IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COMBINATION HAMMERS." STEAM
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ramsbottom, of Crewe, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
HAMMERS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COMBINATION
HAMMERS."
STEAM
Sealed the 28th April 1865, and dated the 11th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ramsbottom at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th January 1865.
I, JOHN RAMSBOTTOM, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
HAMMERS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COMBINATION WITH STEAM HAMMERS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in supporting the hammer blocks of duplex
steam hammers upon rollers mounted in fixed bearings.
The second part of my Invention relates to the apparatus required for
supporting and moving the articles to be hammered, and it consists, first, in
supporting the rails upon which the truck for the ingot travels on a rocking
frame or platform, or in traversing the said rails laterally for the purpose of

page_text: keeping the article to be hammered midway between the hammer heads, so
that both sides of the article may be struck simultaneously.
Secondly, in supporting the ingot or other article to be hammered in
centres fixed to headstocks, one or both of which is or are moveable to
provide for the elongation of the article; or the article, particularly when of
cast steel, may be provided with pivots or gudgeons at the ends, and supported
in V bearings or antifriction rollers on separate trucks, the distance between
which is at liberty to increase as the article becomes elongated by the ham-
mering. The V bearings or antifriction rollers can be raised by screws or
inclined planes to keep the article, as regards the vertical position, in line with
the centre of the hammer blocks.
Thirdly, in applying steam or other power for giving motion to the trucks
supporting the articles to be hammered. This may be effected by the direct
application of steam or water pressure to a piston or ram connected to the
truck; or the truck may be moved by rack and pinion, or by a screw, or by
rollers acting on a friction bar, or by other suitable combinations of machinery,
the object being to economise manual labour. When the articles are not of
sufficient weight to require steam or other power for moving the trucks, they
may be moved by a hand winch, either stationary or attached to the truck.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ramsbottom in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAMSBOTTOM, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Ramsbottom, Her special license that I, the said John Ramsbottom,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Ramsbottom, my executors, administrators, 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, an Invention for "IMPROVE-

page_text: MENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COMBINATION WITH.
STEAM HAMMERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said John
Ramsbottom, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing.
under my, 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 I, the said John Ramsbottom, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists, first, in supporting the hammer blocks of duplex
steam hammers upon rollers mounted in fixed bearings.
The second part of my Invention relates to the apparatus required for
supporting and moving the articles to be hammered, and it consists in
supporting the rails upon which the truck for the ingot travels on a rocking
frame or platform, or in traversing the said rails laterally for the purpose of
keeping the article to be hammered midway between the hammer heads, so
that both sides of the article may be struck simultaneously.
Also, in supporting the ingots or other articles to be hammered in centres
fixed to headstocks, one or both of which is or are moveable to provide for
the elongation of the article; or the article, particularly when of cast.steel,
may be provided with pivots or gudgeons at the ends, and supported in
V bearings or on antifriction rollers on separate trucks, the distance between
which is at liberty to increase as the article becomes elongated by the ham-
mering. The V bearings or antifriction rollers can be raised by screws or
inclined planes to keep the article, as regards the vertical position, in line
with the centre of the hammer blocks.
And, thirdly, in applying steam or other power for giving motion to the
trucks supporting the article to be hammered. This may be effected by the
direct application of steam or water pressure to a piston or rani connected to
the truck; or the truck may be moved by rack and pinion, or by a screw, or by
rollers acting on a friction bar, or by other suitable combinations of machinery,
the object being to economise manual labour. When the articles are not of
sufficient weight to require steam or other power for moving the trucks,
they may be moved by a hand winch, either stationary or attached to the
truck.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood. and readily

page_text: carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a transverse section, and Figure 2 a side elevation of a duplex
steam hammer constructed in the manner described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me on the Thirteenth day of April One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three, Number 924, to which my present improve-
ments are applied. a, a, are the hammer blocks, furnished with side flanges a²,
supported on the rollers b, b, which when the hammer blocks are moved to
and fro by the direct action of the steam in the cylinders d (only one is shewn
in the Drawing), rotate in the bearings cast in or fixed to the bed plates c, c.
The piston rods of the steam cylinders are connected to the hammer blocks
with an elastic packing, and the simultaneous action of the hammer blocks is
insured by the right and left-handed screws e, as clearly shewn in the Drawing,
and as described in the Specification above referred to. It is evident that this
part of my Invention may be applied to all duplex steam hammers, the hammer
blocks of which move to and fro on horizontal beds or rails.
Figure 8 is an elevation, and Figure 4 is a plan, of my improved apparatus
for keeping the ingot or other article midway between the hammer heads of
duplex steam hammers. f is a table or platform cast with rails for supporting
the truck with the ingot or other article to be hammered; this platform is
supported on the chairs f¹, and is at liberty to rock in them. The shaft 9 is
furnished with the handle g', and to it is fixed the lever g³, connected by the
links g³ to the lever g, which is secured to the under side of the platform f.
By this arrangement the attendant by moving the lever g' can cause the truck
to tilt over in either direction, and thus keep the ingot midway between the
hammer faces; or instead of making the truck to tilt over as above described,
the truck with the ingot or article to be hammered may be supported on rails
capable of being moved laterally.
.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, Figure 6 a plan, and Figure 7 an end view of
a truck for supporting steel ingots or other articles while they are being ham-
mered by duplex steam hammers. I is the body of the truck, connected by cross
beams, and supported on the wheels 2, which run on the rails of the platform f,
see Figures 3 and 4, or on cross rails fixed to the floor of the forge. To one end
of the truck is fixed the headstock i, and the headstock i¹ is capable of adjust-
ment by means of the screw it, which is turned round when required by the
handles and spur wheels shewn. To the headstocks i and are fixed centres,
between which the ingot or shaft h is supported. The nut i of the screw is
connected to the headstock by two bolts 2, and a spring is placed between
the nut and the headstock. The object of this spring is to allow the head-

