as Tanks, and Apparatus for the purpose.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 29th Jan., 1889
as Tanks, and Apparatus for the purpose.
I, WALTER SKAIFE, of 671, Commercial Road in the county of Middlesex,
Galvanized iron and tank manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
With rivetting machines as heretofore ordinarily employed it has not been found
practicable to rivet the plates intended to form the tops and bottoms of vessels
such as tanks to the side plates; consequently such rivetting has been done wholly or
partly by hand.
My invention is to enable such rivetting to be effected by machinery as I will
proceed to explain. One tool is placed within the tank so as to bear against that end
of the rivet that is within the tank, and any resistance to such tool is through the
metal of the tank at the side thereof opposite to that at which the joint being rivetted
is situate. Upon a suitable bed or frame are arranged two standards or uprights of
which one is fixed and carries the movable rivetting tool or snap, and the other as I
prefer is movable and adjustable along the bed or frame by a screw or otherwise in
order to adapt the machine for rivetting tanks or vessels of different sizes. To support
a rivet whilst it is being swaged or operated upon by the rivetting tool or snap, a
holding-up tool is inserted within the vessel to be rivetted, and is adapted to bear at
one end against that head of the rivet that is within the vessel and at the other end
against the inside surface of the opposite side plate of the vessel, which plate during
rivetting is arranged to bear at its outer surface against the movable standard or
upright which then serves as an anvil or abutment for the rivet, through the inter-
vention of the holding-up tool. The holding up tool may be slung or otherwise
placed in position within the tank before rivetting.
The rivetting tool or snap may be operated in any well known or suitable manner
as for instance by steam or hydraulic pressure or by mechanically actuated rams or
slides. Two or more of such tools or snaps may be carried by a common ram or
slide to operate simultaneously, the holding-up tool being correspondingly modified
When the
to simultaneously support the heads of a corresponding number of rivets.

page_text: machine is not required to be capable of rivetting joints of vessels of different sizes
both standards or uprights may be fixed. A movable table or support with or without
means for operating the same may be provided to enable a vessel to be rivetted to be
readily adjusted and traversed between the standards or uprights. Or means may be
provided for suspending the tank in position.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1888.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Effecting the Rivetting of Joints of Vessels, such
as Tanks, and Apparatus for the Purpose.
I, WALTER SKAIFE, of 671 Commercial Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Galvanised Iron and Tank 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 :—
With rivetting machines as heretofore ordinarily employed it has not been found
practicable to rivet the plates intended to form the tops and bottoms of vessels, such
as tanks, to the side plates; consequently such rivetting has been done wholly or partly
by hand.
My invention is to enable such rivetting to be effected by machinery as I will
proceed to explain.
One tool is placed within the tank so as to bear against that end of the rivet that is
within the tank, and any resistance to such tool is through the metal of the tank at
the side thereof opposite to that at which the joint being rivetted is situate.
Upon a suitable bed or frame are arranged two standards or uprights (hereinafter
called standards) of which one is fixed and carries the moveable rivetting tool or snap
and the other as I prefer is moveable and adjustable along the bed or frame by a
screw or otherwise in order to adapt the machine for rivetting tanks or vessels (here-
inafter called tanks) of different sizes. To support a rivet whilst it is being swaged or
operated upon by the rivetting tool or snap, a holding up tool is inserted within the
vessol to be rivetted, and is adapted to bear at one end against that head of the rivet
that is within the tank, and at the other end against the inside surface of the opposite

