Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted. 11th May, 1839
I, JOHN DILLON of 29 Edward Burdis Street Southwick, Sunderland in the county
of Durham Boilersmith do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has roference to improvements connected with tube expanders.
Hitherto these machines have been constructed in a manner involving the application
of separate machines for any substantial variation in the sections of the tubes to be
expanded and special apparatus has had to be employed in connection with the
machines for the purpose of maintaining the expanding rollers in position when
acted upon by the taper mandril. But by my invention I construct the tube expander
in sections with internal recesses for the expanding rollers which are capable of
adjustment or removal without the aid of the cover pieces as hitherto adopted and
in order to make the tube expander capable of application to tubes varying in
section or diameter I construct it so that either end thereof as required shall act
as an expanding medium the opposite ends having like recesses and rollers against
which the taper mandril acts but varying in size according as the most general
practice or use of tube expanders or tubes is then prevalent. The sections or arcs
of which the expander is composed are held or bound together by adjustable rubber
or steel bands or their equivalent and the guard is constructed so as by being
readily adjustable by hinge joint band or otherwise to comply in respect of its
capacity as a double ended guard with the scantling of the tube expander to which
it belongs and for which it is made.
Under certain conditions one end of the improved tube expander can act so as
to dispense with the necessity for a separate guard and the whole may be constructed
of cast steel or iron or other equivalent material.
n the BALL 1
1000
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Patent Agent for Applicant.

page_text: Improvements Connected with Tube-expanders.
I JOHN DILLON of 29 Edward Burdis Street Southwick Sunderland in the County
of Durham, boilersmith, 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 has reference to improvements connected with tube expanders.
Hitherto these machines have been constructed in a manner involving the application
of separate machines for any substantial variation in the sections of the tubes to he
expanded and special apparatus has had to be employed in connection with the
machines for the purpose of maintaining the expanding rollers in position when acted
upon by the taper mandril.
But by my invention I construct the tube expander in section with internal recesses
for the expanding rollers which are capable of adjustment or removal without the aid
of the cover pieces as hitherto adopted and in order to make the tube expander
capable of application to tubes varying in section or diameter I construct it so that
either end thereof as required shall act as an expanding medium the opposite ends
having like recesses and rollers against which the taper mandril acts but varying in
size according as the most general practice or use of tube expanders or tubes is then
prevalent. The sections or arcs of which the expander is composed are held or bound
together by adjustable rubber or steel bands or their equivalent and the guard is
constructed so as by being readily adjustable by hinge joint bands or otherwise to
comply in respect of its capacity as a double ended guard with the scantling of the
tube expander to which it belongs and for which it is made.
Under certain conditions one end of the improved tube expander can act so as to
dispense with the necessity for a separate guard and the whole may be constructed of
cast steel or iron or other equivalent material.
I will now fully describe my invention having reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a double ended sectional tube
expander constructed according to my invention the large end of which is shown
shaded and the small end unshaded; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the small end of the
same; Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section on the centre line of one of the segments
or arcs (for example on line M M Figs. 1 and 2) of which the tube expander is
composed; Fig. 4 being a cross section through that portion of one segment or die on
which the binding rings (a) rest or bear (for example on line N N Fig. 3) and Fig. 5
is a cross section through a segment or arc (for example on line 00 Fig. 3) showing
the roller recesses.
Throughout the following description similar letters of reference in the specification
and in the drawings designate corresponding parts.

page_text: Referring to the Figs. a' a² a³ represent cast steel segments held or bound together
by the rubber or steel bands a' forming a closed figure when not in actual work.
Each segment is constructed so as to have one end of a larger diameter than the
opposite end suitable roller recesses being likewise formed at either end of each
segment so that in order to fit up the machine or tool ready for work the rollers
represented by a for the large end and a for the small end are dropped into their
recesses a the segments are closed and the bands a are slipped over the body of
the tool either end of which can then be inserted into the tube end requiring
expansion but it will be observed that the rollers must only be inserted into that
end of the tool which is intended for immediate use the rollers being temporarily
removed from their recesses in the opposite end until such end is required for use
in expanding a tube suited to its dimensions. In order to allow the taper mandril
to be driven well home I make the internal surfaces of my improved tool expand
slightly from the points a³ (see Fig. 3) towards each end a and by this arrangement
it is evident that the mandril which may be of the usual tapered type and which
is therefore not shown in the drawings (except in section in Fig. 2) can be driven
further through the expanding tool than if the minimum internal diameter of the tool
was uniformly parallel throughout its length. b (Fig. 1) is the guard which is con-
structed to fit into the recess on the back of the segments adjoining the bands or
springs the old system of a ring secured by a set pin being by this arrangement
abolished. I make the guard in two pieces hinged at one side as at n (Fig. 1) and
secured by any suitable locking device on the opposite side as at n¹ (Fig. 1) so as
to permit the guard which is constructed so that when shut it shall completely
embrace the body of the tool as shown in side elevation in Fig. 1 to be readily
and easily adjusted or reversed in position and I further arrange the guard as a
double-ended guard with forward and back distance pieces or stops 61 61 62 62 the
pieces 66 being of a slightly different length to the pieces b₁ b¹ so as to render the
application of the guard more or less adjustable by the simple process of reversing
the sides of the same exposed to the front plate or its equivalent in accordance with
the required variations or range of insertion of the mandril occurring in this class of
work in every day practice. In certain cases I can by my invention dispense with
the use of a separate guard as hitherto employed by utilising the larger end of my
improved tool as a guard-thus while the smaller end is being utilised for expanding
a tube the increased diameter of the larger end can abut against any suitable stop for
example the nut on a stay tube which may project beyond the front plate from one to
two inches thus preventing the tool slipping into the tube without the use of a special
guard and this is an important economical and mechanical advantage of my invention
as compared with former practice in tube expanders.
In Fig. 1 the larger end of the tube expander is shown in elevation as applied to a
tube fin a front plate fi in section and in Fig. 2 the small end of the tube expander
is shown in end elevation the segments a¹ a³ as being here shown in their closed
position in full lines the rollers a a a in the smaller end of the tool being shown in
such a position that on the further driving in of the mandrilt from the opposite or
larger end of the tool the segments a¹ a² a take a position dependent on the extent to
which the mandril is driven represented by the dotted lines a¹ a¹º a¹ thus expanding
the tube.
In the same Figure is shown by dotted lines the position which the rollers in the
larger end of the tool take when acted upon by a mandril driven in from the smaller
end under like conditions.
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) In the manufacture of tube expanders making the expanding tool in segments
arranged to be held or bound together by bands capable of expansion so as to admit
of the segments opening or expanding under the action of the mandril substantially as

page_text: (2) In the manufacture of tube expanders making the expanding tool double ended
one end thereof being of a larger diameter than the other end so that one end can be
used for expanding certain sized tubes and the other end for other tubes of a size for
which the former end is not adapted substantially as herein set forth.
(3) In tube expanders arranged and constructed as herein described and claimed
the use of a double ended guard arranged and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein before set forth.
Dated this 31st day of March 1889.