IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING MILLS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Spencer, Ironmaster, and Dougald M°Corkin-
dale, Manager of Iron Works, both of Coatbridge, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING
MILLS."
Sealed the 26th October 1866, and dated the 1st May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Spencer and Dougald
McCorkindale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 1st May 1866.
We, JOHN SPENCER, Ironmaster, and DOUGALD MCCORKINDALE, Manager
of Iron Works, both of Coatbridge, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BOLLING MILLS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has principally for its object to render rolling mills less
liable to break down when subjected to extra strains than such mills as
hitherto constructed. In ordinary rolling mills, the rolls are adjusted as
regards their distance apart by screws working in tapped blocks which are
fixed in the tops of the housings. This forms a rigid unyielding combination
and when the iron or other metallic plate or bar that is being passed between
the rolls presents to them a thicker or harder part than they are able to pass,,

page_text: the machine must be brought to a standstill, or some part of or in connection
with it must give way or break down. By the present Invention, however,
arrangements are introduced to permit of the rolls separating when the plate
or bar offers to their compressing action a resistance greater than a certain
predetermined pressure.
In one modification of the arrangements referred to the tapped blocks in
which the adjusting screws act are fitted in the tops of the housings with
freedom to move vertically, and they are connected by two or more rods to
levers situated in a cavity formed below the machine. The ends of the levers
are weighted to exert on the rods the holding down force that may be found
suitable in practice, and when the rolls meet with a greater resistance than
what corresponds thereto the weights are raised and the upper roll rises,
returning again after the passage of the obstruction. Of course the pressure
continues to act on the rolls notwithstanding their separation.
In another modification the weighted levers are connected to the bearing
blocks of the lower roll so as to press it upwards, and they allow it to yield
downwards when an obstruction occurs.
The details may be modified in various ways; thus the levers may be acted
upon by strong springs or by bydraulic rams, or bydraulic rams may be arranged
to act directly and without the intervention of levers; also instead of the blocks
moving in the tops of the housings, the tops of the housings may themselves
be made movable, the movable parts being guided so as to rise vertically.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said John Spencer and Dougald M Corkindale in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
SPENCER, Ironmaster, and DOUGALD MCCORKINDALE, Manager of Iron
Works, both of Coatbridge, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters s
Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Spencer and Dougald McCorkindale, Her special licence that we, the
said John Spencer and Dougald M°Corkindale, our executors, administrators,.
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Spencer and Dougald

page_text: M'Corkindale, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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.
MENTS IN ROLLING MILIS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Spencer and Dougald M.Corkindale, our executors or administrators, 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 John Spencer and Dougald McCorkin-
dale, 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 in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
.
Our said Invention has principally for its object to render rolling mills,
such as are used in the manufacture of malleable iron and steel, less liable
to break down when subjected to extra strains than such mills as hitherto
constructed.
. And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing two of
the various modifications under which our improvements may be carried out.
Figures 1 and 2 on the Sheet of Drawings represent a common plate rolling
mill with our improved arrangements applied thereto; Figure 1 being a
transverse vertical section, and Figure 2 a longitudinal vertical section. In
ordinary rolling mills the rolls 1, 2, are adjusted as regards their distance
apart by screws 8, working in tapped blocks 4, which are fixed in the tops of
the housings or end frame standards 5. This forms a rigid unyielding com-
bination, and when the iron or other metallic plate (or bar) that is being
passed between the rolls 1, 2, presents to them a thicker or harder part than
they are able to pass the machine must be brought to a standstill, or some
part of or in connection with it must give way or break down. By our Inven-
tion, however, arrangements are introduced to permit of the rolls 1, 2,
separating when the plate (or bar) offers to their compressing action a
resistance greater than a certain predetermined pressure.
In the modification shown in Figures 1 and 2, the tapped blocks 4, in which

page_text: the adjusting screws 8 act, are fitted in the tops of the housings 5 with
freedom to rise vertically, and they are pressed down by cross heads 6, which
rest on shoulders formed for the purpose on the tapped blocks, and which are
connected by long bolts or rods 7, passing through openings in the housings
to cross heads 8 below the sole plate 9 of the machine. The lower cross
heads 8 are pressed down by levers 10 centred on pins 11, which are supported
in brackets or lugs 12, cast on or attached to the under side of the sole plate 9.
The cross heads 8 and levers 10 are fitted with steel bearing pieces at their
points of contact; and the levers 10 are weighted at their outer ends in any
convenient way, as for example, by means of boxes 13 as shown, such boxes
being filled with metal or the like. A pit or cavity 14 is formed in the
foundation below the machine for the levers 10 and weights 13, so that the
application of the improvements involves no addition of parts above ground
that might be inconveniently in the way of the workmen. The effect of the
arrangement is, that the adjustment of the screws limits the downward action
of the pressure to the desired width between the rolls and consequent thickness
of the metal, whilst the resistance to be overcome is limited to that which
corresponds to the to the weights on the levers 10, and which can never be
exceeded. The levers 10 are weighted to exert on the rods 7 whatever holding
down force may be found suitable in practice, and when the rolls 1, 2, meet
with a greater resistance than what corresponds thereto the levers rise and the
upper roll 1 yields upwards, returning again after the passage of the obstruc-
tion; of course the pressure is not altered or lessened by this yielding
action, but continues to act on the rolls notwithstanding their separation.
The modification thus described is practically successful, and is believed to
be the most suitable and convenient, but it will be obvious to the practical
engineer that there are many ways in which the main feature of our improve-
ments may be carried out, that is, the applying of a yielding pressure instead
of a rigid unyielding adjustment to the rolls, thus, for example, the upper
parts of the housings may be made separate from, but so as to be guided by
or upon the cheeks or sides, and the weighted levers may be applied to such
separate parts by means of rods (7) as in the modification already described,
or otherwise.
In other modifications of which an example is shown in Figures 3 and 4,
the lower roll 2 may be made the yielding one by arranging the levers 10 to
press upwards by means of cross heads 8 and bars 7 upon the bottom bearing
blocks 15 of the lower roll 2.
Amongst the further modifications of which the details are susceptible may
be mentioned the use of compound or combined levers, the application to the

page_text: levers of powerful springs instead of the weights, and the application of fluid
pressure by means of cylinders and pistons or rams either to the levers or
directly to the holding down blocks or cross heads.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we have to state in conclusion that we do
not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
constructing of rolling mills with yielding appliances for applying the pressure
thereto for the purposes and substantially in the manner herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Spencer, on behalf of myself and
of the said Dougald McCorkindale, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOHN SPENCER