Improvements in Upsetting and Die-forging Enlarged Ends on Metal Bars.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Upsetting and Die-forging Enlarged Ends on
Metal Bars.
I, FREDERICK HENRY SMITH, of the City of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland,
United States of America, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
:
In upsetting bridge bars, the practice has heretofore been to heat a portion of the
bar and enclose such heated portion in dies which hold one end of the heated portion
stationary, while the other end is driven toward the stationary end the heated metal
by this method is thus caused to upset upon itself from one end only of the bar, which
causes great and prolonged friction of the travelling or displaced hot metal against the
top and bottom surfaces of the die, and there is correspondingly great wear of these
surfaces and expenditure of power and uncertainty of result. By the method or process
and the mechanism herein described, these objections are in large part removed. The
method consists in driving the hot metal from both ends, that is from opposite
directions towards the centre, instead of from one end towards the other end.
In present upsetting practice, particularly with steel bars of ordinary sizes, it is
found that when the upsetting pressure is first applied, it causes the bar to buckle or
bend laterally inside the die, at about the middle thereof instead of upsetting and
expanding at both edges equally. To counteract this tendency of the hot bar to bend
laterally in the die, resort has been had to various expedients most of all of which result
in disturbing the skin of the bar at a vital point, and also require further treatment in
order to leave the surface of the bar-head flat and smooth.
By my present improvement the skin of the metal is not disturbed except at the
eye-seat, which is the point in the bar where the eye is to be drilled, and also the
tendency of the bar to move in the die is counteracted by driving a bulb or other
protuberance into one or both sides of the hot metal at the eye-seat and thus
penetrating, partially penetrating, or transfixing the bar, which firmly holds it
stationary, while the adjacent parts are expanded in the die by driving both ends from
opposite directions; this penetrating or transfixing of the bar also expands laterally
the metal immediately at the eye-seat and such expansion gives efficient initial direction
to the inflowing metal coming centre-wards from the opposite ends of the die, and thus
reduces the danger of clogging by reason of local over heating or under heating.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved mechanism,

page_text: Figure 2 is a front end elevation.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the lower part, and a front view of the upper
piston and shoe.
Figure 4 is a top view of the anvil or bed, and the die with a bar in position to be
operated upon, and the double upsetting cylinder in horizontal section; the parts are
shown in position ready for the beginning of the movement.
Figure 5 is a similar view of the same parts shown in Figure 4, the parts being in
the position they have at the end of the movement.
Figure 6 shows three views of the finished eye-bar made by the die shown in
Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 7 shows the plan of a die with a modification in the shape of the bulb or
protuberance.
Figure 8 shows three views of the finished eye-bar made by the die seen in
Figure 7.
Figure 9 shows the section of a die and a shoe in which the bulb or protuberance is
on the shoe alone.
Figure 10 shows the section of a die and a shoe in which the bulb or protuberance
is on the die alone.
The letter A designates the anvil or bed upon which the work is done; B the har
to be operated upon; D the die within which the upsetting is done.
In figures 1, 2 and 3 the upright cylinder O, and the piston P with its shoe S, are
above the die D, and constitute the vertical mechanism for opening and closing the
die, and this mechanism is removed from the plan views, Figures 4 and 5, in order to
show the operation of the double end upsetting process. designates the double-
upsetting cylinder, which has the piston Pl working through one end, and the
piston P2 working through the other end; the piston P₁ operates the ram R, which
slides in the rear end of the die D, and the piston P2 operates the rear cross-head, (2,
which in turn moves the sliding side rods, R' and through them the gripping cross-
head, C³ in front of the die, and the two gripping wedges W, which are connected
with the said front cross-head by levers V.
