Iм- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RUNNING OR POURING METALS, AND FOR MOULDING AND FORMING THE SAME.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Murdoch Napier, of York Road,
.
Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RUNNING OR POURING METALS, AND FOR
MOULDING AND FORMING THE SAME.
"
Sealed the 14th June 1870, and dated the 18th March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Murdoch
Napier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 18th March 1870.
I, JAMES MURDOCH NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County
of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RUNNING OR POURING METALS, AND
MOULDING AND FORMING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
FOR
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for running
or pouring metals from the crucibles or other vessels in which they have
been melted or from vessels in which they are contained in a state of
fusion, and for moulding and forming them when so run or poured out,
and consists in the employment of a plunger of dimensions suited to

page_text: the vessel containing the melted metal. This plunger is thrust into
the vessol and displaces the metal, which rises around it and overflows
at a spout or opening in the upper part of the vessel. As the plunger
is forced further down into the vessel the metal will continue to run
from it until the plunger reaches the bottom of the vessel. When the
plunger is withdrawn the vessel may be again charged, either with
metal to be melted in it, or with metal already in a state of fusion and
supplied from other vessels. The displacing plunger should be made
of suitable material to resist the action of the heat and should be heated
before being applied so as not to chill the metal contained in the vessel.
I prefer to make the displacing plunger cylindrical in form, and I
employ any suitable mechanical appliance actuated by hand or by power
to force it into the vessel containing the metal. As the metal flows
from the vessel it may be received in ladles, conducted into other vessels,
or run into moulds, as may be desired.
By the use of my improved displacing plunger metal may be run off
from a crucible or other vessel in a continuous and equal stream
aecording to the regularity of the movement actuating the displacing
plunger, and the exactness of its form for insuring equal displacement
throughout its length, Irregularity in the speed of immersion or
varying displacement will, on the other hand, cause an irregular flow of
the metal.
When it is desired to cause an equal flow of the metal so that the
same quantity or nearly so will be displaced and run off in a given time,
I give the plunger (if cylindrical or with parallel sides) a regular down-
ward movement into the vessel.
For moulding and forming small articles such as blanks for coins,
bullets, and other simple forms, of which large numbers of a kind are
required I provide a succession of moulds which I arrange as an endless
chain or otherwise, and actuate so that they travel at a suitable speed
under the stream of metal as it flows from the vessel. Each mould thus
receives an equal or nearly equal quantity of metal. As the moulds pass
on the casts become set, when the mould are emptied and returned to be
again charged.
In order to form the casts more completely I sometimes employ an
endless chain of pressers arranged to work in concert with the chain
of moulds. These act upon the metal in the moulds before it is set, and
complete the moulding or forming,

page_text: In some cases I construct the pressers of two part, inner and outer.
The outer part acts first to shut up the mould and prevent the escape
of the metal, while the inner part operates upon the metal and assists
in forming it.
In order that the flow of the metal and the travel of the moulds may be
in unison I connect the means for transmitting motion to the displacing
plunger with that through which the moulds are actuated, so that
variations in the speed of motion will not seriously affect the equal
division of the stream of metal. The stream of metal should be con-
ducted, so as to flow in the direction in which the moulds travel,
and as nearly as practicable at the same speed. This will avoid
dash or concussion and promote the accurate division of the stream
which I effect by providing a dividing edge between each mould.
I provide means to regulate the speed of the displacing plunger and
also that of the moulds, so that the quantity of metal received into the
moulds-may be accurately adjusted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Murdoch Napier in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MURDOCH NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Murdoch Napier, Her special
licence that I, the said James Murdoch Napier, my executors,, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Murdoch
Napier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RUNNING OR POURING METALS,

