
flexible joint.
To facilitate the employment of the machine for rivetting in situations like those
found between the frames. in the double bottoms of ships for example where the
points to be operated upon are at the bottom of deep spaces into which the machine

page_text: cannot be entered, I use a lengthening piece which may be hinged to the power
ram or piston rod. This lengthening piece is bored to take the sliaft which is
connected to the cross head in a similar manner to that already described with
reference to the piston itself.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
14, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Petitioner's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Rivetting.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK GILMER of 8 Sardinia Terrace, Hillhead, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer 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 :-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines for rivetting, and has for
its object to provide a machine for rivetting by hydraulic, steam, compressed air or
other fluid power which is capable of being applied to all or nearly all the rivets in
such structures as the hulls of ships, bridges, girders, and so forth:
The complete machine is made up of two parts, one part being on each side of the
structure to be rivetted together. When in use, the two parts are connected together
by bolts passing through rivet holes in the structure. Each of the two parts consists
of a main lever, carriage, and brackets or frames to which the carriage is connected
by tension links. The main lever is connected to a shaft which is pivotted in the
centre of the carriage by a fork, or other suitable joint. A slot in the lever and a
pin in the fork gives facility for lengthening or shortening the reach of the lever as
may be required to reach the work, or to allow of its being turned round clear of
projections, and when clear, thrust forward to do the work in recesses which would
otherwise be out of reach unless the whole machine were moved. The central shaft
of the carriage is capable of being turned round in the carriage, and carries the lever
round with it.
A cylinder is formed on one end of the lever, or it may be formed separately and
fixed in position, or it may be formed separately and made to revolve in an eye formed
at the end of the lever. This cylinder has a piston, actuated by hydraulic, or other
pressure, for communicating the power to the rivetting tool. The piston of this
hydraulic press has a shaft let into it. This shaft can be turned round, and moved
freely to and from the inner face of the piston the latter motion being checked by a
pin thrust through the piston, and acting in a recess cut in the shaft, equal to the
stroke of the piston. This shaft projects from the inner face of the piston, and is
connected to a cross-head by means of a suitable joint, which allows the cross-head
to oscillate, so as to make itself adjustable to any curve or irregularity of the structure.
At one end of the cross-head the rivetting tool is fitted into a recess, and at the other
end, a bearing surface. The rivetting tool and bearing surface are fitted. into the
cross-head by a ball and socket, or other suitable joint, which allows them automatically
to adapt themselves to any surface. The bearing surface may be a curved surface
formed on one end of the cross-head..
The cross-head and shaft are connected by a fork, or other suitable joint; and this
joint has a shoulder as near as possible to the cross-head.
:
When the machine is at rest the distance of the end of the piston from the shoulder
will be equal, or rather less than the length of the stroke.
An arrangement is provided to raise the cross-head when it has to pass over any
projection on the structure being rivetted. This cross-head can be turned round with
the shaft as an axis, and the main lever can be turned round with the central shäſt,
which is pivotted in the carriage by hydraulic, or other power, for the purpose of
bringing the rivetting tool to the various positions required.
".
The shaft of the cross-head may he prolonged through the piston, and project
through the outer end, so as when desirable,-as in such parts of a ship as between

page_text: the frames of the double bottom, and similar inaccessable parts of the structure,
to be capable of being acted on at the other end, in order to turn the cross-head and
to adjust the rivetting tool, to the proper position.
The opposite end of the main lever has a back stay bar projecting from the inner
face, and resting on the plating, which equalizes the strain upon the carriage, brackets,
and bolts connecting the two parts of the machine. The length of the stay bar is
adjustable to suit different cases.
At each end of the carriage carrying the lever, there are bars or beams moveable
in slots so as to be adjustable to provide for variation in the pitch of ships frames.
Each of these bars or beams has a screw working in its centre, the inner end bearing
in a socket provided in the centre of a compensating lever of the brackets or frames
on which the carriage rests.
The carriage and brackets or frames are connected together by tension links which
can be turned over so as to catch the ends of the bars or beams.
The complete machine consists of two of the above described lever, carriage, and
brackets or frames; one being fixed on each side of the structure by bolts attaching
the brackets or frames to the structure; the rivetting tool being on one side, and the
holding up tool-on the other side of the structure.