page_text: stock to yield when the ingot or shaft becomes elongated by the blows of
the hammer without immediately moving the screw ; is a break acting on
the face of the wheel 3, and 1 is a tail spring bearing upon the end of the
screw . The pitch of this screw must be such that it will be turned round
by the pressure of the nut i, when the screw, together with the wheel 18 has
been forced out of contact with the break 7, and this occurs whenever the
pressure upon the headstock is in excess of the adjusted strain of the tail
spring
Figures 8, 9, and 10 represent an end view, a side view, and a plan of a
truck for supporting steel ingots or other articles, and holding them while they
are being operated upon by duplex steam hammers. k is the body of the
truck formed by a strong plate of iron connected by cross beams, and supported
on the wheels 7, which run on cross tram rails placed on the floor of the forge.
To the truck / is fixed the block i, and the block it is capable of being slidden
to and fro on the truck k by the screw, to increase or diminish the distance
between the rollers 3 supporting the cylindrical tire ingot h. By this means
the ingot can be held at the same level as the hammer blocks, or the level of
the ingot can be varied according to its diameter, or according to the portion
that requires to be hammered. The swivel spindle or turntable i* is similar
to that shewn in the Specification above referred to, and serves to support the
ingot while being hammered circumferentially. The spindle fits in a
socket fixed to the truck k.
Figure 11 is a side elevation, Figure 12 an end view, and Figure 13 a plan
of another of my improved apparatus to support ingots or other pieces of metal
while being hammered. are the supporting rollers mounted in bearings in
the frames k. The roller j, supported in the forked lever 1, is for the purpose
of supporting short ingots when passing across from one set of rollers &³ to the
other.
Figures 14, 15, and 16 are three views of another modification of my Inven-
tion. k, k, are two trucks, bevelled at the top, and each provided with a
moveable block 1, screw, and supporting rollers ³. When the ingot h or
other article to be hammered is short and thick, as shewn in full lines in
Figure 14, the trucks and blocks are close together, but as the ingot increases
in length, but decreases in diameter, the distance between the blocks is
increased by turning the screws is to support the ingot and keep it level with
the line of action of the hammer blocks; or the level of the ingot can be
varied by altering the diameter of the rollers 2; or the ingot or other article
may be supported in V bearings connected to the trucks k. I wish also to

page_text: observe that the rollers shewn in Figures 11, 12, and 13 may be mounted
on trucks with inclines, as shewn in Figures 14, 15, and 16, in order to
vary the level of the ingot; or the rollers may be mounted in a frame sliding
vertically, and the height adjusted by means of screws or wedges.
22,
Figure 17 is a transverse section, and Figure 18 an elevation of a friction
apparatus worked by steam or other power for giving to-and-fro motion to
the trucks supporting the articles to be hammered. I represents a portion of
the truck to be moved, and k³ is a catch fixed to the lower part of the truck.
In this catch is a slot or recess for the bent end of the friction bar which
passes between the two sets of friction rollers o, o¹, and p, p'. The rollers o
and p revolve in contrary directions in fixed bearings formed in the bracket or
wall plate q, and and the rollers o¹ and p¹ are supported in the swivel frame ",
which is fixed on the fulcrum shaft r¹. To this shaft are fixed the levers 7
and 3. The former is acted upon by a lever and link to compress the friction
barn between either of the rollers o, o¹, or p, p', and the latter is connected
by a chain's to the truck. The Drawing represents the rollers in the positions
they assume when the truck is at rest. When the attendant moves the lever
in the direction of the full arrow, the roller p¹ presses the bar n against the
roller p, which then moves the truck from the friction rollers, and when the
direction of motion of the truck has to be reversed, the attendant moves the
lever in the direction of the dotted arrow, thereby compressing the bar n
between the rollers o and o¹. If owing to the neglect of the workman the
lever is not acted upon in time, the chains connecting the truck to the
lever comes into operation, and throws both the rollers o' and p¹ out of
gear, thus stopping the truck. Instead of the friction rollers above described,
the truck may be moved to and fro by a screw, or by a rack and pinion, with
self-acting reversing gear like that employed for working the bed of a planing
machine, or the bar n may be connected to a piston or ram actuated by steam
or water under pressure. When the articles to be hammered are not of
sufficient weight to require steam or other power for moving the trucks,
they may be moved by a hand winch, either stationary or attached to the
truck.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,
First, supporting the hammer blocks of duplex steam hammers upon rollers
working in fixed bearings, as shewn and described in reference to Figures 1
and 2.
Secondly, the rocking frame or platform shewn and described in reference

page_text: to Figures 3 and 4, or any equivalent arrangement of parts for keeping the
article to be hammered midway between the hammer blocks of duplex steam
hammers.
Thirdly, the improved trucks described and shewn in Figures 5 to 16,
inclusive, for supporting the ingots or other articles while being hammered.
And, lastly, the application of steam or other power for moving the truck
supporting the article to bo hammered, as shewn and as described in reference
to Figures 17 and 18, and the application of a winch for moving the truck
by hand.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ramsbottom, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-five.
J. RAMSBOTTOM. (L.s.)
J. RAMSBOTTOM. (L.S.)