Year: 1886

page_text: I WILLIAM ARNOLD of Barnsley in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
The main object of the present improvements is to quicken the process of manufac
ture of boiler tube flues constructed according to the invention for which I obtained
Letters Patent bearing date 9th February 1882, No. 635.
According to that invention, cylindrical tubes received, under rolling pressure,
while in a heated state, a barrel or a cone shape, with flanged ends.
It is the same manufacture that I now propose to carry on, but with greater
expedition, a matter of considerable moment when the metal under treatment must be
worked while at a high heat, to avoid the necessity of re-heating, and to prevent the
fibre of the metal being distressed or weakened during the manufacture.
The machine which I employ consists mainly of a set of shaping rolls, between
which the tube is subjected to a rolling pressure.
Mounted on a driven horizontal axle is a roller having a profile corresponding to
the line of section which the tube is designed to receive, and above this roll are three
rolls, the counterpart of the lower roll, and mounted in a vertically sliding frame.
The tube to be shaped is placed upon the lower roll, and the sliding frame is brought
down so as to cause its rollers to press upon the tube, and hold it down on the lower
or shaping roll.
A pair of small rolls, set in a vertical plane, are caused to bear upon the ends of the
tube, and bend them up into flanges. The front end of the axle, to which the shaping
roll is keyed, is supported by a bracket, which is hinged to the front standard, and is
fixed in position by a key or equivalent means. This contrivance is employed to allow
of the tube to be operated upon being slidden endwise onto the shaping roll, while the
upper pressing rolls are in their raised position.
The end pressing rolls are mounted in arms pivotted to the standards, and these
arms require shifting, together with their rolls, to clear a space for the insertion and
the withdrawal of the tube.

page_text: In order to quicken the adjustment of the machine, and to bring the parts into their
working position immediately on the insertion of a heated tube, I now give the arms
which carry the end pressing rolls an independent adjustment, and I mount the arm
at the front of the machine on a vertical extension of the hinged bracket before
mentioned. Thus, when the bracket is brought into position to take the axle of the
shaping roll, it will bring also into operating position the front flanging roll, and avoid
the necessity for a second movement to bring the flanging roll into contact with the
tube.
Each of these rolls I adjust by hand to increase their end pressure as the flanging
operation proceeds. Similarly, to bring the pressing rolls quickly to their work, I
dispense with the worm and worm wheel gearing formerly employed to depress and to
raise the sliding frame, and use in place thereof bevil gearing set in action by a band
driving a pulley keyed on a longitudinal shaft having its bearings in the main frame.
A hand wheel keyed to this shaft serves to apply additional pressure to the rolls
towards the completion of the shaping of the tube.
By the use of this arrangement of mechanism, I am enabled greatly to expedite the
shaping operation, and so effectually to impart an endway and downward pressure
upon the yielding metal, as to ensure the crowding up of metal towards the middle of
the tube, and the maintenance of the normal thickness at that part, notwithstanding
the increased diameter imparted thereto. At the same time, I effect an increased
thickening of the root of the flanges, thus making them strong enough to render
unnecessary the inserting of a welded stiffening ring between the flanges, such rings
being a hindrance to free contraction and expansion.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improved Machinery for the Manufacture of Boiler Flue Tubes..
I, WILLIAM ARNOLD of Barnsley in the County of York, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a novel arrangement of machinery for shaping up
cylindrical tubes into flanged rings or tubes of a barrel or equivalent section, for the
purpose of constructing therewith steam boiler flues, which, besides presenting a large
heat absorbing surface to the flame and heated gases of the furnace fires possess as is
well known an increased power of resisting the external pressure of the water in the
boiler as compared with cylindrical tubes of like weight.
In preparing tubes of this character it is essential that the operation of shaping and
flanging them should be carried out with great expedition, because the metal under
treatment must be worked while at a high heat, to prevent the fibre of the metal being
distressed or weakened during the manufacture.
To effect this compound operation of shaping and flanging with a minimum amount
of heating of the metal, is the object of the present invention.