In order that the centres of the machine on both sides of the structure, may corre-
spond with each other, or nearly so, an adjustable plate is fixed at one end of the
carriage by means of set screws, or some similar contrivance. This plate is adjusted
so that the distance between its centre and the centre of the carriage is equal to half
the pitch of the ship's frames, or equal to half the pitch of the bracket. In the centre
of this plate the screw working in the beam or bar, works freely. At the other end
there is a similar plate, but in place of having a simple hole, it has a slot cut
transversely to the length of the plate, as a guide for the beam screw to work
in. These plates are provided to prevent the beams slipping, as also to allow of
the boam being pivotted on its centre and adjusted readily to any angle the machine
may be at.
It may frequently happen that, owing to the nature of the structure; the surfaces
of the two brackets on which the carriage would rest, will not be in the same plane,
and it would be found difficult to fix the carriage in the proper position with the tension
links. In order to overcome such difficulties I
employ a compensating lever or beam
pivotted at the centre of each bracket, and I attach the tension links for connecting
the carriage to the brackets to these compensating levers or beams. These levers or
beams are free to arrange themselves so that the parts on which the carriage rests
may be in the same plane.
Ι may in some cases construct the machine differently, and arrange to place the
hydraulic cylinder over the back stay bar, so that the piston acts on the stay bar and
not on the shaft of the cross-head.
Where the irregularities of the structure are greater than the compensating lever
provides for, the struts, being screws, may be lengthened or shortened as may be
necessary.
In order to facilitate the securing of the aforesaid brackets together at curved parts
of the structure-which has heretofore been difficult by reason of the unavoidable
angularity of the tension bolts by which the said brackets are connected together
when such bolts are passed through the rivet holes-I form the backs of the brackets
into suitable ratchet-like teeth or notches, and adapt suitable washers to take into such
teeth after being passed over the ends of the tension bolts; and I make the nuts by
which the said tension bolts are screwed up, and the washers against which they screw,
so that the said nuts and washers shall act together after the manner of ball and
socket joints. By these means although the tension bolts may stand at a considerable
angle with the brackets, their nuts and washers cannot slip: the nuts have a bearing
normal to the washers, and there is therefore no danger of the machine yielding when
the pressure is applied. Instead. of the above described arrangements, I sometimes
employ tension bolts, bent to an angle to suit the, curvature, and so, that they take
the strain at right angles to, the brackets, instead of at an angle thereto, and, I

page_text: Sometimes form the tension bolts in two parts, connected together by any suitable
flexible joint.
To facilitate the employment of the machine rivetting in situations like those found
between the frames in the double bottoms of ships; for example, where the points
to be operated upon are at the bottom of deep spaces, into which the machine cannot
be entered, I use a lengthening piece, which may be hinged to the power ram, or
piston rod. This lengthening piece is bored to take the shaft which is connected
to the cross-head, in a similar manner to that already described with reference to the
piston itself.
In order that my Invention may be. properly understood and readily carried into
effect, I have hereunto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, in the several
figures of which, corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of reference.
The rivetting machine is illustrated at Figure 1; sheet 1, which is a longitudinal
view of the machine partly in section and partly in elevation.
The structure to be rivetted is shewn in cross section at A, B, and the complete
machine consists of two parts, one on each side of the structure. The two parts are
connected together by bolts C, C, passing through rivet holes in the structure,
preferably those of the ship's frames.
Each of the two parts consists of a main lever D, carriage E, and brackets or
frames F, to which the carriage is connected by tension links G, hooking over the
ends of bars Y. The main lever is connected to the central shaft H, of the carriage
by means of a fork I, or other suitable joint. The prongs of the fork are connected
together by means of a pin J, passing through a sliding block fitted into the slot K,
in said lever. The object of this arrangement is to allow the reach of the rivetting.
tool to be lengthened or shortened as may be required, to reach the work, or when
shortened, to allow of its being turned round clear of projections, and when clear,
thrust forward to do the work in recesses-such as between the beams under the deck-
which would otherwise be out of reach. This is accomplished by means of the bar L,
one end of which is connected to the main shaft H; the other end, which is tapped,
screws into the nut M, which works in a collar N. The nut M, is provided with a
bevil wheel, geared into another bevil wheel O, attached to the spindle of the hand
wheel P. By turning this handle one way or the other, the sliding block with pin J,
moves to one or other end of the slot K, and the reach of the rivetting tool is
lengthened or shortened.
