IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FLANGING " OR BENDING OVER INTERNAL, CIRCULAR, OR SEGMENTAL EDGES OF BOILER AND OTHER METAL PLATES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lyall, of Govan, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FLANGING
"
OR BENDING OVER INTERNAL, CIRCULAR, OR SEGMENTAL EDGES OF BOILER
AND OTHER METAL PLATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lyall at the Office of.
the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th November 1881.
"
JOHN LYALL, of Govan, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FLANGING OR BENDING OVER INTERNAL, CIRCULAR,
OR SEGMENTAL EDGES OF BOILER AND OTHER METAL PLATES."
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for flanging or bending
over internal, circular, or segmental edges of openings or cuttings made in boiler
plates and other metal plates, as, for example, the inside flanging of the front plates
of boiler furnaces, and the object of the Invention is to enable such fanging to bo
performed by a more gradual application of pressure and bending action than is
usual with hydraulic flanging machines, which tend to crack the iron or metal at
the edge.
The improved apparatus is so constructed that a roller or rollers fitted to revolve
round a central axis bear at an angle on the internal edge of the cut plate, and by
a gradual forward motion at right angles to the plane of rotation press and bend
over the internal edge of the plate to form the flange.
According to one modification the improved apparatus or machine consists of
three rollers fitted in open bearings on a carrying head, disc, or casing, which
rotates on a cential vertical axis, while the rollers are set to rotate in their bearing
centres or axes on the discs or head at an angle inclined to the main or central
axis, and these rollers are made to project beyond the carrying head or disc, and to
come in contact with the edge of the circular hole or segmental cutting in the plate
that is to be bent over or flanged. The head or casing which carries the rollers is
hollowed or cored out through its vertical centre, and is screwed or has fitted and
fixed into this hollow centre a screw-nut which fits into, revolves, and travels upon
rn

page_text: a screwed spindle or shaft which is fixed into a stationary bottom bracket or sole-
plate at its lower end. The screwed spindle or shaft passing through the hollow
centre of the head or casing also passes through a central bearing in an upper
bracket, the top end of the spindle or shaft having a screw and nut or cotter hole
and cotter for the purpose of firmly holding between the top and bottom bracket
or sole-plate a top and a bottom ring or annular girder or matrix, between which
the plate to be flanged is placed and held.
The rotating head or casing is driven by means of a spur or bevil wheel fixed to
or cast on it, and which gears preferably into an intermediate wheel driven by a
pinion on a spindle which is rotated either direct or through other gearing by hand
or by a belt and pulley.
When the head or casing carrying the rollers is thus driven, its rotation round
the screwed spindle on which it is fitted causes it to ascend gradually, and the
rollers thus press on the internal edge of the plate above, and roll round on the
edge; but as these rollers are set at an angle the point of contact between the rollers
and edge of the plate gradually increases in diameter, and the internal edge of the
plate is gradually pressed up or bent to form a flange against the upper matrix,
the depth of which is determined by the difference in diameter of the first and last
points of contact between the roller and the plate.
The upper ring or annular girder or matrix securing the plate in position is
formed at its lower edge of a diameter corresponding to the outside diameter of
the flanged opening in the plate.
The-head-or-casing_carrying_the_rollers.is_by_preference_formed with a number
of bearings ranged round the periphery at different radial distances, so that by
shifting the rollers from one set of bearings to another they may be made to bend
over flange openings or holes of different diameters, and rollers of different sizes
may be fitted into the bearings for a like purpose.
The rollers may also be fitted to turn on pins or centres, or to roll upon &
parallel or tapered shaft or cone.
The spindle carrying the driving pinion is by preference screwed and made to
raise the pinion at the same rate as the driven wheel and head ascends on its
central screwed spindle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
.
by the said John Lyall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th May
1882.
"
JOHN LYALL, of Govan, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FLANGING OR BENDING OVER INTERNAL, CIRCULAR,
OR SEGMENTAL EDGES OF BOILER AND OTHER METAL PLATES."
My said Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for flanging or bending
over internal, circular, or segmental edges of openings or cuttings made in boiler
plates and other metal plates, as, for example, the inside flanging of the front plates
of boiler furnaces, and the object of the Invention is to enable such flanging to be
performed by a more gradual application of pressure and bending action than is
usual with hydraulic flanging machines, which tend to crack the iron or metal at
the edge.
The improved apparatus is so constructed that a roller or rollers fitted to revolve
round a central axis bear at an angle on the internal edge of the cut plate, and by
à gradual forward motion at right angles to the plane of rotation press and bend
over the internal edge of the plate to form the flange.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended for that purpose a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings representing a modification of my improved apparatus or
machine as applied for flanging boiler plates. The same reference letters are used
to indicate the same or like parts in the several Figures. Figure 1 is a vertical
section, and Figure 2 is a plan of a modification of my improved flanging machine;
Figure 3 is a vertical section of a similar machine to a larger scale, and shown
fitted with a revolving head or centre piece and rollers for flanging a larger size of
opening in a plate; Figures + and 5 are plans of the respective centre pieces for
carrying the flanging rollers.
Referring to these Drawings, the improved flanging machine comprises a strong
bed or sole-plate A, which carries the shafts and parts of the apparatus, and is secured
to beams A¹ or other suitable foundation. Upon this bed-plate A is fitted or fixed
an annular ring or girder B, which may be made in segments for convenience of
fitting and replacing, and on this ring B the plate P to be flanged is placed. Over
the boiler plate P is laid an upper annular or ring girder or matrix B', fitted
concentrically with or in the same axial line as the lower ring B, and this upper
ring B' is secured by bolts to an upper bracket C. In both the lower sole-plate A
and upper bracket C a number of bolt holes c are formed to admit of the rings B, B',
being adjusted, or of different sizes of ring matrices being inserted to suit different
sizes of circular or segmental edges of plates to be flanged in one machine. The
internal flanging of the plate P is effected by means of three or more rollers D, D, D,
fitted in open bearings e on a carrying head or centre piece E, which rotates on a
central vertical axis or shaft F corresponding with the centre of the annular rings
or matrices B, B'. The carrying head or centre piece E is shown as made in the
form of two parallel discs connected by webs E¹; any other convenient form of
bearing piece may however be used for carrying the rollers D. The rollers D are
set to rotate in their bearing centres or axes e on the discs or head E at an angle
inclined to the main or central axis, and these rollers are made to project beyond
the carrying head or disc, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and to come in contact
with the edge of the circular hole or segmental cutting pin the plate P that is to
be bent over or flanged. The head or picce E which carries the rollers is hollowed

