Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Pipes and similar Hollow Metallic Articles, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 5th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
SIONAL
GATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Pipes and similar
Hollow Metallic Articles, and in Apparatus therefor.
I ERNEST HOLLINGS of 57 High Lane Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the production of hollow articles such as columns, posts,
pipes, and the like from solid ingots blooms, billets, or other masses of metal or
metallic alloys and the objects are to produce such articles of improved equality and
compactness with a comparatively small expenditure of power and of any desired
configuration.
For the above purposes I take an ingot or other suitable piece of metal and by
means of one or more pairs of rolls assisted if necessary by end pressure on the ingot
or other piece of metal force the end of such ingot or piece of metal, in a heated state
or otherwise according to the metal being operated on, against the point of a mandrel.
The point of the mandrel pierces the metal and such metal is thereby spread or
expanded out around the mandrel in the form of a hollow column or pipe. In order
to keep the ingot or piece of metal straight and in some cases to assist in feeding the
said ingot or piece of metal forward I use a series of rollers preferably grooved bearing
against the said ingot or piece of metal. The rollers are on movable axes so as to be
adjustable to various sizes of ingots, and the said rollers may be driven or allowed to
revolve loosely. At some point in the length of the mandrel head I preferably
employ another pair of rolls to smooth or reduce in thickness the formed column
or pipe, to impart any desired configuration thereto, and, in some cases, to assist
in drawing or forcing the column or pipe over the mandrel head. The mandrel
head may be of any desired shape.
For supporting the mandrel head in a central position at the commencement of the
operation of forming a column or pipe I employ a movable arm or arms or antifriction
roller or rollers placed near to the point of the mandrel head and so arranged as to
allow the formed column or pipe to pass along the mandrel and in the case of very
long columns or pipes necessitating correspondingly long mandrels I employ behind
the last pair of rolls antifriction rollers at intervals in the length of the mandrel to
support the same and the column or pipe when formed.
1191.... 1806
W. B. JOHNSON,
Agent.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Pipes and similar
Hollow Metallic Articles, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, ERNEST HOLLINGS of 57 High Lane Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, 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 relates to the production of hollow articles such as columns, posts,

page_text: pipes, and the like from solid ingots blooms, billets, or other massos of metal or
metallic alloys and the objects are to produce such articles of improved equality and
compactness with a comparatively small expenditure of power and of any desired
configuration.
For the above purposes I take an ingot or other suitable piece of metal and by
means of one or more pairs of rolls assisted if necessary by end pressure on the
ingot or other piece of metal force the end of such ingot or piece of metal in a
heated state or otherwise according to the metal being operated on against the point
of a mandrel. The point of the mandrel pierces the metal and such metal is thereby
spread or expanded out around the mandrel in the form of a hollow column or pipe.
In order to keep the ingot or piece of metal straight and in some cases to assist in
feeding the said ingot or piece of metal forward I use a series of rollers preferably
grooved bearing against the said ingot or piece of metal. The rollers are on movable
axes so as to be adjustable to various sizes of ingots, and the said rollers may be
driven or allowed to revolve loosely. At some point in, the length of the mandrel
head I preferably employ another pair of rolls to smooth or reduce in thickness the
formed column or pipe, to impart any desired configuration thereto, and, in some
cases, to assist in drawing or forcing the column or pipe over the mandrel head.
The mandrel head may be of any desired shape.
For supporting, the mandrel head in a central position at the commencement of
the operation of forming a column or pipe I employ a movable arm or arms or
antifriction roller or rollers placed near to the point of the mandrel head and so
arranged as to allow the formed column or pipe to pass along the mandrel and in
the case of very long columns or pipes necessitating correspondingly long mandrels
I employ behind the last pair of rolls antifriction rollers at intervals in the length
of the mandrel to support the same and the column or pipe when formed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2 is a transverse section at A A, and Fig. 3 is
a plan illustrative of apparatus under my invention, aa are a pair of rolls cause!
to rotate by any convenient gearing by means of which an ingot or other piece of
metal heated or otherwise is forced against the point of the mandrel c thereby
expanding or spreading out the metal around the mandrel as shown and forming
a column or pipe. More than one pair of rolls a may be used if desired placed one
behind the other. The mandrel c is of any usual or convenient construction. d is a
hydraulic ram by means of which end pressure can be applied to the ingot bif
found necessary as may be the case when it is required to convert an ingot into a
column or pipe having a relatively large hole through it. e e is a series of guide
or feed rollers, free to rotate on axes carried by bars a g'. The bars 9 g are
movable to and from each other by means of right and left hand screws h, or
equivalent devices so that the rollers can be adjusted for various sizes of ingots.
When it is desired to use the rollers ee for assisting in feeding the ingot forward
I cause the said rollers to rotate by gearing instead of allowing them to revolve
loosely, and I so connect the rollers or their axes to their gearing by ratchets and
pawls or equivalent devices that such rollers are free to rotate faster than their
gearing if the ingot should be temporarily caused to travel faster by the rolls a a
or end pressure. jj are another pair of rolls by means of which the column or pipe
formed on the mandrel may be smoothed or reduced or have any desired shape
imparted to it. The rolls are preferably caused to rotate by any convenient genr
so as to assist in drawing the column or pipe over the mandrel head. Several pairs
of rollers may if desired be used to assist in stripping the column or pipe from the
mandrel head. kare antifriction rollers for supporting the mandrel head in a centrul
position. The said rollers are carried on arms free to slide in guides m in the
frame n, and held in position by bell cranks pivotted to the frame n at a. Tho
bell cranks are operated by a ring o and lever o'. When the formed column or
pipe passes over the mandrel the rollers k are released so as to allow such column

page_text: or pipe to pass. More than two antifriction rollers or arms may be used if desired
and as is obvious many various arrangements may be used for holding such anti-
friction rollers or arms in position. p is an antifriction roller behind the rolls jj for
supporting the mandrel or column. Several such antifriction rollers may be used in
the case of long columns.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. Forming hollow metal columns pipes or like articles from ingots or other
solid masses of metal by means of rolls and a mandrel and with or without end
pressure substantially as set forth.
Second. In apparatus for forming hollow metal columns pipes or like articles from
ingots or other solid masses of metal, guide rollers on movable axes arranged and
operated substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Third. In apparatus for forming hollow metal columns pipes or like articles from."
ingots or other solid masses of metal, movable arms or equivalent devices for
supporting the mandrel head in position substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In apparatus for forming hollow metal columns pipes or like articles from
ingots or other solid masses of metal, rolls for smoothing reducing shaping or-
drawing over the mandrel the formed column or pipe substantially as set forth.
Dated this Third day of April 1897.
W. B. JOHNSON,
4 Clayton Square, Liverpool, Agent.