It is explained that although this operation is described as being performed by hand,
it may also be done by hydraulic, or other power.
A cylinder Q, is formed at one end of the main lever, with a piston R, actuated by
hydraulic, or other power, for communicating the pressure to the rivetting tool. The
piston R, has a shaft S, let into it, which shaft can be turned round and moved freely
to and from the face of the piston. This latter motion is checked by a pin thrust
through the piston, acting in a recess a, cut in the shaft equal in length to the full
stroke of the piston.
The shaft S, projects from the inner face of the piston, and is connected to a cross-
head T, by means of a suitable joint, which allows the cross-head to oscillate so as to
make itself automatically adjustable to any curve or irregularity of the structure.
At one end of the cross-head the rivetting tool U, is fitted into a recess, and at the
other end of the cross-head a bearing surface V, is fitted. The rivetting tool and
bearing surface are fitted in the cross-head, after the manner of a ball and socket
joint, or other similar manner, which allows them automatically to adapt themselves
to any surface.
The shaft S, has a shoulder W, at a convenient distance from the cross-head. When
the piston is drawn in, the distance between the end of the piston and the shoulder W,
is rather less than the stroke of the piston. In this position of the piston the cross-
head can be raised to pass over any projection on the structure, and can be turned
round with the shaft S, so as to bring the rivetting tool to any particular rivet. The
main lever.D, can be turned round with the central shaft H, of the carriage, by
hydraulic, or other
for the purpose of bringing the rivetting tool to the various
❤

page_text: positions required. As the radial motion of the lever D, and the cross-head are
independent of each other, it will be seen that the adjustment of the rivetting tool
to the rivet is effected in the most rapid manner.
The shaft S, of the cross-head may be prolonged through the piston, and project
through the outer end, so that when desirable, as in such parts of a ship as between
the frames of the double bottom, and similar inaccessible parts of the structure, it may
be capable of being acted on at the outer end to turn the cross-head, and adjust the
rivetting tool to the proper position.
The opposite end of the lever, from the cross-head, has a back stay bar X. This
back stay bar is screwed through a nut fitted into the end of the lever, which can be
turned round in a socket so as to bring the back stay bar parallel to the structure
when passing over obstructions. Lugs and pins with recesses for same are provided
to hold the back stay bar at right angles to the structure, or parallel to it, as may be
required. This back stay bar can be lengthened or shortened to suit different
positions. It has a foot fitting into a recess which rests on the plating, and equalizes
the stress upon the carriage, brackets, and bolts connecting the two parts of the
machine. This foot is fitted into the back stay bar in a similar manner to the fitting
of the rivetting tool to the cross-head.
The carriage E, rests on brackets F, F, one at each end of the carriage. The
brackets F, on one side of the structure are bolted to similar brackets on the other
side of the structure by means of the bolts C, passing through rivet holes in the
structure. The carriage E, is attached to the brackets F, by means of the tension
links G, G, which hook over the bars or beams Y. These beams Y, extend from one
side of the carriage to the other, and are moveable to and from the centre of the
carriage in slots Z, so as to provide for the brackets F,.having to be placed closer
together or further apart, on account of the variation in the pitch of the parallel
lines of rivet holes through which they would be connected, as for instance, the
ship's frame rivet holes, over which they would preferably be placed. The attachment
of the carriage to the brackets will be understood by referring to Figures 2, and 3,
which shew a bracket and lower part of carriage in elevation, and plan.
The bracket consists of the beain F, with struts C, C,-which are screwed into the
beam F, so that they may be lengthened or shortened if required, resting against
the structure, to which it is screwed by the tension bolts C, U, as already explained.
