AN IMPROVED MODE OF GIVING FORM TO CERTAIN METALS WHEN IN A FLUID OR MOLTEN STATE
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANDREW
SHANKS, of Robert Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing late at West-
minster, the Fourteenth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and forty-
nine, in the twelfth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Andrew Shanks, my exors, admors,
and assigns, Her especial license that I, the said Andrew Shanks, my exors,
admiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Andrew Shanks, my exors,
adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England,
Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF GIVING FORM TO CERTAIN METALS WHEN IN A FLUID
OR MOLTEN STATE," in such manner as I, the said Andrew Shanks, my exors,
adñors, and assigns, should deem expedient; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Andrew Shanks, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and
to cause the same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in

page_text: part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Andrew Shanks, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention con-
sists in the use of centrifugal force in the forming of metal castings, whereby
pipes, tubes, and cylinders, and also circular-shaped hollow vessels, may be
cast without the use of cores.
And first of pipes, tubes, and cylinders.-The casting of pipes, tubes, or
cylinders is effected by pouring the liquid metal into hollow cylindrical
moulds placed in a horizontal position (the internal diameter of which
corresponds with the external diameter of the pipe, tube, or cylinder to be
produced), and by giving the said moulds a rotatory movement, so that the
centrifugal force produced causes the liquid metal to spread itself to a uniform
manner throughout the interior surface of the mould, the thickness of the
pipe, tube, or cylinder produced being dependent upon the quantity of metal
poured into the mould.
The machinery which I use for the casting of pipes, tubes, and cylinders
differs from that which I use for the casting of circular or other shaped hollow
vessels, which will be described hereafter.
The following is the machinery which I have heretofore found most con-
venient for the casting of pipes, tubes and cylinders.
Figure 1 represents the machinery in plan. A, G, H, is a metallic mould,
resting on and supported by the wheels B, C, and D, E. The wheels B and C
are fixed upon the same axle, in the centre of which axle is fixed a drum or
pulley F, which is driven by a band or strap connected with the moving power.
Motion is given to the mould by the friction against it of the wheels B and C,
the mould communicating also by friction corresponding motion to the wheels
D and E. The mould is prevented from moving endwise out of its place by
a circular rib or bead J, formed round the exterior of the mould at the end H,
and corresponding with grooves in the external periphery of the wheels C and
D. S, S, S, S, are four screws for adjusting the level, which must be carefully
maintained, and also for regulating the distance between the bearing wheels
C, B, and D, E, which distance must of course be varied according to the
diameter of the mould in use.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the mould, in which is shewn the pipe,
tube, or cylinder when the operation of casting is finished. A, A, G, H, is the
mould, and i is the tube shaped or formed within it.. m, at the end G of
the mould, shews an internal flange, which is necessary to prévent the escape
The end must not be entirely closed; but must have an
of the molten metal.

page_text: orifice sufficiently large to admit of the molten metal being poured in, which
is best to be done while the mould is revolving. The pouring in in this case
is effected by means of W, which is a feed trough or duct for that purpose.
n is a cap, screwed on to the end II of the mould by nuts and bolts, forming a
similar flange to m, and for a similar purpose.
Figure 3 exhibits an end view of the machinery and of the mould, with the
same letters of reference as Figure 1.
And now, secondly, of casting circular-shaped hollow vessels.-This is
effected by pouring the liquid metal into a cup-shaped mould, fixed on a
vertical axis and made to rotate.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the machinery which I have found most
convenient for this purpose. O, P, is a fast and loose pulley at one end of
the horizontal axle a, revolving on its own axis in the centre of the frame U, 'V.
At the other end of the axle x is fixed a bevel wheel p, which works in the
pinion q, fixed at the lower end of the shaft or vertical axis r.
At the upper
end of the shaft is inserted the mould t, t, shewn in the Figure in section.
The upper end of the shaft r is turned of a slightly conical shape, and is
inserted in a boss (bored with a corresponding conical-shaped hole) on the
under side of the mould, so that when the mould is placed upon the shaft
sufficient friction is caused to carry the mould round, on motion being given
to the machine, by means of a band or strap connecting the fast pulley with
the moving power. The upper end of the shaft r is, however, so fitted to the
conical hole in the boss as to allow the mould to be easily removed at pleasure,
for the convenience of taking out the casting. At the top of the mould is the
moveable rim or ring R, which projects a little over the inner circumference
of the mould, forming a flange, for the purpose of preventing the overflow of
the fluid metal during the revolution of the mould. Y, Y, are the two
handles of the mould, by which it may be removed from the shaft.
And now having described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I
claim as my Invention is, the giving of form or shape to hollow metal castings
by means of centrifugal and other force applied to the metal first while in a
fluid state and continued till the metal sets, such centrifugal force being
derived from a rotary motion of the mould wherein such castings are made,
and whereby I am enabled to supersede the necessity of what are usually
called cores; and such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge
and belief entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby

page_text: declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe
this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve
or disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe
this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve
or disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Shanks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Shanks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
ANDREW (L.S.) SHANKS.
Signed, sealed, and delivered (being first duly
stampt), by the within-named Andrew
Shanks, in the presence of
W PRINGLE,