IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT LINKED CHAINS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN RIVETTING AND SWAGING THE SAME AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hartcliffe, junior, and Thomas Hartcliffe
Lee, both of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Chain Makers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT LINKED CHAINS,
AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN RIVETTING AND SWAGING THE SAME AND
OTHER ARTICLES"
Sealed the 18th January 1867, and dated the 4th August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hartcliffe and
Thomas Hartcliffe Lee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th August 1866.
We, WILLIAM HARTcliffe, junior, and THOMAS HARTCLIFFE LEE, both of
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Chain Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT
LINKED CHAINS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN RIVETTING AND SWAGING THE
SAME AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
In making flat linked chains it has heretofore been customary to rivet the
links together by hand; now the first part of our Invention consists in rivetting.
them by self-acting machinery, whereby time and labor are economized, and the
rivetting is done with greater regularity.
The second part of our Invention consists of an improved self-acting machine
applicable to rivetting and swaging flat linked chains and other articles. The

page_text: head of the rivet is placed in a cupped die fixed to the framing or foundation
plate of the machine, and above this die is the ram with a cupped recess to
act on the upper end of the rivet; this ram is struck by a hammer which is
tilted by a cam or other equivalent. The. hammer is made to give ten or
other convenient number of blows before it is stopped to give time for the
chain to be moved from one rivet to another by means of a projection on a
ratchet wheel or on the same shaft as the ratchet wheel, which is made to
vibrate by a crank pin or otherwise; this projection comes at intervals under.
the hammer helve and holds it up while the chain is being moved by means
of an endless chain passing over pulleys, one of which is driven by a cam on
the shaft of the ratchet wheel above referred to, which cam by a lever and
change wheels gives the proper length of traverse to the chain to be rivetted..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hartcliffe and Thomas Hartcliffe Lee in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 2nd February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HARTCLIFFE, junior, and THOMAS HARTCLIFFE LEE, both of Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, Chain Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Hartcliffe, junior, and Thomas Hartcliffe Lee, Her special license
that we, the said William Hartcliffe, junior, and Thomas Hartcliffe Lee, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Harteliffe, junior, and Thomas Hartcliffe Lee, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLAT LINKED CHAINS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN RIVETTING AND SWAGING THE SAME AND OTHER ARTICLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Hartcliffe, junior,
and Thomas Hartcliffe Lee, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, should particu-

page_text: larly describe 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 William Hartcliffe, junior, and Thomas
Hartcliffe Lee, 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, that is to say :-
In making flat linked chains it has heretofore been customary to rivet the
links together by hand; now the first part of our Invention consists in rivetting
them by self-acting machinery, whereby time and labor are economized, and
the rivetting is done with greater regularity.
The second part of our Invention consists of an improved self-acting
machine applicable to rivetting and swaging flat linked chains and other
articles.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Figure 1 is a front view and Figure 2 a side view, partly in section, shewing
our improved machine for rivetting flat linked chains.
a is the framing of the machine, near the back of which are bearings in
which the driving shaft 6 revolves; on the ends of the shaft b are the fly
wheel c and the driving pulleys d; on the shaft is also keyed the came in
the centre of the framing; this cam e in revolving acts on the bowl f placed
in jaws at the tail end of the hammer helve h, which vibrates on the shaft i
supported in bearings in the framing a. Through the head of the hammer
is placed a pin j, the bottom or hammering part of which is hardened, and
the top furnished with a slot and cotter to tighten up the pin j and hold a
weight placed on the hammer head. The india-rubber springs 7 passed
round pins in the framing a, and the hammer helve h, prevent the hammer
from flying back when acted on by the cam e; to the front of the framing a
is cast a projection a¹, in which is the ram m, the lower portion of which is
turned down so as to form a recess in the projection a' for the spiral spring n,
see Figure 2. The bottom end of the ram m is cupped or made into one of
the two dies which form the rivet heads; immediately below the ram m is
the other die o fixed to a projection from the framing a or to the bed plate of
the machine; this die o is capable of adjustment in the direction of its height
by means of the nut o¹. In order to accomodate different thicknesses of

