Improvements in, and Apparatus or Appliances for use in Altering the Sectional Shape of Metal Tubes, or of portions thereof.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
Improvements in, and Apparatus or Appliances for use in Altering
the Sectional Shape of Metal Tubes, or of portions thereof.
We, THE NEW BROTHERTON TUBE COMPANY LIMITED, of Excelsior Works, Com-
mercial Road, Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Metal Tube Manufac-
turers, and JAMES WALDRON and SAMUEL GEORGE HOPCROFT, both of the above
address, Works Foremen, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Heretofore, it has been the usual practice, in producing tubes of D-shaped, oval,
and many other, sections, beside those of circular section, to draw them to the
desired shape through dies, as in the manner of producing round tubes; and when
tubes have been required to be partially round or of analogous shape in section,
and partially of another section, such for instance as is the case with hind forks for
cycles, which are frequently circular in section at their forward ends, and of a D or
pointed oval shape at their hinder ends, the portions of which the shape is required
to be altered are pressed or hammered to such shape around a mandril.
Now, this invention has for its object an improved method, and apparatus or
appliances, for use in altering tubes, or portions thereof, to other shape, in section,
such for instance as, from a round or analogous shape, to a D, oval, elliptic or
hourglass shape, as required. The more immediate purpose of the invention is
for the treatment of tubes such as are used in cycle work and the like, and which,
owing to the quality and thinness of the metal employed, may be dealt with cold;
but the invention may be used, also, in the treatment of other tubes, providing
that, where the metal is thick compared with their diameter, the tubes are treated
whilst hot. A special feature of the invention consists in the ease with which it
enables the short lengths of tube which are used by cycle makers and others, and
portions of lengths of tube, to be shaped at the factory where the cycles or other
manufactures in which the tubes are used are produced.
According to this invention, the tubes or portions thereof are altered in shape,
as desired, by rolling them upon mandrils between a pair of rolls which are
suitably shaped at their peripheries to give the desired form. If, for instance, a
tube, or a portion thereof, is to be brought from a round to a D-shape in section,
one of the rolls is formed with a semi-circular groove, and the other is a plain
cylindrical roll which forms the straight side of the D-shaped section. If a tube,
or a portion thereof, is to be formed of a pointed oval shape, such as is commonly
the shape in section of a front fork side, each roll is formed with a groove; and,
in all cases, the rolls are formed to give the desired shape to a tube or portion
thereof.
In some cases, such as in that of front fork sides, the altered shape of the tube
requires to taper widthways, and in such cases one of the rolls may be pressed
towards the other under elastic pressure, so as to yield outwards therefrom and
allow for the increased thickness of the tube due to the narrowing in width.
A convenient form of apparatus constructed for the purpose of the invention

page_text: consists, of a pair of rolls mounted upon spindles which are suitably geared to-
gether, the spindle of one of the rolls being carried in a frame or carrier which
is pivoted at its hinder end to a suitable standard and is pressed down towards its
forward end by means of a screw and hand wheel. The pivot pin passes through
a slotted opening in the standard, so that it may be adjusted somewhat as to height,
to enable rolls of somewhat differing diameters to be used; and the teeth of the
wheels by which the spindles are geared together are made of a depth which allows
of the required rise and fall of the one roll in relation to the other. In lieu of
pivoting the movable frame to the standard, it may be carried in vertical guides
of such standard. When an apparatus is to be used for shaping to a taper form
lengthways lengths of tube or portions thereof, a steel spring is employed through
which the pressure of the tightening screw is transmitted to the movable frame
or carrier.
1. T 100%
Improvements in, and Apparatus or Appliances for use in Altering
the Sectional Shape of Metal Tubes, or of portions thereof.
We, THE NEW BROTHERTON TUBE COMPANY LIMITED, of Excelsior Works, Com-
mercial Road, Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Metal Tube Manufac-
turers, and JAMES WALDRON and SAMUEL GEORGE HOFCROFT, both of the above
address, Works Foremen, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement:
Heretofore, it has been the usual practice, in producing tubes of D-shaped, oval,
and many other, sections, besides those of circular section, to draw them to the
desired shape through dies, as in the manner of producing round tubes; and when
tubes have been required to be partially round or of analogous shape in section, and
partially of another section, such for instance as is the case with hind forks or back
stays for cycles, which are frequently circular in section at their forward ends, and
of a D or oval shape at their hinder ends, the portions of which the shape is required
to be altered are pressed or hammered to such shape around a mandril.
Now, this invention has for its object, an improved method, and apparatus or
appliances, for use in altering tubes, or portious thereof, to other shape in section,
such for instance, as from a round or analogous shape, to a D, oval, elliptic, square
or hour-glass shape, as required. The more immediate purpose of the invention
is for the treatment of tubes such as are used in cycle work and the like, and which,
owing to the quality and thinness of the metal employed, may be dealt with cold;
but the invention may be used, also, in the treatment of other tubes, providing
that, where the metal is thick compared with their diameter, the tubes are treated
whilst hot. A special feature of the invention consists in the ease with which
it enables the short lengths of tube which are used by cycle makers and others,
and portions of lengths of tube, to be shaped at the factory where the cycles or
other manufactures in which the tubes are used are produced.
