Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM HAINSWORTH of Pittsburgh, in the County of Allegheny and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare tho
nature of my said 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 relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of steel shafts,
cannons, gun-tubes and other like articles which are produced by casting, condensing
and forging or by welding and forging and condensing steel or Bessemer metal.
In carrying out my invention, I erect a furnace of sufficient capacity to
simultaneously heat the whole article to be treated, the heating being effected by
gas which is admitted into the furnace at various points in order to secure
uniformity in heating. Below this furnace, which is to be supported at a suitable
height by posts or pillars, are located two opposing bydraulic or steam presses
acting horizontally, the pistons of said presses being provided with suitable heads
for operating on the article to be forged. Below these presses is formed a pit in
which is located a hydraulic ram, its piston being provided with a suitable head
for receiving and supporting the lower end of the forging. The pit and ram are so
located that the piston of the ram will move up between the heads of the horizontal
presses and will enter the mouth of the furnace. In operating this plant, the
article to be treated is lowered into the pit onto the head of the piston of the ram
therein, which then operates to raise the article into the furnace, and hold it
therein until properly heated. The article is then lowered by the ram until, its
lower end is between the heads of the horizontal presses, which are then operated
to properly shape the article, and as this shaping is effected the article is gradually
lowered by the ram thereby bringing successive portions under the action of the
presses, such parts as are above the presses being kept at the proper temperature
by the furnace. In tempering, the forging is raised into the furnace as above
stated, and the pit is filled with a tempering fluid, into which after being properly
heated the forging is lowered.
The improvements claimed are hereinafter fully set forth.
Fig. 1, is a sectional elevation of my improved forging plant.
Fig. 2, is a top plan view, the furnace being removed.
Fig. 3, is a sectional elevation of the plant adapted to forging hollow articles.
Fig. 4, is a top plan view of Fig. 3.
11

page_text: These articles bave heretofore been produced by casting the steel in large ingots
and then condensing and forging such cast metal to shape by means of hydraulic
presses or steam-hammers. In conducting the condensing and forging operations,
so much of the ingot, commencing at one end, as can be treated, i.e. forged, at one
time, is placed in a suitable furnace and there heated to the proper temperature for
working. The ingot having the end thus heated, is then taken to the press or
hammer, and the heated portion is then condensed and shaped. After this part or
section has been properly pressed or forged, the ingot is again put in the heating
furnace and the next succeeding part or section is heated and then forged. These
heating and forging operations are continued in regular succession until the whole
ingot has been forged to shape and properly condensed, such forging and condensing
operations effecting a considerable elongation of the ingot.
The heating and forging of one part or section of the ingot, will produce a
certain state or condition of the metal of that part and when the ingot is again
placed in the furnace for heating the next section to be treated, a considerable
portion of that part which was first treated, will be highly reheated also. This
reheating of a portion of the forged or shaped section will change the state or
condition of the metal as produced by the previous forging, and after the second
section has been reheated, there will be three or more different states or conditions
of metal in the ingot. As for example in Fig. 5, I have shown an ingot which has
been partially treated, that part included between the lines a &c having been
heated and pressed to shape, such forging effecting a considerable condensation and
tension in the molecules of the metal. Now if that section included between the
lines c & e were put in a furnace and heated to the proper working temperature,
at least a part of the section a-c would be necessarily reheated, such reheated
part being represented by b-c. As this reheating will of necessity change the
condition or state of the metal in the part b-c, there will result from the heating
of the part c-e three varying states or tensions of metal in the ingot so far treated
to wit: the part from a to b will be hard and dense; the part b-c will be dense,
but will have been annealed by the reheating and the part c-e will be soft and
spongy. As the heating and forging by sections continues these varying tensions
will be produced along the length, as for example the part ab will be hard and
dense; b c dense but soft; c-d dense and hard, the latter quality being some-
what modified by its position between two soft parts b-c and d-e; and so on to
the end last worked, which will be hard and dense.
These different conditions in the finished product are modified to a certain extent
by heating the whole forging simultaneously to a tempering heat and then plunging
it into an oil bath, but as the various parts of the forging are as above stated in
different conditions when subjected to this tempering process, such process will
effect only a partial restoration to homogeneity.
In addition to the above described imperfections the metal of these large
forgings is subjected to dangerous strains by reason of the manner in which the
forging is effected, i.e. with the articles lying in a horizontal plane and the press
acting in a vertical or horizontal plane. As the forging proceeds from one end
towards the opposite end there will be a portion overhanging on each side of the
supporting auvil, and as it is impossible to support both ends in the same plane
with the top of the anvil, for the reason that the part under operation must rest
firmly on the anvil, and to effect the firm support the ends of the article are
supported a little lower than the part on the anvil Hence when the press is in
operation, the article being forged is subjected to shear strains, such strains
gradually increasing as the forging proceeds toward the center, where the strain
will be greatest.
The object of my invention is to provide for the simultaneous and uniform
heating of the whole of the ingot or article to be treated and for the maintenance
of such a heat throughout such portions of the ingot as await the action of the
press, and further to prevent the reheating of such parts as have been subjected to
the condensing and forging operations. And it is a further object of my invention

