IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RIVETTING BOILER PLATES, TANKS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rothera, of Hollingwood, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Bolt Maker and Machinist, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RIVETTING BOILER
PLATES, TANKS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tho said William Rothera at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th September 1862.
I, WILLIAM ROTHERA, of Hollingwood, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Bolt Maker and Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RIVETTING
BOILER PLATES, TANKS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:―
First, upon a suitable cast-iron frame I place a ram in sections, and a shaft
with cams and eccentric upon it, so as to push one section of the ram upon
the boiler plates and hold them together until the other part of the cam or
eccentric pushes up the interior of the ram against the rivet, and completes
the rivet, or presses it to its place.
Secondly, at the back part of the machine I put two large levers, which,
when at rest, press against the pedestals of the cam or eccentric shaft, and
hold them in their places until the pressure is put upon the plates of the

page_text: boiler, which at this point of the action presses back the podestals of the cam
or eccentric shaft, and slightly raises the levers. Upon cach lever are
suspended two large weights, one of which rests upon a cast-iron bed or
frame, and the other is always suspended upon the lever, and which determines
the pressure which is put upon the plates. In pushing up the rivet, which is
performed in the same revolution of the machine, the pedestals of the cam or
eccentric shaft are pressed a little further back, which raises the levers a littlo
more, carrying all the weights along with them, and thus putting more
pressure upon the rivet than it does upon the plates. Or the machine may
be made along with these motions before described to have a shaft put up
inside the dolly or holder up, with an eccentric, so as to have a motion at
both sides of the plates. Or I propose to make suitable cast-iron frames, and
place upon them two steam cylinders, and pistons and rods, one set beyond the
other, so that the back rod shall work through the other which is intended for
the rivet, the other or front one to be pressed against the plates, and hold
them tightly together until the back ono comes up and presses the rivet up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Rothera in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROTHERA, of Hollingwood, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Bolt Maker and Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Rothera, Her special license, that I, the said William
Rothera, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
tho said William Rothera, my executors, 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 OR APPARATUS FOR RIVETTING BOILER PLATES,
TANKS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Rothera, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in

page_text: writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Rothera, 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 (that is to say):-
:-
Upon a suitable cast-iron frame I place a ram in sections, and a shaft with
cams and eccentric upon it, so as to push one section of the ram upon the
boiler plates and hold them together until the other part of the cam or
eccentric pushes up the interior of the ram against the rivet, and completes.
the rivet, or presses it to its place.
At the back part of the machine I put two large levers, which press against
the pedestals of the cam or eccentric shaft, and hold them in their places until
the pressure is put upon the plates, which, at this point of the action, presses.
back the pedestals of the cam or eccentric shaft, and slightly raises the levers.
Upon each lever are suspended two large weights, one of which rests upon a
cast-iron bed or frame, and the other is always suspended upon the lever
which determines the pressure which is put upon the plates. In pushing up..
the rivet, which is performed in the same revolution of the machine, tho
pedestals of the cam or eccentric shaft are pressed a little further back, which
raises the levers a little more, carrying all the weights along with them, and
thus putting more pressure upon the rivet than it does upon the plates. Or
the machine may be made along with these motions before described to have
a shaft put up inside the dolly or holder up, with an eccentric, so as to have a
motion at both sides of the plates. I also cause the plates to be held tightly
together, and the rivet rivetted or clenched up at the same time by employing
suitable cast-iron frames, and place upon them two steam cylinders, and
pistons and rods, one set beyond the other, so that the back rod intended for
the rivet shall work through the front rod which is intended for the plates, the
rod being pressed against the plates, and holding them tightly together until
the back one comes up and presses the rivet up.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a
side clevation of a rivetting machine having my improved ram in sections, and
improved mode of adjusting the pressure; Fig. 2 is a transverse section ;
and Fig. 3 a plan of the ram detached; Figs. 4 and 5 aro side and top views

