An Improvement in the Manufacture of Weldless Chains.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894.
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Manufacture of Weldless Chains.
I, HIPPOLYTE RONGIER of 2, Salford Terrace, Gravelly Hill, Birmingham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of weldless chains,
and particularly weldless stayed chains, from a rod of cruciform section, by a con-
secutive series of operations such as those described in the Specifications of
previous Letters Patent granted to me, respectively dated the 8th day of January
1889 No: 370, and the 30th day of July 1889 No. 12109.
The present improvement relates to the operation of severing the metal at the
point where the inner side of the eye or bow of one link is united to that of
the adjacent link with which it is to remain enchained.
This severance has heretofore heen performed by fatigue of the metal caused
by torsion applied through the whole length of the chain or at least through the
whole length of the two links to be severed and the effect of so applying the
torsion (particularly when the stays or cross-studs of the links are themselves
divided at the middle, as described in Specification No. 12109 of 1889) is that
the links themselves are liable to be twisted or put out of shape in the operation,
thereby involving extra labor in the subsequent operations.
To avoid this, the object of my invention is to apply pressure to the links at,
or as near as possible at, the points where the severance is to be effected so as
to avoid transmitting the torsional strain through the links themselves.
To accomplish this I subject the ends. of the links to be severed, to pressure
between a pair of dies or rollers whose faces are inclined at an obtuse angle so
as to force the links between which they are pressed out of the planes at right
angles to one another in which they are normally situated, this action being
repeated from different sides or in opposite directions until, by fatigue of the
metal at the point of union, the junction of the links is broken.
Dated this 27th day of February 15.
H. RONGIER,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Manufacture of Weldless Chains.
I, HIPPOLYTE RONGIER, of 2. Salford Terrace, Gravelly Hill, Birmingham,
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 :-
My invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of weldless chains,
and particularly weldless stayed chains, from a rod of cruciform section by a
consecutive series of operations such as those described in the Specifications of
previous Letters Patent granted to me respectively dated the 8th day of January
1889 No. 370, and the 30th day of July 1889 No. 12109.
The present improvement relates to the operation of severing the metal at the
ipoint where the inner side of the eye or bow of one link is, united to that of the

page_text: adjacent link with which it is to remain enchained. This severance has heretofore
been performed by fatigue of the metal caused by torsion applied through the
whole length of the chain or at least through the whole length of the two links to
be severed, and the effect of so applying the torsion (particularly when the stays or
cross-studs of the links are divided at the middle, as described in Specification
No. 12109 of 1889,) is that the links are liable to be twisted in the operation,
thereby involving extra labor in the subsequent operations by which the formation
and final shaping of the links is completed.
To avoid this, the object of my invention is to apply pressure to the links at or
as near as possible at the points where the severance is to be effected so as to avoid
transmitting the torsional strain through the whole length of the links to be
severed. To accomplish this, I subject the links to be severed to pressure applied
in the diagonal direction of the cruciform bar by a pair of dies whose faces are
inclined at an obtuse angle whereby to force the links between which they are
pressed, out of the planes at right angles to one another in which they are normally
situated, this action being repeated at different sides of the links, so as to work the
links to and fro in opposite directions with regard to each other until by fatigue of
the metal at the point of union the junction of the links is broken.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein I have illustrated the operation and one form of machine by
which a number of links may be thus severed simultaneously.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 are end views of a pair of dies with the partially-formed
chain between them.
Figure 4 is a perspective view, on a smaller scale, shewing the dies in the act of
operating.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is a top die and B a bottom die fixed in any suitable form of press, the top die
being worked up and down in guides by screw, eccentric, or other mechanical
motion, in the manner of a fly-press, or punching and shearing machine, worked by
hand or power, the distance within which the top die approaches the bottom die
being regulated by packing up the bottom die and being of course dependent
on the size of chain to be operated on, whilst the length of the dies, and con-
sequently the number of links operated on at a time, would vary with the size and
strength of the links and the power available for operating the machine. For the
largest size chain but one or two pairs of links may be operated on at a time, but
for ordinary and smaller sizes the dies A B may generally be from one to three
feet and upwards in length so as to act on a considerable number of links at once,
provision being made, in operating and guiding the dies when of great length, to
ensure the equal application of pressure and the parallelism of the dies throughout
their length.
The operative faces of the dies are V-shaped in section, the operative faces of
each die being inclined to each other at an obtuse angle of about 120°, more or
less, and the partially-formed chain C, still in the form of a punched-out but rigid
bar of cruciform section, as shewn in Figure 1, is placed on the lower die, as
shewn, and the upper die brought down so as to apply pressure in the diagonal
direction of the section of the cruciform bar and splay apart the two webs between
which the shaped dies are forced, as shewn in Figure 2, so that these webs are
nc louger in planes at right angles to one another, as in Figure 1.
In Figure 1 the dotted cross-hatching at c indicates the point at which the inner
side of the bow of a link formed in the one web is united to that of the bow of a
link formed in the other web; and in Figure 2 the partial shearing action produced
by the first pressure of the dies is indicated approximately at c'. From this it will
be seen that after the first operation of the dies the severance is not effected and
the bar still retains its rigidity. It is therefore turned a quarter round so as to be
presented to the dies in the direction represented in Figures 3 and 4 and after
being again subjected to the pressure of the dies the metal becomes so fatigued
at the points of junction of the links that their severance is complete at the second

page_text: pressure, but if not the bar may be again turned round and pressed in the direction
of the first pressure, and so on until the severance is effected.
The mechanism for operating the dies needs no special description and may be
similar in operation to that of an ordinary punching press.
It will be obvious that instead of turning the bar a quarter round after each
pressure there might be a second pair of dies working in a plane at right angles
to the first pair the two pairs being operated alternately.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In the manufacture of weldless chains from a bar of cruciform section, as
specified, the method of severing the junction between the bow of one link and
that of the next by pressure applied first in the one and then in the other
diagonal direction of the bar section by means of obtuse-angled dies, substantially
in the manner specified.
Dated this 27th day of December 1893.
H. RONGIER,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.