Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of Rolled Metal Artioles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 16th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 9th Aug., 1887.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Rolled Metal Artioles.
I, EDWARD SMITH HIGGINS, of 6 Thorborn Square, Southwark Park Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for the manufacture of projectiles
and other articles which are circular in transverse section and either solid or hollow.
The specification of Letters Patent granted to G. F. Simonds and dated 9th June
A.D. 1885, No. 7028, sets forth the production of such articles by a peculiar manner
of rolling between flat dies provided with spreading and reducing surfaces and with
forming or shaping surfaces, that is to say, with surfaces which, in the operation of
the dies, spread or force the metal longitudinally outwards and thus reduce the blank
to approximately the finished dimensions, and with surfaces which impart the desired
shape or configuration to the article to be made.
My present invention is designed to provide for the production of the said articles
by means of rotary dies, and comprises various improvements hereinafter set forth.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I employ rolls provided upon their
peripheries with spreading and reducing surfaces and with forming or shaping
surfaces such, for example, as those described in the said former specification.
mount these rolls or rotary dies in bearings in such a manner that they are adjustable
towards or away from each other, or so that one of the said dies is adjustable
relatively to the other die. I arrange the said rotary dies either side by side or one
above the other, and I connect them by means of suitable gearing in such a manner
that they will be rotated at equal velocities in the same direction, so that their adjacent
parts will move in opposite directions and will cause a bar or blank placed between
them to rotate upon its axis. For this purpose, I sometimes fix toothed wheels of equal
diameter upon the axles of the rotary dies and connect the said toothed wheels by a
pinion fitted to rotate upon a shaft carried in arms or brackets pivotted upon the axles
of the dies, so that the said pinion will be always properly in gear with both of the
said toothed wheels, notwithstanding any adjustment of the dies towards, or away
from, each other.

page_text: I provide means for supporting the bar or. blank while it is being shaped by the dies.
For this purpose, I prefer to use one or more adjustable brackets provided with
antifriction rollers which bear against the said bar or blank, and keep the same in
its proper position relatively to the dies. In some cases, I employ brackets which are
fitted to slide to and fro in cross-pieces attached to the frame of the machine, so that
the said rollers can be adjusted to the most favourable position for supporting the
article being rolled.
If it is desired that the rolled articles should be permitted to fall from the machine
when finished, the lower supporting roller must be carried in an arm or bracket
pivotted upon
the driving shaft or upon the axle of one of the rotary dies, or otherwise
arranged in-such a manner that it will, at the proper time, be automatically moved
away from its position beneath the article being rolled, by means of any suitable
mechanism. I also provide two rollers carried by a bracket attached to the frame of
the machine, for supporting the bar at the outside of the frame. These rollers should
be adjustable towards and away from each other to suit different sizes of bars.
I connect the axle of one of the rotary dies with suitable driving mechanism and
provide a clutch for starting or stopping the machine.
In some instances, and particularly where the machine is required for the production
of small articles, I find it advantageous to provide a hopper through which the blanks
may be fed into the machine, and to make one of the rotary dies with a pocket or
cavity into which a blank will fall from the said hopper in each revolution of the said
die. The said blank is carried around by the die until it arrives in position to be
operated upon by the dies. I provide means for retaining it in this position until it
has been shaped, and I make the other die with a pocket or cavity to receive the
finished article and carry the same around and allow it to fall upon the ground or into
a suitable receptacle.
I sometimes employ, for supporting the blank while being shaped, two levers
pivotted to the frame of the machine and carrying anti-friction rollers. These levers
are connected by a toggle-joint actuated by a cam on the axle of one of the dies, or
they are connected by other suitable means, whereby the said rollers may be moved
towards each other so that the blank will rest upon them, and then moved away from
each other to permit the said blank to drop between them into position to be operated
upon by the dies.
The said rotary dies are made either so that they will roll a single article in each
revolution of the said dies, or the working surfaces of the said dies are made in
duplicate so that they will simultaneously form two articles from the same bar. In
some instances, I make the rolls of large diameter and provide them with two or more
sets of working surfaces arranged in succession around them, so that they will
produce two or more articles in each revolution.
I prefer to so arrange the working surfaces on the said dies that the rolled
articles will not be sheared or separated from the bar until after the desired form or
configuration has been imparted to them. In the case of projectiles which have an
annular groove near the base thereof, I prefer to so arrange the said surfaces that first
the pointed or conical end of the projectile and then the grooved base thereof will be
shaped and finished, and the projectile thus formed will then be sheared or separated
from the bar.
My improved machinery or apparatus may be modified without departing from
the nature of my said invention.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Rolled Metal Articles.
I, EDWARD SMITH HIGGINS, of 6 Thorborn Square, Southwark Park Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer 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 :—
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for the manufacture of projectiles
and other metal articles, objects or bodies which are circular in transverse section.
In the specification of former Letters Patent granted to G. F. Simonds and dated
9th June A.D. 1885, No. 7028, an invention is described which comprises the
production of circular metal articles by a peculiar method or manner of rolling or
rotary forging by means of flat dies provided with spreading and reducing surfaces
and with forming or shaping surfaces; and in the specification of Letters Patent
granted to the said G. F. Simonds and Dated 9th January A.D. 1886, No. 396, an
invention is described which comprises the use of rotary dies for this purpose.
Now my present invention is designed to facilitate the production of projectiles and
other circular metal articles by means of such rotary dies.
One feature of my said invention is the combination, with a pair of rotary dies, of
horizontally adjustable devices for supporting or retaining the bar or blank in its
proper position between the said dies. For this purpose I prefer to use rollers
carried by forked rods which are capable of horizontal adjustment or of both
horizontal and vertical adjustment. In some instances, however, I use other suitable
supporting or retaining devices.
Another feature of my said invention is the provision of pockets or cavities in the
rotary dies, so that a blank introduced into the pocket of one die will be carried around
thereby until it arrives between the two dies, and will then fall into position to be
rolled, and the rolled or finished article will fall into the pocket of the other die and
be carried around thereby and discharged from the machine.
My said invention; moreover, comprises the provision of means for automatically
feeding the blanks into the machine; and it also comprises various other improvements
hereinafter set forth..
In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated different forms or modifications of
my improved machine or apparatus.
Figure 1 is a plan of a machine wherein the rotary dies are arranged side by side,
some of the parts being removed.

page_text: gare an end elevation of the said machine.
Figure 4 is a plan, and
Figures 5 and 6 are sectional elevations, drawn to an enlarged scale, shewing details
of construction.
Figure 7 is a side elevation shewing a slight modification of the machine illustrated
in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of a machine wherein the rotary dies are arranged one
above the other.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the base-plate or frame of the machine. B B are the rolls or rotary dies,
which are formed or provided with axles or journals b, whereby they are supported in
bearings CC. These bearings are fitted in slots a in the frame A so that they are
capable of horizontal adjustment to regulate the distance between the said rolls or
dies. The said bearings are held down by means of caps C³, and lateral displacement
of the said bearings is prevented by means of set-screws D, which are fitted into
tapped holes in the frame A, and whereby the adjustment of the said rolls or dies may
be effected. These set-screws are provided with lock-nuts d, whereby they may be
firmly secured in any desired position.
E, E are toothed wheels of equal diameter, which are fixed upon the axles or
journals of the rotary dies B, B¹ and are geared with each other by means of a pinion F.
This pinion is fixed upon a shaft F¹ which is fitted to rotate in arms or links G
pivotted upon the axles or journals b, so that the said pinion will be always properly
in gear with the toothed wheels E, E¹ notwithstanding any adjustment of the rolls or
dies towards or away from each other.
H is a toothed wheel which is fixed upon the axle of the roll or die B₁ outside the
frame A and is geared with a pinion I fitted to rotate upon the driving shaft I.
This shaft is carried in bearings in the frame A and in an upright or standard A¹.
The driving shaft I' has fixed thereon a pulley 12 whereby the said shaft is to be
connected, by means of a belt, with a steam-engine or other suitable motor. The said
shaft I is, moreover, provided with a friction clutch I', whereby it may be connected
with the pinion I or disconnected therefrom for the purpose of starting or stopping
the machine. The said clutch is operated by means of a lever J connected therewith
by the link J and lever J'.
