Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Shaping the Ends of Metal Beams.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Shaping the Ends of
Metal Beams.
I, JOHN MARTIN LONG, of Hamilton, Butler County, State of Ohio, United
States of America, Machinery Manufacturer, 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 pertains to improvements in shearing dies for forming a coped-
joint between flanged beams as, for instance, I-beams or channel-beams.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawing in which :--
Fig. 1, is a perspective view illustrating an I-beam fitted for coping connection
with a second I-beam, the two pieces of beam being shown somewhat separated:
Fig. 2, a perspective view of the improved dies:
Fig. 3, a perspective view of a beam in position in the dies to have the first
effect performed upon the beam, the upper contouring-die being omitted from this
figure: and
Fig. 4, a perspective view of the beam in position in the die to have the final
effect produced, the upper deflanging die being omitted from this figure.
In the drawing
A, indicates an I-beam to which it is desired to connect a second beam at right
angles to it to form a coped-joint, that is a joint in which the end of the second
beam shall fit into the side of the first beam :
B, the channel in the side of this beam, the channel into which the end of the
second beam is to fit :
C, the second beam, whose end is to fit the first beam, this second beam being
the one referred to by the term "beam" when that term is hereinafter used without
qualification, the other beam to be referred to as the "receiving beam":
D, the flanges of the beam:
E, the web of the beam:
F, the ends of the flanges, after cutting, which will come against and make joints
with the side edges of the flanges of the receiving-beam:
G, a die adapted to be secured to any suitable punching or shearing machine:
H, a slot in this die, open in front, and having width corresponding substantially
with the thickness of the web of the beam so that the end of the beam can be poked
into this slot with the top flanges of the beam overlying the die, as indicated in
Fig. 3, the two upper corners of this slot forming cutters:
J, the front of the die, at right angles to the slot and forming cutters to the right
and left of the slot of a length equal at least to the projection of the flanges of the
beam from the web :
K, an exemplifying support for the die, which support may be the bed of the
machine in which the dies are employed, or a die-holder applied to the machine
to support the die, this support requiring of course to be open in front and
give room below the die for the proper presentation of the beam to the die :
L, a top-die, adapted to be attached in any usual manner to the ram of the
punching or shearing machine in which the dies are used, this die being virtually a
punch of a form suited to co-operate with the cutting-edges of the lower die, namely,
the edges J and the sides of the slot, this upper die therefore having the form of
tee, this upper die being hereinafter referred to as the deflanging punch, such being
a convenient term:
a
M, the front of this punch, being a mere plate adapted to have a shearing action
down past the edges J of the die:

page_text: N, a rearward projection from the front of this punch, being a mere plate
adapted to pass into the slot in the die and act as a punch or shear in connection
with the sides of the slot, this back portion of the deflanging-punch being formed
either integral or separable, as desired, with reference to the front of the punch:
O, a die-hole in the die to one side of the slot, this dic-hole also, like the slot,
being open in front:
P, the cutting-edge of this die-hole, at one side thereof, having a contour corre-
sponding with the inner contour of the flange of the beam, this cutting-edge being
the only portion of the die-hole which has a cutting office:
Q, an upper die or punch carried alongside the upper deflanging punch and
adapted to enter the die-hole in the die :
R, the cutting-edge of this punch, corresponding with the cutting-edge P of the
die-hole, the punch Q and the cutting-edge P constituting the contour-dies to
perform a second operation on the beam, the punch Q being hereinafter referred to
as the "contour-punch," and the dic-hole as the "contour-die":
S, a projection of the contour-die forward of the cutting edge P and adapted to
fit the fillet of the beam :
T, in Fig. 3, the portions to be removed from the flange of the beam by the
operation of the deflanging dies:
U, the result of the removal of these portions, leaving the web of the beam
projecting beyond the flanges a distance equal to the depth of the channel in the
receiving-beam :
V, in Fig. 4, the portion to be removed from the projecting web by the action of
the contour-dies:
W, in Fig. 1, the projecting end of the beam after the completion of the
operation, this projecting end being adapted to fit the channel of the receiving-
beam and
X, a notch formed in the front portion of the contour-die to receive and sustain
the lower flange of the beam during the contour-cutting operation, this notch having
the form of the flange of the beam so that when the beam is laid with its projecting
web upon the contour-die, as seen in Fig. 4 the lower flange of the beam will lie
in the notch and have its lower edge supported on the floor of the notch.
In using these dies the beam is first poked into the slot with its upper flanges
resting on the die as is seen in Fig. 3. The punch then comes down and pushes
the beam down, thus removing the portions T from the flange and leaving the beam
in the condition shown at U on the nearer end of the beam in Fig. 3. The beam
s then turned over and a similar operation performed upon the other flange, thus
eaving the beam with its web projecting beyond the flanges a distance equal to the
depth of the channel in the receiving-beam, the further end of the beam in Fig. 4
showing the result of the deflanging process. During this portion of the process
the contour-dies have done no work and they need not have been present.
The deflanging beam is now ready to have the end-projecting portion of its
web contoured to fit the channel of the receiving-beam. It is now poked into
the die-hole with the end of the lower flange resting in the notch X and with
the projecting portion of the web resting on the die with a corner projecting over
the die-hole or a portion of the die-hole. The contour-punch now descends and
removes the portion V, indicated in Fig. 4, thus producing at one side of the
projecting portion of the web a contour to suit the channel of the receiving-beam.
The beam is now turned over and the other corner of the web subjected to the
action of the contour-dies, thus leaving the beam in the condition indicated in
Fig. 1, fitting it to inter-member and form a coped-joint with the receiving-beam.
During the operation of the contour-dies the deflanging-dies have done no work
and need not have been present.
The finished result is seen to be due to the conjoint operation of the two sets
of dies operating dissimultaneously. The unification of the two sets of dies, in the
manner indicated, will be found practially advantageous.

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 :-
1. In beam coping-dies, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
deflanging-die having frontal cutting-edges and an open fronted slot at right
angles thereto and provided with cutting-edges upon its two sides, a deflanging-
punch having cutting-edges to co-operate with the cutting-edges of said die, a
contour-die having a die-hole open in front and provided at one of its sides with a
contour cutting-edge, and a contour-punch having a cutting-edge adapted to
co-operate with the cutting-edge of said contour-dic.
2. In beam coping-dies, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
deflanging-die having frontal cutting-edges and an open-fronted slot at right angles
thereto provided with cutting-edges upon its two sides, and a deflanging-punch
having cutting-edges adapted to co-operate with the cutting-edges of said dic.
3. In beam coping-dies, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a contour-
die having an open fronted die-hole provided upon one of its sides with a contour
cutting-edge, a contour-punch having a cutting-edge adapted to co-operate with
the cutting-edge of said die, and a projection from said die in front of its cutting-
edge and adapted to support the lower flange of the beam being operated upon.
Dated this 1st day of December 1891.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.