According to this invention, the tubes or portions thereof, as required, are altered
in shape, as desired, by rolling them between a pair of rolls which are suitably
shaped at their peripheries to give the desired form. If, for instance, a tube, or a
portion thereof, is to be brought from a round to a D-shape in section, one of the

page_text: rolls is formed with a semi-circular or analogous-shaped groove, and the other is
a plain cylindrical roll which forms the straight side of the D-shaped section.
If a tube, or a portion thereof, is to be formed from a round into an oval shape,
such as is commonly the shape in section of a front fork side, each roll is formed
with a groove; and, in all cases, the rolls are formed to give the desired shape to
a tube or portion thereof. If a thin metal tube, or portion thereof, such as used
for bicycle work or the like, is to be altered from circular to a D-shaped section, or
to a narrow oval section, or to an oval section having the ends formed with quick
curves, and generally if a thin metal tube is to be altered from one section, such for
instance as from a circular or analogous section, to a section differing considerably
therefrom, the tube is rolled upon a mandril between the pair of shaping rolls, and
in some cases may be rolled partially to shape between a pair of rolls before the man-
dril is inserted, and be subsequently rolled upon the mandril between the same or
another pair of rolls. In some cases, however, the section can be altered consider-
ably without the use of a mandril, but this of course depends, mainly, on the special
character of the section; and in the case of some sections and thicknesses of metal
experience only can shew whether a mandril is required or not.
In some cases, such as in that of most front fork sides, the portion of the tube
which is to be altered in shape requires to taper, and in such cases a mandril is
used and one of the rolls is pressed towards the other under elastic or yielding
pressure so as to yield outwards therefrom and allow of the increased depth of the
tube as the tube and mandril pass between the rolls with the smaller end of the
mandril leading.
A convenient form of apparatus constructed for the purpose of the invention
is illustrated by the accompanying drawings on Sheet 1 herewith; and on Sheet 2
herewith, by way of example, details are shewn, to a large size, of portions of a
mandril and of the rolls used in altering a tube or portion thereof from a round
to a D-shaped section, and details are shewn, to a large size, of rolls for altering
a tube or portion thereof from a round to an oval shape in section.
Referring first to the drawings shewn on Sheet 1 herewith, Figure 1 is a front
elevation of the apparatus, which is shewn as adapted to be worked by hand;
Figure 2 is an end view; and Figure 3 a plan thereof.
the
A pair of rolls a a¹ are fixed, respectively, upon spindles b b which are geared
together by the equal spur wheels c c. The spindle 6 is driven through the
medium of the handle d, fly wheel e, spur pinion f, and spur wheel g. The wheel e
and pinion fare fixed together and mounted to be capable of turning upon a fixed
stud h, and the wheel g is fixed upon one end of the spindle b¹ which projects from
the main standard A of the apparatus. The spindle b is carried in fixed
bearings. The spindle 6 is carried in an arm which is pivotally connected
with the standard A by means of a pin 7. This pin projects from the inner face
of a lug m formed on the hinder end of the arm k, and passes through a slotted
hole in the standard A. The pin is kept in place by means of a washer o and
nut p around its hinder end. The arm is formed with a gap which receives
wheel o.
spur
The height of the hinder end of the arm & may be adjusted by
moving the pin 1 in the slot n, and the outer end of the arm is prevented from
rising unduly by means of a screw which is screwed through a lug 2 of the
standard and has a hand-wheel r fixed to its upper end. The height of the spindle b
may thus be readily adjusted to aHow of the rolls a and a being replaced with
rolls of different size. The teeth of the wheels c c are made of a depth to allow
of the distance between their spindles being varied as required. A tube, or the
portion thereof, which it is desired to alter in sectional shape, is rolled between the
rolls a a', and when, as is frequently the case, it is only a portion of a length of
tubo which is required to be altered in section, a hand apparatus will usually bo
found most handy in a general shop, as the length of tube which has been so altered
has to be rolled back again to clear it from the rolls. A power-driven automatic
apparatus may, of course, be used in such case, and with advantage if a considerable
number of tubes of the same size are required to be similarly altered each for the

page_text: same portion of its length. Any of the well known mechanical devices for auto-
matically reversing a machine may be adopted for the purpose.
