IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING METALS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING METALS." A communication from
abroad by Constant Roy, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
led the 8th March 1878, and dated the 20th September 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th September 1877.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING METALS."
A communication from abroad by Constant Roy, of Paris, in the Republic of
France.
This Invention relates to an improved train of rolls, designated a universal rolling
mill, and which is especially adapted for rolling small bars of iron of square, round,
or any other form in section.
Heretofore these small bars have been obtained by means of horizontal rolls, the
red-hot bar being seized by the attendants on its issuing from the grooves in the
first pair of rolls, and immediately inserted in smaller grooves, and so on in succes-
sion until the bar is reduced to the required form in cross section. This system is
however attended with danger to the workmen employed, and moreover requires a
large staff for performing the necessary manipulations, which disadvantages it is the
object of this Invention to remove.
The Invention consists essentially of a novel arrangement of the rolls, which are
placed in sets or tiers one above the other, and combined with guides which serve
to conduct the bar of iron automatically from one pair of rolls to another, and from
the upper tiers to the tiers below.
In carrying out this Invention a train of rolls composed of, say, eight pairs of
horizontal grooved rolls is employed, the same being arranged in two parallel lines
or series, each composed of four pairs of rolls placed one over the other. These rolls
are adjusted by wedges and screws placed at the sides, and are set in motion by

page_text: means of toothed gearing, which imparts to them rotation in the required direction
and at the requisite angular speed corresponding to the direction and amount of
elongation to be effected at each passage of the bar between a pair of rolls.
The operation is carried out in the following manner:-A bar of iron, say, for
example, of a square section, is passed at the same heat through a guide and between
one pair of the top tier of rolls, which reduce it to, say, an oval form in cross section.
The oval bar is laid flat as it issues from between these rolls, and requires to be
twisted to an angle of, say, 90° in order to be presented on edge to the grooves in
the other pair of rolls of the top tier. This torsion is imparted to it by another
guide, through which it passes on issuing from the first rolls, and which is con-
structed and arranged in the following manner:-The guide is provided on the side
towards the first rolls with a projection having an oval aperture arranged hori-
zontally, through which the bar is caused to pass; the distance of this groove from
the said rolls is adjusted by two screws, the nuts of which are placed upon a fixed
part of the guide. At the back of the projection is a cylindrical piece of metal per-
forated with an oval aperture, through which the bar is passed; this aperture is
enlarged at the entrance, and is shaped internally to the form of a helix, which
imparts a certain amount of torsion to the bar, so as to cause it to issue from the
guide turned upon its edge, and in that position to be presented to the grooves in
the second rolls.
The angle of torsion may be adjusted by means of screws, which act upon a pro-
jection formed on the cylindrical piece, and enable it to be rotated to a small extent
on its axis, thus altering the degree of torsion of the bar. The body of the piece of
metal is for this purpose made of a cylindrical form, and is capable of partial rota-
tion in a species of bearing formned by two blocks constituting part of the moveable
projection. The whole is contained in a box, and when the two blocks which
embrace the said piece are placed in position they are secured by a door, which
admits of access being readily obtained to the interior of the guide. The bar then
enters another guide, and thence passes between the other pair of rolls of the top
tier, which restore to its original square section, but reduced in size, according to
the pressure applied. This square bar is conducted to the first pair of rolls of the
tier below, where it is to resume its oval shape by two guides, which cause it to
describe a semicircle on issuing from the second pair of rolls of the top tier. These
guides are hollow, so as to prevent the bar from deviating from its course to the
right or to the left, and the second guide is also enlarged at its entrance to facilitate
the passage of the bar.
In case of any tendency for a bar to hang down in a smaller curve than that
formed by the guides, a third guide, placed underneath the first of the two guides
last referred to, is provided for the purpose of supporting the bar in the required
direction. This last-mentioned guide is supported by the lower roll of the second
pair of the top tier by means of two straps or rings surrounding this roll at each
end, and which are connected together by a bar supporting the guide.
This guide also performs another function :-
When it happens in consequence of a defective adjustment of the rolls that the
elongation or extension of a bar between two pairs of rolls is not exactly in proportion
to the speeds, and that, for example, the first pair of rolls of the second tier draws
in the bar more rapidly than it issues from the second pair of top rolls; the guide,
assisted by the pressure of the bar and the friction and rotation of the lower roll of
the said pair, will be caused to assume a position between the bottom roll of the
second pair of the top tier and the top roll of the first pair of the second tier; it will
remain in this position until the entire bar has passed, after which it is brought
back to its original position by the action of a counterweight by rotating upon the
bottom roll of the second pair of rolls of the top tier.
The bar is then passed in a similar manner from the first pair to the second pair
of rolls, the second tier, and thence to the next lower tier, and finally to the two
pairs of rolls of the bottom set, guides of a similar description to those before men-
tioned being employed, and the rolls being provided with similar grooves, alternately

