IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CRANKED SHAFTS OR AXLES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Clarke, of the Town and County of
Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF CRANKED SHAFTS OR AXLES."
Sealed the 21st May 1875, and dated the 8th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Clarke at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th March 1875.
I, EDWARD CLARKE, of the Town and County of Lincoln, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CRANKED SHAFTS OR AXLES," to be as follows :-
1
My Invention relates to improvements in machinery for making
cranked shafts by bending, according to the method described in the
Specification of a former Patent granted to me, and bearing date April
13th, 1872, No. 1100.

page_text: another direction to bend and at the proper places to form the crank and
hold it in position while the sides are forced up by the end pressure.
According to the present Invention, instead of employing movable
swages pivoted to the central press head to bend the shaft and assist in
forcing up the crank arms on either side of the cranking block and die,
I provide two additional hydraulic presses with dies suitably shaped, the.
said presses being placed one on either side of the central press at an
angle of about 45 degrees therewith. I therefore employ five hydraulic
presses arranged in a semicircle at equal or nearly equal distances apart,
with their rams converging towards the cranking block or dic on which
the shaft is bent to form the crank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
CLARKE, of the Town and County of Lincoln, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Edward Clarke, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Clarke, my exccutors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward, Clarke,
exccutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CRANKED SHAFTS OR AXLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Clarke, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and scals, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Clarke, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
My Invention relates to improvements in machinery for making
cranked shafts by bending the shaft or bar according to the method
described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me and
bearing date April 13th, 1872, No. 1100.
As therein described the crank is formed by the application of pressure
endwise to the shaft at the same time that pressure is also applied in
another direction to bend it at the proper places to form the crank and
hold it in position while the sides are forced up by the end pressure.
According to the present Invention, instead of employing the movable
swages pivoted to the central press head to bend the shaft and assist in
forcing up the crank arms on either side of the cranking block or dic,
as described in my said former Patent, I provide two additional hydraulic
presses with dies suitably shaped, the said presses being placed one on
either side of the central press at an angle of about 45 degrees there-
with. I therefore employ five hydraulic presses arranged in a semicircle
at equal or nearly equal distances apart, with their rams converging
towards the cranking block or die on which the shaft is bent to form the
crank in the following manner:-In bending a straight bar to form both
sides of a crank at once the dies or swages which are first used are in
the form of rollers. They are first acted on by the central press head,
and are guided by inclines on the cranking block or die, in descending
which they are caused to gradually advance towards the centre of the
crank, thereby avoiding all liability to draw the iron. This is the first
operation, by which the crank is partially bent.
If the crank is not bent sufficiently by the first operation above
described the rolling dies or swages are then acted on by the two
additional or intermediate presses above mentioned in order to further
bend the bar, the bar being subjected to end pressure from the horizontal

page_text: rams, during which operation the crown of the crank may or may not
be held down on the cranking block or die by means of the central ram.
This may be termed the second operation. The bar would now perhaps
be bent half way down into the cranking block or dic, and to finish it
the rolling dies are removed, and the central ram is brought down with
a die firmly on the crown of the crank to hold it in position, and side
finishing swages corresponding in form to the finished crank are then
applied and are subjected to pressure from the additional and the liori-
zontal rams simultaneously, the horizontal rams also pressing on each
end of the crank shaft. This is the 3rd operation.
If however the first operation is sufficient the second may be omitted
by proceeding at once to finish the crank by the third operation above
described. The dies or swages may be made to suit round iron, or varied
to suit a flat surface suitable for a square crank. So far this applies to.
bending both sides of a crank throw at once. For other forms of crank
a different method is followed; for instance, a wide throw crank can
only be bent one side at a time, and in some cases treble cranks
likewise

page_text: or rods C¹; C, and guided-by inclines D', D'. In Figure 4 the rolling
dies E are removed altogether, and replaced by side finishing dies or
swages H, which are applied as shown, and operated on by the rams B
and C simultaneously, the rams B acting also on the ends of the shaft
itself. The rams B press directly on the ends of the shaft and upon the
swages H through bars I of suitable length, as shown in Figure 5...
--
In bending one side of a crank throw at a time I employ the swage
shown at L, which is similar to one described in my former Patent,
except that the top end is rounded to maintain its position on the head
of the ram C. The bottom end is grooved to suit the form of the crank,
the bar being held in position by the central ram and one of the rams C,
whilst the other ram C applies swage L, the horizontal ram'being applied
as soon as possible to the end of the shaft. The swages necessary for
such an operation. are, 1st, swage L; 2ndly, one rolling dic or swage E;
3rd; the side finishing swage E, all worked by the ram C, the horizontal
ram being applied to the shaft end.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
combination of five hydraulic presses, as described, with rolling and
other dies or swages, and a crank block or die having inclines D', D¹, all
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Clarke, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of our
.
Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five.