IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BENDING OR SIIAPING ANGLE IRON OR STEEL FOR SHIP-BUILDING AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Gilkison Reid, of Port Glasgow in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain and DAVID THOMSON of Johnstone in the same
County for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BENDING OR
SIIAPING ANGLE IRON OR STEEL FOR SHIP-BUILDING AND SIMILAR PURPOSES”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Gilkison Reid and
David Thomson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patonts on the
1st November 1883.
DAVID GILKISON REID, of Port Glasgow, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, and DAVID THOMSON, of Johnstone, in the samo County, "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR BENDING OR SHAPING ANGLE IRON OR STEEL FOR SHIPBUILDING
AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
"
This Invention has for its object the bending or shaping of angle iron or steel
for shipbuilding and similar purposes.
In one modification of the improved apparatus which is suited for bending the
angle iron or steel for ship frames at parts having curvatures of comparatively short
radius and especially where the flange has to be bovilled or inclined, there are
three rollers on the upper ends of shafts which are vertical in their normal positions
but capable of being set at such angles as may be required. The rollers have
grooves in them to engage upon one flange of the angle iron or steel and two of
them act on one side and are driven; whilst the third which is not driven acts on
the other side at a point midway between the points of action of the two driven
rollers. The third roller is made to approach the others more or less according to
the degree of bending required by two screw spindles acting on vertical slides
working in horizontal guides in the sides of the frame of the machine, the two
screw spindles being actuated through spur gearing from a single handwheel. The
slides at the sides of the frame have fitted to them a transverse frame made capable
of turning about a horizontal axis, and on this transverse frame there is fitted a

page_text: slide which can be moved or adjusted vertically and which has on it the bearings
for the shaft of the roller. The two driven rollers have the bearings of their shafts
upon a slide which is vertically movable on a transverse frame, and this transverse
frame is fitted to the side frames of the machine so as to be capable of turning
about a transverse horizontal axis. The angular movements or adjustments of the
transverse frames are obtained by means of worm and worm wheel gearing, and
the two driven rollers receive their motion through wormwheels or bevil wheels on
their shafts these wheels being fitted with grooves and feathers to allow of the
vertical movements of the shafts. Worms or bevil wheels on a shaft situated at
the axis of angular movement of the transverse frame gear with the wheels on the
roller shaft, and their shaft is driven by any .convenient external gearing.
In another modification applicable to frames or parts of frames requiring moderate
bending action, provision is made for operating at once on numerous points of the
angle iron or steel frame. The platform or bed on which the contour of the frame
is drawn down is formed with numerous holes or grooves and on the inner side of
the frame clamp-like stops are fixed or adjusted to the intended contour, whilst a
number of small hydraulic cylinders aro placed externally to the frame and are
fixed in the grooves or by bolts engaging in the holes; and the rams of the cylinders
have heads fitted on them of shapes suitable for acting on the outer flange of the
angle iron or steel. The water for actuating the rams is led to them by flexible or
jointed pipes, and whilst each cylinder is provided with its own valve, there may
in addition be on the supply pipe or a branch thereof a valve for controlling the
action of several cylinders simultaneously.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said David Gilkison Reid and David Thomson in the Patent Office
on the 30th April 1884.
DAVID GILKISON REID, of Port-Glasgow, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, and DAVID THOMSON, of Johnstone, in the same County "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR BENDING OR SHAPING ANGLE IRON OR STEEL FOR SHIPBUILDING
AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
•
Our said Invention has for its object the bending or shaping of angle iron or
steel for shipbuilding and similar purposes.
In one modification of our improved apparatus which is suited for bending the
angle iron or steel for ship frames at parts having curvatures of comparatively
short radius, and specially where the flange has to be bevilled or inclined, thero
are three rollers on the upper ends of shafts which are vertical in their normal
positions but capable of being set at such angles as may be required. Two of the .
rollers act on one side and are driven; whilst the third which is not driven, acts on
the other side at a point midway between the points of action of the two driven
rollers. Provision is made for altering the positions of the rollers in various ways
to suit different forms of ship frames or other requirements.
