Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Welding by the Electric Arc.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1>92
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Welding by the
Electric Arc.
1, HENRY HOWARD, of Coomb's Wood Tube Works, Halesowen, near
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
In heating and welding by the electric are when one conductor is connected to
the carbon or pencil and the other conductor to the work or to the anvil on which
it rests it is found that the direction or inclination of the arc is dependent upon the
position of the point of connection of the conductor to the work or anvil and this
gives rise to great inconvenience causing the arc to flicker and sometimes go out
when the carbon is moved.
According to this invention I employ a movable connection in such manner that
the point of attachment of the conductor to the work or anvil is always as nearly
as possible opposite to the end of the carbon.
In cases where a moving hammer press or other tool immediately follows a
moving arc I employ also a moving anvil of a rigid material such as steel beneath
the tool and a moving surface of a bad conductor of heat such as fire brick
beneath the arc.
1 of Mo 1901
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Heating and Welding by the
Electric Arc.
I, HENRY HOWARD, of Coomb's Wood Tube Works, Halesowen, near
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
In heating and welding by the electric arc when one conductor is connected to
the carbon or pencil and the other conductor to the work or to the anvil on
which it rests it is found that the direction or inclination of the arc is dependent
upon the position of the point of connection of the conductor to the work or anvil
and this gives rise to great inconvenience causing the arc to flicker and sometimes
go out when the carbon is moved.
According to this invention I employ a movable connection in such manner that
the point of attachment of the conductor to the work or anvil is always as nearly
as possible opposite to the end of the carbon.
In cases where a moving hammer press or other tool immediately follows a moving
arc I employ also a moving anvil of a rigid material such as steel beneath the tool
and a moving surface of a bad conductor of heat such as fire brick beneath
the arc.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, and Figure 2 is an end elevation
partly in section of the apparatus I employ.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the mandril and Figure 4 shows a detail.
The apparatus
specially applicable to welding tubes.
A is the main carriage of the machine, it is provided with wheels running upon

page_text: rails B, this carriage is moved to and fro by a hand wheel C and bevelled
pinions C' C. Mounted upon this carriage is a second carriage D provided with
wheels E running between guides E' on the main carriage A. The upper carriage D
supports the carbon h and has a reciprocating to and fro motion given to it, as
is hereinafter described.
F is a pneumatic or other hammer driven by the belt F' from an electro
motor G. The hammer F and motor G are both mounted on the lower carriage A
they are of ordinary and well known construction and as their details form no
part of this invention they are not shewn on the drawings.
H is a mandril for supporting the work it is carried by a standard H¹ fixed
to the bed plate. The upper surface of this mandril is slotted to receive the
anvil J and block of refractory material L which are connected together and to
the rod M which passes out at the end of the mandril H. and is fixed to the lower
carriage A. It will thus be seen that as the lower carriage is moved to cause the
carbon and hammer E to operate successively on different parts of the seam
of the tube the anvil J and block L move with it and always remain under the
hammer and carbon respectively.
NN are bars for holding the work down upon the mandril H, as shewn
they are pivotted at H2 and are drawn down by the right and left handed screw
link O but they may conveniently be operated by hydraulic presses.
a is an electro-motor of any ordinary type upon the upper carriage D it actuates
a belt pulley b driving through the belt a second pulley c whose axis has fixed to
it the pinion d gearing with the wheel e to one end of whose axis is fixed the bevil
pinion gearing with the bevil pinion g¹ upon the axis to one end of which is
fixed eccentrically the holder of the carbon . To the other end of the axis fis
fixed the pinion which gears with the wheelj to whose axis is fixed the pinion k
gearing with the wheel fixed to whose axis is a disc m (shewn more clearly in
Figure 4). This disc is slotted and carries a pin n which can be fixed in the slot
at any distance from the centre of the disc. The pin is free to move along a
slot in an arm o pivotted at o' to the upper carriage D. Pivotted to the slotted
arm o is one end of an arm p whose other end is pivotted to a standard fixed to
the lower carriage A. The result of this arrangement is that as the disc m revolves
the upper carriage D is moved to and fro upon the lower carriage A the motion in
one direction being faster than in the other whilst at the same time the carbon
moves in a circle about its axis g. Thus the work being fixed it will be seen that
so long as the lower carriage is stationary the carbon gyrates above and heats a
patch of work equal in length to twice the distance of the pin n from the centre of
the disc m and in width to twice the distance of the carbon from its axis g.
This axis is free to slide up and down through the pinion g' but is prevented by a
groove and feather from turning relatively to it. Its upper end is supported by a
counter balanced lever r pivotted at ' and carrying a screw by which the height
of the carbon can be adjusted and terminating in a handle 3 by which the workman
can depress the lever and carbon against the counterbalance weight and strike the
arc by approaching the carbon to the work. s is a bracket fixed to the upper
carriage it has fixed to its end a tubular socket s¹ which receives a weighted rod ²
carrying inclines which rest upon corresponding inclines upon the top of the
sockets' so that the rod can be turned in the socket but always tends to resume its
normal position. The lower end of the rod s2 has pivotted to it a counter balanced
lever whose end carries a brush s which presses against the underside of the
mandril H. The circuit for forming the arc is as follows:- -The wire from the
positive pole is attached to the terminal t upon the bracket s and the current passes
by the socket s rod s² lever s³ and brush s to the mandril. It will be observed
that since the brush s is fixed to the upper carriage D the electric connection with
the mandril H and through it with the work is always approximately in a line
with the carbon. The wire from the negative pole is attached to the terminal t¹
and the current passes from thence by a wire to the switch board u and through
the frame of the machine to the axis faxis y and carbon h.

page_text: The wires of the circuit for working the hammer are attached to terminals upon
the switch board u and the current passes from thence by wires to the motor.
The wires of the circuit for moving the carbon and upper carriage D are
attached to terminals upon the switch board u² and the current is led from thence
by wires to the motor a. In the arrangement shown in the drawings three circuits
are used but it will be understood that by a suitable arrangement of switches the
whole work may be done by one or two circuits but these are not usually
convenient arrangements because the various operations do not all require the
same power.
In some cases in order to prevent the burning of the work I do not operate
directly upon it by the are but interpose a thin screen w (Figure 3) of carbon or
other conducting refractory material. This device is also applicable to other
arrangements for heating and welding by the electric are thus when it is desired to
heat or melt metals out of contact with the air I enclose them in a box of thin
carbon plates and I connect one pole to the box and the other pole to a carbon or
pencil which is mechanically moved as above described beneath the bottom of
the box.
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 apparatus for heating and welding with the electric arc where the work
forms one pole and a pencil the other pole placing the connection of the electric
conductor to the work or the support on which the work rests in a line with the
pencil substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for heating and welding by the electric arc where the work
forms one pole and a pencil the other pole the combination of apparatus for moving
the pencil or the work relatively to each other, a hammer press or other tool
following the arc, an anvil beneath the tool and a block of non-conducting material
bereath the pencil substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for heating and welding by the electric arc where the work
forms one pole and a pencil the other pole the combination of a fixed support for
the work a carriage to support the pencil and also a hammer press or other tool,
a block of non-conducting material beneath the pencil and an anvil beneath the
tool, the block and the anvil being connected to and moving with the carriage
substantially as described.
Dated this 16th day of January 1892.