page_text: or cored out through its vertical centre, and is keyed or fitted on the boss of a
revolving spur-wheel G, fitted with a screw bush G¹ fitting over, and revolving, and
travelling upon the screwed spindle or shaft F, which passes through and is fixed
to the stationary bottom bracket or sole plate A at its lower end. The screwed
stationary spindle or shaft F passing through the hollow centre of the head or
casing E also passes through a central bearing in the upper bracket C, the top end
of the spindle or shaft F having a screw and nut f, or cotter hole and cotter, for
the purpose of firmly holding between the top and bottom bracket or sole-plate C, A,
the top and bottom rings or annular girder or matrices B, B', between which the
plate P to be flanged is thus held.
The rotating head or casing E is driven by means of the spur wheel G, or it
might be a bevil wheel, fixed to or cast on it, and which gears into an intermediate
wheel H fitted loose on a lixed shaft H, and driven by a pinion I on a spindle I',
which is rotated either direct by the hand lever or spokes J, or through bevil or
other gearing K and shaft k, which may be turned by hand or by a belt and pulley.
When the wheel G and head or casing E carrying the rollers D is thus driven, its
rotation round the screwed spindle F, on which it is fitted, causes it to ascend
gradually, and the rollers D thus press on the internal edge of the plate P above, and
roll round on the edge; but as these rollers D are set at an angle the point of
contact between the rollers and the edge of the plate gradually increases in diameter,
and the internal edge of the plate is gradually pressed up or bent to form a flange,
as shown by the dotted lines p', against the upper matrix B¹, the depth of which
flange p is determined by the difference in diameter of the first and last points of
contact between the rollers D and the plate P. The upper ring or annular girder
or matrix B¹, securing the plate P in position, is formed at its lower edge of a
diameter corresponding to the outside diameter of the flanged opening in the
plate.
The head or centre piece E carrying the rollers D is by preference formed as
shown particularly in Figures 4 and 5, with a number of bearings c, e¹, e², e³,
ranged round the periphery at different radial distances, so that by shifting the
rollers D from one set of bearings, as e, to another, as el or e², they may be made to
bend over flange openings or holes of different diameters in the plates. Sets of
rollers of different sizes may be fitted into these bearings e, c', e², e³, for a like
purpose, so that a great variety of internal circular edges of plates may be flanged
in one machine. The rollers D, instead of being fitted in the open bearings, may
be fitted to turn on pins or centres, or to roll upon a parallel or tapered shaft or
cone.
The spindle I¹ carrying the driving pinion is by preference screwed and passed
through a screwed boss or nut I° secured to the bed-plate, and it is thus made to
raise the pinion at the same rate as the driven wheel G and head E ascend on the
central screwed spindle F..
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I have to state that I do not confine myself to the
precise details herein described or delineated, but what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore
in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement, construction, or combination of the parts of a
machine or apparatus for Hanging or bending over internal, circular, or segmental
edges of boiler and other metal plates, substantially as herein described in reference
to the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction of apparatus for interual flanging of boiler and other
plates, in which a roller or series of rollers fitted on a carrying piece are caused to
revolve round a central axis, and to move forward in a direction parallel to their
axial line while bearing on and pressing over the internal edge of the plate,
substantially as herein described in reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In machinery or apparatus for internal flanging of boiler and other plates,

page_text: the combination of the carrying head E and rollers D revolving on a screwed
shaft F with the movable rings or matrices B, B', substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lyall, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty-two.
Witness,
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER, C.E.,
Of W. R. M. Thomson & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Glasgow.
JOHN LYALL. (L.S.)