To this end I so modify the construction of rolling machinery for which I obtained
Letters Patent bearing date 9th February 1882 No. 635 and employed for bringing to
shape tubes for building up boiler flues, as first to ensure the more expeditious
insertion of the heated tube into the machine, and secondly, the more rapid adjustment
of the acting parts of such machine.
•
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front view of my improved machine.
Fig. 2 is a plan view; and
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a removable bearing for the axle of the main shaping or
supporting roll, the same being shown in section with its supporting bracket; and
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a boiler flue made up of tubes manufactured by
my improved machine.
This machine consists mainly of a set of shaping rolls, between which the tube is
subjected to a rolling pressure.
AA is the main framing set upon a hollow foundation B B, the front part of which
is open to provide space for the pendent work under treatment.
Hinged to the front part of the framing A is a bracket C, fitted with a bearing c for
supporting the front end of a driven horizontal axle D, which extends rearward of the
framing A and has its rearmost bearing in a casting A¹.
Keyed to this axle is a roll E having a profile corresponding to the line of section
which the tube is designed to receive, in this case a barrel shape. Above this roll are
three rolls F F F2, the counterpart of the lower roll, mounted in a pair of vertically
sliding frames fitted to the inner sides of the end frames A A.
These sliding frames G G depend from adjusting screws 99 which work in tapped
holes in the frames G, and are free to turn in sockets made for them in the main
framing. Each screw g is fitted with a bevil pinion gl which pinions rest upon the
top of the framing A, and serve to carry the whole weight of the three top rolls and

page_text: their axles. The screws are also fitted with collars g² g², which will prevent the screws
from being forced upwards by the back pressure of the top rolls.
HH is a pair of small rollers set to work in vertical planes, for the purpose of
bearing upon the ends of the tube and bending them up into flanges.
The hinged bracket or gate C which carries the bearing for the front end of the
axle D, is employed to open a passage for the admission of the heated tube, which is
slidden endwise onto its supporting shaping roll while the upper pressing rolls are in
their raised position.
By reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the bearing c is wedge shaped in longi-
tudinal section, and is pivotted to a hand lever e¹, which has its fulcrum on the hinged
bracket or gate C. By pulling upon this hand lever, the wedge shaped bearing is
withdrawn from under the axle of the shaping roller, and the gate is thereby left free
to be moved on its hinge in response to a pull on the hand lever, when a passage is to
be opened for the admission or the removal of a tube.
The gate C is held fast in its closed position by a pin c², which passes through the
free end of the bracket, and enters a pin hole in the foot of the framing A.
The flanging roller H is mounted in bearings carried by an adjustable arm h, which
is pivotted to a short standard carried by the hinged bracket or gate C. By thus
mounting the roller H on the hinged gate I am enabled to move it into position for
adjustment, simultaneously with the closing of the gate which carries the end bearing
of the axle of the shaping or supporting roller thereby effecting a material economy in
time in bringing the machine into action upon the heated tube.
Fitted to the hinged bracket or gate C is a screwed pin ', which passes through the
free end of the pivotted arm h carrying the roller H. This screwed pin is fitted with
à wheel nut by turning which, the roller H is forced into contact with the end of
the tube to complete the formation of a flange thereon.
To provide for the admission or removal of the heated tube to or from the machine
it is only necessary to withdraw the pin e², and to pull back the hand lever c¹ which
withdraws the bearing e from under the axle D, and at the same time throws back the
hinged gate C, together with the flanging roller H which it carries, to the dotted
position of Fig. 2.
At the back of the machine the flanging roller H' is carried by an adjustable arm h³
pivotted to a fixed portion of the framing A. Projecting from this framing and
through the free end of the arm ³ is a screwed pin h carrying a wheel nut ½³, for
pressing the flanging roller H¹ into contact with the tube and completing the formation
of a flange thereon.
I have stated that the tube to be shaped and flanged is introduced into the machine
when the pressing rolls are in their raised position.
.