page_text: chain to be rivetted the hammer belve his furnished with a projection h¹ for
the purpose of arresting the descent of the hammer while the chain under
operation is being moved so as to bring each successive rivet between the
dies m and o. This is effected in the following manner:-Below the pro-
jection of the hammer helve h is the shaft p moving in bearings in the
framing a; on the shaft p is fixed a ratchet wheel q actuated by the catch r,
lever s vibrating on the shaft p, and the rod t, the rod t being connected to a crank
pin or stud on the boss of the fly wheel c. At each revolution of the shaft b
the rod t causes the levers to vibrate and the catch on the end of the lever s
to move the ratchet wheel q one tooth. Attached to the ratchet wheel q or fast
on the shaft p is a stop piece u, which as the shaft p revolves by the means
before described is brought under the projection h¹ of the hammer helve h and
holds it in the position shewn by dotted lines in Figure 2 during such time as
the chain under operation is being moved from one rivet to another. The
ratchet wheel q is shewn as having twelve teeth, and the stop piece u as being
equal to the breadth of two of the ratchet teeth, so that ten blows of the
hammer would be given to each rivet, and two revolutions of the shaft b would
take place without the action of the hammer to give time for the traverse of
the chain under operation from one rivet to another, but the number of blows
to be given to each rivet can be modified by varying the number of teeth in
the ratchet wheel q. The traversing of the chain after each rivet has been
finished is accomplished in the following manner: - On the end of the shaft p
is the cam v, which when the stop piece u is under, the projection h¹ is in
position to press down the pin r¹ which acts on the cam v² fast on the shaft w,
which moves in bearings in the framing a. On the shaft w is the lever w¹
furnished with a weight w² to bring it back into position after having been
operated on by the cam 2. To the lever w is jointed the rod w³ which
actuates the catch x, which takes into the ratchet wheel a revolving on a
stud fixed in the framing a. On the same stud as the ratchet wheel a¹ is the
change wheel y gearing into the change wheel y¹ placed on the shaft y². On
the shaft y is also fixed the pulley z, around which and the pulley z¹ passes
the endless chain ; to this endless chain 23 the chain under operation is
fastened by means of the clip 23. The mode of operation is as follows:-The
chain to be rivetted having been fastened in position by the clip to the endless
chain the driving strap is traversed from the loose to the fast pulley d,
which causes the came to elevate the hammer as described, the weight k
regulating the force of the blow on its descent. At each elevation of the
hammer the ratchet wheel q is moved one tooth as described, until the stop u
coming under the projection h¹ arrests the descent of the hammer; when this

page_text: takes place the cam v is in position to force down the pin v, and by means
of the cam elevates the lever w³, and with it the rod w³, thus causing the
catch to move round the ratchet wheel x one, tooth. When this is
accomplished the change wheels y and y' having the requisite number of teeth
communicate the desired amount of motion to the pulley which enables it
to traverse the chain under operation so as to bring the next rivet in position
to be operated on by the dies m and o when the ratchet wheel q shall have
moved the stop piece u from under the projection h¹.
The machine above described is suitable for rivetting flat linked cha in
but it may be modified to rivet and swage other articles, either by hand or
power.
Having thus.stated the nature of our Invention, and described a convenient
mode of carrying the same into effect, we declare that we claim as of our
Invention,
First, rivetting flat linked chains and other similar articles by self-acting
machinery.
And, secondly, the machinery shewn and described in reference to Figures
1 and 2, or any modification thereof, for rivetting and swaging flat linked
chains and other articles.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Hartcliffe, junior, and Thomas
Hartcliffe Lee, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this First day
of February, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
התחזה
WILLIAM HARTCLIFFE, JUN.
THOMAS HARTCLIFFE LEE.
(L.B.)
(L.S.)