A carrying roller a is mounted to be capable of turning upon a fixed stud 63
situated some distance behind the rolls a a', the purpose of this roller being merely
to support the tube as it passes from between the rolls a a¹ and prevent it bending
downwards,
The apparatus shewn may be used in altering the shape of a taper tube or taper
portion of a tube by rolling it upon a taper maudril, in which case the arm k is
pivotally connected with the standard A so that its outer end may be capable of
rising and falling. A spiral spring is interposed between the outer end of the
arm and the lug q', and the lower end of the screw 7 is raised to allow the arm
to rise to the maximum height required. As the tube, with the mandril therein,
pusses between the rolls, with the smaller end leading, the roll a rises against the
pressure of the spiral spring as the depth or thickness of the tube beneath it in-
.creases. The pivot connection between the arm and the standard is effected by
means of the pin /, but the nut p thereon is slackened sufficiently only to allow
of the pin being turned slightly under the force exerted by the arm as it is moved
upwards against the pressure of the spring, and as it is moved downwards again
by such pressure, the pin being still held sufficiently tightly within the slot i to
prevent it falling therein. In lieu of pivoting the movable part which carries the
spindle to the standard, it may be carried in vertical guides of the standard;
and this arrangement of the part, which carries the spindle b, may be adopted
whether the apparatus is required for dealing with taper tubes or taper portions
of tubes, or not.
Referring now to the drawings on Sheet 2, Figure 4 shews, in transverse section,
to a large size, a D-shaped portion of a tube which has been formed to such shape
from the circular shape indicated by broken circles, and shews also the meeting
portions of the rolls by means of which the shape has been altered and the man-
dril used to support the inside of the tube under the operation of the rolls.
Figure 5 shews a side elevation of a portion of the tube which is being passed be-
tween the rolls and of a portion of the mandril, and portions of the rolls are shewa
in section; and Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 4, but shews an oval-
shaped section of tube which has been formed from the circular shape indicated by
broken circles.
Referring to Figures 4 and 5, it will be seen that the lower roll a' is formed with
a groove of D-shaped section, and that the upper roll a is formed as a plain cylin-
drical roll. The mandril B is formed of a cylindrical shape to fit within the
interior of the cylindrical tube C, but a flat is cut down or forined along the upper
side thereof for the length of the required D-shaped portion of the tube, and the
flat portion of the mandril joins into the full circular portion thereof by a curve,
as shewn in Figure 5. When the tube C, with the mandril B therein, has been
rolled between the rolls a a' as far as is required to form the D-shaped portion of
the tube, the rolling apparatus is reversed to roll out the tube and mandril again
from between the rolls. It will be seen, by reference to Figure 4, that the portion
of the mandril which is used in forming the D-shaped portion of the tube is nar-
rower than suoh D-shaped portion. This, however, does not prevent the proper
formation of the flat side of the tube and the proper formation of the entire D-sec-
tion. If it is desired to form the tube D-shaped in section from end to end, the
mandril is of course formed of the shape shewn in section by Figure 4 throughout
its entire length, or throughout the length thereof which passes through the tube.
Referring to Figure 6, the tube C, or a portion of the length thereof, may he
rolled, between the rolls a a', from the circular shape indicated by broken circles
to the oval shape shewn by full lines, without the use of a mandril, unless the
metal is extremely thin. If, however, it is desired to form the oval much flatter,
a mandril should be used. In such latter case, the tube, or portion thereof as
desired, may be first partially rolled to the oval shape, such as to the shape shewn
by full lines Figure 6, and then a mandril of the required depth, but of the width

page_text: only of the partially rolled tube, or of the partially rolled length thereof, be forced
into the tube, and then the tube and mandril together be rolled between the same
or another pair of rolls to bring the tube to the required shape.
If a tube, or a portion thereof, is rolled more than once, between the same pair
of rolls, to alter the form of its section, the rolls are brought nearer to one another
between the rolling processes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The method of altering the sectional shape of metal tubes, or of portions
thereof, according to which the tubes, or the portions thereof which it is required
to alter in sectional shape, are rolled between suitably prepared rolls, substantially
as described.
2. The method of altering the sectional shape of metal tubes, or of portions
thereof, according to which the tubes, or portions thereof which it is required to
alter in sectional shape, are rolled upon a mandril between suitably prepared rolls,
substantially as described.
3. The method of altering the sectional shape of metal taper tubes or of taper
portions of tubes, according to which the tubes, or the portions thereof which it is
required to alter in sectional shape, are rolled upon a mandril under an elastic or
yielding pressure between suitably prepared rolls, substantially as described.
4. An annaratus or appliance for use in altering the sectional shape of metal tubes,
or of portions thereof, which is provided with a pair of suitably-shaped rolls be-
tween which such tubes or portions thereof may be rolled, substantially as described
and shewn by the drawings on Sheet 1 herewith.
5. An apparatus or appliance for use in altering the sectional shape of taper
metal tubes, or of taper portions of metal tubes, which is provided with a pair of
suitably-shaped rolls between which such tubes or portions of tubes may be rolled
under an elastic or yielding pressure, substantially as described.
6. Apparatus or appliances for use in altering the sectional shape of metal tubes,
or of portions thereof, which comprise suitably-shaped rolls between which the
tubes or portions thereof may be rolled, and a mandril formed, or a portion thereof
formed as required, to a sectional shape adapted for the desired altered shape of
the tubes or portions thereof, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of March 1898.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicants.