Improvements in Rolls for Rolling Cylindrical or Parallel Metallic Tubes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 2nd June, 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rolls for Rolling Cylindrical or Parallel Metallic
Tubes.
We, JABEZ LONES and EDWARD HOLDEN, trading as Lones, Vernon and Holden,
of Sandwell Iron and Axle Works, Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
Our invention consists of rolls constructed, arranged and worked in the
manner hereinafter described whereby the rolling and reduction of a tabular
billet of iron or steel or other ductile metal or alloy and the production of a
cylindrical or parallel tube therefrom is facilitated.
Parallel metallic tubes either circular, elliptical, square or of other figure in
cross section may be rolled by rolls constructed according to our invention.
The rolls we employ are gapped rolls or rolls having in their peripheries cut
away parts so that the end of the billet or partly made tube can be introduced
between the said gaps when the rolls in their rotation have brought the said
gaps opposite each other. The gapped rolls may either be of the kind in which
the billet or partly made tube is introduced between the rolls from the front
and is carried by the rotation of the rolls through them to the back thereof and
is returned by hand or by mechanical means over the rolls to the front for a
further rolling operation; or the gapped rolls may be of the kind called
back action rolls or rolls in which the billet or' partly made tube
is introduced into the gaps of the rolls at the front thereof and is
returned by the back action of the rolls to the workman at the front of the rolls.
The hollow billet or partly made tube is supported upon a parallel mandrel
during the rolling operation and the rolls of either of the kinds described, have
a series of grooves in them of progressively diminishing size and of a configu-
ration proper to roll and elongate the said billet and tube and also of a cross
sectional figure corresponding with the cross sectional figure of the parallel
tube to be rolled. Instead of a series of grooves one groove only may be
employed in the rolls for reducing the billet.
We expand or bell-mouth one or more of the grooves of the rolls when they
join the gaps or cut away parts of the rolls for the centring of the billet or tube
when it is passed into the coincident gaps of the rolls and before the said billet
or tube is seized by the rolls.
For the purpose of ensuring that the acting parts of one roll are brought
exactly opposite the corresponding parts of the other roll and the consequent
accurate rolling of the tube obtained, we gear the two rolls together by means
of gearing wheels at one end or at both ends of the barrels of the rolls and
inside the housings of the rolls; or the gearing wheels may be situated at the

page_text: middle of the rolls. The gearing wheels may be cast solid with the barrels or
made separately and keyed thereto.
Dated this Fifteenth day of October 1898.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Rolls for Rolling Cylindrical or Parallel Metallic
Tubes.
We, JABEZ LONES and EDWARD HOLDEN, trading as Lones, Vernon and Holden,
of Sandwell Iron and Axle Works, Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement: -
Our invention consists of rolls constructed, arranged and worked in the
manner hereinafter described whereby the rolling and reduction of a tubular
billet of iron or steel or other ductile metal or alloy and the production of a
cylindrical or parallel tube therefrom is facilitated.
Parallel metallic tubes either circular, elliptical, square or of other figure in
cross section may be rolled by rolls constructed according to our invention.
Tubes rolled according to our invention may be made of iron or steel, copper
or other ductile metal or alloy and the rolling may be effected either in a heated
or cold state.
The rolls we employ are gapped rolls or rolls having in their peripheries cut
away parts so that the end of the billet or partly made tube can be introduced
between the said gaps when the rolls in their rotation have brought the said
gaps opposite each other. The gapped rolls are of the kind called back action
rolls or rolls in which the billet or partly made tube is introduced into the gaps
of the rolls at the front thereof and is returned by the back action of the rolls
to the workman at the front of the rolls. The hollow billet or partly made
tube is supported upon a parallel mandrel during the rolling operation and the
rolls have a series of grooves in them of progressively diminishing size and of a
configuration proper to roll and elongate the said billet and tube and also of a
cross sectional figure corresponding with the cross sectional figure of the parallel
tube to be rolled. Instead of a series of grooves one groove only may bo
employed in the rolls for reducing the billet.
We expand or bell-mouth. one or more of the grooves of the rolls where they
join the gaps or cut away parts of the rolls for the centering of the billet or
tube when it is passed into the coincident gaps of the rolls and before the said
billet or tube is seized by the rolls.
For the purpose of ensuring that the acting parts of one roll are brought
exactly opposite the corresponding parts of the other roll and the consequent
accurate rolling of the tube obtained, we gear the two rolls together by means
of gearing wheels at one end or at both ends of the barrels of the rolls and
inside the housings of the rolls; or the gearing wheels may be situated at the
middle of the rolls. The gearing wheels may be cast solid with the barrels or
made separately and keyed thereto. These gearing wheels may be applied to
back action gapped rolls and to rolls in which the billet or partly made tube
is introduced between the rolls from the front and is carried by the rotation of
the rolls through them to the back thereof and is returned by hand or by
Diechanical means over the rolls, to the front for a further rolling operation.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation and
Figure 2 in cross section, taken on the dotted line Figure 1, a pair of back action
gapped rolls constructed according to our invention for rolling cylindrical
or parallel metallic tubes; Figure 3 represents a cross section of the rolls the
grooves of which are so modified that a collar or flange can be rolled on one or
both ends of the tube.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1 and 2.
a, b are the two rolls provided with grooves c, c, c, of progressively diminishing
diameter and of a configuration proper to roll and elongate the billet or tube sup-
ported upon the parallel mandrel e and of a cross sectional figure corresponding
with the cross sectional figure of the parallel tube to be rolled; f, f are the
gaps or cut away parts of the rolls. The rolls a, b rotate in the direction of the
arrows Figure 2 and carry the billet (indicated in dotted lines) or partly rolled
tube, supported on the parallel mandrel e back to the workman at the front A
of the rolls.
