IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RIVETS."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Proder Hodgson, of Hylton, near Sunder-
land, and John Vaux Woodifield, of the Firm of Woodifield and Hills,
of Hope Street Foundry, Sunderland, both in the County of Durham, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
RIVETS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Proder Hodgson
and John Vaux Woodifield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 6th August 1863.
We, WILLIAM PRODER HODGSON, of Hylton, near Sunderland, and Joun
VAUX WOODIFIELD, of the Firm of Woodifield and Hills, of Hope Street
Foundry, Sunderland, both in the County of Durham, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF RIVETS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for the manu-
facture of rivets, whereby a greater degree of rapidity and perfection can be
obtained than by the machinery at present in use.
We propose to construct our machinery on suitable standards and frame-
work, having in front a disc provided with a series of projections in which
dies are formed to receive the heated iron, which enters therein by means
of its passage between two grooved rollers; these rollers are worked by
means of an excentric and a rod furnished with a right and left handed

page_text: screw and a regulating connection or joint, in order that the length of
heated metal supplied by the rollers to the dies may be varied according
to the length of rivet required. The toggle is also regulated accord-
ingly. The rod having the right and left handed screw works a pall in
a ratchet wheel on one of the rollers, in order to turn it the requisite dis-
tance; the rod operates an arm descending to the axis of the lower roller, and
the pall is attached to this arm. The periphery of the disc is furnished with a
succession of projections having concave surfaces for the purpose of receiving
during their rotation a cam or excentric worked by a rotating motion derived
from bevil friction wheels, whereby the disc is held in position for each suc-
cessive operation of the heading of the rivets. Each projecting die is brought
in turn opposite the compressing mould to form the rivet, the mould receiving
a horizontal reciprocating motion from its attachment to two horizontal
sliding shafts or bars worked by a connecting rod from an excentric on the
main or driving shaft of the machine. A reservoir of cold water underneath
the disc serves to cool the projecting dies after the rivets have been formed
therein. The wheel which actuates the right and left handed screw rod
is provided with a slot in order to allow of the play of the rod according
as its length is variod. After the rivets have been formed in the pro-
jecting dies, they are carried down by the rotation of the disc to the
lower part of the machine, when a sliding bar or rod working in
bearings, and actuated by means of a pin projecting from a disc set on
the driving shaft, drives out the rivet clear of the machine in a perfect form,
the said rod or bar being brought or drawn back by means of a spiral or other
spring ready to operate upon the succeeding die.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Proder Hodgson and John Vaux Woodifield in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
PRODER HODGSON, of Hylton, near Sunderland, and JOHN VAUX WOOdifield,
of the Firm of Woodifield and Hills, of Hope Street Foundry, Sunderland,
both in the County of Durham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto

page_text: us, the said William Proder Hodgson and John Vaux Woodifield, Her special
licence that we, the said William Proder Hodgson and John Vaux Woodifield,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Proder Hodgson and John Vaux Woodifield, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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, au
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
RIVETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Proder Hodgson and John Vaux Woodifield, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said William Proder Hodgson and John
Vaux Woodifield, 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:-
This Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for the
manufacture of rivets, whereby a greater degree of rapidity and perfection of
work can be obtained than by the machinery hitherto used.
In order that our said Invention may be completely understood by those
acquainted with the subject, we proceed to describe the same by reference to
the accompanying Drawings, which exhibit clearly the entire construction and
working of the machinery.
Fig. 1 shews one side elevation; Fig. 2, the opposite side; Fig. 3, a front
elevation; Fig. 4, an end view; Fig. 5, a plan; Fig. 6, a longitudinal vertical
section; Fig. 7, a detached view of friction clutch; and Fig. 8, a detached view
of feed gear. Similar letters of referenco denote similar parts wherever they
occur in the several views.
The machine is mounted on suitable framing and bed plate with trough a
for cold water; a driving shaft 6 is fixed on the side frames with fast-and-loose
pullies carrying also a fly wheel and a pinion with friction strap and clutch for
throwing the machine instantly out of gear (see Fig. 7). This strap is so con-
structed, and its power regulated by two screw bolts and nuts, that it can be
set to carry more or less heading power as may be required, and in case of

page_text: accident throwing any additional strain on the heading gear over and above
that absolutely necessary for the article in course of manufacture; the
machine will be brought up at once, allowing the fly wheel still to run,
and saving damage to the working parts. The pinion on the driving shaft
takes into a toothed wheel on the main shaft, which shaft also carries an
excentric cam c, working into a connecting rod d coupled to a cross head e;
this cross head is connected by two sliding rods or bars f (working through
metal bouches in the front and back frames) to another cross head g, working
over the face of the disc h, and carrying the heading block i; the above excen-
tric cam, connecting rod, and cross head are for the purpose of giving a to-
and-fro motion to the heading block cross head. The main shaft also carries
The first chuck plate j is
two chuck plates, an excentric, and a bevil wheel.
for giving motion to a rod or punch (fixed on the side frame and working at
right angles to the face of disc) by means of a steel pin mounted on the said
chuck plate, this steel pin coming in contact with a projection or snug formed
on the rod or punch, causing it to make a stroke forward at the moment tho
disc comes to a stand, allowing the spike or rivet to be forced from the die as
the chuck plate travels round, and the steel pin clearing the projection or snug
the rod or punch is caused to fly back by means of a strong spiral spring
carried round the outside of the said rod or punch. The second chuck plate k
actuates the self-acting feed by means of the rod joined, as shewn, by right and
left handed screw junctions or regulating joint, in order that the length of
heated metal supplied by the rollers m to the dies may be varied according to
the length of rivet required. The rod works a pall which turns a ratchet wheel
on one of the rollers. The excentric n on the main shaft acts on a connecting
rod o, and gives motion by means of a way bar furnished with two arms causing
the loose cutter p fixed on a sliding bar to move upwards and across a stationary
cutter carried by a standard fixed in the bed plate and in front of the face of
disc, the said cutter moving upwards at the exact moment the disc makes its
next forward movement, consequently the bar or bolt which has been inserted
into the die on the face of disc will be cut off at regulated length as hereafter
described. Behind (or at the back of the disc) ก spring and regulating pin is
fixed for the purpose of keeping the toggles forward, so as to clear the pin for
regulating the feed or length of iron required to form the rivet, spike, or screw
blank. At the back of the front framing piece a lever is fixed to a double eye
in the bed plate and carried up to the top of the front frame, the said lever
being worked by a screw and hand wheel in connection with the pin for regu-
lating the feed or length of iron before mentioned, so that it will only be
necessary to put the iron any distance suitable into the die, leaving the
a

page_text: remainder to be done by the header in forming the rivet, spike, or screw
blank. After the iron has been cut off in the die, as before described, it is
brought by the rotation of the disc opposite the heading die where the disc and
toggle are held (by the excentric cam working on periphery of disc) opposite
to steel packing placed at the back of die or dies, and which may be regulated
by parallel pieces, wedge pieces regulated by hand screws, or by a hand screw
placed at the back of the front frame; those wedge or parallel pieces are for
regulating the length of rivets, spikes, or screw blanks, without changing the
toggles or dies. The bevel wheel placed on the main shaft gives motion by
means of another bevel wheel 7 to a shaft running at right angles to the main
shaft; this shaft is fitted with an excentric cam plater carrying also a steel
pin for the purpose in the first instance of holding the disc steady while the
operation of heading the spikes or rivets is being performed, and in the second
instance to give a rotary movement to the disc equal to the distance between
the centre of two dies in this manner. On the periphery of disc grooves and
slots are formed alternately corresponding to the cam plato and steel pin before
mentioned; the first and wide groove receives the cam plate, and holds the disc
firm while the header is acting on the rivet or spike; at the next half revo-
lution of the countershaft, the steel pin on the cam plate gears into the slot
formed on periphery of disc, causing it to make a rotary movement equal to the
distance between the centre of two dies, as before described. The cam plato
then takes into the succeeding wide groove, and holds the disc firm as before.
The cam plate, the steel pin, and the grooves and slots on the disc are so
arranged with each other so as to allow each successive die to stand under
the cutters and header three-fifths of the time required to form a spike or
rivet. The dies (eighteen in number) are allowed to stand out three inches
from the face of the disc, and the heading block 9 carrying the steel
header i is hollowed out so as to fit over the face of the dies. The disc
carrying the dies is mounted on a fixed centre piece bolted to the front
frame, through the middle of which centre piece u the lower slide rod or
bar for connecting the heading block cross-head is allowed to work;
the disc also is allowed just sufficient play on the centre piece to allow
the iron to be set straight in the die, if necessary, by the hollow header,
thereby insuring uniformity in the heading of spikes, rivets, &c. We also
give the disc a rotary step by step motion by means of a cam placed
over the top centre of the disc, and working into a groove formed on
periphery of disc, as follows:-The said cam enters the groove on periphery
of disc at an angle of from 20 to 90 degrees to the centre of periphery
according to the number of dies required, and the cam travels in the groove,

page_text: in the manner above mentioned, just sufficient to give the disc a rotary
movement equal to the distance between the centre of two dies; the
remainder of the groove traversed by the cam is then formed parallel to
the centre of the periphery, so as to hold the disc in position during the
operation of heading, punching out, and cutting off rivets, spikes, or screw
blanks. We would also cause the disc to be worked either horizontally,
vertically, or out of the centre, as may be required for any or part of the
arrangements described.
Having now described and illustrated the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we would remark
in conclusion that we do not limit ourselves to the precise details we have
given, as the same may, if necessary, be modified without departing from
the principles on which the Invention is based; but what we claim and
desire to be secured to us by the herein in part recited Letters Patent, are,
the general arrangement and construction of parts (substantially as illustrated
fully by the Drawings hereto annexed and explained by aid of the foregoing
Specification) constituting improved machinery for manufacturing rivets ac-
cording to the title hereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Proder Hodgson and John
Vaux Woodifield, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
Witness,
JAMES YOUNG,
17, Holmeside,
WILLIAM PRODER HODGSON. (L.S.)
JOHN VAUX WOODIFIELD.
(L.S.)
Sunderland.