A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF LIKE MANUFACTURE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edgar Brooks, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF LIKE MANUFACTURE."
Sealed the 1st December 1857, and dated the 8th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edgar Brooks at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th Junc
1857.
I, EDGAR BROOKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF LIKE MANUFACTURE," to be
as follows:-
My said Invention consists of the method of manufacturing gun barrels and
other hollow cylindrical articles which may be manufactured by the process of
welding. I will describe my Invention with reference to the manufacture of
a gun barrel-I take a rod of iron, and coil in a helical direction upon a
cylindrical rod or mandril, the coils of the helix being brought as close as
possible into contact. The coil is raised to a welding heat, and is supported.
internally by a mandril. The said coil is then submitted to the compressing
or percussive action of a pair of dies, each of which is nearly a hollow semi-,
cylinder. The coil is compressed or hammered between the said dies until it:
is welded into a compact hollow cylinder,. In order to secure the lateral.

page_text: welding of the coils together, the interior of each die is provided with a series
of projecting ribs, having such a figure, that, when the two dies are brought
together, they form a hollow cylinder, on the interior of which is a helical coil
of the same pitch as the coil to be welded. The heated coil is so placed
between the dies, that the projecting coil in the said dies presses when the
dies close either upon the middle or edges of each coil of the iron helix. By
pressure upon the middle of the coils, the said coils are made to spread
laterally, and press against each with great force. By pressure upon the
edges of the coils, nearly the same effect is produced. A firm welding of the
coils together is thus effected. When removed from the welding machine
described, the barrel has a projecting helix on its exterior, in the middle of
which belix the weld is situated when the pressure has been applied to the
middle of the coils.
In order to give a cylindrical figure to the exterior of the barrel, it is
operated upon by a pair of dies or swages, or by a series of hammers, and a
V-shaped die. During the action of the machines described, the barrel is
turned round, so as to act upon all parts alike; or the barrel may be made
cylindrical by a pair of ordinary rolls, having semi-cylindrical grooves; or any
other figure may be given to it by rolling, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
'by the said Edgar Brooks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDGAR
BROOKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edgar Brooks, Her special licence that I, the said Edgar Brooks, my executors,
administrators, and assigns,' or such others as I, the said Edgar Brooks, my
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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF GUN

page_text: BARRELS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF LIKE MANUFACTURE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edgar Brooks, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly 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 I, the said Edgar Brooks, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the new or improved manufacture of gun barrels,
and other articles of like manufacture, by the process of welding, berein-after
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
I will describe my Invention with reference to the manufacture of a
gun barrel-I take a rod of iron, and coil it in a helical direction upon a
cylindrical rod or mandril, the coils of the helix being brought as close as
possible together. A coil of this kind is represented in elevation in Figure 1
of the Drawing. The coil is raised to a welding heat, and is supported
internally by a mandril. The said coil is then submitted to the compressing
or percussive action of a pair of dies, of the form represented in longitudinal
and transverse sections in Figure 2, each of the said dies a, b, Figure 2, being
a hollow semi-cylinder. The coil, Figure 1, is compressed or hammered
between the dies a, b, Figure 2, until it is welded, into a compact hollow
cylinder. In order to secure the lateral welding of the coils together, the
interior of each of the dies a, b, Figure 2, is provided with a series of
jecting ribs c, d, having such a figure, that, when the two dies a, b, are brought.
together, they form a hollow cylinder, in the interior of which a helical coil of
the same pitch as the coil to be welded is situated. The heated coil, Figure 1,
pro-
is so placed between the dies a, b, Figure 2, that the projecting ribs c, d, in
the said dies press when the dies close upon the middle or edges of each.
coil e of the helix, Figure 1. By pressure upon the middle of the coils e, the
said coils are made to spread laterally, and press against each other with great
force. By pressure upon the edges of the coils e, nearly the same effect. is
produced. A firm welding of the coils e together is thus effected. When
removed from the dies, Figure 2, the partially formed barrel has a projecting
helix on its exterior, as represented in the elevation of the partially formed
barrel, Figure 3. The weld is situated at the points indicated by the lines e¹
in the said Figure 3. The dies, Figure 2, may be made to operate upon the

page_text: coil, Figure 1, either by a percussive action, or by pressure; but when I
employ pressure to weld the coil, Figure 1, I prefer to apply the said pressure
by means of rolls having grooves, the figure of which resembles the interior
of the dies, Figure 2, in all essential respects.
Figure 4 represents in elevation, and Figure 5 in vertical transverse section,
a pair of rolls for applying the requisite pressure for welding the coils e, e,
Figure 1. The rolls, Figures 4 and 5, are marked with the same letters as the
dies, Figure 2, in order that the resemblance in their action may be better
understood, that is to say, the upper roll is marked a, and the lower roll b.
The said rolls a and b, Figures 4 and 5, correspond to the dies a, b, Figure 2,
and the helical ribs c, d, Figures 4 and 5, correspond to the helical. ribs c, d,
in Figure 2. The welded tube, Figure 3, produced by the operation of the
rolls, Figures 4 and 5, upon the coil, Figure 1, is precisely similar to that
produced by the dies, Figure 2, excepting that, when the rolls are employed,
the tube is somewhat elongated.
I sometimes modify my Invention in the manner represented in Figure 6,
that is to say, I make two helical ribs in the dies, Figure 2, the said ribs
crossing one another so as to produce the crossed projections in the welded
coil, Figure 6. Figure 7 represents in elevation, and Figure 8 in transverse
vertical section a pair of rolls having double or crossed helical ribs, suitable for
the production of the welded tube or barrel, Figure 6. The coil, Figure 1, is
supported by a mandril or internal support when operated upon either by the
dies, Figure 2, or the rolls, Figures 4, 5, 7, and 8.
In order to give a cylindrical figure to either of the barrels, Figures 3 and 6,
it may be operated upon by a pair of dies or swages, or by a series of hammers,
and a V-shaped die; or, when rolls are used, the barrels, Figures 3 and 6,
may be passed through the cylindrical grooves f, f, Figures 4 and 7, after it
has been passed between the ribbed grooves g, g. The said grooves f, f, give
a cylindrical figure to the tube or barrel, Figures 3 and 6; or any other figure
may be given to the tube or barrel, Figures 3 and 6, by rolling, or otherwise.
Although I have only described my Invention with reference to the manu-
facture of a gun barrel, yet my said Invention is applicable to the manufacture
of tubular articles of iron for other purposes where great strength is required;
but as I believe my Invention will be sufficiently understood from the foregoing
description, I do not think it necessary to give further details. And although
I have described the best methods with which I am acquainted of carrying
my Invention into effect, yet I do not limit myself to the precise details herein
described and represented in the Drawing, as the same may be varied without
departing from the nature of my Invention, the essence of my Invention con-

page_text: sisting in welding the coils of a helix by the application of ribbed surfaces,
which cause the lateral expansion of the coils and their sound welding, whether
the said ribbed surfaces be made to operate upon the heated helix by per-
cussion or by pressure.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim, as my
Invention, the new or improved manufacture of gun barrels, and other articles
of like manufacture, herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, that is to say, the manufacture of gun barrels and other
articles of like manufacture from helical coils of iron raised to a welding
heat, and supported on a mandril, the welding being effected by the appli-
cation thereto of ribbed surfaces, which, being made to operate upon the
helix, either by percussion or by pressure, produce a lateral expansion of the
coils of the helix, and thereby force the edges of the said coils into contact
with one another, and effect their welding.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edgar Brooks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
0 Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw.
EDGAR BROOKS. (L.S.)