In another modification applicable to frames or parts of frames roquiring
moderate bending action, provision is made for operating at once on numerous
points of the angle iron or steol frame. The platform or bed on which the contour
of the frame is drawn down is formed with numerous holes or grooves and on the
inner side of the frame clamp-like stops are fixed or adjusted to the intended
contour, whilst a number of small bydraulic cylinders are placed externally to the
frame and are fixed in the grooves or by bolts engaging in the holes; and the rams.
of the cylinders bave heads fitted on them of shapes suitable for acting on the.
outer flange of the angle iron or steel. The water for actuating the rams is led
to them by flexible or jointed pipes, and whilst each cylinder is provided with its
own valve there may in addition bo on the supply pipe or a branch thereof a valvo:
for controlling the action of several cylinders simultaneously.
The angle iron or steel may be heated to facilitate the bending or shaping of it,
at the same time our improved apparatus may be used for acting on the iron or.
steel in a cold state when it is of a suitable quality.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood we hereunto append four sheets of explanatory
drawings to be hereinafter referred to and representing examples of our improved.
apparatus.
Figuro, 1, of the accompanying drawings is a plan of our improved roller frame
bending machine, figure, 2, is a corresponding front elevation and figure, 3, is a
sectional side elevation. Our improved hydraulic bending apparatus is shown on
sheet, 4, figure, 4, being a plan, figure, 5, an enlarged sectional end elevation and
figure, 6, an enlarged side elevation. In theso drawings the same reference
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In the roller bending machine figures 1, 2, and 3, there are two main side
frames, 7, connected by front and back transverse frame bars, 8, 9; and these side:
frames, 7, are formed with two pairs of horizontal V-guides, 10, 11, on which are
carried two pairs of sliding frames, 12, 13, movable along the guides by screw;
spindles, 14, 15. The screw spindles, 14, for adjusting the front horizontally sliding
frames, 12, are driven by bevil wheels, 16, from a shaft, 17, at the front of tho
machino and having a handwheel, 18, on it; and similarly the adjusting scrow
spindles, 15, for the back horizontally sliding frames, 13, are driven by bevil,

page_text: wheels, 19, on a shaft, 20, at the back, this shaft being driven by means of a
worm wheel and worm, 21, from a shaft, 22, extending to the front of the machine
and having a handwheel, 23, on its front end. The front horizontally sliding
frames, 12, are formed with vertical V-guides for vertically sliding frames or
blocks, 24, which are raised and lowered by means of vertical screw spindles, 25,
working in internally screwed sockets in a transverse frame piece, 26, bolted to the
bottoms of the frames, 12, the spindles, 25, being turned by bevil wheels, 27, from
a shaft, 28, having on it a worm wheel, 29, which is in gear with a worm, 30, on a
shaft, 31, having a handwheel, 32, on its front end. The worm, 30, is made long
enough to gear with the wormwheel, 29, in all positions of the horizontally sliding
frames, 12, the worm wheel rolling on the worm when the frames, 12, are being
shifted In a similar way the back horizontally sliding frames, 13, are formed with
vertical V-guides for vertically sliding frames or blocks, 33, which are raised and
lowered by means of screw spindles, 34, actuated through bevil wheels, 35, from a
shaft having on it a wormwheel, 36, gearing with a long worm, 37, on a shaft, 38,
on the front end of which there is a handwheel, 39.
Extending between the two front vertically sliding blocks, 24, there is a frame
piece, 40; fitted to the blocks, 24, so as to be capable of turning about a transverse
horizontal axis, and having formed or fixed on it two rings of worinwheel teeth, 41,
with which there gear worms, 42, on vertical shafts, 43, carried by the blocks, 24.
