Improvements in the Manufacture of Drive-chain Links.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date claimed for Patent under Sect. 103 of Act,
being date of first Foreign Application (in 20th Jan., 1892
United States of America)
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 3rd June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1893-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 3rd June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1893-Accepted, 15th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Drive-chain Links.
I, GEORGE PECK HART of 137, Vine Street, New Britain, in the County of
Hartford, State of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of drive-chain links
and it has for its object to produce such links at small cost and to make a
substantial link in which the metal is distributed to the best advantage, the
invention comprising a bar or plate especially adapted for forming such links as
hereafter described.
The bar or plate is formed by rolling and it is of a width equal to the length of
one link blank while its length may vary according to circumstances. Said bar is
formed with a flat plate-like portion of a thickness equal to that of the side bars or
body portion of the finished link a thicker knuckle forming portion (preferably
somewhat curved in cross-section so as to form a projecting rib on one side of the
bar and a groove or depression on the reverse side of the bar) and a rounded bead
at the opposite edge of the bar to form the pintle portion of the link. The edge
of the bar at the knuckle forming portion is preferably somewhat thinner than the
rest of said portion and the edge is also preferably curved.
From these bars which may be produced by rolling as usual, I cut link blanks by
dies or punches into proper form, the kuuckle forming portion being cut somewhat
narrower than the complete link. A hole is cut from the plate-like portion
adjacent to the bead which forms the pintle portion of the link leaving a suitable
width at each side edge of the link to form the side bars that connect the knuckle
and pintle portions. I prefer to make said hole at the pintle end just wide enough
to receive the narrowed end of the knuckle forming portion while the opposite end
of said hole may be narrower to give increased strength to the side bars. The
knuckle portion is curved at its outer end and at its junction with the side bars of
the link on a radius about equal to that of the pintle portion or bead while that
part of the knuckle portion which lies between these curves is straight.
After cutting link blanks from the bar, I next roll or curve the knuckle forming
portion of the blank into the knuckle portion of the finished link, thus practically
completing the article.
The plate or bar may be rolled of a width sufficient for cutting two rows of
blanks, and in this case the thickened knuckle forming portion is in the middle of
the width of the bar, the plate-like portions being at the sides thereof and the
pintle forming beads at the edges of the bar. The link blanks are cut out by
punching as before. The reduced or narrowed portions of the knuckle forming
blanks are made somewhat narrower than in the link first described whereby one
such portion for a link in one row of blanks may be cut from between two such
portions in the opposite row. The hole in the body of the link is made with
parallel sides and the outer end of the knuckle forming portion in the blanks as cut
out is not curved. The blanks then formed have their knuckle forming portion

page_text: bent or rolled into the knuckle portion of the finished article, thus completing
the link.
In use the pintle portion of one link is slipped end wise through the opening in
the knuckle portion of another link as the two links are doubled upon themselves
until the outer end of the knuckle portion registers with the opening in the body of
the link. The links are then turned on the joint at their connected euds to bring
them into alignment with each other as in other chains of this class.
In some cases the bar need not be provided with the pintle forming portion in
bead like form.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1892.
G. P. HART,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Drive-chain Links.
I, GEORGE PECK HART of 137, Vine Street, New Britain, in the County of
Hartford, and State of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 improvements in the manufacture of drive chain links
and the objects of my improvements are to produce the links at a small cost, to
make a substantial link by the proper distribution of metal, and to produce a rolled
bar or plate that is especially adapted for forming such links by cutting them from
said bar.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rolled plate or bar from which I cut chain-link
blanks.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan view of a link blank as cut from said bar.
Figure 4 is an edge view of a link formed from the blank in Figure 3 by rolling
or bending the hook or knuckle portion.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a wider rolled bar.from which I cut two rows of
blanks, the broken lines therein indicating the lines of cutting.
Figure 6 is an edge view thereof.
Figure 7 is an edge view of one link-blank as cut therefrom.
Figure 8 is a plan view of a completed link.
Figure 9 is a sectional view thereof, on line x-x Figure 8.
The general form of my chain-link is old. The bar or plate A (Figures 1 and 2)
is formed by rolling and is of a width equal to the length of one link-blank while
its length may vary according to convenience and circumstances, as in bars or
plates of iron generally. This bar is provided with a flat plate-like portion 9 of a
thickness equal to that of the side bars or body portion of the finished link, a
thicker knuckle-forming portion 11 preferably somewhat curved in end view, so as
to form a projecting rib on one side of the bar while the reversed side is grooved
or depressed, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. I also prefer to make the edge of the
bar at this knuckle-forming portion somewhat thinner than the rest of said portion
and to curve said edge, as shewn in Figure 2. The opposite edge of the bar has a
rounded bead 12 to form the pintle portion of the links. Such bars may be formed
by rolling at any suitable works, and sold to manufacturers to be worked up into
chain-links at other places. After making, or having made for me, such a bar I cut
link-blanks therefrom, by suitable dies and punches, into the form shewn in