page_text: AND FOR MOULDING AND FORMING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Murdoch Napier, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, 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 James Murdoch Napier, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
running or pouring metals from the crucibles or other vessels in which
they have been melted or from vessels in which they are contained in a
stato of fusion, and for moulding and forming them when so run or
poured out, and consists in the employment of a plunger of dimensions
suited to the vessel containing the melted metal. This plunger is thrust
into the vessel and displaces the metal, which rises around it and over-
flows at a spout or opening in the upper part of the vessel. As the
plunger is forced further down into the vessel the metal will continue
to run from it until the plunger reaches the bottom of the vessel. When
the plunger is withdrawn, the vessel may be again charged, either with
metal to be melted in it or with metal already in a state of fusion and
supplied from other vessels. The displacing plunger should be made
of suitable material to resist the action of the heat, and should be heated
before being applied so as not to chill the metal contained in the vessel.
I prefer to make the displacing plunger cylindrical in form, and I
'employ any suitablo mechanical appliance actuated by hand or by power
to force it into the vessel containing the metal. As the metal flows
from the vessel it may be received in ladles, conducted into other vessels,
or run into moulds, as may be desired.
By the use of my improved displacing plunger, metal may be run off
from a crucible or other vessel in a continuous and equal stream,
according to the regularity of the movement actuating the displacing
plunger and the exactness of its form for insuring equal displacement
throughout its length. Irregularity in the speed of immersion, or

page_text: varying displacement will, on the other hand, cause an irregular flow of
the metal.
When it is desired to cause an equal flow of the metal, so that the
same quantity or nearly so will be displaced and run off in a given time,
I give the plunger (if cylindrical or with parallel sides) a regular
downward movement into the vessel.
For moulding and forming small articles, such as blanks for coins,
bullets, and other simple forms, of which large numbers of a kind are
required, I provide a succession of moulds which I arrange as an endless
chain or otherwise, and actuate so that they travel at a suitable speed
under the stream of metal as it flows from the vessel. Each mould thus
receives an equal or nearly equal quantity of metal. As the moulds
pass on the casts become set, when the moulds are emptied and return
to be again charged.
In order to form the casts more completely I sometimes employ an
endless chain of pressers arranged to work in concert with the chain
of moulds. These act upon the metal in the moulds before it is set, and
complete the moulding or forming.
In some cases I construct the pressers of two parts, inner and outer.
The outer part acts first to shut up the mould and prevent the escape
of the metal, while the inner part operates upon the metal and assists
in forming it.
In order that the flow of the metal and the travel of the moulds may be
in unison, I connect the means for transmitting motion to the displacing
plunger with that through which the moulds are actuated, so that
variations in the speed of motion will not seriously affect the equal
division of the stream of metal. The stream of metal should be con-
ducted so as to flow in the direction in which the moulds travel, and as
nearly as praticable at the same speed. This will avoid dash or con-
cussion and promote the accurate division of the stream which I effect by
providing a dividing edge between each mould.
I provide means to regulate the speed of the displacing plunger and
also that of the moulds so that the quantity of metal received into the
moulds may be accurately adjusted.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention I will proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: In Figure 1, A is the displacing plunger; B, the pot or crucible; C,
the spout or discharge channel; D, the furnace which may be of any
desired construction. The plunger A is attached to bar a which passes
through guides in frame E, and at the top is attached by a short con-
necting rod to lever F, which has its fulcrum at in frame E and is
provided with a balance weight G at one end and a chain or cord with
hand ring c at the other. The frame E is mounted on wheels, which
run upon rails placed on a wall shown at the back of the furnace. The
plunger B is shown in its raised position, the balance weight prepon-
derating. When it is desired to run off the metal from the pot the
operator pulls the handle c raising the weight G, and lowering the
displacing plunger A into the pot or crucible B.
In this arrangement the weight of the plunger may be made sufficient
to expel the metal from the crucible, or it may be of insufficient weight
to do so, in which case the operator will exert the necessary force upon
lever F to thrust the plunger into the melted metal in the pot. From
the discharge channel C the metal may be run into moulds or otherwise
as may be desired. The travelling frame E can be run along the rails
to transport the displacing plunger A to any of a range of pots and to
the furnace or stove in which it is heated for usc. When placed in its
heating furnace it may be detached from bar a. To cease pouring, the
operator relieves the downward pressure upon the plunger and allows
it to rise by the action of the weight G.
Figure 2 is a front view representing three pots B and a furnace at H
for receiving and heating the plunger. The apparatus for raising and
lowering the plunger into the pots differs from that shewn in Figure 1,
and consists of an ordinary travelling crane with winding barrel d
actuated by hand through handle e and worm and worm wheelf and ƒ¹.
The cord or chain passes from the barrel d upwards over pulleys d³, d³, d³,
and d and along to a fixed point at D³. Plunger A is suspended at
g and can be run along to the desired position by pushing or hauling
the carriage F, which has four wheels and runs upon rails. The plunger
A should be of sufficient weight to displace the metal which when so
displaced overflows into the spout or discharge channel C.
In Figure 3, I represents a succession of moulds arranged as an
endless chain. This chain passes round the wheels J and J¹ and the upper

