IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE SHOE NAILS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Homan Price Fenby of Leeds in the County of York
Mechanical Engineer for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE SHOE NAILS AND OTHER
ARTICLES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Homan Price Fenby at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd June 1882.
HOMAN PRICE FENBY of Leeds in the County of York, Mechanical Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE
SHOE NAILS AND OTHER ARTICLES
"
My invention has for object improvements in machinery or apparatus for the
manufacture of horse shoe nails, and other articles, and relates to the forging by
mechanical means, of horse-shoe nails and articles of other, shapes or forms, from
hot rods or pieces of metal.
In a machine according to my invention there is arranged in a main frame a
heavy plate or frame of suitable form capable of vertical reciprocation either by
being lifted up and dropped, or by being forced down by mechanical means; it is
guided between runners or fixed grooves to obtain a true movement.. Along the
bottom surface of this plate or frame are fixed suitable tools or dies for acting on
the metal to be forged. Below these tools or dies are placed corresponding dies
upon a fixed bed, which may be part of the main frame. In the front of the
machine is arranged a kind of travelling chain, having an intermittent progressive
movement imparted to it by means of a ratchet wheel which turns the wheels
over which the chain passes. The links of the chain carry small cog wheels, in
such position that they engage in a rack, which stretches along the front of the
machine. For forging an article with four sides the pinions or cogwheels are
made of such a diameter that they revolve one quarter of a revolution for every
forward movement of the chain. Through the centres of these pinions pass the
ends of the rods to be forged, and as they move along by a step by step movement,
they come under the heavy plate or frame, which is lifted and let drop at every
forward movement of the chain, by a cam or other means, the drop taking place
just at the moment the chain has come to a state of temporary rest. It will thus
...מ
77

page_text: be seen that the metal which is being forged receive blows on alternate sides in
succession, the length of the dies, if continuous, or the number of them, if separate,
being decided by the number of blows the article may require to finish it. The
last tool or die is arranged so as to cut off the forged article from the end of the
rod, leaving the rod ready to be re-heated before it is again inserted in the machine
for the next forging.
One method of working the machine is by heating the ends of the rods in a
furnace, from which the attendant takes them and pushes them through the
pinions against an adjustable gauge set to give the correct quantity of metal for
the articles to be forged. As each rod arrives at the other end of the machine,
and the finished article has been cut off by the last tool it is either ejected by
mechanical means or withdrawn by the attendant, who returns it to the furnace to
be re-heated. It will be seen that a number of rods may be under the action of
the dies at one time, all moving step by step along the front of the machine, and
having their ends gradually swaged to the required form.
According to another method a beating apparatus is arranged along at the under
side or returning part of the endless chain and in such manner that all the rods
or articles that are carried along in the pinions pass through or over the heated
space and become heated before coming under the action of the dies. In this
method of working it is not necessary to remove the rods after each article is cut
off, but simply to push them forward through the pinions, by hand or mechanical
means, an exact distance determined by "and against a gauge or other suitable
means, the ends of the rods so advanced, immediately afterwards entering the
heated space, and emerging from the other end in a hot state, thence passing under
the action of the dies. By these means a continuous supply of forged articles can
be maintained until the bars are used up.
For the heating medium I prefer to use a mixture of gas and air blown by a
fan or blower, but a like result may be arrived at by using ordinary fuel.
Instead of the cam for lifting the heavy plate or frame which carries the top dies
a steam or air cylinder may be used. The downward blow of the heavy plate or
frame may also be accelerated by strong springs.
Instead of the endless chain, a frame capable of holding several rods or articles
to be forged, may be used, and moved along the front of the dies intermittently,
either by hand or power, and the rods or articles may be oscillated to and fro as
they pass along instead of being revolved intermittently by a rack.
In order that the articles may be all finished to the same size and thickness,
there is provided a copper or other suitable bed upon which the heavy plate or
frame strikes, and which forms an exact gauge, and at the same time prevents the
dies from striking one another.