In order to bring them down rapidly to their work the bevil pinions which
support the sliding frames G, are caused to rotate simultaneously by means of bevil
wheels keyed to a longitudinal shaft I, which has its bearings at the top of the
framing A. This shaft is provided with fast and loose band pulleys which
receive driving bands from overhead shafting. One of these bands is open and the
other crossed, and they are designed to impart a rapid rotary motion, in reverse
directions, at the pleasure of the attendant, to the shaft I.
A belt shifter is provided for throwing one or other, or both, of these bands out of
action. By this arrangement a rapid rotation is imparted to the screws g, from which
the frames G and their rolls depend, and thus the pressing rolls F F F are brought
rapidly into action. To impart increased energy to the pressing rolls, I apply a hand
wheel I to the shaft I, by turning which, the middle roll F will be forced into closer
contact with its work, than could be effected through the friction of a driving band.
The roll F¹ when designed for manufacturing barrel shaped tubes I prefer to make
in tubular sections, say 5 in number, to compensate for the unequal friction due to the
varying dianieters of the rolling surface.
keep it in position, while
The roll E, it will be seen,
The outer rolls F and F2 serve to steady the work, and
the rolls E and F are moulding it to the required shape.
has a barrel shaped contour but it may take the corrugated form of Fig. 6, or any

page_text: other shape, corresponding to the form of section desired to be imparted to the tube.
This roll is also shaped at its ends so as to turn up the edges of the tube and prepare
them for conversion into flanges.
The roll F will always correspond in profile with the roll E or be a counterpart
thereof. The action of the two barrel shaped rolls is to contract the diameter of the
tube near its ends and to force the greater part of the displaced metal towards the
enlarged centre.
The axle D which carries the shaping or supporting roll E, receives motion from
any prime mover and when the pressing rolls are brought down into action, they will,
by contact with the heated tube which is rotated by the shaping roll E, receive also an
axial motion. Thus every portion of the tube will be brought in succession into the
bite of the rolls E F the bite being increased, as desired, by the turning of the hand
wheel I. While the tube is thus being moulded to shape, the attendant will, by
means of the wheel nuts h³ and h³ gradually force inwards the flanging rollers H H
which bearing on the inclined ends of the tube, will bend them up at right angles,
without putting any undue strain on the metal.
From the foregoing it will be understood that I am enabled greatly to expedite the
shaping operation and so effectually to impart an endway and downward pressure
upon the yielding metal as to ensure the crowding up of metal towards the middle of
the tube or where its diameter is enlarged and the maintenance of the normal
thickness where the increased diameter occurs at that part. At the same time I effect
an increased thickening of the root of the flanges, thus making them strong enough to
render unnecessary the insertion of a welded stiffening ring between the flanges, such.
rings being a hindrance to free contraction and expansion.
The flanged tubes or rings it will be understood are made of various thicknesses of
steel or other metal to suit the various requirements of the boiler maker and according
as the thickness is increased so will the number of rollings and consequently reheatings
of the metal be increased.
The thicknesses of rings have hitherto varied from of an inch to an inch and
allowance had to be made for the reduction of the thickness of the metal at each
heating hence the importance of reducing the number of heatings which reduction
involves an economy both in the cost of metal and of labour.
By the use of the improved machine it is believed that a saving of from 2 to 3
heatings may be effected in the conversion of the cylindrical tube into a flanged barrel
or corrugated ring.
My improved machine it will be understood is also applicable to the simultaneous
flanging of the opposite ends of cylindrical flue tubes. The rolls E and F¹ being
suitably shaped to maintain the cylindrical form of the heated tube under operation.
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. Mounting the outer flanging roller in an adjustable arm carried by a hinged
bracket or gate, to which the bearing for the front end of the shaping roll axle is
fitted for the purpose above set forth.
2. Fitting to the hinged bracket or gate a wedge shaped bearing for supporting the
front end of the shaping roll axle in the manner and for the purpose above described.
3. The arrangement above described for bringing the pressing rollers rapidly down
to, and raising them from their work.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.