IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING, AND IN MACHINERY OR MECHANISM CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James McFarlane, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Inspecting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOULDING, AND IN MACHINERY OR MECHANISM CONNECTED THEREWITH.”
Sealed the 9th September 1879, and dated the 25th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James McFarlane at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th March 1879.
"
JAMES MCFARLANE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Inspecting Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING, AND IN MACHINERY OR
MECHANISM CONNECTED THEREWITH,"
This Invention has reference to an improved mode and means or mechanism for
forming and delivering the sand moulds of pipes and other articles, which will save
much labour and expense, and be more expeditious in the production of these as
compared with the modes and means heretofore in use for that purpose. And the
essential nature and novelty of the Invention consist in making a swivelling ram-
ming pattern plate and frame with the one half of the pattern secured on each side,
preferably at some considerable distance from the swivelling fulcrum and at a
proper height from the ground, as from two to three feet or so, for the moulder to
till and, ram the mould without too much stooping, so that the one half of the
moulding box, either the lower or upper alternately, may be rammed along the upper
front edge of the plate, to which it is made to fit exactly by both being planed on
their fitting and joint surfaces with fitting slips to keep the boxes in true central
position with the pattern; also, that as usual, when the two moulds and boxes are
completed and put together with their ordinary guiding pins and holes or other
equivalent the moulds will coincide and leave little or no fins on the casting.
Slightly oblong holes may be formed in the side of the pattern plate on which
the half of the moulding box is rammed with its guiding and steadying pins so as to
clear these, while the pattern plate is being swivelled off and out of the mould.
This new or improved swivelling duplex ramining pattern plate is carried by
swivelling journals at the centre of its ends in journal bearings in the top of two
end standards secured preferably by strong flanged or broad soles to a stone or other
[Price 6d1

page_text: foundation in the floor of the moulding shop, or it may be fitted on a travelling
carriage running on rails along the floor of the moulding shop. These end frames
being fitted with swivelling holding brackets or other equivalent in front so as to
secure the plate in its horizontal position while placing and ramming the mould box
fixed to the plate by ordinary hand eccentric catches. The brackets so fitted are
, easily swivelled out from under the plate when the moulding pattern plate has to
be turned on its journal bearings, either downwards or upwards, so as to deliver each
half of the mould as rammed and finished, on to a travelling carriage or table
brought under it for that purpose at the back; the holding catches being then
relieved so as to draw the pattern out of the mould by swivelling the plate upwards
at the same time that a fresh rammed mould is being turned downwards, thus in
succession ramming and finishing an under and upper half of each mould on the
reverse sides of the swivelling plate and delivering them on to a carriage behind
ready for being conveyed to and closed as usual over each other in the angled or
other casting bank, or stand ready for being cast therein. In this new way of
drawing the pattern out of the mould on its swivelling plate great steadiness is
gained, and it is particularly suitable for the moulding of pipes and round or other
articles which have few or no square edges and are easily lifted out of the sand
without breaking the edges of the mould in swivelling and drawing the pattern out
of it; or, otherwise, when other forms of patterns have to be drawn the pattern
plate might be made so as to lift in its journal bearings sufficiently to draw and free
the pattern out of the mould by levers, or eccentrics and connecting-rods, or other
equivalent.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James McFarlane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
September 1879.
JAMES MCFARLANE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Inspecting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING, AND IN MACHINERY OR
MECHANISM CONNECTED THEREWITH."
My said Invention has reference to an improved mode and means or mechanism
for forming and delivering the said moulds of pipes and other articles, which
will save much labour and expense, and be more expeditious in the production of
these moulds as compared with the modes and means heretofore in use for that
purpose.
And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing or putting my
said Invention into effect or practice may be properly understood I shall now
proceed to describe the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings which I have
hereunto appended for that purpose, the same letters of reference indicating the
same or equivalent parts in the several Figures where seen.
