IMPROVE- MENTS IN FORGING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Wright, of the Neptune Forge Chain and
Anchor Works, Tipton Green, Dudley, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FORGING MACHINES."
Sealed the 19th September 1865, and dated the 28th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Wright at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th March
1865.
I, JOSEPH WRIGHT, of the Neptune Forge Chain and Anchor Works,
Tipton Green, Dudley, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in forging machines. For
this purpose I employ four hammers arranged round in a circle at right
angles, the one to the other; they are actuated by a steam cylinder and piston ;
one of the hammers is worked directly by the cylinder and piston, and this
hammer is connected by rods to the hammers on each side of it, and these
again are similarly connected to the hammer opposite to the first; thus it will
be seen that when the cylinder and piston cause the hammer, they work
directly to strike a blow, the opposite hammer comes to meet it, and the work
is compressed between them, whilst at the same time the hammers on either
side separate the one from the other, and these strike their blow on the return
stroke of the cylinder and piston.

page_text: If desired, more than one cylinder and piston may be employed to work
the apparatus, and in place of the two pairs of hammers striking alternately,
they may all be caused to strike simultaneously, the arrangement of con-
necting rods being varied accordingly. The two pairs of hammers need not
necessarily strike at right angles the one to the other; but this is usually more
convenient than for them to strike in an inclined direction. In place of
employing steam to work the apparatus, compressed air or other fluid under
pressure or vacuum may be applied.
I would remark that I am aware that hammers have before been ranged
round a circle and connected together with rods, as above described; but
heretofore such hammers have not been worked by steam cylinders and pistons
acting to move the hammers directly, or without the intervention of a rotatory
motion, but they have been worked by cranks on revolving axes; now the
motion of cranks is very unsuited for this purpose, for when the blow is struck
the crank is near its dead point, and the hammer is consequently travelling at
a comparatively low speed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WRIGHT, of the Neptune Forge Chain and Anchor Works, Tipton Green,
Dudley, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Wright, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Wright, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Wright, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Wright,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the

page_text: nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Wright, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in forging machines. For
this purpose
I employ four hammers arranged round in a circle at right
angles the one to the other; they are actuated by a steam cylinder and piston;
one of the hammers is worked directly by the cylinder and piston, and this
hammer. is connected by rods to the hammers on each side of it, and these
again are similarly connected to the hammer opposite to the first; thus it will
be seen that when the cylinder and piston cause the hammer they work
directly to strike a blow the opposite hammer comes to meet it, and the work
is compressed between them, whilst at the same time the hammers on either
side separate the one from the other, and these strike their blow on the
return stroke of the cylinder and piston.
If desired, more than one cylinder and piston may be employed to work
the apparatus; and in place of the two pairs of hammers striking alternately,
they may all be caused to strike simultaneously, the arrangement of con-
necting rods being varied accordingly. In place of employing steam to work
the apparatus, compressed air or other fluid under pressure or vacuum may
be applied.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of a forging machine, constructed according to my

page_text: one of the hammers b; 9, 9, are connecting rods linking this bammer-with
the two side hammers; and h, h, are similar connecting rods linking the side
hammers with the top hammer; i are the pins, by which these connecting
rods are jointed to the hammers; j is an arm clamped on to a stem formed-át
the top of the uppermost hammer; it has at its outer end an eye, through
which the rod k passes freely; at the lower end of the rod k is the valve 1,
which admits the steam. or compressed air or fluid from the valve box to the
cylinder, and also allows it to escape from the cylinder by the exhaust passage;
k, k¹, are nuts screwed on to the rod k, and-by striking these the arm i gives
motion to the valve. The tools or working faces of the hammers 6 are made
in steel as separate pieces, and are keyed or otherwise secured to the ham-
mers 6; this, however, is not indicated in the Drawing; the form of these
tools will be varied according to the nature of the work, as is usual in forging
machines. As before observed, more than one steam cylinder may be
employed to work the apparatus; thus the upper hammer may be worked
by a cylinder and piston in the same way as the lower, and cylinders may also
be employed to actuate directly the side hammers; such cylinders, more
especially those at the side, are, however, unnecessary, and they complicate
the apparatus in all cases; the connecting rods 9, 9, and h, h, are retained to
ensure the hammers working in unison.
As before mentioned also, all the hammers may be made to strike at the
same time, in place of arranging them to strike alternately in pairs; this may
be done by attaching the connecting rods at the sides to slides in place of
directly to the hammers, and then linking the left-hand slide with the right-
hand hammer, and vice versa; this arrangement, however, is more complicated
and less efficient than that shown in the Drawing.
I would remark that I am aware that four hammers have before been
ranged round a circle and connected together with rods, as above described;
but heretofore such hammers have not been worked by steam cylinders and
pistons acting to move the hammers directly, or without the intervention of a
rotatory motion, but they have been worked by cranks on revolving axes; now
the motion of cranks is very unsuited for this purpose, for when the blow is
struck the crank is near its dead point, and the hammer is consequently
travelling at a comparatively low speed.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the exact details described; but what I claim is the constructing forging
machines with four hammers arranged radially around the working point, and
all connected together with rods so as to compel them to move in unison, such

page_text: hammers being actuated directly or without the intervention of cranks and
rotating axes by a cylinder or cylinders worked by steam or compressed
fluid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Wright, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOSEPH WRIGHT. (L.s.)