New or Improved Machinery for the Manufacture of Steel and Iron Tubes, Oval in Cross Section and having Different Diameters in Different Parts.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for the Manufacture of Steel and Iron
Tubes, Oval in Cross Section and having Different Diameters in
Different Parts.
We, CHARLES FAULKNER, and FRANCIS HENRY LLOYD, and WILLIAM
ELLIS LLOYD, and WILLIAM HENRY LLOYD, trading as The Weldless Steel
Tube Company, of No. 303 Icknield Port Road Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Tube Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The said invention has for its object to facilitate the manufacture of steel and
iron tubes oval in cross section but having different diameters in different parts;
that is to say while the diameter passing through the shorter axis of the oval or
ellipse is approximately the same throughout the whole length of the tube, the
diameter passing through the longer axis of the ellipse is a varying diameter passing
at uniform distances alternately into a maximum and a minimum. Such tubes may
be conveniently used for making the forks of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes. Thus by dividing transversely a tube of the kind described at its
maximum and minimum diameters a series of tubes is produced suitable for the
branches of the said forks, the larger end being brazed into the crown of the fork
and the smaller end constituting the axle end of the branch. The said tubes may
also be used for other purposes.
The machinery constituting the said invention consists essentially of a pair of
rolls having a series of pairs of grooves preferably four. These grooves are
eccentric, the eccentricity being such as to fit them to produce the required tapering
parts or parts of minimum diameter. The series of grooves is of progressive
eccentricity so that when a cylindrical iron or steel tube either cold or heated is
passed through the grooves in the rolls its figure is progressively changed from
that of a cylindrical tube into the figure herein before referred to; that is, into a
tube oval in cross section, but of varying diameter in different portions of its
length.
We prefer to make the rolls of such size and to give their grooves such figures
that in one rotation they will form on the tube operated upon one maximum
diameter passing into one minimum diameter, the said minimum diameter passing
into a maximum diameter. But we do not limit ourselves to this arrangement as
large rolls may be employed and the grooves in them may have such figures
that several maximum and minimum diameters will be made in the tubes operated
upon.
The rolls are mounted in standards in which the upper roll is capable of.
adjustment by means of a slide and screw. The rolls are driven from the shaft of
the lower roll by spur gearing but we do not limit ourselves to any particular kind
of gearing.
Instead of the tube being passed through the rolls as described, it may be
drawn through the rolls by means of an attachment to a draw bench or other
similar contrivance.
Dated this 25th day of April 1894.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: New or Improved Machinery for the Manufacture of Steel and Iron
Tubes, Oval in Cross Section and having Different Diameters in
Different Parts.
We, CHARLES FAULKNER and FRANCIS HENRY LLOYD, and WILLIAM
ELLIS LLOYD, and WILLIAM HENRY LLOYD, trading as The Weldless Steel
Tube Company, of No. 303 Icknield Port Road, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Tube Manufacturers, 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 :-
The said invention has for its object to facilitate the manufacture of steel and
iron tubes oval in cross section but having different diameters in different parts;
that is to say, while the diameter passing through the shorter axis of the oval or
ellipse is approximately the same throughout the whole length of the tube, the
diameter passing through the longer axis of the ellipse is a varying-diameter passing
at uniform distances alternately into a maximum and a minimum. Such tubes may
be conveniently used for making the forks of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes. Thus by dividing transversely a tube of the kind described at its
maximum and minimum diameters a series of tubes is produced suitable for the
branches of the said forks, the larger end being brazed into the crown of the fork
and the smaller end constituting the axle end of the branch. The said tubes may
also be used for other purposes.
The machinery constituting the said invention consists essentially of a pair of
rolls having a series of pairs of grooves, preferably four. These grooves are
eccentric, the eccentricity being such as to fit them to produce the required
tapering parts or parts of minimum diameter. The series of grooves is of progressive
eccentricity so that when a cylindrical iron or steel tube, either cold or heated, is
passed through the grooves in the rolls its figure is progressively changed from
that of a cylindrical tube into the figure hereinbefore referred to, that is, into
a tube oval in cross section but of varying diameter in different portions of its
length.
We prefer to make the rolls of such size and to give their grooves such figures
that in one rotation they will form on the tube operated upon one maximum
diameter passing into one minimum diameter, the said minimum diameter passing
into a maximum diameter. But we do not limit ourselves to this arrangement as
large rolls may be employed and the grooves in them may have such figures
that several maximum and minimum diameters will be made in the tubes operated
upon.
The rolls are mounted in standards in which the upper roll is capable of
adjustment by means of a slide and screw. The rolls are driven from the shaft
of the lower roll by spur gearing but we do not limit ourselves to any particular
kind of gearing..