page_text: of my improvements connected with the dolly or holder up; and Fig. 6, a
side clevation of my improved steam rivetting machine.
In Fig. 1, a represents the framework of the machine; b, the driving shaft;
c, the fast and loose pulleys; d, the fly wheel; e, the gearing; f, the shaft to
which the eccentric and cams are fixed; g, the moveable pedestals carrying
the shaft; h, the guide in which the ram works; and i, the dolly or holder
up, which, with the framo a is fixed to a strong metal foundation of about two
feet deep.
The ram consists of several parts. The main part is shewn at j, Figs. 2
and 3, it is formed as a block, with slots k, l, through it, and well fitted to
the guide h, Figs. 1 and 3, so that it can slide to and fro. Into this block is
fitted the cylinder m, which rests against the keys n, by which it is adjusted
to any desired position, and afterwards fixed by one or more screws to the
block. To the front part of the cylinder m is fixed the ring o, used for holding
the plates when being rivetted together, and at the other part is fitted the central
rain which carries the die holder and die for pressing the head of the rivet. This
central ram is formed with a cylindrical part p, and a square head q, which
slides in a corresponding hole in the block j. At the back of the cylinder m
there is a groove, and through the ram there is a slot corresponding with the
slot 1, Fig. 1, through which groove and slot are passed a key and cotter r, for
adjusting the die according to the thickness of the plates to be rivetted
together. On the shaft f there is an eccentric s, having a ring t and rod u for
thrusting against the block v, which slides to and fro according to the throw
of the eccentric in line with the central ram. At each side of the eccentric
there is a cam w slightly in advance of the eccentric, and having a portion of
its periphery concentric with the centre of the shaft, for the purpose of giving
a dwell. The said cams work in the frames x, having blocks y and z, one at
each side of the block v. In the slot of the guide h, Fig. 1, there is a
shaft a', having a handle b', and to the frame is fixed the stop c¹, to prevent
the handle from passing the horizontal line. The shaft carries a block d' in
line with the block v, and also blocks e¹ and f¹ in line with the blocks y and z.
The blocks d', e', and f', when at rest, are in a vertical position, as shewn by
the dotted lines, Fig. 2, but when required to be used they are shifted to the
horizontal position, as shewn by the full lines, by turning the handle and shaft,
the stop preventing the blocks from passing the horizontal line. When the
shaft f, eccentric s, and cams w revolve, the blocks v, y, and z slide to and
fro, but exert no action upon the plate holder or die so long as the blocks
d', e', and f¹ are in a vertical position; but when these blocks are placed by the
attendant in a horizontal position, a means of communication is made between

page_text: the block v and the head q of the central ram, and also between the blocks y
and, and the main block j, and as the cams w are in advance of the eccentric,
they give movement first to the blocks y and z, and then to the blocks e¹ and f¹,
and move the main block j, cylinder m, and plate holder o, so as to press the
plates to be rivetted against the die on the dolly, and hold them firmly
together. At this time the eccentric is forcing forward the block ", which acts
upon the block d¹, and causes to press forward the central ram and die, and
complete the head of the rivet. The main block; and parts connected with it
are returned to their original backward position by means of rods g¹ jointed to
the block j, and sliding on pins on the blocks y and, the rods having slots
of such length as to allow the forward movement of the blocks v, y, z, but
at the same time capable of bringing back the main block the distanco
required.
My improved mode of regulating the required pressure upon the plate
holder and die is represented in Fig. 1. At the back part of the machine I
employ levers, each pressing against the moveable pedestals 9. One of the
levers is shown at h', it works on the fulcrum 2, and presses, as at 1, against
the pedestals. The ends of the levers are guided in the standards k³, and to
each lever is attached a block and links carrying a rod m³, which supports a
heavy weight n' in the box o¹, there being a screw and nut at the bottom of
the rod to adjust the exact position of the weight. Each rod m³ passes
through a weight p', of such size that it cannot enter the box o', which weight
rests upon the box unless prevented. The weights n¹ are made sufficient to
give the pressure required for holding the plates, and the weights p' can be
made more or less as required as they are formed of boxes containing a
greater or less number of metal segments. When the machine is put in
motion, and pressure is being exerted upon the plates to hold them firmly
together, there is a corresponding pressure upon the pedestals g, which
pressure is resisted by the levers h¹ and weights n¹; but when the rivet
has to be pressed, more pressure has to be given, and consequently the
pedestals move further back and lift the weights n', so that they come in
contact with the weights p', and thus obtain sufficient resistance for the head
of the rivet. When the pressure is taken off the rivet, the pedestals are
pushed forward by the levers h', and thereby allow the weights to descend to
be ready for the next operation.
My improvements connected with the dolly or holder up are shewn in Figs. 4
and 5. In the inside of the dolly i, I place a vertical shaft g', having at the
top an eccentric at the back of the die holder and die s¹. At the bottom
of the shaft q is fixed the bevel wheel t, gearing into the bevel wheel u', fixed

page_text: to the shaft v', which carries at the other end the bevil wheel w', gearing into
the bevil wheel ¹ on the shaft y', having at the other end the bevil wheel
gearing into the bevil wheel a² on the eccentric and cam shaft f, corresponding
with the shaft f in Fig. 1. These bevil wheels are all of the same diameter,
and cause the eccentric r¹ to revolve at the same time as the eccentric on the
shaft f, and thereby enable pressure to be exerted on both ends of the pin,
and form two heads at one and the same time. Motion may be given to the
eccentric from any other revolving shaft, but the diameters of the toothed
wheels must be in such proportion as to give one revolution of the eccentric 7**
to one revolution of the shaft f.
My improved steam rivetting machine is intended to perform the operations
of holding the plates tightly together, and rivetting or clenching up the rivet at
the same time. The said machine is shewn at Fig. 6. To the framework c²
I fix two steam cylinders, d, e, provided with pistons f, g, and piston
rods h³,j³, and also the necessary stuffing boxes. The smaller cylinder is placed
before the larger one, so that the back piston rod shall work through the fore-
most. The front piston rod h² is provided with a ring , and is employed to
press against the plates to be rivetted, and the back piston rod is provided
with a dio for forming the head of the rivet. Thus the back rod intended
for the rivet passes through the other rod which holds the plates, the valves
being so worked that when the plates are held the back rod and die sball
come forward and press the rivet up. The framework is made of any
desired size and strength, and fixed to a strong foundation. The valves for
working the pistons are made in any well-known manner, and
hand, in order that the pistons shall move forward at the exact time that the
plates should be held and the rivet head formed.
are worked by
It will be seen that this improved machine differs from any that have been
hitherto made, for instead of only one cylinder and parts connected with it for
the purpose of rivetting, I employ two cylinders and parts connected with
them, in order to perform the operations of holding the plates and rivetting up
at the same time, the plates being pressed more tightly together than by the
ordinary process of rivetting.
Ilaving now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desiro it to be under-
stood that I claim, in machinery or apparatus for rivetting boiler plates, tanks,
and other articles,―
First, the formation of the ram in a number of sections or parts, for the
purpose of holding the plates to be rivetted tightly together, and rivetting or
clenching up at the same time.

page_text: Secondly, the employment of levers acting on the pedestals of the eccentric
and cam shaft in connection with two weights for each lever, one weight
adapted to give the pressure for holding the plates tightly together, and the
two weights combined for giving the pressure required for rivetting up.
Thirdly, the employment inside the dolly or holder up of an eccentric
placed behind the dic, and caused to revolve simultaneously with the occentric
and cam shaft of the machine, in order to rivet up both ends of the pin, and
form two heads at the same time.
And, fourthly, the employment of two steam cylinders, pistons, and rods,
one set beyond the other, and the rod of the back piston passing through tho
rod of the foremost one, so that the foremost piston rod and holder shall act
upon the plates and hold them tightly together, and the back piston rod and
die act upon the rivet and form the head, as all such improvements are herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rothera, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WILLIAM ROTHERA. (L.s.)
Signed, scaled, and delivered by the
within-named William Rothera, in
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.