page_text: to so arrange the various parts of my apparatus that the ingot or article under
treatment will not be subjected to any shearing or other strains during forging, and
so that the compressive or condensing force of the press will be more effective, the
elongation being resisted by the superincumbent mass of metal. And a further
object of my invention is to provide for a uniform reheating of the whole forging
preparatory to the tempering of the same in an oil bath. And to these ends my
invention consists in the construction and combination of parts all as more fully
hereinafter described and claimed.
Upon a suitable bed or foundation 1, are arranged the hydraulic cylinders 2
and 3, said cylinders being provided with suitable pistons 4 and 5; the outer end
of the piston 4, being suitably shaped to serve as the moving head or die in the
forging operation, and the outer end of the piston 5, being adapted to serve as an
anvil, as clearly shown.
Upon posts or pillars 6, resting upon the bed or foundation 1, is supported the
bed plate 7, upon which is erected the vertical heating furnace 8, said furnace being
provided with a number of gas jets or burners 9, having connections with suitable
gas generator or supply. The opening 10, in the plate 7, for the admission of the
ingot or article to be heated is located directly above the meeting point of the jaws
or dies and directly below said opening and meeting point is formed a pit 11, said
pit having a diameter considerably in excess of the diameter of the forging to be
produced. And in the side of the pit near the top is formed the inclined chute 11",
to allow of the lowering of the ingot onto the piston in the pit. The walls of this
pit are formed by bricks arranged inside of a shell 12, of boiler iron. Below this
pit 11, is formed an additional pit 13, in which is located the hydraulic ram 14,
provided with a piston 15, said piston being if desired, provided with radial guide
arms (not shown) bearing against the sides of the pit and with a socket 16, for the
reception of the end of the ingot or other article to be treated. This socket 16,
may be made removable from the piston 15, and sockets of various sizes and
shapes may be made for use with the varying sizes and shapes of ingots to be
formed.
The pits 11, and 13, are separated by a plate 17, having a central opening for
the passage of the piston 15, said opening being provided with a stuffing box 18,
the purpose of which will be hereinafter stated. Over the mouth of the pit 11, is
arranged the plate 19, provided with a central opening 20, for the passage of the
piston 15, and any ingot or article resting thereon, and with an inspection or peep
hole 21.
In using the above described apparatus the ingot to be forged is placed on the
piston 15, the lower end of said ingot resting in the socket 16. This piston is then
moved up thus pushing the ingot up into the furnace 8, which has been previously
heated, the portion of the opening 10, not closed by the ingot, being closed by a
ring 22, of fire clay, resting on the rim of the socket 16. The ingot is retained
within this furnace until it is heated uniformly throughout its entire length to the
desired temperature, when it is lowered until that portion of it next adjacent to the
socket 16, lies in the operative plane of the jaws of the press. The moving jaw is
then operated, the opposite side of the ingot being braced or supported by the
anvil die 5, said anvil being adjusted back and forth according as the ingot is
reduced under the action of the moving jaw or head, and as new surfaces are
presented as the ingot is turned, the latter operation being effected by a pair of
tongs or other suitable tool applied to the ingot between the press and the bottom
of the furnace. As soon as one section or part, which will be approximately equal
to the width of the face of the jaws, has been properly forged, the ingot is lowered
until another section is brought between the jaws or dies of the press. Care should
be taken in constructing the apparatus that the distance between the bottom of the
furnace and the press will not be so great that the ingot in moving from the
furnace to the press will be cooled below a forging temperature. In practice
the ingot should be removed from its mold and transferred to the furnace as soon

