Moveable Supports for Long Rifling and Boring Bars and similar Objects.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th May, 1889-Accepted, 15th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Moveable Supports for Long Rifling and Boring Bars and similar
Objects.
I WILLIAM CRAVEN of the Vauxhall Ironworks, Osborne Street Manchester in the
county of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My said invention relates principally to machines used for boring and rifling cannon
but is also applicable to other purposes which necessitate the use of long shafts or
similar objects.
In rifling machines as at present constructed the rifling bar is supported at one end
by a bearing mounted on the sliding carriage which carries the gearing necessary for
imparting a rotary motion to the said bar. The movement of this carriage
in a longitudinal direction also imparts a corresponding traverse to the rifling bar.
At the extreme end of the bed on which the aforesaid carriage slides and
nearest to the cannon there is provided a fixed pedestal or plummer block in which
the rifling bar is free to revolve and through which it can slide in a longitudinal
direction.
When a rifling bar of great length is used the weight of the said bar gives rise to
deflections in itself which interfere with the accuracy of the work the machine is
called upon to perform.
For instance when the carriage and bar are drawn back to a considerable extent
the bar by virtue of its own weight bends downwards between the carriage and the
fixed support at the end of the bed.
In consequence of this downward deflection the free end of the rifling bar in the
interior of the cannon will be deflected upwards. On the other hand when a con-
siderable length of the free end of the bar is in the interior of the cannon its own
weight will have a tendency to cause it to bend downwards and to cause the other
part of the bar between the fixed support and the carriage to be bent upwards.
The object of my present invention is to prevent or minimise the effects of such
deflections either in a vertical or other transverse direction whether caused by
the weight of the rifling bar itself or the result of stresses occasioned by the cutting
tool when at work.
For this purpose I provide moveable supports which may conveniently be described
as pedestals and which are bored out so that the rifling bar may freely revolve
and slide therein. Such supports are mounted on slides or saddles which are
arranged so as to be capable of being moved along the bed of the machine
under the rifling bar. One or more of the said pedestals are provided between
the carriage and the fixed support and act as bearings or steadies for the purpose
of resisting any tendency to transverse deflection of the rifling bar.
As the carriage advances with the rifling bar it will push the aforesaid supports
before it to the end of the bed, and I provide suitable means, by preference latches
and catches, for connecting the carriage and supports with each other as they
successively come into contact by the forward motion of the carriage; by means
of this connection the supports are drawn backwards as the carriage and rifling
bar recede. At suitable places on the bed of the machine I provide means for
successively disconnecting the supports so as to leave them stationary in any desired
positions. By preference I use for this purpose inclined planes placed so that fingers or
levers connected with the latches may come into contact therewith and lift the
latches clear of the catches on the next support or on the carriage. At the rear of
the carriage I provide similar intermediate supports for the purpose of carrying the
pipe which is used for conveying a lubricating fluid through the rifling bar to the
cutting tool.

page_text: These supports are provided with connecting and disconnecting devices as in the
case of the supports for the rifling bar and are in like manner pushed back and
drawn forwards by the carriage. The appliances for disconnecting these supports
may be placed in any suitable positions so as to distribute the intermediate supports as
desired between the carriage and the end support of the pipe.
Although for convenience of description I have only described my invention as
applied to the support of a rifling bar and a lubricating pipe I wish it to be under-
stood that my said invention is also applicable to the support of long boring bars or
other long shafts, screws, or similar objects.
Dated this Ninth day of August 1888.
JULIUS ALLMANN & Co.,
Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Movable Supports for Long Rifling and Boring Bars and similar
Objects.
"
I WILLIAM CRAVEN of the Vauxhall Ironworks, Osborne Street, Manchester in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"MOVABLE SUPPORTS FOR LONG RIFLING AND BORING BARS AND SIMILAR OBJECTS
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings
My said invention relates principally to machines used for boring and rifling cannon
but is also applicable to other purposes which necessitate the use of long shafts or
similar objects.
In rifling machines as at present constructed the rifling bar is supported at one end
by a bearing mounted on the sliding carriage which carries the gearing necessary for
imparting a rotary motion to the said bar. The movement of this carriage in a
longitudinal direction also imparts a corresponding traverse to the rifling bar. At the
extreme end of the bed on which the aforesaid carriage slides and nearest to
the cannon there is provided a fixed pedestal or plummer block in which the
rifling bar is free to revolve and through which it can slide in a longitudinal
direction.
When a rifling bar of great length is used the weight of the said bar gives rise to
deflections in itself which interfere with the accuracy of the work the machine is
called upon to perform.
For instance when the carriage and bar are drawn back to a considerable extent the
bar by virtue of its own weight bends downwards between the carriage and the fixed
support at the end of the bed.
In consequence of this downward deflection the free end of the rifling bar in the
interior of the cannon will be deflected upwards. On the other hand when a con-
siderable length of the free end of the bar is in the interior of the cannon its own
weight will have a tendency to cause it to bend downwards and to cause the other
part of the bar between the fixed support and the carriage to be bent upwards. The
object of my present invention is to prevent or minimise the effects of such
deflections either in a vertical or other transverse direction whether caused by
the weight of the rifling bar itself or the result of stresses occasioned by the
cutting tool when at work, and in order that my invention may be more fully
understood I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a rifling machine to which my
said invention is applied. Figures 2 and 3 are respectively side and end elevations
on a larger scale to show more clearly certain of the details. The same letters refer
to the same parts in the different figures.
In the said drawings a is the rifling bar supported and traversed by a carriage
which also carries mechanism for rotating the rifling bar. c is the fixed pedestal or
plummer block hereinbefore referred to as being adjacent to the cannon,

page_text: For the support of the rifling bar between the carriage b and the fixed support c
I provide one or more intermediate movable supports d d in which the rifling bar may
freely revolve and slide. The supports d d which act as bearings or steadies for the
purpose of resisting any tendency to transverse deflection of the rifling bar are
mounted on slides or saddles arranged so as to be capable of being moved along the
bed of the machine so that as the carriage b advances towards the fixed support cit
will push the intermediate supports d d before it. I provide suitable means by preference
latches d² and catches d³ for connecting the carriage band the sliding supports d d
with each other as they successively come into contact by the forward motion of the
carriage b. The purpose of this connection is to enable the intermediate supports d d
to be drawn backwards as the carriage and the rifling bar a recede. At suitable
places on the bed of the machine I provide means for successively disconnecting the
supports so as to leave them stationary in any desired position. Preferably I use
for this purpose inclined planes e e placed so that fingers or levers ff connected
with the latches may come into contact therewith and lift the latches clear of the
catches on the next support or on the carriage b. At the left hand of Fig. 2 the
latch d² is shown in the act of being raised by the finger f coming into contact with
the inclined plane e while at the right hand of the same figure is shown the mode of
connection by the latch d² and catch d³ hereinbefore referred to. At the rear of the
carriage 6 I provide similar intermediate supports k k for the purpose of carrying the
pipe which is used for conveying the lubricating fluid through the rifling bar to
the cutting tool. The supports kk are also provided with connecting and discon-
necting devices preferably latches k¹ k¹ and catches kk2 which act in the same
manner as the latches d2 and catches d³ hereinbefore described with reference to the
intermediate supports d. d. for the rifling bar. Appliances similar to the inclined
planes are placed at suitable intervals so as to distribute the intermediate supports k k
as desired between the carriage b and the end support of the pipe.
The connecting and disconnecting devices may be placed either on one or both sides
or in any other convenient position on the sliding supports.
my
Although for convenience of description I have only described invention
as applied to the support of a rifling bar and a lubricating pipe I wish it to
be understoood that my said invention is also applicable to the support of
long boring bars or other long shafts, screws, or similar objects requiring lateral
support.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use for the support of long objects liable to transverse deflections of sliding
stays or bearings provided with automatic means for their connection on coming into
contact with each other when moving in one direction and for their successive dis-
connection when moving in the other direction substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and shown.
2. The use in combination with sliding supports for long objects of an automatic
connecting and disconnecting device consisting of a latch and catch, a finger and an
inclined plane or other means of raising the latch substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
Tn L 1
SM_1000
JULIUS ALLMANN & Co.,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.