Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Steel Balls and other similar Malleable Articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Steel Balls and
other similar Malleable Articles.
We, CHARLES FAIRBAIRN of Mayfield, Clarendon Road, Sale, in the County
of Chester, Engineer, and THE STEEL BALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY
LIMITED, of 2 South King Street Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturers of Steel Balls and Projectiles, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to apparatus employed in the manufacture of steel balls
and other similar malleable articles having circular cross sections and in which
the articles are produced by rolling action between two grooved surfaces.
In such apparatus as at present constructed, the rotation of the article during
the rolling process is generally a rotation around a polar axis, and the resulting
article is more or less spheroidal, and tails or projections are produced at its
poles which are difficult to get rid of subsequently. According to this present
invention, both polar and equatorial rotation are produced in the articles during
the process of rolling, that is to say a motion having two components instead of
one, and consequently more truly spherical articles without tails or pole pieces are
produced.
As in similar apparatus already proposed to be used, the articles are formed
in grooves formed in the contiguous faces of two plates, one or preferably both
of the plates being reciprocated in the direction of the grooves. The grooves are
half round in cross section or have such other approximate form as may be
appropriate for the article to be produced, and the plates are reciprocated in
guides under sufficient pressure.
According to these improvements the grooves are formed in such a linear
direction that the groove in each plate, or if there are more than one groove
in each plate, each groove, commences upon one side of a line drawn in the
direction of the reciprocation, and ends upon the other side of the line. Con-
sequently each groove or a part of each groove is curved or inclined relatively
to the direction of reciprocation. Alternatively, the direction of the groove may
be waved or zig-zagged. The groove on each plate is made precisely similar
to that on the other plate so that when the plates are superimposed or faced
together, at the commencement of their stroke, the grooves will be coincident at
the commencement and at the end, and will cross. each other at an intermediate
point or at intermediate points.
It is preferred to commence each groove with a straight portion one side of which
is gradually cut away so as to form a cut-off to separate the balls or other articles
from the rod, or the commencement of a slow or gradual curved or inclined groove
may be similarly cut away for the same purpose.
The grooves are preferably fed at one end of the plates only, but it is possible
to feed them at each end, that is to say at each backward and forward stroke, in
which case a cut off would be formed at each extremity of each groove.
The apparatus may, instead of cutting off the blanks for the articles automatically,
be fed with blanks, but as it is more convenient and economical to cut them from
the bar, at present it is preferred to employ the method herein before described.
In the process of manufacture, soon after the commencement of the stroke, and
thereafter during the effective rolling action, the ball or other article will be con-
tained within the grooves at their point of crossing and as, with the motion of the plate
or plates, this point moves laterally, the ball will have two motions, one resulting
from the linear reciprocations and the other from the linear displacement. These

page_text: two motions around momentary poles at angles to each other ensure the spherical
result hereinbefore referred to and the avoidance of tails.
Date out 1
r
1001
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Steel Balls and
other similar Malleable Articles.
We, CHARLES FAIRBAIRN of "Mayfield" Clarendon Road Sale in the County
of Chester, Engineer, and THE STEEL BALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY
LIMITED, of 2 South King Street Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturers of Steel Balls and Projectiles, 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:-
This invention relates to apparatus employed in the manufacture of steel balls
and other similar malleable articles having circular cross sections and in which the
articles are produced by rolling action between two grooved surfaces.
In such apparatus as at present constructed, the rotation of the article during
the rolling process is generally a rotation around a polar axis, and the resulting
product is more or less spheroidal, and tails or projections are produced which are
difficult to get rid of subsequently. According to this present invention, both polar
and equatorial rotations are produced in the articles during the process of rolling,
that is to say a motion having two components instead of one, and consequently
more truly spherical articles without tails or pole pieces are produced.
As in similar apparatus already proposed to be used for a like purpose, the articles
are forged or shaped in grooves formed in the contiguous faces of two plates, one or
both of the plates being reciprocated in the direction of the grooves. The grooves
are half round in cross section or have such other approximate form as may be
appropriate for the article to be produced, and the plates are reciprocated in guides
under sufficient pressure.
According to these improvements, the grooves are formed in the plates in such a
linear direction that the groove in each plate, or if there is more than one groove
in each plate, then each groove, commences upon one side of a line drawn to the
direction of the reciprocation, and ends upon the other side of that line. Con-
sequently, each groove or part of each groove is curved or inclined relatively to
the direction of reciprocation. Alternatively, the direction of the groove may be
waved or zig-zagged. The groove or grooves on one plate of a pair is or are made
precisely similar in contour and direction to that or those on the other plate, so
that when the plates are superimposed or faced together, at the commencement of
the stroke, the ends of the grooves will be conterminous. They will also be
conterminous at the end of the stroke, and will travel across each other at
intermediate parts.
«
It is preferred to commence each groove with a straight portion, one side of
which is cut away in a long taper, so as to form a cut-off" to separate the balls
or other articles from the rod, or the commencement of a slow or gradual curved or
inclined groove may be similarly cut away for the same purpose.
The grooves are preferably fed at one end of the plates only, but it is possible to
feed them at both ends, that is to say, at the commencement of the backward and
of the forward strokes, in which case a cut-off would be formed at each end of each
groove.
The apparatus may, instead of cutting off the articles from the rod automatically,
be fed with blanks, but as it is more convenient and economical to cut them from
the bar, it is preferred to employ that method,

