IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC TUBES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Clifford, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC TUBES."
Sealed the 13th May 1875, and dated the 23rd November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Clifford at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd November 1874.
I, ARTHUR CLIFFORD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TEE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC TUBES," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements horein-after described,
whereby the steam or other motive power employed in drawing metallic
tubes is applied through the intervention of hydraulic machinery, and is

page_text: thereby made to act more advantageously than when applied in the
ordinary way.
I arrange a hydraulic cylinder with its axis in a line with the axis of
the partially made tube to be operated upon. The piston rod of the said
hydraulic cylinder passes out of the cylinder at both ends through
stuffing boxes in the ends of the cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder is
provided with slide valves or other equivalent arrangements for per-
mitting water under pressure to be delivered on either side of the piston,
and for permitting the escape of water from the opposite side. By
means of a series of three small pumps worked by a three-throw crank
a uniform stream of water under pressure may be delivered into the
hydraulic cylinder through the slide valve described, and the piston
carried with the required force in the required direction. The partially
made tube to be drawn is connected with the end of the piston rod and
drawn through a draw plate in the usual way. As the piston performs
its to-and-fro motion it is made to draw a tube at each stroke, the
requisite draw plate and appliances being arranged at each end of the
cylinder. The apparatus however instead of being made double acting
as described may be made with the piston rod projecting from one end
only of the cylinder, in which case the drawing of a tube is effected
only when the piston travels in one direction, the return motion of the
piston being effected in this case either by hand or otherwise, so as to
empty the cylinder quickly and bring the piston into the required
position for effecting another drawing.
By effecting the manufacture of tubes by machinery constructed
according to my Invention the drawing is effected economically and
without any of the oblique strain, which is more or less unavoidable in
the ordinary method of drawing tubes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Arthur Clifford in the Great Scal Patent Office on 30
the 17th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
CLIFFORD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Arthur Clifford, Her special
license that I, the said Arthur Clifford, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Arthur Clifford, my exc-
cutors, 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 MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC TUBES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Arthur Clifford, my executors, or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of tho
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arthur Clifford, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described,
whereby the steam or other motive power employed in drawing metallic
tubes is applied through the intervention of hydraulic machinery, and is
thereby made to act more advantageously than when applied in the
ordinary way.
I arrange a hydraulic cylinder with its axis in a line with the axis of
the partially made tube to be operated upon. The piston rod of the said
hydraulic cylinder passes out of the cylinder at both ends through
stuffing boxes in the ends of the cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder is
provided with a slide valve or other equivalent arrangement for per-
mitting water under pressure to be delivered on either side of the piston,
and for permitting the escape of water from the opposite side. By

page_text: means of a series of three small pumps worked by a three-throw crank
a uniform stream of water under pressure may be delivered into the
hydraulic cylinder through the slide valvo described, and the piston
carried with the required force in the required direction. The partially
made tube to be drawn is connected with the end of the piston rod and
drawn through a draw plate in the usual way. As the piston performs
its to-and-fro motion it is made to draw a tube at each stroke, the
requisite draw plate and appliances being arranged at each end of the
cylinder.
•
By effecting the manufacture of tubos by machinery constructed
according to my Invention the drawing is effected economically and
without any of the oblique strain, which is more or less unavoidable in
the ordinary method of drawing tubes.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal vertical section (partly in elevation)
double acting hydraulic machinery for drawing metallic tubes con-
structed according to my Invention, Figure 2 is a plan of the same, and
Figure 3 is an end elevation (partly in cross section) of the same.
Figure 4 represents in section drawn to a larger scale the slide valve
and parts thereof.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several
Figures of the Drawing.
a, a², is the hydraulic cylinder, the axis of which is arranged in a
line with the axis of the tube to be drawn ;. b is the piston working in
the said cylinder a, a²; and c, c², is the piston rod passing out at both
ends of the cylinder through stuffing boxes, one of which is shown at d.
The piston rod c, c², is guided in its motion by means of cross heads, one
of which is marked c, at each end of the cylinder, the said cross heads
working or sliding on the trough-like framing f. g is the draw plate or
die at one end of the cylinder, through which the tube is to be drawn.
To the end c of the piston rod a mandril is attached by being engaged
with the T slot i on the cross head e; or any other convenient mode of
attaching the mandril to the piston rod may be used. The cross licad e,