In operation, a portion of the bar, B, is heated, and the hot part is placed in the
die D, in the position shown in Figure 4, and the body of the bar is then gripped by
the two wedges W; the vertical piston P, is then lowered until its shoe S, closes the
top of the die D; the water or other power is then applied through the port e, within
the upsetting cylinder C₁ between the two pistons, thus forcing them apart. One
piston P' through its ram, R, drives the end of the hot bar backward into the die D,
to the position shown in Figure 5, while simultaneous with this action, the other
piston P2 through its connected cross-heads, side rods, and wedges, drives the opposite
portion of the heated bar forward into the die D, the two streams of hot metal coming
from opposite directions and meeting in the middle. of the die, upset therein very
uniformly with certain sizes of bars."
With other sizes of bars, especially of steel, the bar at first bends laterally instead of
upsetting, and in order to counteract this tendency, I firmly fix the heated bar at
the point where the eye-seat will come by using a suitable bulb or protuberance, T, on
the shoe, S, or the die, D, or on both, and then upset the heated portion adjacent to
the said fixed point by driving the metal, as stated, from opposite directions, toward said
fixed point.
In order to give an initial lateral expansive direction to the metal, the said bulb
or protuberance may be of a shape to penetrate the bar, for this purpose I use the bulb
or protuberance T shown in Figure 3 as protruding downwards from the bottom of
the shoe, S, and protruding upwards from the bottom of the die D, and drive or press
them into the hot metal of the bar by closing the shoe down into the die, the middle
of the bar is thereby penetrated or transfixed, on both surfaces, at the eye-seat, or point
for drilling the pin-hole and the bar is thus held firmly against lateral bending, while
the hot metal displaced by the said penetration or transfixing is expanded laterally on
both sides, as indicated by the dotted lines L, in Figure 4, thus giving an equal lateral
initial direction to the oppositely inflowing streams of hot upsetting metal. During the

page_text: progress of the upsetting, or after its completion, the shoe S, can be raised and lowered
with more or less force, as may be required, to compact the hot metal, and assist in its
expansion, and the horizontal upsetting mechanisms can be worked either by a
continuous advance, or by a series of short advances, which may coincide with the
strokes of the vertical mechanism, or the short horizontal advances may alternate with
the vertical strokes, thus upsetting and expanding the bar by alternately arching and
flattening it. To this end, or for other reasons, steam may be used in the vertical
cylinder while a slower power, like water, may be used in the horizontal cylinder.
Obviously some form of screw or other power may be used to operate either or both
the vertical and horizontal mechanisms. The shape of the dies may be varied to suit
the requirements of the design, or the material, by turning off the sharp corners at the
back of the die, or in any other way known to the art.
Instead of using the bulb or protuberance both on the shoe and die, I may use it on
the shoe alone, as shown in Figure 9, or I may use it on the die alone, as shown in
Figure 10.
By changing the starting points of the pistons in the horizontal cylinder from the
middle towards either end thereof, I can vary correspondingly the amounts of hot metal
driven into the shaping chamber from each end or I can drive it all in from either end
alone. The bulb or protuberance may be used with either of the said forward or
backward mechanisms, in case the character or shape of the metal bar requires it.
As shown in Figures 7 and 8 the bulb may be rounded at one end, f, and tapered
or wedge point shaped at the opposite end, g. This particular shape serves to give a
greater lateral expansion to the metal, and to produce a longer taper at that portion, h,
of the har neck, which is between the broadest part of the enlarged head, i, and the
ordinary width of the bar B. The metal is thus arranged into a shape which gives
strength where it is most needed.
It is obvious that the parts herein shown and described may be varied or changed
in their form and construction, and that for some of the parts equivalent devices may
be employed, for instance, in many existing shops there are steam haminers which can
easily be used to actuate the vertical compressing male-die of my apparatus, and thus
dispense with a special cylinder therefor, as the anvil together with the horizontal
cylinder can be placed under such steam hammer and removed again.
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 1
claim is:
1st. In combination with an anvil, a horizontal receiving female-die consisting of a
shaping chamber with a front channel, a vertical compressing male-die fitted to slide
down and up within the shaping chamber; and means to drive the heated bar forward
into the shaping chamber.
2nd. In combination with an anvil, a horizontal receiving female-die consisting of a
shaping chamber with a front channel; a vertical compressing male-die fitted to slide
down and up within the shaping chamber, and a front gripping cross-head.