When more power is required for forging larger articles it can be obtained either
by increasing the height to which the frame or heavy plate is lifted, or by adding
more weight to the frame; or in the case of strong springs being used to accelerate
the downward fall of the frame, by tightening down the springs till the necessary
force of fall is obtained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Homan Price Fenby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st December 1882.
"
HOMAN PRICE FENBY, of Leeds, in the County of York, Mechanical Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HORSE
SHOE NAILS AND OTHER ARTICLES
"
My invention has for object improvements in machinery or apparatus for the
manufacture of horse shoe nails and other like articles and relates to the forging by
mechanical means of horse shoe nails and articles of other shapes or forms, from
hot rods or pieces of metal.
In a machine according to my invention there is arranged in a main frame a
Fig. 1 a heavy plate or frame b capable of being lifted up and down by a cam c
between guides 'd, d, d, d.
These guides I prefer to be in the form of friction rollers as shewn on the
drawings, though they may be made as fixed guides if deemed advisable, and with
adjustments to take up the wear.
Along the bottom surface of the plate or frame 6 I fix suitable tools or dies é
to act on the metal to be forged.
Below these dies I place corresponding dies f upon the main frame a
In the
front of the machine is placed a kind of travelling chain g, Fig. 1, having an inter-
mittent and progressive movement imparted to it by means of a ratchet wheel h
which turns one of the wheels i, over which the chain passes.
The links of the chain carry small cog wheels j, Fig. 4 in such a position that
they engage in a rack Fig. 1 which stretches across the front of the machine.
In forging articles of four sides, it is only necessary to make the cogwheels of
such a diameter that they turn one quarter of a revolution at each progressive.
movement of the chain..
Through the centres of these cog wheels I pass the rods on the ends of which the
articles are to be forged, the said rods being gripped by an automatic apparatus
as shewn in Fig. 3 and hereinafter described there being one to each pinion. The
rods being placed in position with their heated ends protruding from the inside of
the chain, are carried forward by a step by step movement and come under the
action of the frame b which carries the top dies, and which strikes the rods at each
moment the chain is at rest.
The number of dies, if separate, or the length of them if continuous, being
decided by the number of blows each article may require to finish it. The last tool
on the frame b is a cutting off chisel k Figure 5 which severs the finished articles
from the rods, leaving the rods ready to be reheated for the next articles.
A corresponding chisel k is fixed in the main frame a Fig. 5 and for horse shoe
nails or other slight articles has a spring bed b' which supports the nail whilst
being severed from the rod, and prevents it bending over by the pressure of the
top chisel, as would be the case in ordinary shearing.
The movement of the endless chain I obtain from the main shaft of the machine
by means of an eccentric m Fig 1 and eccentric rod m' which work a pawl o acting
on the ratchet wheel h Fig. 2.
One method of working the machine is by using any ordinary furnace in which
the ends of the rods are heated, taking them when ready and pushing them
through the cog wheels in the chain against an adjustable plate stop n Fig. 1
which decides the exact amount of metal to be acted on by the tools or dies. As
each rod arrives at the other end of the machine after having passed under the
:

page_text: action of the dies, and the finished article cut off, it is released automatically by
the machine, as will be hereinafter described, and is withdrawn by the attendant
and returned to the furnace to be reheated. It will be seen that a number of
rods may be under the action of the dies at one time, all moving along by a step
by step movement and being gradually forged down to the required length and
thickness.
Another method is to heat the bars automatically by placing a specially
constructed furnace all along and by the side of the under or returning part of the
chain; in which case the rods are not withdrawn after the articles are cut off as
described above, but are pushed forward again against the adjustable stop n (the stop
being in this instance at the end of the machine where the finished articles are cut
off,) thence passing onward into the heated space of the long furnace, and after
passing out at the other end of the said furnace, coming under the action of the
dies in a sufficiently heated condition.
