An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Straightening or Levelling Metal Plates, Strips, Bars, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 187
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Straightening or
Levelling Metal Plates, Strips, Bars, and the like.
I, JOHN FRENCH GOLDING, of 39 Upper Thames Street, in the City of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object to straighten or level metal plates, strips bars
and the like by subjecting them to a stretching operation which is produced by
restraining the natural tendency of the said metal plates and the like to contract as
they cool after having been previously heated.
For this purpose the plate, strip or bar, to be straightened is taken while in a
heated condition, and placed with its ends or opposite edges between suitable
clamps or supports whose distance apart is fixed. The ends or edges of the heated
plate are firmly held by the aforesaid supports so that as the said plate cools it
becomes tightly stretched between the supports owing to the restraint that is put
upon its tendency to contract, and in this manner the plate effectually straightens
itself.
In order to avoid injury to the plate, strip or bar under treatment by reason of
the stretching force being too great for the strength of the metal to bear, I may
provide one of the aforesaid clips or supports with spring controlled or weighted
jaws, so that in 'the event of the force of contraction exceeding a certain limit the
aforesaid jaws will permit the plate to shift. The springs or weights may be
provided with means for adjusting their pressure upon the jaws.
Any other suitable device may however be employed for preventing injury to
the plate, strip, bar or the like under treatment.
The clips or supports for holding the plates, strips or bars during their cooling
may be arranged in such a manner as to be capable of adjustment relatively to
each other, so that their distance apart may be varied.
In some cases the clips or supports may be so arranged that they will not only
act to firmly hold the plates, strips or bars during their cooling, but will also serve
as a carriage to convey them from one place to another.
I may employ a large drum provided with a series of pairs of the aforesaid clips
or supports arranged around its circumference so that as the plates, strips or bars
come from the rolls they can be successively received by the various pairs of clips,
the said drum being partially revolved each time it is required to bring a fresh
pair of lips in position to receive the next succeeding plate strip or bar. By the
time the last pair of the series of clips has been supplied with a plate, the first
treated j'ate will have cooled and stretched sufficiently to render its removal
permissible.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
4. Southampton, Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Straightening or
Levelling Metal Plates, Strips, Bars, and the like.
I, JOHN FRENCH GOLDING, of 39 Upper Thames Street, in the City of
London, 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 has for its object the straightening or levelling of hot metal
plates, strips, bars and the like by restraining their natural tendency to contract as
they cool. For this purpose the plate, strip, or bar to be straightened is, while in
a hot condition, placed with its ends or opposite edges between suitable adjustable
clamps or supports whose distance apart is capable of being rigidly fixed. The
ends or edges of the hot plate are firmly held by the aforesaid clamps so that as the
said plate cools it becomes tightly stretched between the clamps owing to
the restraint it experiences in contracting and in this manner the plate effectually
straightens itself.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section and Figure 2 an end view of a rotary form of
the machine or apparatus for straightening comparatively narrow plates. The
central part of the machine is broken away in Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are detail views of one of the adjustable clamps, sbewing it
respectively in an inoperative and operative position.
Figure 5 is an elevation and Figure 6 a plan of a modification of the machine.
AA are a number of metal beams of I-section arranged radially around the
circumference of end drums B B to which latter they are firmly bolted or otherwise
attached. These beams serve as receptacles or supports for the metal plates to be
straightened and also as carriers for the adjustable clamps and are of a length
greater than the length of the longest plates to be straightened. The aforesaid
drums B are advantageously made in the form of dises with peripheral flanges bb
to receive the bolts or other fastenings employed for securing the beams to the
drums, and are keyed to a longitudinal shaft C which is mounted in bearings c
carried by end brackets c¹.
Each of the said clamps consists of a bracket or body portion D provided at its
upper part with a screw, socket d to receive a screw threaded spindle d¹ having a
hand wheel and a clamping plate d. The lower part of the bracket Dis
furnished with an arm d which is recessed at d d to engage with the under
flanges a¹ a of the beam A. The said bracket is also formed with another recess d
to engage with the upper rear flange a³ of the beam. The rear under flange a or
both of the under flanges a' a' are formed with notches or serrations with which
the recesses d d are caused to engage when the clamping plate is in its lowered
position and pressing tightly on the metal plate E (Figure 4). The clamp is then
locked firmly to the beam so as to be incapable of longitudinal movement
thereon.
The vertical distance between the recesses d' d' is greater than the total width

page_text: of the flanges a' a' of the beam A and consequently there is a certain amount of
freedom of movement in a vertical direction between the clamp and the beam, which
movement enables the clamp to fall by its own weight a sufficient distance to
disengage itself from the notches or serrations in the beam when the clamping
plate d is raised (Figure 3). The clamp is then free to be adjusted longitudinally
on the bean should such adjustment be necessary. It will be obvious that various
other ways of locking the clamps to the beams may be adopted and I therefore do
not confine myself to this specific method.
I prefer to arrange the machine in proximity to the rolling mill so that as the
plates come from the rolls they can be taken directly one by one by the workmen
and inserted on to the beams as the latter are brought successively into a horizontal
position by partially revolving the machine.
In order to impart this partial rotary movement to the machine I provide one of
the drums, or the shaft C, with a toothed wheel F with which gears a piuiou f
mounted on a spindle f. This spindle is provided with a crank handle for
revolving the pinion and thereby imparting movement to the toothed wheel F and
so to the machine. G is a bolt or spring catch for engaging with one or other of a.
series of holes F1 provided in the face of the toothed wheel F so as to prevent the
machine from revolving during the insertion of a plate into position on a beam A.
The hot plate having been placed on a beam and clamped thereto by the clamps,.
the said spring catch is disengaged from a contiguous hole by actuating a treadle g
and the machine is then partially. revolved by the crank handle f' to bring another
beam into position to receive the next hot plate, the aforesaid spring catch locking
the machine in this position by engaging with a fresh hole under the action of its-
spring. The hot plates are thus fed one by one into the machine at one side thereof,.
aud by the time these plates successively reach the opposite side of the machine
as the latter performs its intermittent rotation, the plates will have had time to cool
and contract and so straighten themselves. They can therefore be removed one by
one; and so the operation proceeds coutinuously with all the other plates until a
sufficient number has been straightened.
Instead of arranging the beams radially on drums as above described I sometimes.
link them together side by side so as to form au eudless chain of beams which
I operate by large sprocket wheels, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6 where A A are
the beams connected together by the links a' and H H are the sprocket wheels..
I is a platform which supports the beams as they travel along with the hot
plates.
In order to equalize the cooling of the plate each beam may be formed with a
sheet of asbestos or other suitable heat non-conducting material interposed between.
the beam and the plate.
It will be observed that the above described machines not only act as holders for
the plates while the latter are straightening themselves but also serve at the same
time as conveyors for carrying the plates away from the rolling mill.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of straightening or levelling metal plates, strips,.
bars, or the like by firmly clamping their opposite edges while they are in
a heated condition, so as to restrain their natural tendency to contract as
they cool.
2. An apparatus or machine for use with my method of straightening metal
plates, strips bars or the like, comprising a support for the said plates strips bars.
or the like and clamps adjustable on said support substantially as described.
3. A rotary form of the apparatus or machine in which a series of the aforesaid
supports and adjustable clamps are constructed and arranged substantially as
described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. The modification of the machine or apparatus in which the supports are
arranged in chain form substantially as described with reference to Figures 5 and 6
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of December 1896.
JOHN FRENCH GOLDING.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.