3rd. In combination with an anvil; a horizontal receiving female-die consisting of
a shaping chamber with a front channel, a vertical compressing male-die fitted to slide
down and up within the shaping chamber; a front gripping cross-head and a rear
cross-head connected therewith by rods, a rear horizontal cylinder and piston fitted to
actuate the rear cross-head and connecting rods and front gripping cross-head.
4th. In combination with an anvil; a horizontal receiving female-die consisting of
a shaping chamber with front and rear channels for the bar; a vertical compressing
male-die fitted to slide down and up within the shaping chamber and means to drive
the heat-softened end of a stationary bar backward into the shaping chamber.
5th. In combination with an anvil; a horizontal receiving female-die consisting of
a shaping chamber with front and rear channels for the bar; a vertical compressing
male-die fitted to slide down and up within the shaping chamber; and a horizontal
upsetting ram fitted to slide end wise within the rear channel of the female-die.
6th. The combination of an anvil and a horizontal female-die consisting of a shaping

page_text: chamber with front and rear channels for the bar; of a vertical compressing male-die
fitted to slide down and up within the shaping chamber; and means to drive both ends
of the heated portion of the bar towards the centre of the die.
7th. The combination of an anvil and a horizontal female-die consisting of a shaping
chamber with front and rear channels for the bar; of a vertical compressing male-die
fitted to slide down and up within the shaping chamber; a horizontal ram fitted to
move within the said rear channel; and a front gripping cross-head to move the
heated bar in the said front channel.
8th. In combination with mechanism for ramming endwise a metal-bar and thus
upsetting its heat-softened end within a shaping chamber; of a bulbons protuberance
projecting from the top or bottom, or both, into the centre of the said shaping chamber,
for the purpose set forth.
9th.. In combination with mechanism for ramming endwise a metal-bar and thus
upsetting its heat-softened end within a shaping chamber; of a bulbous protuberance,
one end of which is rounded and the opposite end tapered or wedge shaped, said
protuberance projecting from the top or bottom or both into the said shaping chamber.
10th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge-bars, the hereinbefore
described process consisting of first heating a portion of a metal bar, enclosing the
heated portion within a die of any desired shape, and driving the heated bar forward
into the shaping chamber.
11th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge-bars, the hereinbefore
described process consisting of first heating a portion of a metal-bar, enclosing the
heated portion within a die of any desired shape, and driving both ends of the
heated portion of the bar towards the centre of the die, for the purposes described.
12th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge-bars, the hereinbefore
described process, consisting of enclosing the heated bar within a die, firmly fixing
the heated bar at the point where the eye-seat will come so as to prevent it from bending
laterally when the upsetting pressure is applied, and upsetting the heated portions
adjacent to the said fixed point by driving the heated bar forward.
13th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge-bars, the herein before
described process, consisting of enclosing the heated bar within a die, firmly fixing
the heated bar at the point where the eye-seat will come so as to prevent it from
bending laterally when the upsetting pressure is applied, and upsetting the heated
portions adjacent to the said fixed point by driving the heat-softened end of the bar
backward.
14th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge bars, the hereinbefore
described process, consisting of enclosing the heated bar within a die, firmly fixing
the heated bar at the point where the eye-seat will come so as to prevent it from
bending laterally when the upsetting pressure is applied, and upsetting the heated
portions adjacent to the said fixed point by driving the metal from opposite directions
toward said fixed point.
15th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge bars, the hereinbefore
described process, consisting of enclosing the heated bar within a die, penetrating
one or both sides of the heated bar at the point where the eye-seat will come so as
to give an initial lateral expansive direction to the metal, and driving the heated metal
into the die.
16th. As an improvement in the art of upsetting bridge bars, the hereinbefore
described process, consisting of enclosing the heated bar within a die, penetrating one
or both sides of the heated bar at the point where the eye-seat will come so as to give
an initial lateral expansive direction to the metal, and driving the heated metal from
opposite directions toward the said penetrated point.
Dated this Twenty third day of July 1888.