Instead of the tube being passed through the rolls as described it may be
drawn through the rolls by means of an attachment to a draw bench or other
similar contrivance.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in side elevation the
machinery constituting the said invention for manufacturing steel and iron tubes
oval in cross section and having different diameters in different parts; Figure 2
represents the same in front elevation, partly in vertical section and Figure 3
represents the said machinery in plan;
Figure 4 represents an elevation and cross sections of a tube made by the said
machinery.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
The said machinery consists essentially of the pair of grooved rolls a, b keyed
or fixed to the separate spindles a², ¿ª by the screw nuts a³, b. The roll a is
carried by the cheeks e, on the dovetail slide which is raised or lowered by the
screw d for the purpose of adjusting the roll a nearer to or further from the fixed
roll turning in bearings in the standards of the machine.
The roll bis driven by a hand winch or power driven pulley (not shown) on the
spindle and the roll a is geared with the said roll by the train of toothed
wheels a, e, the latter being on the spindle of the roll. The axes e, f of
the intermediaie toothed wheels e, f are carried by lever plates e, f turning on the
respective centres e', f. The arms of each of the lever plates are slotted for the
axes of the toothed wheels and the clamping bolts e, f to work in when
adjusting the toothed wheels e, f. The ends of the lever plates e³, fare provided
with studs for taking into the guiding slots in the fixed standard of the machinery.
By this arrangement the same train of toothed wheels may be employed when
smaller or larger rolls than those represented in the drawings are in use.
The
respective toothed wheels e, fare fixed in their adjusted position by the nuts es, f³.
The grooves in the rolls are eccentric, that is to say, the depth of the said
grooves varies at different parts of the rolls and the series of grooves in each pair
of rolls is of progressive eccentricity. When the rolls are set for working, the
depth of their grooves at the parts presented to each other is the same in each of
the rolls so that a series of oval eyes or holes are formed at the meeting parts of
the rolls as seen in Figure 2.
In commencing to manufacture taper tubes of the kind herein before referred to
by the use of the machinery herein before described we take cylindrical iron or
steel tubes either heated or cold and pass them first into the grooves of the rolls of
least eccentricity the said tubes being fed between the rolls when the parts of the
grooves of greatest depth are presented to each other. The said tubes are then
passed through the other grooves of the series of grooves in the rolls when they
receive their final taper and oval figure. On each complete rotation of the rolls a
portion of the tube is tapered the tapered portion passing from a maximum
diameter to a minimum diameter and from a minimum diameter to a maximum
diameter the sides of the tube being simultaneously flattened so as to give it an
oval or elliptical figure in cross section, the diameter passing through the shorter
axis of the oval or ellipse being the same or approximately the same throughout
the whole length of the tube.
Figure 4 represents a tube so operated upon g, 9 being the parts of maximum
diameter of the oval tapered tube and h, being the parts of minimum diameter of
the said tube. By cutting the tube transversely at the dotted lines a series of oval
tapered tubes suitable for use in the manufacture of velocipede wheel forks and
for such other purposes as taper tubes of this kind are applicable is produced.
Although we have only described the said invention in connection with the
manufacture of tapered tubes having an oval figure in cross section yet we wish it
to be understood that the machinery constituting the said invention may be
employed in the manufacture of tapered tubes having a circular or polygonal figure
in cross section the shape of the grooves being varied to suit the particular cross
sectional figure it is desired to give to the said tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as the said invention:-
First. In machinery for the manufacture of steel and iron tubes oval in cross
section and having different diameters in different parts, the employment of a pair
of rolls having eccentric grooves of the kind herein before described, the said rolls
being geared together substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Secondly. In machinery for the manufacture of steel and iron tubes of the kind
referred to in the preceding claim, mounting one of the rolls on a spindle turning
in bearings in a dovetail slide whereby the said roll is adjustable and may be
moved nearer to or further from the other roll of the pair of rolls the spindles of
the rolls preserving their parallelism during the adjustment substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly. In machinery for the manufacture of steel and iron tubes of the kind
referred to in the first claim, making the intermediate toothed wheels e, f of the
train of wheels a, e, f, b adjustable substantially in the mauner hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereby the same train of
wheels may be employed for pairs of rolls of different diameters.
Dated the Eleventh day of January 1895.
CHARLES
FAULKNER.
FRANCIS HENRY LLOYD.
W. E. LLOYD.
W M. H. LLOYD.
CHARLES FAULKNER.
FRANCIS HENRY LLOYD.
W. E. LLOYD.
W M. H. LLOYD.