page_text: In the
line of the chain rests upon the upper portion of the frame K, shown in
section, which is made smooth and true. The wheels J and J', are sup-
ported in bearings in the frame K with means for adjustment to tighten
or slacken the chain. The frame K is mounted on four rollers /, two of
which are seen in the Drawing. These rollers run on rails and permit
the apparatus to be drawn away from the furnace with ease.
Drawing it is run up against stop i into its position for working and
fastened by the pin . When working the chain is driven in the
direction of the arrows, the power being applied to the toothed wheel J
with which the chain gears. A portion of the front of frame K is shown
broken away for clearer illustration of the parts. B represents the pot
or crucible in its relative position to the moulding apparatus. C is the
discharge channel or continuation of the spout of the pot. The metal
runs from the pot down channel C and falls into the moulds I, which
travel in the same direction as the stream of metal. The moulds aro
provided with dividing edges j upon which the stream of metal falls.
and is parted into lengths, cach separate length passing into a mould.
When it is desired to form or impress the upper portion or surface of
the cast an endless chain of pressers may be used. Such a chain of
pressers is shown in this Figure. j' are the pressers linked together in
an endless chain which passes round the wheels L and L. these may
have their spindles in bearings arranged in a frame supported by or
becoming part of the frame K. It is desirable that these bearings be
made adjustable to height so that the lower length of the chain of
pressers may be made to enter and leave the moulds at the point,
which according to circumstances experience may be found most
desirable.
The moulds and pressers shown in the Drawing are suited for coin
blanks or such-like forms. They are illustrated on a larger scale in
Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 represents the moulds in plan linked
together, and Figure 5, a sectional elevation of the moulds and pressers in
the positions they would occupy when together. The space in working
would be occupied by the “cast or piece form. A tooth is provided
in the chain links of pressers between every alternate presser and corre-
sponding spaces in the chain links of the moulds. These gear into
each other, so that the chain of moulds in its travel gives motion to the
chain of pressers. In cases where the pressers take sufficiently into the

page_text: moulds the teeth and corresponding spaces in the links of the two chains
may be dispensed with.
Figure 6 shows a plan of the pot or crucible B and of the spout or
discharging channel C. The crucible is formed with a hollow m to
facilitate the rising of the metal as the plunger is thrust into the crucible.
This is the more desirable when the plunger nearly approaching in
its size to that of the crucible leaves little space for the metal. The
furnace for heating the crucible and the form and material of the
crucible will depend upon the kind of metal to be treated. This
arrangement of the furnace should be such as to keep the discharge
channel heated as well as the pot, so that in its passage to the moulds
it should not become chilled.
Figure 7 indicates a convenient mode for connecting the moulding
and forming apparatus, already referred to under Figure 3, and the
displacing plunger. The parts of the moulding and forming apparatus:
in the reduced scalo of this Figure are indicated by the same letters and
Figures as in Figure 3. The power is applied through the driving band m
to a pulley upon the spindle of the wheel J, and so to a pair of mitre
wheels at the back seen dotted which connect the spindle of wheel J with
the upright shaft m². At the upper end of shaft m¹ is a worm gearing into :
a worm wheel m³. This wheel is fixed on shaft m³ which also carries a
drum m*, to which is attached a strap or band m³. This band (which may
be of steel or any suitable material according to the exactness required
in the results) passes over pulley me and is fastened to the bar a which
slides in a guide a², which guide may be fixed to any convenient ?
portion of the building. At the lower end of rod a is a forked head a³,
into which the top end of the bar a' passes, the forks of the head a³
forming in projections which fall into a recess in the top of bar a¹. M
is a jib crane actuated by handle at e, the chain passes from the barrel
over pulleys e¹, e², and attaches to bar a¹ by its hook which lays hold of a 3
pin at a. This pin is withdrawn to disengage the chain hook. When
the plunger A has been brought into its place over the crucible, and the
weight of it has been taken by the forked head at a³, the pulley a³, and
the crane hook remain between the sides of rod a¹ (which is double)
during the operation of lowering the displacing plunger into the crucible. 3
This is performed by motion transmitted from the spindle of wheel J
through upright shaft m', worm and worm wheel m², shaft m³, and
drum m, upon which one end of the band m³ takes a turn or part of