These vertical shafts, 43, are actuated for adjusting the frame piece to any angle
through bevil wheels, 44, from a shaft, 45, having on it a handwheel, 40, carried
by a frame bar, 47, connecting the upper parts of the front horizontally moving
frames. 12. The angularly adjustable frame piece, 40, carries two rollers, 48, on
spindles, 49, which are vertical in their normal positions and which are driven by
means of worm wheels, 50, on them in gear with worms, 51, on a transverse
shaft 52. This shaft, 52, receives motion through spurwheels, 53, from a shaft, 54,
in the axis of the frame piece, 40, this shaft, 54, being indicated by dotted lines in
figures 1 and 2, as are also bevil whools, 55, through which it is driven from a
vertical shaft, 56, passing through ono of the vertically moving blocks, 24, but
carried by one of the horizontally sliding frames, 12. The shaft, 56, slides through
one of the bevil wheels, 55, which it drives by means of a groove and feather, and
on its bottom end it has a bevil wheel gearing with a bevil wheel, 57, sliding on a
horizontal shaft, 58, which drives it by means of a groove and feather. The
shaft, 58, has on it fast and loose pulleys, 59, for a driving belt, and may have
pulleys for open and crossed belts if desired.
Opposite to but midway between the two driven rollers, 48, there is a single
undriven roller, 60, which is on the upper end of a vertical shaft, G1, carried by an
angularly adjustable frame piece, 62, fitted so as to be turnable about a transverse
horizontal axis to the two back vertically sliding blocks, 33; and having formed or
fixed on them rings of wormwheel teeth, 63, which are acted on by worms, G4,
on vertical shafts, 65. These vertical shafts, 65, are driven by wormwheels, 66,
which are acted on by a long worm, 67, on a horizontal shaft, 68, having a hand-
wheel, 69, on its front end.
The bending rollers, 48, 48, 60, are changeable to suit the different forms of
angle iron or steel requiring to be bended or shaped; and in some cases additional
guide rollers may be provided as indicated by dotted circles, 70, in figure, 1. At
the lower parts of the roller spindles, 49, 61, plain cylindrical rollers, 71, 72, are
shown in figure, 3, as fixed on for bending double-channel or H iron, 73.
With the arrangements shown in the drawings and hereinbefore described, the
single rollers, G0 or 72, can be placed at any required distance from the pair of
rollers, 48, or the pair, 71, and by suitably manipulating the horizontal vertical and
angular adjustments the rollers can be made to bear on the anglo iron or steel in
whatever position may be best for the object in view in each case.
Our improved hydraulic bending apparatus will be easily understood from
figures, 4, 5, and 6, and the description hereinbefore given. Each hydraulic
cylinder,. 74, is represented as of the kind having a trunk piston rod or ram, 75,

page_text: and a piston of differential area, the water under pressure always acting on the
smaller front area by a branch pipe, 76, communicated with a pressure main, 77.
The other end of each cylinder communicates by a branch pipe, 78, with a three
way cock, 79, connected to the pressure main, 77, and to an exhaust or waste
main, 80. The platform, 81, upon which the angle-iron, 82, is laid when being
bended is formed with grooves, 83, to receive the supports, 84, of the hydraulic
cylinders, 74. These supports, 84, are long narrow soleplates each having a
cylinder at one end and towards the other end carrying a clamp-like stop, 85,
which is adjustable by means of a screw spindle, 86, held in blocks, 87, formed on
the soleplate, 84. The several cylinders, 74 with their soleplates, 84, being
placed in positions near what is required for the form of frame into which the
angle iron or steel is to be bended, and the soleplates, 84, having been secured by
clamping plates, 88, and screw bolts the several clamp-like stops, 85, are adjusted
to the preciso contour intended to be given to the frame, 82, and then the frame
having been placed between the stops, 85. and suitably shaped heads, 89, formed
or fixed on the cylinder rams, 75, water under pressure is admitted into the back
ends of the cylinders, and the frame is then pressed up to the stops, 85, and thereby
bended or shaped.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same we have to state 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 and in terms of the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :-
1. The combination of apparatus for bending or shaping angle iron or steel for
shipbuilding and similar purposes substantially as herein before described with
reference to figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The combining of the angular adjusting movements of the bending or shaping
rollers with the horizontal adjusting movements and with or without the vertical
adjusting movements substantially as herein before described.
3. The arrangement of apparatus for bending or shaping angle iron or steel for
shipbuilding and similar purposes by means of a combination of hydraulic cylinders
substantially as hereinbefore described.
In Witness whereof I, the said, David. Thomson, on behalf of the said David
Gilkison Reid, and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-sixth
day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-
four.