page_text: Figure the knuckle-forming portion being cut somewhat narrower than the
complete link. A hole 10 is cut from the plate-like portion adjacent to the bead 12
which forms the pintle portion of the link, leaving a suitable width at each side
edge of the link to form side bars that connect said knuckle and pintle forming
portions, as shewn in Figure 3. I prefer to make said hole at the pintle end just
wide enough to receive the narrowed end of the knuckle-forming portion 11 while
the opposite end of said hole may be narrower to give increased strength to the
side bars. As shewn, the knuckle-forming portion 11 is curved at its outer end
and at its junction with the side bars of the link on a radius about equal to that of
the pintle portion or bead 12 while that part of the knuckle-forming portion which
lies between these curves is straight. After cutting link-blanks (Figure 3) from a
bar AI next roll or curve the knuckle-forming portion of the link-blank into the
knuckle-portion 11 changing it from the form shewn in Figures 2 and 3 to that
shewn in Figure 4, thereby practically completing the link. The links, however,
may then be struck in dies or tumbled in a rolling-barrel to smooth them up.
In Figures 5 to 9 inclusive, I have shewn substantially the same improvement
only the plate or bar B is rolled of a width sufficient for cutting two rows of blanks.
Therefore I make the thickened knuckle-forming portion in the middle of the width
of the bar, the plate-like portions on the sides thereof, and the pintle-forming
beads at the edges of the bar as shewn. The broken lines in Figure 5 shew the
lines on which the blanks are cut in punching out the link-blanks. The reduced or
narrowed portions of the knuckle-forming blanks are made somewhat narrower
than in the form of link first described whereby one such portion for a link in one
row of blanks may be cut from between two such portions in the opposite row, to
economise stock. The hole 13 in the body of the link is made with parallel sides.
It may also be noticed that the outer end of the knuckle-forming portion in the
blanks thus cut out is not curved, as shewn in Figure 7. If desired, the bars for a
single row of blanks may have the same form in end view as the edge view of the
link-blank shewn in Figure 7. The blanks thus formed have their knuckle-forming
portion 14 bent or rolled into a knuckle-portion 144, as shewn in Figures 8 and 9,
thereby practically completing the links.
In use, the pintle portion of one link is slipped end wise through the opening in
the knuckle portion of another link as the two links are doubled upon themselves
until the outer end of the knuckle portion registers with the opening in the body
of the link. The links are then turned on the joint at their connected ends, to
bring them into alignment with each other, all as in other chains of this class.
While I prefer to form the bead-like pintle-forming portion on the bar, it is
evident that all the advantages of a bar with plate-like portion and thickened
knuckle-forming portion and cutting and forming the link bodies and knuckle
portions therefrom would be attained in a bar whose pintle-forming portion was not
in bead-like form.
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--
1. The herein-described method of making drive-chain links, which consists in
forming a bar of rolled metal with a rounded bead-like pintle-forming portion, a
thickened knuckle-forming portion and a plate-like body-forming portion between
said pintle and knuckle forming portions, then cutting out link-blanks therefrom
transversely to the lengths of said portions and then rolling or curving the
knuckle-forming portion into a knuckle, substantially as described and for the
purpose specified.
2. The bar for forming drive-chain links herein described, having a pintle-
forming portion, a thickened knuckle-forming portion, part of which is curved on a
radius substantially equal to that of the link-pintle and a plate-like portion for
forming the body of the link-blanks between said pintle and knuckle forming
portions, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

page_text: 3. A bar for forming drive-chain links, having longitudinal bead-like pintle-
forming portions, a plate-like portion for forming the body of the links and a
thickened knuckle-forming portion extending longitudinally with said bar and
having a portion curved on a radius about equal to that of the curve of said pintle-
forming portion, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Dated February 23rd 1893.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
G. P. ᎻᎪᎡᎢ,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.