page_text: carried into practical effect.
In these drawings:
:-
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section, with a partial section of the driving disc;
Figure 2, a plan of Figure 1;
Figure 3, a plan and end view respectively of the bottom plate;
Figure 4, a partial section shewing the cut-off in the grooved plates and the rod
from which the articles are cut; and
Figure 5, a plan and end view respectively of the upper plate.
In the arrangement represented, the two grooved plates A B are arranged one
above the other, the lower plate B being fixed and the upper plate reciprocated by
the connecting rod C, which receives its motion through the crank pin D on the
rotating disc E. This disc may be rotated by any suitable means at a speed of
from 20 to 90 revolutions per minute or upwards according to the size of the article
to be produced.
The upper plate may be formed with lateral flanges F which work in the side
grooves G of the shallow trough H in which the lower plate is fixed.
The grooves are formed in the plates in such a manner that if both the plates be
laid with the grooved side upward, the two grooves will be similar in direction
form and length. The direction is such that if a line in the direction of the
reciprocation be drawn down the centre of the plate, the groove will commence on
one side of the line, pass over it, and terminate on the opposite side. As more than
one groove in a plate would tend to complicate the working of the apparatus, we
prefer to employ, and have shewn in the drawings, only one. For the same reason
we prefer to feed the apparatus at one end only, this end being that at which the
cut off is formed in the plates.
The cut-off J is formed by cutting away the surface of the plates just outside the
groove at one end, so that the outer boundary of the groove forms a sharp edge
(Figures 3 and 4), which gradually tapers to nothing at the outer end of the
groove. This cut-off is of course formed in each plate, and in the drawings is
shewn at each end.
In the side of the trough, opposite the cut-off in the lower plate, a slot K is
formed for the insertion of the rod R from which the articles are cut. This rod is
pushed forward at the commencement of each stroke, when the plates are in the
relative positions indicated by Figures 1 and 2, so that its end comes fully within
the grooves. The motion of the plate A on its return stroke, cuts off the end of
the bar, and the cut-off portion is retained within the grooves. At the middle
of the stroke the grooves in the upper and the lower plates respectively will occupy
the positions indicated by Figure 3, where the groove in the bottom plate is
indicated in full, and that in the upper plate by dotted lines, and the partly formed
ball will be in the centre. At the end of the stroke, the ball will fall from the end
of the grooves through the hole L, whence it may be delivered to any suitable
receptacle. If the plates are provided with a cut-off at each end as indicated by
the drawings, the operations are repeated for the forward stroke of the upper plate.
In the process of manufacture, the ball or other article will, be contained in those
parts of the groove which are above each other. Thus, by the motion of the upper
plate, the ball will at first move with a rotary motion, and to this will be added as
it enters the curved or diagonal portion of the groove, a lateral displacement the
result being that the ball will be uniformly rotated in every direction owing to its
linear and lateral displacement simultaneously.
If the apparatus is to be fed with blanks, it may be arranged with one edge up,
when the blanks may be fed through one of the openings K.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is-
1. An apparatus for the manufacture of steel balls, and other similar malleable

page_text: articles, constructed arranged and operated substantially as hereinbefore described
and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In an apparatus for the manufacture of steel balls and other similar malleable
articles, grooved plates constructed arranged and operated substantially as herein-
before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. In an apparatus for manufacturing steel balls and other similar malleable
articles between reciprocating grooved plates, constructing and arranging the
grooves in the plates in an inclined or curved direction relatively to the line of
reciprocation, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of Max AD 1892
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicants.