IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING BOILER AND OTHER PLATES OF METAL, AND FOR RIVETTING THEM TOGETHER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Adamson, of Newton Moor Ironworks, near
the City of Manchester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING BOILER AND OTHER PLATES OF METAL, AND FOR
RIVETTING THEM TOGETHER."
Sealed the 31st October 1865, and dated the 10th May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Adamson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th May 1865.
I, DANIEL ADAMSON, of Newton Moor Ironworks, near the City of Man-
chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING BOILER AND OTHER PLATES OF
METAL, AND FOR RIVETTING THEM TOGETHER," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in certain improvements in drilling
boiler and other plates of metal for which former Letters Patent were granted
to me, in connection with Levi Leigh, on the Twentieth day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 1820; in the Specification of the
said Patent I described the machinery for drilling several holes in radial lines
simultaneously. Now my present Invention consists in certain improvements
upon that machinery.
In my present machinery I employ twelve or other suitable number of
drills, and I dispense with the upper part of the central column for the
purpose of changing the plates to be drilled with greater facility.
I apply to

page_text: the lower part of the said column an outer tube, with radial arms acting as
rests for the drills, which tube is adapted to be raised and lowered by a screw
or other equivalent; to the lower part of the tube is attached a dividing wheel
actuated by a worm and measuring wheel. The drills may be driven from
above as described in the Specification of the Patent above referred to, or
from below the general base plate by radial shafts and wheels.
My improvements in machinery for rivetting together boiler or other plates
after the holes have been drilled in them according to my Invention, or
punched in the ordinary manner, consists in compressing the ends of the
rivets between two dies connected to slides, which are moved towards each
other and asunder by levers and cams. The fulcrum of one of the said levers
is connected by a link to a weighted balance lever, the weights applied to
which may be increased or diminished according to the size of rivets or to the
strength of the plates to be rivetted together.
The above-described rivetting machine is particularly beneficial in uniting
the flanges of boilers with the patent seam, for which Letters Patent were
granted to me, in conjunction with Leonard Cooper, on the Twelfth August,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, No. 14,259, and for constructing
wrought and angle iron beams, girders, and similar articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Daniel Adamson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
ADAMSON, of Newton Moor Ironworks, near the City of Manchester, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Daniel Adamson, Her special license that I, the said Daniel
Adamson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Daniel Adamson, 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

page_text: for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING BOILER AND OTHER PLATES OF
METAL,, AND. FOR RIVETTING. THEM TOGETHER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Daniel Adamson, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in 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 Daniel Adamson, 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) :-
The first part of my Invention consists in certain improvements in drilling
boiler and other plates of metal, for which former Letters Patent were granted
to me, in conjunction with Levi Leigh, on the Twentieth day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, Number 1820; in the Specification of the
said Patent. I described the machinery for drilling several holes in radial lines
simultaneously. Now my present Invention consists in certain improvements
upon that machinery..
The second part of my Invention consists in certain improvements in
machinery for rivetting together boiler or other plates after the holes have
been drilled in them according to my Invention or punched in the ordinary
manner.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation,. I will proceed to describe the three accompanying Sheets of
Drawings,.reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved machinery for drilling
boles through boiler plates; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a plan of the driving apparatus, and Figure 4 is a plan of the lower
part of the machinery. In these views a is the centro column firmly secured
to the bottom or foundation plate c; b is the top plate supporting the driving
apparatus; these plates b and c are connected by the four. columns d. The
screw passes through the central column a and revolves in a bearing in the
bottom plate c. To the lower end of the screw g. is fixed the bevil wheel g¹;
this wheel is driven by the wheel h' on the horizontal shaft h, which is driven,
when required, by the hand wheel h, as clearly shewn in the Drawings. The
drilling headstocks are supported on stands i, secured to the bottom plate c,
but capable of adjustment by screws or otherwise to suit the diameter of the
ube or boiler in hand. The drills fit into the spindles of the headstocks i,

