Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Casks and Analogous Articles.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Casks and
Analogous Articles.
I ADOLPHE FRUHINSHOLZ of Nancy in the Republic of France, Cask Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement-
The object of the present invention is to provide improved machinery for the
manufacture of casks, such machinery consisting of apparatus in which the wood
staves, when put roughly together, are treated by steam, and receive their curved
form, and also for jointing together the portions of the heads of the casks.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus for heating and bending the staves;
Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the apparatus for jointing together the portions of the
heads of the casks.
Fig. 5 is a plan view and Fig. 6 an elevation of the same. The operation of the
apparatus shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is divided into two distinct parts, viz.:
(1) heating of the roughly formed cask under a cover, and (2) pressing together the
staves.
The cover, as hitherto constructed, either of metal with a wooden top, or entirely of
wood, has presented defects, the principal of which are the following:-
The great weight of the cover A renders it unmanageable; it follows, therefore,
that the manipulation is long and difficult. On the other hand, the construction of
this cover with an outer non-conducting covering of wood is costly, the more so, as it
must generally, on account of its great size, be put together in the place where it is to
be used.
The general conditions which the cover of such apparatus should fulfil are the
following
1. The freedom from leakage, in order that no steam may be lost.
2. Sufficient strength to enable the cover to preserve its original form.
3. The resistance of the material of which it is composed to the action of steam at
about 100° C.
4. The material should be as good a non conductor as possible, in order to avoid the
loss of steam by condensation on the sides of the cover; and 5, Lightness.
Now, according to the present invention, I employ, for the cover, impervious cloth
stretched upon a rigid cage or open frame work of suitable form, which appears to
satisfactorily fulfil these various conditions. may however employ any other light
and strong material mounted if necessary on a cage or open framework intended
to support it, if it possesses the properties of impermeability and low conductivity
of heat. There will be no danger of accident from internal pressure, as that can
be but little in excess of the pressure of the atmosphere.
In order to press together the staves forming the cask, which is required to be
very effectively done, I employ two bydraulic pumps C, arranged one on either side
of the cask to be operated upon. The pistons of these pumps carry above them a
pulley D, over which passes a chain F, one end of the chain being made fast to
the pump cylinder. Two slides G rigidly connected to the pump cylinder serve as
piston rod guides. A second pulley H, mounted loosely between lugs cast with the
pump cylinder, serves as a guide pulley for the chain, which has at its end a hook I.
A three-way cock J, fixed at the lower end of each of the pump cylinders, puts
the pumps, as desired, into communication with an accumulator charged with a
pressure of 35 kilogrammes to the square centimetre.

page_text: The cask B to be operated upon, after having been surrounded by a wire rope K
in such a manner as to form a kind of sliding knot round the lower part of the
cask, is enclosed within the cover A, and is heated by steam during the time
necessary to render the wood flexible.-The cover A is then raised, the cable K is
fixed to the hooks J, and the two pumps are put into communication with the
accumulator ;
the pressure of water under the pistons causes them to rise, thus
pulling upon the chain F, and through it, upon the wire rope K, which brings
closely together the staves of the cask B.
Hoops are then temporarily driven on to the cask, and the wood, which has, under
the influence of the steam, taken the form required for the cask, is set aside to cool.
For jointing together the parts of the heads of casks from 1 metre 50, to
3 metres 50, in diameter, I employ a table A of curved or convex form, mounted
upon two frames B, see Figs. 4, 5, and 6. At each end of this table is a hydraulic
cylinder C, rigidly secured to the table, and arranged tangentially to the curve of
the table. These cylinders are each provided with a plunger having at its outer
end a head D, which slides in a groove formed in a casting arranged in a line
parallel with the axis of the cylinder.
A
A plate fixed to the underside of the head D, and sliding on guides parallel to
the upper guides, assists in retaining the head D in its groove.-A hook E, fixed
to the sliding plate, carries a chain F, which passing over a guide pulley H, supports
a weight P intended to return the piston to its starting point automatically.
three-way cock I serves to put the cylinder into cominunication with a bydraulic
accumulator charged with a pressure of 35 kilogrammes to the square centimetre.
Above the table are arranged a pair of iron girders U, carrying, near the middle
of the table, two cross pieces J, through which pass vertically two square threaded
screws K. The nuts with which these screws are fitted carry worm wheels L, into
which gear two endless screws M, keyed upon the same shaft, and actuated by a
hand wheel N. At the lower end of the screws K is fixed a cast iron foot O, curved
to correspond with the curved form of the table, and serving to hold in place the
cask head under operation. The boards, after having been shaped, pierced, and
provided with dowling pins, are placed side by side upon the table. The cast iron
foot O is then lowered to prevent the cask-head from rising when submitted to
pressure. The two cylinders are afterwards put into communication with the
accumulator, and the plungers are advanced, and press together the abutting edges
of the portions of the cask-head, so as to produce a close joint. In this way, the
head is jointed without any blow, and with considerable pressure, which produces a
closeness of joint impossible of attainment under the system hitherto employed.
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 wha
I claim is
1. In machinery for manufacturing casks and analogous articles, the apparatu
for heating and pressing together the staves of casks, and consisting of a cove
intended to receive the casks to be treated by steam, and composed of an imperviou
inaterial stretched on, or supported by, a light cage or framework, and th
arrangement of pumps as shown and described.
2. In machinery for manufacturing casks and analogous articles, the means fo
jointing together the heads of casks, the special features of which are, jointing b
hydraulic pressure; returning the pistons of the hydraulic cylinders by means o
weights; the arrangement of the curved table and holding down foot; and th
arrangement of mechanism for raising and lowering the holding down foot as show
and described.