If the structure were a plane surface the carriage might rest direct on FF; but it
'may frequently happen, owing to the nature of the structure that the tops of the two
beams F, on which the carriage should rest would not be in the same plane, and
that it would be found impossible to fix the carriage in the proper position with
the tension links. In order to provide for such cases, I employ a compensating
lever A', pivotted to the beam F, at B', and attached to the ends of F, by the
screw bolts D' working in the nuts E¹. It will be seen that by slackening the
nuts E', on one of the brackets the compensating lever A¹, is free to turn on
the pivot B¹, so that when the carriage is placed in position it will adapt itself to
the same plane as the other bracket, and the tension links can readily be hooked
over the beam Y. The carriage E, rests on the compensating lever, as shown in
Figure 2, and is firmly secured to it by means of the tension links G, G, which
are hinged at F1, F, and hook over the bean Y, Y, which passes through the
carriage as already described..
The carriage sits inside the lugs or projections G', on the compensating lever,
which keep it in position, and prevent it slipping, and are shaped as shown at a bc,
Figure 3, to allow the carriage to be placed oblique to the bracket should this be
necessary.
The beam Y, Y, has a screw H', working in its centre which is used for tightening
up the ends of the beam Y, Y, against the tension links G, G. The inner end of this
screw bears in a socket in the centre of the compensating lever.
In order that the centres of the levers D, D, on each side of the structure may be
opposite, or nearly opposite each other, at one end of the carriage the screw H',
which is screwed into the beam Y, Y, passes loosely through a hole in a plate J¹,

page_text: which can be moved, and fixed to the carriage at a point from its centre, equal to the
proper position corresponding to half the pitch of the two brackets, which would
usually be fixed over, and correspond with the ship's iframes. At the other end of .
the carriage a similar screw, screwed into the beam Y, Y, passes through a slot in a
plate which is attached to the carriage. These plates, one having a hole, and the
other a slot, with the screws passing through them, are for the purpose of fixing the
beams Y, Y, in the proper positions in the slots Z, to suit the particular pitch of
the ship's frames. This is attained by fixing the plate with the hole in it at such a
position on the carriage that the distance between the centre of the shaft H, and the
hole is equal to half the distance between the parallel rows of rivet holes through
which the bolts C, pass.
On the other side of the structure the corresponding plate is fixed at the same
distance from the centre of the shaft. Thus the shafts FL, on each side of the structure
will be brought into the same, or nearly the same, line. The screw H¹, as already
explained, on the other end of the carriage, on each side of the structure, passos
through a slot, so that it may be freely adjusted to correspond to the pitch of the
brackets.
The complete rivetting machine consists of the two parts, one on each side of the
structure, in one of which there is the rivetting tool, and in the other, the holding up
tool. Hydraulic pressure for working the two pistons is supplied to the ports on each
side of the structure, either by separate pipes, or from the same pipe passing through
a rivet hole in the structure, so that the stroke of the two pistons may be nearly
simultaneous. The pressure is applied to the rivetting tool by the end of the piston
coming up to the shoulder W, of the shaft S. It will be observed that the shaft S,
is quite free in the piston until near the end of the stroke, when the end of the piston
presses on the shoulder and applies the pressure necessary for rivetting.
It is explained that the machine may be modified by forming the hydraulic cylinder
with piston over the back stay, so that the piston acts on the back stay while the
rivetting tool attached to the cross-head is at the other end. In some cases this may
be found a more convenient way of arranging the machine.
·
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
claim is
1. The general construction and arrangement of parts of the rivetting machine as
shewn and described.
2. The main lever provided with a slot in which the sliding block can be moved by
means of hand or other power gear, for the purpose of lengthening or shortening the
reach of the rivetting tool, as set forth.
3. The main lever with rivetting tool at one end, and back stay bar at the other
end, for the purpose of equalizing the stress on the brackets, and tension links and
bolts.
4. The cross-head, having a rivetting tool at one end, and a bearing surface at the
other end pivotted at the end of the shaft, so as to accommodate itself to any surface;
which shaft is let into the piston, and is provided with a shoulder, against which the
piston presses in the act of rivetting, substantially as described, and shewn on the
drawings.
5. The improved form of bracket girder with compensating lever to which the
rivetting machine is attached, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 26th day of June 1889
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.