For heating the bars on this plan I prefer to use a mixture of gas and air
blown by a fan or blower and having regulating taps or valves for both gas
and air.
Figs. 6 & 7 shew the arrangement of such a furnace, o being the fan or blower,
p the valve to regulate the blast of air, q the gas admission pipe and valve, and
ran air chamber or wind box, into which the small outlet blow pipes 8s are fixed
in a row and as close together as may be required.
This air chamber or wind box r has a larger chamber outside it which contains
the gas. Screwed into this chamber are pipes a little larger than the pipes 8, 8,
and encompassing them, only leaving a small annular outlet for the gas, the quantity
of gas escaping from each pipe being regulated by screwing the pipe up or down
against the inner pipe r.
The fan or blower o may of course be removed from the machine a considerable
distance, or a large fan or blower can be used to supply several machines.
Referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the rod is passed through a spindle t
having its end nearest the machine coned and split, and a coned socket or collar u
held tightly on the cone of the spindle by a spring v which causes the split spindle
to close tightly on to the rod or article to be forged.
Fast on the spindle is the cog wheel j Fig. 4, which engages in the rack l
Fig. 1 As these spindles pass a certain point at the end of the rack the sockets
or collars u are forced back against the springs v, by a fixed piece of metal, thereby
releasing the rods, and allowing them to be again advanced to the plate stop for
fresh forgings.
In order to ensure a rapid recoil of the frame b after each stroke so that the
dies may not remain together, thereby cooling the forging, I provide an elastic
cushion w Figs. 1 and 2, upon which a projection on the frame b strikes, the
cushion being so adjusted as to hold the frame b suspended a little clear of the
articles that are being forged, but nevertheless yielding at each blow of the frame,
so that the frame b and the main frame a come fairly in contact at each stroke,
so as to ensure all the forgings being finished to a definite size.
I prefer to make these parts that come in contact of some malleable metal, such
as copper or wrought iron and fixed on the frames as shewn at x, x, Fig. 3.
It will be evident that in lieu of the cam for lifting the frame b, steam, compressed
air or hydraulic power or gas may be used.
The downward blow of the frame may be accelerated by strong springs. As will
be evident a kind of frame might be used- instead of the travelling chain such
frame being capable of step by step movement across the front of the machine, and
carrying several articles to be forged, but I prefer the continuous action of the
chain. Also the articles being forged might be oscillated part of a revolution
each time as they advance along the dies instead of revolving intermittently as
by the rack described.
When more power is required for forging larger articles.it can be obtained
either by increasing the height to which the frame b is lifted, or by adding more

page_text: weight to the frame or in the case of strong springs being used to accelerate the
low, by tightening down the springs until the necessary force of fall is obtained.
Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the manner of
performing it, I declare that what I consider novel and original and therefore
laim in machinery or apparatus for the manufacture of horse shoe nails and other
rticles is:-
"
The frames a and b, carrying a system of straight dies, so arranged as to have
a progressive action on the articles being forged.
The use for carrying the articles to be forged of an endless chain such as g
Fig. 1 arranged and operating substantially as described.
The use in combination of the straight and continuous arrangement of -dies or
forging tools and the cutting off arrangement substantially as described.
The use for turning the articles over during their onward movement of a straight
rack arranged and operating substantially as described.
The use in combination of the straight dies and the travelling chain for carrying
the articles under treatment, the whole arranged and operating as described and
illustrated.
3. The combined arrangement of rack, travelling chain, and of cog wheels
whereby the articles under treatment are held and moved around and turned
during such onward movement all substantially as described.
7. The improved forging machine for manufacturing horse shoe nails and other
articles constructed arranged and operating as herein above described and
illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.
3. The use for heating the articles to be forged of the arrangement of continuous
furnace substantially as described.
. The use of the continuous furnace as described in conjunction with the endless
travelling chain as and for the purposes above set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Homan Price Fenby have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty eighth day of November in the year of our Lord,
one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
HUMAN PRICE FENBY. (L.S.)