NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WELDING GAS, STEAM, AND WATER PIPE FITTINGS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clark Johnson, of Wednesbury, in the County
of Stafford, Manager of Tube Works, for an Invention of "NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WELDING GAS, STEAM, AND WATER PIPE
FITTINGS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clark Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th October 1880.
JOHN CLARK JOHNSON, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Manager
of Tube Works. "NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WELDING GAS, STEAM,
AND WATER PIPE FITTINGS."
My Invention consists of machinery constructed as herein after described for
welding gas, steam, and water pipe fittings, such, for example, as the fittings called
in commerce crosses, tees, elbows, short bends, sockets, and the like.
The said machinery is constructed as follows:-Upon the summit of the ram or
plunger of a vertical hydraulic cylinder I fix a standard or upright support. The
said support is not stationed over the axis of the ram, but near the margin of its
summit. The said support carries a steel mandril, the acting face of which has a
figure the counterpart of the interior of the part of the fitting which has to be
welded. I will suppose the mandril to be of the kind suited for the welding of a
tee piece, that is, a tube having a shorter tube opening into it at its middle, the
axis of the said shorter tube being at right angles to the axis of the longer tube.
The acting part of the said mandril has in this case nearly the figure of two semi-
cylinders joined at right angles. The acting face of the mandril is situated imme-
diately over the axis of the hydraulic ram. Above the said mandril is a fixed tool
firmly secured to the framing of the machine, the lower acting surface of the
said tool having a figure the counterpart of that of the acting part of the mandril.
The said machinery is used in the following manner:-The roughly shaped tee
piece made in the ordinary way is heated to a welding heat and placed upon the
mandril, the edges of one half of the shorter and one half of the longer tube being
immediately supported by the mandril. Water under pressure being admitted into
the hydraulic cylinder, the ram is raised, and the mandril carrying the heated

page_text: partially made tee piece is carried against the fixed tool. The edges to be welded
are thus, while at a welding heat, compressed forcibly between the mandril and
fixed tool, and securely welded together.
The ram and mandril being depressed, the tee piece is removed from the mandril,
and having been reheated is replaced thereon in an inverted position; the remaining
unwelded edges are thereby brought between the mandril and the fixed tool, and
by again raising the ram the said remaining edges are compressed between the
mandril and fixed tool, and the welding is thereby completed. The tee piece on
removal from the mandril is finished by the processes of swaging and drifting in
the ordinary way.
Although I prefer a hydraulic press for effecting the motion of the mandril, yet
I do not limit myself thereto, as other sources of motive power may be employed
with like effect, the essence of my Invention consisting of the combination of parts
described for welding the edges of the fittings, whether operated by hydraulic or
other motive power. The mandril and fixed tool have to be varied in shape and
size to suit the various shapes and sizes of fittings to be welded.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Clark Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
April 1881.
JOHN CLARK JOHNSON, of Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, Manager of
Tube Works. "New OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WELDING GAS, STEAM,
AND WATER PIPE FITTINGS."
My Invention consists of machinery constructed as herein after described for
welding gas, steam, and water pipe fittings, such, for example, as the fittings called
in commerce, crosses, tees, elbows, short bends, sockets, and the like.
The said nachinery is constructed as follows:-Upon the summit of the ram or
plunger of a vertical hydraulic cylinder I fix a standard or upright support. The
said support is not stationed over the axis of the ram, but near the margin of its
summit. The said support carries a steel mandril, the acting face of which has a
figure the counterpart of the interior of the part of the fitting which has to be
welded. I will suppose the mandril to be of the kind suited for the welding of a
tee piece, that is, a tube having a shorter tube opening into it at its middle, the
axis of the said shorter tube being at right angles to the axis of the longer tube.
The acting part of the said mandril has in this case nearly the figure of two semi-
cylinders joined at right angles. The acting face of the mandril is situated
immediately over the axis of the hydraulic rain. Above the said mandril is a
fixed tool firmly secured to the framing of the machine, the lower acting surface of
the said tool having a figure the counterpart of that of the acting part of the
mandril.

page_text: The said machinery is used in the following manner:-The roughly shaped tee
piece made in the ordinary way is heated to a welling heat and placed upon
the mandril, the edges of one half of the shorter and one half of the longer tube
being immediately supported by the mandril. Water under pressure being admitted
into the hydraulic cylinder the ram is raised, and the mandril carrying the hented
partially made tee piece is carried against the fixed tool. The edges to be welded
are thus, while at a welding heat, compressed forcibly between the mandril and
fixed tool and securely welded together.
The ram and mandril being depressed, the tee piece is removed from the mandril,
and having been reheated is replaced thereon in an inverted position; the remaining
unwelded edges are thereby brought between the mandril and the fixed tool, and
by again raising the ram the said remaining edges are compressed' between the
mandril and fixed tool, and the welding is thereby completed. The tee piece on
removal from the mandril is finished by the process of swaging and drifting in the
ordinary way.
.
The mandril and fixed tool have to be varied in shape and size to suit the various
shapes and sizes of fittings to be welded.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in front elevation, and
Figure 2 in side elevation, machinery constructed according to my Invention for
welding the gas, steam, or water pipe fittings called a tee piece.
Figure 3 represents the tools of the said machinery separately, with a tee piece
supported upon the mandril in position to be welded, the said tools being drawn to
the same scale as those shown in the machine.
Figures 4 and 5 represent separate views of the tools drawn to a larger scale.
The same letters indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
a is the hydraulic cylinder, and b is the ram or plunger working therein. On
the underside of the head 62 of the ram b is a guide rod b³ working in the guide
eye c on the head a² of the hydraulic cylinder for preventing the rotation of the
ram in the hydraulic cylinder. On the lead b² of the ram b a standard or upright d
is bolted by its flange d².
By an examination of Figure 2 it will be seen that the standard or upright dis
stationed out of the line of the axis of the ram b; e is the steel mandril carried
by the said standard or upright. The acting face of the said mandril has a figure
the counterpart of the interior of the tee piece or fitting to be welded, as seen in
the separate view, Figure 3, the said acting face of the mandril being situated
immediately over the axis of the hydraulic ram b; fis the fixed tool firmly bolted
by its flange to the cross head g of the framing. The lower acting face of the said
fixed tool has a figure the counterpart of that of the mandril. It will be seen
that while the figure of the mandril e is suitable to fill up and support the
adjacent angular parts of the tee piece to be welded the figure of the fixed tool f
is suitable to enclose the adjacent external angular parts of the tee piece to be
welded.
In using the machinery the roughly shaped tee piece marked his heated to a
welding heat and placed upon the mandril e in the position represented in
Figure 3; that is, the edges of one half of the short and one half of the longer
tube of the said tee piece are supported by the inandril e.
Water under pressure being admitted into the hydraulic cylinder a, the ram b
is raised, and the mandril e carrying the heated partially made tec piece h is
carried against the fixed tool f, thereby compressing the edges to be welded
between the mandril and fixed tool and effecting the welding of the edges
together.
The ram b carrying the mandril e having been lowered in its cylinder a, the tee
piece is removed froin the mandril, reheated, and replaced on the said mandril in
an inverted position so as to support the unwelded edges of the said tee piece. By
again raising the ram b the last described edges are compressed between the
mandril e and fixed tool f, and the welding is completed.
The tee piece thus welded is finished in the ordinary way.

page_text: By using mandrils and fixed tools of the required shapes and sizes the machine
may be used for welding crosses, elbows, short bends, sockets, and other fittings,
the mandril in each case having a figure the counterpart of the interior of those
parts of the fitting to be welded together, and the fixed tool having a figure the
counterpart of the exterior of the parts of the fitting to be welded together, as
described and represented with respect to the welding of a tee piece or fitting.
Although I prefer a hydraulic press for effecting the motion of the mandril, as
illustrated in the Drawing, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as other sources of
motive power may be employed with like effect.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention,-
4
The new or improved machinery for welding gas, steam, and water pipe fittings,
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to
say, machinery consisting essentially of a rising and falling steel mandril worked
by hydraulic or other motive power, the acting face of the said mandril having a
figure the counterpart of the interior of the parts of the fitting to be welded
together, and a fixed tool, the lower acting surface of which has a figure the
counterpart of that of the exterior of the parts of the fitting to be welded together,
the fitting to be welded raised to a welding heat and supported upon the steel
mandril being carried by the motion of the said mandril against the fixed tool, and
the heated edges compressed forcibly between the said mandril and fixed tool and
securely welded together, the several parts being constructed, arranged, and working
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clark Johnson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.