page_text: side plate of the tank, which plate during rivetting is arranged to bear at its outer
surface against the moveable standard, which then serves as an anvil or abutment for
the rivet, through the intervention of the holding up tool. The holding up tool may
be slung or otherwise placed in position within the tank before rivetting. The
rivetting tool or snap may be operated in any well known or suitable manner,
for instance by steam or hydraulic pressure, or by mechanically actuated rams or
slides.
as
Two or more of such tools or snaps may be carried by a common ram or slide, to
operate simultaneously, the holding up tool being correspondingly modified to simul-
taneously support the heads of a corresponding number of rivets.
When the machine is not required to be capable of rivetting joints of tanks of
different sizes, both standards may be fixed. A movable table or support, with or
without means for operating the same, may be provided to enable a tank to be rivetted
to be readily adjusted and traversed between the standards.
Or means may be provided for suspending the tank in position.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and a plan or top view of rivetting
apparatus constructed according to this invention.
1 and 2 are two standards carried by a bed or frame 3. The standard 1 is fixed
and in the example shewn it constitutes the cylinder of a hydraulic rivetter of ordinary
construction, the ram 4 of which forms the rivetting tool.
The standard 2 is moveable and is so arranged as to be capable of being adjusted
endwise upon the bed or frame 3 for the purpose herein before mentioned by means of
a screw 5 provided with a hand wheel 6. 7 is part of a tank or vessel to be rivetted ;
it is located between the standards as shewn and is arranged to bear against the
standard 2.8 is a holding up tool located within the tank; it is arranged to bear at
one end against and support the head of the rivet 9 to be swaged or operated upon by
the ram or rivetting tool 4, its other end bearing either directly against the inside
surface of the opposite side plate of the tank or, as in the example shewn, against a
block 10 that bears against the said surface. This block is recessed as at 11 to clear
the heads of rivets at that side of the tank. The part 12 of the standard 2 is also
made to clear the rivets. Any suitable formation may be adapted that will afford
clear room for the rivet heads.
In the machine illustrated the tank 7 is supported and traversed between the
standards 1 and 2 by a moveable table or frame comprising two side members 13, 13ª
connected by telescopic connections 14 and 14" whereby the distance apart of the
members 13, 13 may be adjusted to suit different sizes of tanks. The members 13, 13ª
are so arranged that during the rivetting operation they hear upon the top of the bed
or frame which then affords a firm foundation for the tank.
The members 13, 13 are provided with rollers 13 arranged to travel on rails 15, 15ª
carried by standards 16 and 16. The standards 16ª are fixed, whilst the standards 16
are mounted to run on rails 17. The rail 15 is connected to the standard 2 so that
when this standard is adjusted laterally there will also be effected the necessary lateral
adjustment of the standard 16 rail 15 and member 13 in relation to the standards 16"
rail 15 and member 13".
With the construction and arrangement described and shewn in the drawings, it
will be seen that a rivet 9 will whilst being swaged be kept in place by the holding up
tool 8 bearing against the rivet and itself supported by that part of the tank that
adjoins the standard 2 which will constitute an abutment. The holding up tool may
be formed at one end with a series of recesses to receive and bear not only against
the head of the rivet that is being swaged but also upon other adjacent rivets that
have been previously closed. Or this form of holding up tool may be employed
in conjunction with a rivetting tool or snap adapted to swage several rivets at a time
as herein before mentioned.
In some cases instead of traversing the tank between the standards each time a
fresh rivet is to be swaged or closed the ram or slide may be provided with a rivetting
tool or snap adapted to be intermittently traversed across its face in order to operate

page_text: upon successive rivets. This may be carried out by forming a dove tail shaped recess
in the ram or slide and correspondingly forming the rivetting tool or snap to slide in
such recess.
With such an arrangement it will not be necessary to move the tank between the
standards so frequently as is the case when a single rivetting tool or snap is used that
cannot be moved laterally and a small tank will not require any adjustment. Or the
rivetting tool or snap may be carried by a rod held by the hand of an operator in the
manner usually practised in hand rivetting, and be from time to time moved into
the proper position between the side of the tank and the reciprocating ram or slide
for closing successive rivets. In each case the holding up tool must be adjusted from
time to time to hold up successive rivets.
For rivetting tanks of small size a fixed table or support may be used upon which
the tank may be caused to slide from time to time.
As will be obvious in lieu of an adjustable table, constructed as hereinbefore
described, traversing tables that are not adjustable in width may be used, the size
thereof depending upon the size of the tank to be rivetted.
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 I
claim is: --
1. In the process of rivetting joints of vessels such as tanks, the use in the manner
and for the purpose-described of a holding up tool located in the tank or vessel in
conjunction with a standard or abutment such as 2 adapted to resist the pressure
transmitted through the holding up tool and the interposed side or end of the tank as
set forth.
2. In the process of rivetting joints of vessels such as tanks the use in the manner
and for the purpose set forth of an adjustable table or frame for supporting the tank
or vessel, a holding up tool therein, a standard or abutment such as 2 and a rivetting
tool all substantially as described with reference to the drawings annexed.
3. My improved apparatus as described and shewn in the drawings annexed for the
purpose specified.
T 2011 1 Naomba 1988