Improved Chain Welding Apparatus.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES HARDEY BAKER, Chainmaker, of
Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States of America.]
Improved Chain Welding Apparatus.
1 JAMES JOHNSON of 4- Clayton Square Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object is to provide simple and efficient apparatus for facilitating the welding
of chain links.
Apparatus under my invention consists essentially of a bed die with opposite
lateral-welding faces and an intermediate vertical cavity in which the link is rocked
from face to face after each blow of the hammer.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Chain Welding Apparatus.
I JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster
Patent Agent 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:-
Heretofore in the manufacture of chain-links it has been the common practice
to employ a pair of dies, of which the bottom die is provided with a face having.
a U-shaped groove adapted to receive the end portion of the link to be welded,
and the moving die is in form a substantial counterpart of the other, and is con-
structed and arranged to strike upon the link. Each link is: welded separately;
an open or unwelded link being heated, threaded in the link last welded, then
placed on the bottom die and welded and after each stroke of the hammer it is
necessary to turn the link over on the die, so that the reverse side of its end portion
shall rest horizontally in the groove before mentioned, and so that both sides shall be
subjected alternately to the stroke of the moving die. As the dies are so con-
structed that one end is closed, the end next to the workman at which the links.
are introduced being open, the part of the chain already formed is drawn out toward
the workman and in order to turn the link it is necessary also to turn with it a
considerable part of the welded chain. The heat of the chain and its weight often:
make this work arduous, consume considerable time, and consequently add
materially to the cost of manufacture. There are other objections to the use of
such dies which affect the quality and strength of the chain-links. Of these the
principal are that they provide for the manufacture of end welded links only,
whereas links welded at the side are stronger and better, and that the moving die
on engaging the lower die receives a forward impulse which cannot be restrained
perfectly and misshapes and weakens more or less the metal at the place of
welding.
The object of my invention is to overcome the objections above noted and to
cheapen and improve the welding of the links.
The invention consists both in an improved method of link-welding and in
improved dies for that purpose, and it is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
in which
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my improved dies, showing the moving die
raised.

page_text: Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line II-II of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on the line III-III of Fig. 2, showing the
dies closed.
-
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom die.
Fig. 5 shows a link while it is open and before it has been welded.
Fig. 6 shows in vertical cross-section dies of modified construction; and
Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6, showing
the dies open.
Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.
In the drawings 2 is the upper dic, and 3 is the lower die. The lower dic 3 is
formed with a recess or cavity 62 having at its base a central rest groove (though
this part may be omitted or modified in form and construction, as hereinafter
explained) and with two welding grooves c, d, situate, preferably at a higher level,
and parallel to each other, and so related in distance to the rest groove that when
one side a of the link is in the intermediate cavity the other side a' may lic in
one of the welding grooves, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and that by turning the
link, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the side a¹ may be brought into the
welding groove and may be freely turned back and forth from one welding
groove to the other.
In the drawings I show the grooves c, c', separated from each other a distance
equal to about ninety-degrees of the are of a circle whose radius is a line connecting
the groove with one of the grooves c, c¹. For reasons hereinafter explained this
is the most desirable construction; but it is within the scope of my invention to
construct the die so that these grooves shall be distant one hundred and eighty
degrees of said circle, in which case the grooves c, b, and c¹ would be on the same
plane. It is desirable to construct the die with the groove b, because this groove
affords a rest for the side a of the link. In case it is not desired to use the groove,
the base of the die 3 is made flat or plain.
In Fig. 2, I show both sides A B of the bottom die open, and the workman in
welding the links stands on the side B.
.
The moving die 2 is preferably of the form. shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, having
grooved portions d, d', adapted to register with the grooves e, c', as shown in
Fig. 3, and it may have portions adapted to engage the lower die and to act as
stops. The form of this die may be modified in various ways, such as will suggest
themselves to the skilled mechanic by reading this Specification.
In using the dies, the workman first takes an open chain-link having its ends
suitably scarfed, as shown in Fig. 5, heats the link at the scarfed ends, then gives it
a blow either with the die or with a hammer, so as to bring the scarfed ends
together, and having laid the link in the die, as shown in Fig. 3, so that one side a
shall lie in the intermediate cavity on the groove b, and the other side a which
is to be welded, shall lie in the groove c or c', the moving die 2 is caused to descend
and to strike against the side a' as shown in Fig. 3, and as the die rises, the
workman with his tongs turns the link over laterally so as to bring the side a' into
the groove as shown by dotted lines, and after the link has received another
blow turns it back into the groove c, and so turn the link alternately from one
welding-groove to the other until by repeated blows of the upper die it has been
sufficiently welded. When the dies are constructed as shown in Fig. 3, with the
grooves c, c', so placed that each turning of the link will turn its side a¹ one quarter
around and that each blow of the hammer is exerted on the link at a point ninety
degrees from the point of the last blow before, the consequence is that the tendency
which cach blow has for flattening out the metal is neutralized by the next blow,
and I am enabled to preserve the link symmetrical in form at the weld. It is in
this respect that this form of die is superior to the die in which the grooves c, c¹,
are so situate that in shifting the link laterally it shall turn more than ninety
degrees. When the first link has been welded in this manner, the workman takes
another unwelded link from the heating furnace threads it into the welded link
and places it on the bottom die in the manner shown in Fig. 2, while the already

page_text: welded link is suffered to rest in an upright or nearly upright position on a seat k
at the front of that die. When in this position, the link being welded can be
turned back and forth on the die in the manner explained above without interference,
with the link or links already welded so that instead of being obliged to move the
whole chain in turning the link, only the link itself need be handled and moved,
and as the links of the chain which are welded in succession are not in the way of
the workman, the operation is rendered very much easier. When it is desired to
insert between the sides of the link the strengthening stud or post commonly
employed in making chains of large size, the link after being welded is set on its
lateral edge in an upright position on the die 3, and the stud fhaving been inserted,
a stroke of the hammer-die 2 will serve to close the sides of the link upon the stud.
For this purpose I may form in the hammer-die a cavity g, the base of which forms
the striking surface. The same means may be employed when instead of inserting
a stud in the link, it is desired to force the sides of the link together for the
purpose of shaping it by reducing its width..
In Figs. 6 and 71 show a bottom die of modified form. This dice possesses many
intrinsic advantages, and while it embodies the same general principles of con-
struction and mode of use as the dies shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, it illustrates
some of the various changes within the scope of my invention which may be made.
in the die by the skilled mechanic. In Fig. 6, instead of employing a central
groove in which the side a of the link rests, and locating the grooves c, c', so that
they shall be ninety degrees apart on a circle whose centre corresponds to the
groove, the latter groove is omitted altogether and the cavity of the die, in
which the side a of the link rests, may be without bottom support, but its sides are
preferably inclined so as to support the link laterally in proper position. The
hammer-die corresponds in shape to the altered shape of the lower die. In welding
the link the operation is the same as already described, except that in shifting it
from one welding-groove to the other the link is supported by the tongs of the
workman and is not only turned one-quarter but is shifted laterally somewhat, as
shown by the dotted and full lines. This construction is somewhat advantageous
in respect of the fact that more room for manipulating the work is afforded to the
workman. A vertical slot or cavity is formed in the die, extending downwardly
from the intermediate cavity for the reception of the link last welded, which
during the welding of the next, stands upright, while the preceding link may extend
horizontally therefrom as shown in the drawings. In shifting the link being welded
from one side of the die to the other the next link also turns within the cavity has
indicated in Fig. 6, but its action in this regard is very easy and causes no materially
additional labor to the workman.
In order to use the dies for inserting the stud in the link, I draw the link after
it is welded over upon the die-surface, Fig. 7, and there subject it to the action
of a corresponding portion of the moving die, which will close the sides of the link
upon the stud.
Instead of using the dies shown in the drawings for making chains, it is clear
that they may be employed for making single links, which may be used for any
purpose in the arts to which they may be adapted. Thus coupling-links and links
of other sorts may be made by such dies with a great saving in cost and labor.
In making single links, as it is not necessary that the dies should be adapted to
receive another link threaded into the link being welded, I may modify the dies in
form. Thus instead of using grooves c, c', as the welding-grooves the groove
be used for this purpose, and the moving die changed correspondingly.
The advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled in
the art.
may
My improved dies are the means of reducing greatly the labor of link welding
and make cheaper and better links.
While I have shown the dies adapted especially to welding chain-links at the
sides, I do not intend in the claims to exclude dies modified so as to be adapted to
weld the links at the ends.

page_text: Having now particularly described' and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In apparatus for welding links, the combination with the moving die of a
bed-lie having a vertical cavity adapted to receive the body of the link and to
permit it to be turned laterally therein during the welding operation, substantially
as and for the purposes described.
Second. In apparatus for welding links, a die having two opposite welding
grooves or shoulders adapted to receive the same side of a link when turned from
one groove to the other, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Third. In apparatus for welding links, a die having two opposite grooves or
shoulders adapted to receive one side or end of an intermediate link which may be
turned from one groove to the other, and an intermediate cavity or recess in the
die for the other side or end of the link, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
Fourth. In apparatus for welding links, a die having two opposite welding
grooves or shoulders adapted to receive one side or end of an intermediate link
which may be turned from one groove to the other, and an intermediate cavity or
recess in the die for the other side or end of the link, said grooves or shoulders
being so situate relatively to each other that the link shall be turned about
ninety degrees in shifting its side from one to the other, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
Fifth. A link welding-die having two oppositely placed welding-cavities which
correspond to one side of the link and provided with an interposed or intermediate
pit which permits the partial rotation of the link to present opposite faces thereof
to the welding-die substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Sixth. A welding-die having two parallel welding-cavities and an interposed link
pit or cavity for retaining the preceding link, substantially as and for the purposee
specified.
J
J. JOHNSON.