page_text: which have a feed motion, either self-acting or otherwise. To the top plate b
are fixed bearings for the twelve countershafts k, corresponding in number to
the drills, and each countershaft is provided with a pulley k¹ for driving by a
strap the pulley on the drilling spindle under it; the shafts k are driven
simultaneously by the pinions, gearing into the centre wheel on the
upright shaft, to which is also fixed the bevel wheel , driven by the pinion
m² on the driving shaft m, which is furnished with a set of speed pulleys m
for varying the velocity of the drills. The pulleys are connected to the
shafts by a key and groove, so as to be able to adjust the position of the
pulleys to that of the drilling headstocks. The parts above enumerated are
made in the manner described in the Specification of the Letters Patent
above referred to.
My present improvements consist in dispensing with the upper part of the
central column a, by which means the plates to be drilled can be placed on
the machine with greater facility. This is more particularly desirable when
the boiler or cylinder under operation is formed of rolled or welded rings
without seams. The column a is made with a slot on one or both sides, and
the nut of the screw 9 is connected by studs or projections passing through
these slots, as shewn detached, to the outer ring f, which is held between the
plate, with radial arms j, and the upper flange of the outer tube a¹. These
radial arms j serve as rests for the drills. By this arrangement when the
screw g is turned round by the hand wheel h³ as above described, the nut f,
and with it the rests j, are raised or lowered to correspond with the level of
the drills. To the lower part of the outer tube a' is cast the plate a, to
which the radial arms a³ are secured for supporting the portion e of the boiler
to be drilled. Between the central column a and the outer tube a¹ is the
tube n, to the lower end of which is keyed the dividing wheel n', which is
actuated by a worm fixed to the same shaft as the measuring wheel n. By
means of this dividing wheel, as soon as one set of holes has been drilled
the portion of the boiler under operation is turned partly round to the
required distance for drilling the next set of holes. I have shewn twelve
radial drills in Figure 4, as I find this the most convenient number in
practice, but I do not limit myself thereto. I would also observe, that the
drills instead of being driven from above as shewn and described, may be
driven from below the general base plate by radial shafts and wheels.
On Sheet 2, Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, Figure 6 a back view, Figure 7
a plan, and Figure 8 a front view of my improved machinery for rivetting. In
these views o and p are the dies connected respectively to the slides o¹ and p',
which are moved towards each other and asunder by the levers o and p² aud

page_text: the cams q' and q fixed on the shaft q, which is driven by the pinion ¹ on
the driving shaft r gearing into the wheel q³, or in any other convenient
manner. The fulcrum ps of the lever p² is connected by the links to the
weighted balance lever t, whose fulcrum is at t. The lever t is loaded by the
weight t' according to the size of rivets employed or to the thickness of the
plates to be rivetted together; and further, the object of this lever is to
prevent accidents by allowing the lower die to yield in case of the edge of the
dies coming in contact with the head of the rivet, or of inequalities in the
thickness of the plates while the rivetting force is accurately maintained.
The weighted lever u is to elevate the longer arm of the lever p² and to allow
the slide p² to descend at each revolution of the shaft q, and the trigger block
vis for disconnecting the slide p¹ from the lever p³ when the slide is to remain
inoperative; the said block v being moved to and fro by the handle v¹, lever v²,
and link vs, as clearly shewn in the Drawing. The space between the trigger
block v and the end of the lever p² is filled up by the sliding block pt when the
machine is rivetting. When the trigging block v is withdrawn, the block p*
moves up and down in the slide p', and the die p remains stationary.
The above described rivetting machine is particularly beneficial in uniting
the flanges of boilers with the patent seam, for which Letters Patent were
granted to me, in conjunction with Leonard Cooper, on the Twelfth of August,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, Number 14,259, and for con-
structing wrought and angle iron beams, girders, and similar articles.
On Sheet 3, Figures 9, 10, and 11 represent a modification of my improved
machinery for rivetting, particularly suitable for rivetting the shells of boilers.
In these views the die o is fixed in the standard o³, and the die p is fixed in
the horizontal slide p', which is moved to and fro by the cam q¹ on the
shaft q. This shaft is driven as before described in reference to Figure 5,
and it revolves in adjustable bearings, which are acted upon by the upper
end of the levers, the lower ends of which are acted upon by the weighted
balance levers t. The weighted elbow lever u is to draw back the sliding
piece p, and to hold the friction bowl p³ in contact with the cam q². The
sliding piece p is connected by side links shown by dotted lines to the
slide p. The trigger block acts in the manner above described. The levers
t and transmit the rivetting force through the shaft q, cam q', bowl p³,
sliding block ps, and slide p¹ to the die p, when the trigger block vis up as
shewn, and the amount of the force is governed by the weights t. The levers t
rest upon a buffing block t³.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I clain,-

page_text: First, the improved combination and arrangement of machinery shewn and
described in reference to the various Figures on Sheet 1, for drilling a series
of holes in radial lines through boiler and other plates of metal.
And, secondly, the improved combinations and arrangements of machinery
for rivetting, as shewn and described in reference to the various Figures on
Sheets 2 and 3, and particularly the balance levers t acting in the manner and
for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Adamson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
DANIEL ADAMSON. (L.S.)