K, K are cross-bars which are firmly attached to the frame A. The cross-bar K
is provided with flanges k whereby it is secured upon the caps C by means of the
holding down bolts C³. The cross-bar K¹ is provided with flanges whereby it is
secured by means of bolts to the sides of the frame A. L L' are blocks which are
fitted to slide in slots ², in the said cross-bars and through which are passed
screw-threaded rods or bolts M M¹ formed with forked heads m. In these
forked heads are fixed pins m' upon which rollers m³ are fitted to rotate. These
rollers are designed to retain the bar or blank in its proper position between the
dies previous to and during the action of the dies thereon, the said bar or
blank being supported upon the lower rollers and held down by the upper rollers.
The rods or bolts M, M¹ are provided with nuts m³ and with washers m' one of which
is placed between each of the said nuts and the block L or L. These blocks and
washers are so constructed and arranged that when the nuts are tightened the said
washers will tightly grip the cross-bars K, K¹ and thus hold the said blocks and the
rods or bolts M M firmly in any position to which they may have been adjusted in
the slots k, k; and when the nuts m' are slackened the blocks L, L' can be moved
horizontally towards or away from each other to adjust the said rollers to the most
favourable position for supporting the bar or blank, according to the shape or
configuration of the article to be produced.
By turning the nuts m³ in one or the other direction, the said rods or bolts M, M¹
can be adjusted vertically to bring the rollers m³ into the required position for
supporting a bar or blank to be operated upon by the dies.

page_text: The rolls or dies shewn in Figures 1, 2 and are desig
n duplicate, that is to say, for simultaneously producing two similar projectiles from
a single bar or blank.
The said rolls or dies are preferably made hollow, as shewn, and any well-known
means are provided whereby cold water can be caused to circulate through the said
rolls or dies for the purpose of preventing overheating of the same.
I prefer, moreover to so construct the dies that the shearing or separation of the
rolled articles from the bar or from the surplus metal at their ends will be effected
after the forming or shaping surfaces have moved out of contact with the said articles,
as described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to C. T. Cayley and dated
26th May A.D. 1886. The dies shewn in the drawings are provided with forming or
shaping surfaces b¹, b' and with cutting or shearing edges 6, and the radius of each
die is reduced at 6 to afford sufficient clearance between the said dies to permit the
introduction of the bars or blanks into position to be acted upon thereby. The
surfaces b¹ are so shaped and arranged that they will commence to act upon the blank
at the centre of the rolls or dies and will impart the desired shape or configuration to
the conical ends of the projectiles. The surfaces 6 are so shaped that, in the
operation of the machine, they will form the annular grooves in the projectiles.
When a bar or blank is placed between the rolls or dies B, B', and the machine is
started, the surfaces 6 gradually reduce the diameter of the said blank, the parts
whereof on either side of the centre of the rolls or dies are forced longitudinally
outwards during this operation. When the conical ends of the projectiles have been
thus formed, the surfaces 6 of the dies act upon the blank and form the grooves
therein. The cutting edges 6 then shear or separate the said projectiles from the bar
and from the surplus metal at the end of the blank.
It obvious that the rolls or dies may be either intermittently or continuously
rotated.
In some instances the machine is provided with interchangeable rolls or dies, so
that it may be used for the production of articles of different form or configuration.
To provide for permitting the rolled articles to fall from the machine when finished,
I sometimes modify the construction of my improved machine as shown in Figure 7.
In this modification of my invention, the lower supporting rollers m³ are fitted to
rotate upon pins n fixed in arms or levers N pivotted upon the axle of the die B¹.
These levers are connected by rods or links n¹ with levers n' pivotted at n³ to the
frame A; the levers n' are connected by rods or links n with levers n* pivotted at n
to the frame A and coupled to sliding bars n'. The bars n' are formed with slots n
and are secured to the frame A by means of bolts n passing through the said slots.
The said bars are, moreover provided with antifriction rollers 10 which run in cam-
grooves b formed in the die B, so that, in each revolution of the dies, the lower
rollers m' will, through the medium of the said levers and rods be automatically
moved away from their position beneath the rolled article and will thus permit the
said article to fall from between the said dies.
I sometimes provide two rollers O (Figures 1, 2 and 3) carried by a bracket O¹
attached to the frame A, for supporting the bar at the outside of the said frame.