page_text: mandril h, and draw plate g are duplicated at the end A of the hydraulic
machinery, but as the parts referred to are similar at both ends of the
cylinder I have only represented those at one end. Water under
pressure is delivered into the hydraulic cylinder a, a, alternately at
either end, and the waste water removed by the pipes k, l, opening into
the ends of the cylinder, and also into the valve case m, the waste water
delivered into the valve case escaping by the pipe n. The water under
pressure enters the valve case m by the feed pipe p, the water being
supplied to the said feed pipe p. from a series of small pumps worked by
a three-throw crank or otherwise so as to deliver a uniform stream of
water. I do not however limit myself to any particular arrangement of
the pumps. In the said case m is a slide 'valve q (shown in the section
Figure 4), by the motion of which the water under pressure is alternately
allowed to enter one or other end of the cylinder a, a³, and the waste
water is permitted to escape from the opposite end of the cylinder for
giving the to-and-fro motion to the drawing mechanism. The slide
valve is operated by the lever worked by hand or automatically
through the intervention of an arm fixed to each end of the piston
rod c, c².
In Figure 1 a tubes is represented in the act of being drawn, the
piston rod c, c, and mandril & moving in the direction of the arrow, the
slide valve q in the case m being in such a position that water under
pressure entering by the pipe p passes through the case m and valve q,
and entering the pipe k passes into the end a of the hydraulic cylinder
and presses the piston 6 in the direction of the arrow, the end a² of the
hydraulic cylinder being at the same time emptied of its waste water by
the said water passing through the pipe and valve g and escaping by
the waste pipe n. As soon as the piston has made its full stroke the
position of the slide valve q is reversed, when water under pressure
enters the cylinder at the end a and the waste water escapes from the
end a and the piston 6 moves in a direction contrary to that indicated by
the arrow, and a tube is drawn at the end A of the machinery. In this
way as the piston 6 performs its to-and-fro motion it is made to draw a
tube at each stroke.
In Figure 4 the slide valve is represented in its middle position, both
the ports or passages ², 1, in the face of the valve case m being closed,
so that water is prevented from passing into or out of the hydraulic

page_text: cylinder and the piston of the drawing mechanism is at rest. When the
said piston is at rest in order to provide for the free escape of the water
pumped into the valve case m I make a hole or passage u in the face of
the said casc, which passage opens into the passage n³ of the waste pipe n,
and I make a corresponding hole or passage in the slide valve q, so
that when the said valve q is in the middle position represented in
Figure 4 there is a free passage through the holes v, u, for the water
from the case m into the escape pipe n. By this arrangement the loss
of power and injury to the valve case are prevented when the water
pressure is shut off from the hydraulic cylinder to bring the drawing
mechanism to rest.
Instead of employing a slide valve for alternately admitting and
cutting off the supply of water under pressure to either side of the piston
in the hydraulic cylinder a three-way cock or other equivalent mechanism.
may be used.
The hydraulic drawing machinery instead of being made double acting
as described and illustrated may be made with the piston rod projecting
from one end only of the cylinder, a draw plate or dic and mandril
being situated at one end only. When a tube is drawn at one end only
the to-and-fro motion is given to the piston in the manner described with
respect to the double acting drawing machinery, that is, by the alternate
admission of water under pressure to either side of the piston.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention, but I claim as my Invention of improvements in machinery
for the manufacture of metallic tubes,-
The construction and combination of parts herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing of hydraulic machinery for
drawing tubes, that is to say, double acting hydraulic drawing machinery,
consisting of a hydraulic cylinder, the piston rod of which passes out at
each end thereof, each end of the piston rod giving the required motion
to a mandril for the drawing of a tube, water under pressure being
alternately admitted to either side of the piston so as to give a to-and-fro
motion to the said piston and its rod, whereby a tube is drawn at each
stroke of the said piston, substantially as described and illustrated.

page_text: Also the arrangement or combination of parts described and illustrated
for giving a to-and-fro motion to the piston when a tube is to be drawn
at one end only of the hydraulic cylinder.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Clifford, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
ARTHUR CLIFFORD. (L.S.)