In using the back action gapped rolls Figures 1 and 2 the hollow billet on
the mandrel e is passed by the workman at the front A of the rolls into the
gaps f, f in front of the first or largest groove c, when the said gaps are
brought opposite one another in the position Figure 2, and the billet passed the
proper distance through the eye of the roll. The rolls in their rotation seize
the billet and return it to the workman at the front of the rolls, the action of
the groove elongating the billet upon the parallel mandrel o. The partly made
tube is then passed in succession through the several diminishing grooves c of
the rolls until it is brought to the diameter and length of the finished tube
Figure 4.
In order to facilitate the centering of the billet or partly made tube when it
is passed into the coincident gaps of the rolls and before the tube is seized by
the rolls, the grooves c, c, c of the rolls, where they join the gaps or cut away
parts f, f, are expanded or made of a bell mouth figure as represented at 2, 2
When one or both ends of the rolled tube require a boss, collar or flange to
be rolled upon it as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4, the partially made
tube is fed to an annular recess in the rolls as represented in Figure 3 and
marked g, the said recess opening into the groove in the rolls. By the action
of the said recess the end of the tube is so shaped as to leave a roughly formed
boss, collar or flange on the end of the finished tube which boss, collar or flange
may be perfected in any convenient way.
The rolls a, b are geared together by the toothed wheels h, i situated at the
ends of the barrels of the rolls and within the housings of the rolls. Or the rolls
may be geared together by toothed wheels at one end only of the barrels of the
rolls, or at the middles of the barrels of the rolls. The gearing wheels of the
rolls may either be cast solid with the barrels of the rolls or made separately
and keyed to the barrels of the rolls.
By the use of the gearing wheels described and represented the acting parts
of one roll are brought exactly opposite the corresponding parts of the other roll
and the consequent accurate rolling of the tube obtained.
Figure 5 represents in front elevation and Figure 6 in cross section, a pair of
modified gapped back action rolls for rolling cylindrical or parallel tubes the
said gapped back action rolls being provided with a single groove; Figure 7
represents the cylindrical or parallel tube rolled by the rolls Figures 5 and 6.
m, m are the gaps or cut away parts of the rolls; the groove having a large
or expanded mouth 2; p¹ the billet and 22 the parallel mandrel on which the
tube is supported and rolled; h, i are the gearing or toothed wheels for gearing
the two rolls together for the purpose hereinbefore pointed out; A indicates
the front of the rolls where the workman stands.
The action of the back action gapped rolls Figures 5 and 6 is the same as that
of the rolls Figures 1 and 2 excepting that the billet or partly made tube is
several times passed into and acted upon by the rolls, the end of the billet or

page_text: partly made tube after each rolling operation being passed further and further
into the large hell or expanded mouth n² of the groove of the rolls for the break-
ing down of the billet prior to the action of the groove n upon it. The rolling
operation may be effected upon a cold or heated billet.
Figure 8 represents in elevation and Figure 9 in cross section a pair of
grooved rolls for forward or ordinary rolling of cylindrical metallic tubes, the
barrels of the said rolls being provided with gearing wheels as described with
respect to the back action rolls Figures 1 and 5.
, s are the ordinary rolls having grooves t, t, t of progressively diminishing
size; u is the parallel mandrel carrying the billet or tube and v is the tube in
the act of being rolled by the last groove but one of the said rolls; h, are the
gearing wheels at the ends of the barrels of the rolls for gearing the rolls together
and for ensuring great accuracy in the rolling of the tube as hereinbefore
described with respect to gapped back action rolls.
The billet is passed into the largest groove of the set, the workman standing
at the front A of the rolls. As the rolls rotate in the direction of the arrows
they seize the billet and carry it forward, with the mandrel, between the rolls
to the back thereof as illustrated in Figure 9 and thereby elongate the billet as
is well understood. The mandrel with the partly made tube upon it having
been returned from the back of the rolls to the workman at the front of the
rolls the tube is passed in succession in the same manner through the other
grooves of the rolls and the parallel tube Figure 10 thereby rolled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as the said invention:-
First; The improvements in back action rolls herein before described and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings for rolling
parallel or cylindrical metallic tubes, the said improvements consisting essen-
tially in the combination of the gaps or cut away parts of the rolls for intro-
ducing the end of the hollow billet or partly made tube into the rolls, with one
or a series of properly shaped grooves, with bell or expanded mouths, for
operating on the hollow billet or partly made tube supported upon a mandrel
substantially as described and illustrated, the said gapped and grooved rolls in
their rotation seizing the billet or partly made tube, rolling it and returning it
back to the workman at the front of the rolls.
Secondly: The combination with back action rolls of the kinds claimed in
the prior claim of gearing wheels on the barrels and within the housings of the
rolls for ensuring the accurate rolling of the tube as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly The combination with grooved rolls for forward or ordinary rolling
of parallel metallic tubes of gearing wheels on the barrels and within the
housings of the rolls for ensuring the accurate rolling of the tube as herein-
before described and illustrated in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Thinfioth dox of How 1000
JABEZ LONES.
EDWARD HOLDEN.