page_text: oval and square, the dimensions of which are reduced in proportion to the amount of
rolling to which the bar has been subjected.
It is obvious that these grooves may be turned round, flat, square, or of a diamond
or other shape, according to the form and dimensions which it is desired to impart to
the bar.
The toothed gearing for imparting suitable speeds to each pair of rolls is mounted
between two standards upon the same shafts as pinions which impart the different
rotatory motions to each roll, the standards supporting the pinions, the couplings,
and the rolls themselves.
The standards, rolls, and appurtenances are so arranged and combined as to admit
of the whole apparatus being fitted, notwithstanding the number of rolls supported
between two standards, a space being also provided between each pair of rolls and
the guides, so that in case a bar fails to enter one of the guides the breakage which
would otherwise be unavoidable is prevented.
The guides being so arranged as to only require two pairs of rolls to face each
other on the same level, each roll may be adjusted separately in the requisite manner;
and by arranging the rolls in tiers the apparatus requires considerably less space
than the trains of rolls ordinarily employed.
The first guide is provided with a guard at its upper part, which is connected to
a fork placed midway of the two vertical sets of rolls, so that in case of the bar
deviating from its proper course it will come into contact with the said fork, which
immediately transmits motion to the guard, causing it to descend upon the bar and
cut or divide it

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
March 1878.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ROLLING METALS."
A communication from abroad by Constant Roy, of Paris, in the Republic of
France.
The said Invention relates to an improved train of rolls, designated a universal
rolling mill, and which is especially adapted for rolling small bars of iron, of square,
round, or any other form in section.
Heretofore bars of this description have been produced by means of horizontal rolls,
the red-hot bar being seized by the attendants on its issuing from the grooves in the
first pair of rolls, and immediately inserted in smaller grooves, and so on in succes-
sion until the bar is reduced to the required form in cross section. This system is
however attended with danger to the workmen employed, and moreover requires &
large staff for performing the necessary manipulations, which disadvantages it is the
object of the said Invention to remove.
The said Invention consists essentially of a novel arrangement of the rolls, which
are placed in sets or tiers one above the other, and combined with guides which
serve to conduct the bar of iron automatically from one pair of rolls to another, and
from the upper tiers to the tiers below.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents an end elevation of a rolling mill constructed
according to the said Invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 are side sectional elevations; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional eleva-
tion; and Fig. 5 a sectional plan of the same.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 8ª, and 8b are details of the guides.
And Fig. 9 shows the different forms in cross section successively assumed by the
bar during the process of rolling.
The train of rolls in the example illustrated is composed of eight pairs of hori-
zontal grooved rolls a', a², a³, a, a, a, a, as, which are arranged in two parallel
lines or series, each composed of four pairs of rolls placed one over the other. These
rolls are adjusted by wedges p acted on by screws p' placed at the sides, and are
set in motion by means of toothed gearing q, q', shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, which
imparts rotation to them in the required direction and at the requisite angular speed
corresponding to the amount of elongation to be effected at each passage of the bar
between a pair of rolls.
The operation is carried out in the following manner:- -A bar of manufactured
iron of, say, from half an inch to three quarters of an inch square, such, for example,
as that shewn at A in Fig. 9, is passed at the same heat through a guide a, Fig. 6,
and between the rolls a', which reduce it to the oval form in cross section shewn at
B, Fig. 9. The oval bar is laid flat as it issues from between the rolls a¹, and
requires to be twisted to an angle of 90° in order to be presented on edge to the
grooves in the rolls a². This torsion is imparted to it by a guide b, through which it
passes on issuing from the rolls a¹, and which is shewn in detail in Figs. 8, 8a, and 8b.
The said guide b is provided on the side towards the rolls a¹ with a projection q²,
having an oval aperture arranged horizontally, through which the bar is caused to
pass; the distance of this aperture from the rolls a¹ is adjusted by two screws 1, 1,
working in the fixed part r of the guide. At the back of the projection q³ there is
provided a cylindrical piece of metal s perforated with an oval aperture 8¹, through
which the bar is passed; the aperture 8 is enlarged at the entrance, and is shaped
internally to the form of a helix, which imparts a certain amount of torsion to the