page_text: a turn and is fastened. Thus, while the moulding apparatus is in motion,
the plunger A is lowered by its own weight into the pot or crucible B
and displaces and pours the metal into the moulds.
In order to facilitate the raising of the plunger out of the crucible
when the pouring is completed or otherwise, a balance weight G is
provided suspended by a band or cord, which passes round the drum N
fixed to the shaft m³. When balance weight 9 is to be allowed to
operate in raising the plunger the worm on shaft m' is thrown out
of gear. For this purpose the upper bearing m¹ slides, and can be
thrown back by actuating the bell-crank lever n, through the cord and
hand ring c.
When released the weight n³ acts to return the bearing
into its place and the worm into gear with the wheel m³.
Figure 8 is an outline in plan of Figure 7 and indicates the
position of the swinging crane which is used for carrying the plunger
A from the position over the crucible to that over the furnace for
heating it, which is shewn at H. O is a weight, used only in case
the plunger is not sufficiently heavy in itself to displace the metal; Pis
a cover to keep in the heat and prevent the air acting freely upon
the hot plunger. It may be made so as to be removed with the
plunger or to open and allow the plunger to pass away to its heating
furnace.
Figure 9 shews an arrangement for moulding bullets of the form
indicated, which would with modifications serve for other forms.
Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the construction of the moulds on a larger
scale. Instead of pressers the upper chain of blocks Q are in this case
the top portions or covers of the lower moulds R. The arrows shew the
direction of motion. The stream of metal enters at S and is divided
by the edges j, which are placed between the moulds. The metal thus
runs into the lower mould which passes forward until arrived at the
position where it is covered by the upper mould. At that point the
rollers meet with an inclined rising in the frame K, shewn at T, and are
forced upward by it, the piston n', which is connected with the rollers
by cross piece n², rising with them. This action brings the metal (which
was in the lower cylindrical portion of the mould R when the piston n¹
was down) is thus forced up into the body of the mould, and the upper
hollow cover n becomes filled, the small hole in the upper moulds allow
the air to pass out. The moulds part at 8', the upper chain passing
upwards and the lower downwards round their respective wheels, which I
22

page_text: have not thought it necessary to indicate. As the lower chain moves
round on the wheel another rise in the frame at T acts on the rollers n
and forces the piston n' further into the mould and ejects the bullet.
The piston retires by the action of spring n³, when the rollers arrive
at the reversing incline on the frame at T². The guide n serves
to keep piston h in position, and also serves as an abutment for spring n³.
Figure 12 illustrates the construction of pressers referred to of two
parts, inner and outer. U represents the inner part and U¹ the outer,
which rests on a shoulder on U at o. In the coming together of the
mould Us and the presser, the outer part will act first and meet the
mould, while the inner part will pass into the mould and form the
metal.
Figure 13 represents a means for regulating the speed of the displacing
plunger in reference to that of the moulds to adjust the quantity of
metal. It consists of a friction plate p fixed upon the spindle of the
moulding apparatus, which plate acts upon a roller p¹ placed upon the
upright shaft m². This roller can be set to height so as to act at a
greater or lesser distance from the centre of the plate, and thus the
relative speeds can be varied. A similar adjustable frictional arrange-
ment may be used for driving the moulds, or other convenient means
may be employed, such as coned pulleys.
It will be at once seen that continuous lengths of metal may be
moulded instead of separate articles by removing the dividing edges and
arranging the moulds so as to present a continuous channel into which
the metal will flow, and cooling as it passes on will become a rod;
when the form of the article is such as renders it liable to stick in
the mould and not to fall out on the endless chain, being reversed in
return of the moulds, ejecting punches may be used analagous to those
shewn for ejecting the bullets from the moulds.
What I claim is,-
First. The running or pouring of metals by means of a displacing
plunger, substantially as herein described.
Second. The employment of pressers to form molten metals in tra-
Third. The arrangements of moulds, substantially as
described.
herein 35

page_text: Fourth. The furnishing of a stream of metal to moulds in a state of
motion, the metal being supplied and the moulds actuated by apparatus
connected together so that the moulds are regularly supplied with the
required quantity of the metal, substantially in the manner described.
Fifth. The furnishing moulds in a state of motion with metal flowing
approximately in the same direction and at the same speed as the
moulds.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Murdoch Napier, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.