These rollers are arranged to rotate upon bolts 02 which are fitted to slide in a slot O'
in the bracket O¹ and are capable of adjustment towards and away from each other by
means of a right and left hand screw O to suit different sizes of bars.
In some instances, and particularly where the machine is required for the production
of small articles, I find it advantageous to provide a hopper or chute through which
the blanks may be fed into the machine. In this case, I make one of the rotary dies
with a pocket or cavity into which a blank will fall from the said hopper or chute in
each revolution of the said die, so that the said blank will be carried around by the
said die until it arrives in the rolling position and I make the other die with a pocket
or cavity to receive the finished article and carry the same around until it falls upon
the ground or into a suitable receptacle. And I prefer, in this case, to provide means
for automatically feeding the blanks into the machine.

page_text: In the modification of my invention shewn in Figure 8, the dies B, B' are arranged
one above the other and are provided with pockets or cavities 66 67 for the purposes
above specified; a hopper or chute P is firmly secured to the frame A in such
a position that the blanks, as they fall therefrom will drop into the pocket 66. The
said hopper is provided with a feed-wheel Q which is arranged to be operated
by means of a ratchet-wheel q fixed on the axle of the said feed-wheel and a pawl r
carried by a lever R pivotted upon the said axle. This lever is connected by a rod s
and straps with an excentric S fixed on the axle 6 of the roll or die B. By these
means the said feed-wheel is intermittently rotated in such a manner that, at the
time, a blank will be caused to fall from the hopper or chute P into the pocket b
proper
T, T are two levers which are pivotted to the frame of the machine and which
carry anti-friction rollers t. These levers are connected by a toggle-joint t¹ and a
rod t fitted to slide up and down in a guide t* is coupled at its upper end to the said
toggle-joint. The lower end of the rod t is provided with an antifriction roller which
works in a cam-groove t³ in the die B'. By these means the said levers and rollers
are, in the operation of the machine, moved alternately towards and away from each
other for the purposes hereinafter specified.
The operation of this machine is as follows that is to say: In each rotation of the
dies a blank is fed from the chute P into the pocket 66 and is carried around by the
die B until the said blank drops upon the reduced part 6 of the die. The rollers t
are then moved towards each other so that they hold the blank in position while being
rolled. When the rolled articles have been sheared or separated from the bar,
the rollers t are moved apart so that the said article drops into the pocket 67; the
rolled article is then carried around by the die B₁ until it falls upon the ground
or into any suitable receptacle.
Any other suitable means may, if desired, be employed for retaining the blanks in
position while acted upon by the dies and then permitting the rolled articles to drop
Into the pocket br.
When the articles are of such small diameter that supporting rollers could not
conveniently be made to enter the space between the dies, use other suitable guides
or supporting devices.
The rolls or rotary dies shewn in the drawings are made with a single set of
working surfaces so that they will produce only two projectiles in each revolution.
In some instances however, I make the said rolls or dies with two or more sets
of working surfaces arranged in succession around them, so that they will produce
any desired number of articles in each revolution.
The working surfaces or dies proper are sometimes formed upon hollow cylinders
which are keyed or otherwise secured upon either solid or hollow rolls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that I claim :-
:-
First. The combination, with the rolls or rotary dies, of devices which support
the blanks or retain the same in position while acted upon by the dies, and which are
adjustable horizontally, or both horizontally and vertically, so that their position can
be varied according to the shape or configuration of the articles to be rolled,
substantially as set forth.
Second. The provision of means for moving the lower supporting or retaining
device or devices out of and into their operative position, as, and for the purpose,
above specified.
Third. A roll or rotary die provided with one or more pockets or cavities for the
reception of the blanks or of the rolled articles, as and for the purposes, above
specified.
Fourth. The combination, with rolls or rotary dies provided with pockets or cavities
substantially as described, of means for automatically feeding the blanks successively
into the pocket or cavity of one of the said dies, as above specified.

page_text: Fifth. The combination of parts comprising the rollers t, the arms T, T¹, the
toggle-joint t¹ and means for operating the same, substantially as described, whereby
I provide for retaining the blanks in position while acted upon by the dies and
for permitting the finished articles to fall into the pocket of the lower die, as
above specified.
Sixth. The improved machine consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, or Figure 8
of the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, specified.
Dated this 9th day of May 1887.
E. S. HIGGINS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.