page_text: bar, so as to cause it to issue from the guide turned upon its edge, and in that
position to be presented to the grooves in the rolls a³.
The angle of torsion may be adjusted by means of screws 2, 2, which act upon a
projection t formed on the cylindrical piece s, and enable it to be rotated to a small
extent on its axis, thus altering the degree of torsion of the bar. The body of the
piece of metal 8 is for this purpose made of a cylindrical form, and is capable of
partial rotation in a bearing formed by two blocks W, constituting part of the
moveable projection q². The whole is contained in a box r¹, and when the two
blocks W, which embrace the piece 8, are placed in position they are secured by a
door, which admits of access being readily obtained to the interior of the guide.
The bar then enters a guide c, and thence passes between the rolls a², which cause
it to resume its original square section, but reduced in size, according to the pressure
applied. The section C, Fig. 9, is an approximate representation of the bar at this
stage of the operation. This square bar is next conducted to the rolls a³, which
cause it to resume an oval shape, as shewn at D, Fig. 9. In its passage from the
rolls a² to the said rolls a³ the bar follows a semicircular course, in which it is con-
ducted by guides d and e, Fig. 6. These guides are grooved or recessed, so as
to prevent the bar from deviating from its course to the right or to the left, and
the guide e is also enlarged at its entrance in order to facilitate the passage of
the bar.
In case of a tendency for a bar to hang down in a smaller curve than that formed
by the guides d and e, a third guide f, placed underneath the guide d, is provided
for the purpose of supporting the bar in the required direction. This guide f is sup-
ported by the lower rolls a² by means of two straps or rings g and gl surrounding
this roll at each end, and which are connected together by a bar h (Fig. 7) supporting
the guide f
This guide also perforins another function:-
When it happens in consequence of a defective adjustment of the rolls that the
elongation or extension of a bar between 2 pairs of rolls is not exactly in proportion
to the speeds, and that, for example, the pair of rolls a³ draws in the bar more
rapidly than it issues from the rolls a³, the guide f, assisted by the pressure of the
bar and the friction and rotation of the lower roll of the pair a³, will be turned
round the said roll, and caused to assume the position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6,
between it and the top roll of the pair a³, in which position it will remain until the
entire bar has passed, after which it is brought back to its original position by
the action of a counterweight i by rotating, as herein-before described, upon the
bottom roll of the pair a².
The movements of the bar in passing from a³ to as are simply a repetition of
those herein-before described with reference to a', a³, a³, that is to say, guides of a
similar description are employed, and the rolls are provided with similar grooves,
alternately oval and square, the dimensions of which are reduced in proportion to
the amount of rolling to which the bar has been subjected; for example, the bar
will next assume the square section, shewn at E (Fig. 9), and then will again
resume the oval section, but reduced in size, and so on in succession until the
operation is completed.
It is obvious that the grooves in the rolls may be turned round, flat, square, or
diamond shaped, or of any other convenient section, according to the form and
dimensions which it is desired to impart to the bar.
The toothed gearing 9 for imparting suitable speeds to each pair of rolls is
mounted between two standards u, v, Figs. 2 and 5, upon the same shafts as the
lower pinions q¹, which transmit the different rotatory motions to the upper rolls,
the stands v, x, y, z, supporting the pinions, the couplings, and the rolls themselves.
The said Invention embraces the following important features and advantages
1st. The general arrangement of the standards, rolls, and fittings admits of the
whole apparatus being adjusted and arranged in a suitable manner, notwithstanding
the number of rolls supported between two standards (the number, sixteen, may be
augmented or reduced as required), a space being also provided between each pair
:-

page_text: of rolls and the guides, so that in the event of a bar failing to enter one of the guides,
the breakage which would otherwise be unavoidable is prevented.
2nd. The arrangement of the toothed gearing enables a speed to be obtained pro-
portionate to the maximum elongation which is allowed by the rolling out of the
bar from a square to an oval section, and vice versa.
3rd. The guide b, which twists the oval to an angle of 90°, obviates the necessity
for employing vertical rolls, it being necessary that each oval should be presented on
edge to a square groove.
4th. The guides d, e, and f being so arranged as to only require two pairs of rolls
to face each other on the same level, each roll may be adjusted separately in the
requisite manner, and by arranging the pairs of rolls one over the other in tiers
the apparatus requires considerably less space than the trains of rolls ordinarily
employed.
5th. The guide a is provided with a guard m at its upper part, which is connected
to forks n, n, placed at or about midway of the two vertical sets of rolls, so that in
case of the bar accidentally deviating from its proper course it will come into contact
with the corresponding fork, which immediately transmits motion to the guard m,
causing it to descend upon the bar and cut or divide it.
This system possesses the following advantages over the ordinary process of rolling
small bars:-
1st. It avoids the danger to the workmen ordinarily employed for transferring the
.bar from one pair of rolls to another, this operation, according to the said Invention,
being performed automatically.
2nd. It works with one third of the motive power ordinarily required, as the bars
are at a more elevated temperature owing to their being instantaneously passed from
one pair of rolls to another.
3rd. It admits of rolling longer and finer bars, and augments the production.
4th. The work is effected with greater regularity, there being only a single passage
at a time through each pair of rolls.
5th. The rapidity of the drawing out is increased by one tenth, the rolls being
reduced in diameter, which is only admissible when they are subjected to but a
moderate degree of pressure, and are not required to transinit motion to other
rolls.
6th. This train of rolls only occupies one third of the space required by the
ordinary system, whilst its cost is but one half that of the ordinary mill.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
.therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The employment in a rolling mill of multiple tiers or sets of rolls arranged
two by two on the same horizontal line, or nearly so, so as to constitute two vertical
series of superposed rolls, the same being actuated by gearing which imparts
motion in the direction and at the speeds necessary for the operation, substantially
as herein-before described.
Second. The peculiar construction and arrangement of guides for conducting the
rolled bar automatically from one pair of rolls to the next pair during its passage
through the apparatus, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.