page_text: as its exterior is sufficiently hard to permit of handling, and while its interior is in
a fluid or semi-fluid condition. The chilled shell is then heated to such a point
that it will not be cooled by its exposure during the movement from the furnace to
the press, below a good forging temperature.
It is an important characteristic of this method of vertical forging that the
elongative effect of the transverse compression is resisted to a great extent by
the superincumbent mass, the lower end being supported by the hydraulic ram,
and hence a portion of the force which produces an elongation, in horizontal forging,
is utilized by my method in compacting the metal. Another important feature
of my invention is that as soon as one part of the ingot is forged to shape, it is
lowered into a pit where it is protected from cooling currents of air and is allowed
to cool slowly, thus avoiding all strains incident to unequal cooling. Nor is a
part once forged to shape again heated thereby avoiding the varying tensions or
conditions incident as above stated to the usual method of heating and forging
alternately and in sections.
It will be observed that as the ingot is entirely supported on one end, and as
the anvil is adjusted to the varying irregularities of the surface that it is not
subjected to the shearing strains incident to balancing or supporting the ingot in
a horizontal position over an anvil and then subjecting it to the squeezing action
of the moving die.
After the ingot has been forged to the desired shape it is lowered entirely into
the pit, and allowed to cool slowly therein, after which it is removed and turned
to its final size and shape. Then the dressed forging is again lowered into the pit,
its lower end being placed in the socket 16, it is then raised into the furnace
where it is heated to the proper heat for tempering. During this heating operation
it can be lowered occasionally into the pit and there inspected through the peep
hole 21, to ascertain if it is properly and uniformly heated. If the heat is not
sufficient or uniform the forging is again raised into the furnace, and the burners
are so regulated as to apply heat to such parts as are too cool and to cut off the
heat from such portions as may be too hot. As soon as it is ascertained by the
above method of inspection, that the forging has been properly heated it is again
raised into the furnace, and retained at that heat by regulating the supply of gas,
until the pit can be filled with oil or any other suitable tempering fluid. The
heated forging is then rapidly lowered into oil in the pit and allowed to cool
therein. In lowering the heated forging into the oil, its downward motion is
momentarily arrested as soon as the socket has passed through the opening in the
top plate 19, and asbestos cloth is placed around the forging, completely covering
the opening 20, and over the peep-hole 21. These coverings serve to protect the
workmen around the pit from being burnt by the flame from the oil which flashes
up as soon as the heated metal is brought into contact with the oil. As the
flames cannot escape up through the openings in the plate 19, they pass through
the flue 30, into the stack 31, provided for the purpose.
As soon as the forging has been sufficiently cooled, the oil is transferred from
the pit into the tank 20, by means of the pump 27. After the oil has been
pumped out, the forging is removed, when the apparatus is ready for operation on
another ingot.
In lieu of the single ram shown in Fig. 1, three or four rams or elevators 32,
arranged around a central ram 33, may be employed. Upon the pistons of these
rams 32, is supported within the pit 11, a cross head 34, provided with a central
opening whose function will be hereinafter stated.
In the periphery of the cross head 34, is formed an annular groove or recess 35,
adapted for the reception of the annular rib or projection 36, formed on the
underside of the socket 37. The groove 35, and rib 36, are so constructed that
the rib will rest and be supported on a bed of oil or other liquid within the
recess, thereby providing for the easy rotation of the socket. This socket 37,
is constructed to hold an annular ingot and is provided with a central opening

page_text: corresponding to the opening in the cross-head 34. On the end of the piston of
the central ram 33, is formed a shank for the reception of the mandrel 38. The
peripheral or outside rams 32, are so connected as to operate in unison; the central
ram being operated independently.
In operating the above apparatus the cross-head is lowered to near the bottom
of the pit 11, and the mandrel is lowered below the socket, then the annular ingot
is placed in its socket and raised into the heating furnace. After being properly
heated; the ingot is lowered until its lower end is in position to be operated on
by the press, the mandrel is then raised into the ingot and the forging operation
is commenced. During this forging operation the mandrel is held in its place
between the jaws of the press, and the ingot as it is forged is lowered down over
the mandrel. If desired, water may be caused to circulate through the mandrel to
keep it cool during the forging operation. In case a mandrel becomes too hot, or
in any way defective during the forging operation, the ingot may be raised from
around said mandrel, the mandrel being simultaneously lowered, the jaws of the
press are then caused to move inward and firmly clasp the ingot. The ingot being
thus supported, the cross-head is lowered away from the ingot, and the mandrel
can now be removed and another mandrel substituted therefor.
I propose in some cases to cast the ingot around a heavy core bar, thinly coated
with some suitable refractory material, and so constructed as to permit of the
circulation of a cooling medium therethrough. This heavy core bar can be
afterwards utilized as a mandrel during the forging operations, being kept
comparatively cool during or cooled after such operation by the circulation of
a cooling medium.
By substituting a socket constructed to hold and support a solid ingot for
the socket 37, the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, may be employed in forging solid
ingots.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination of horizontally acting dies, and a vertically acting lift, as an
apparatus for the forging of heavy ingots, blooms, etc. while in a vertical position,
substantially as set forth.
2. In a forging plant, the combination of a horizontally acting forging press,
a heating furnace located over said press, and means for lowering the ingot from
the furnace to the press, substantially as set forth.
3. In a forging plant, the combination of a horizontally acting forging press,
a heating furnace located in a vertical plane passing between the jaws of said
press and means for moving the ingot from the furnace to the press, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a forging plant, the combination of a horizontally acting forging press,
an elevated heating furnace and a receiving pit, said furnace and pit being located
in a vertical plane passing between the jaws of the press, and means for moving
the ingot from the furnace through between the jaws of the press and into the pit,
substantially as set forth.
5. In a forging plant, the combination of a horizontally acting forging press,
an elevated heating furnace and a receiving pit, said furnace and pit being located
in a vertical plane passing between the jaws of the press, mechanism for raising
and lowering the ingot and mechanism for moving and holding the mandrel
independent of the mechanism for moving the ingot, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination of a heating furnace, a testing pit located below the furnace
and provided with a suitable cover having a peep-hole, and mechanism for moving
an ingot or forging back and forth from the furnace to the pit, substantially as
set forth.

page_text: 7. The combination of a heating furnace, a pit containing tempering fluid
located below said furnace, and means for lowering an ingot from the furnace to
the pit, substantially as set forth.