---
.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 are a front elevation, a plan, and a transverse section taken on
the lines 1 - 1, in Figure 1, all corresponding and complete of one modification or
general arrangement of my said new or improved moulding machine or mechanism
and fittings connected therewith constructed in accordance with an illustrative of
my said Invention as adapted for the making of "green" sand moulds for pipes.
Referring to this pipe mould making machine, Figures 1, 2, and 3, the Invention or
improvements consist in making a duplex swivelling or revolving ramming table,
frame, or platform A, A, preferably made open and ribbed for strength and light-
ness, formed and balanced on each side of its swivelling centre spindle A², mounted
in bush bearings in the top of end standards B, B, firmly screwed to a foundation on
the moulding shop floor, or it might be a carriage at a proper height for the
men to place and ram the mould boxes on. Each side A of this swivelling frame A, A',
has mounted on it a portable flat planed ramming pattern plate a secured
by screws a¹, or otherwise, on its opposite sides, with one half of the pipe
pattern b secured along the centre of the upper surface of each plate a¹, all so that
when swivelled on the axis A' to the front of the machine, as seen at Z, Z, in
Figures 2 and 3 to rest horizontally on two steadying or securing vertical swivelling
brackets B' carried on fulchrum centres or spindles B¹ of the standards B, the
pattern and plate a, b, would always be uppermost ready to have one part or half
of a mould box, as z, placed down on the plate a over the pattern 6 very accurately.
By having the edges of all the moulding boxes 2, 2', planed to suit each other,
and also the pattern plates a, a, with the edges of the snugs 21 planed and fitting
on supporting slips 2 on the outer edges of the plates a, a, over, and by their
usual closing pins all or holes a² all made the same size and corresponding position
in the under and upper halves of the boxes respectively, and made to fit corre-
sponding holes or pins in the opposite ramming pattern plates a and a exactly over
the centre line of the pattern, so that when both halves of any of the moulds are
put together or closed they will coincide so exactly as to leave little or no fins on
the castings. The lower half of all the mould boxes are thus rammed over one
plate and pattern a, b, of the duplex frame A, A', alternately as this is turned half
round, while all the upper halves z' of the boxes are similarly alternately rammed
on the other plate and pattern a, b, as the ramming platform is turned half round
in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4, which is an end view of the machine, to
show the turning action after each half box z or z¹ and mould is rammed. Each half
mould box z, z, after being placed with its pins or holes all or a² as the case may
be, over its plate and pattern a, b, is instantly secured by the two screw swivelling
double handled clips or grippers c, c, fitted in screw bosses secured in the pattern
plates a at each diagonal corner so as to grip and secure each box by its steadying.

page_text: snugs z to the plate a while the mould is being rammed and turned round to the
back as stated. Where each half mould thus filled and rammed with the sand in
front is turned down and round to the back after swivelling the two brackets B", B¹¹,
out from under the front table A for the time being, so as to turn the rammed box z
up to the back over a swivelling delivery or receiving plate C, C¹, as seen in Figures
2 and 4, this plate C, C¹, is carried by its end swivelling journals in bearings at
the top of two end standard resting frames D, D, and preferably nearly balanced by
the counter weighted lever C" so as to be easily raised in front by a lever and
anti-friction pulley c², c³, on one end C¹ of its axis, actuated automatically by a
lever A³ on the corresponding end of the axis A¹ of the revolving frame A, A',
turned by a hand wheel A¹ on one end (but it might be at both ends) until the
back end of this frame and the rammed box z passes the receiving table C, which
then falls down again to its normal position and resting on its end bearing frames
D, D. When the moulders then deposit the mould box on to it, as seen in Figure 3,
inverted with the joint flanges and face of the mould box upwards ready for
drawing" the pattern plate, as will be explained, when the next box has been
similarly rammed and finished in front with the brackets B¹¹, B", under the front
plate which is slightly angled at the under side of the ends of the frame A, A, which
wedges this ramming frame by the finished mould box and table C, C, as a rest
behind and the brackets B, B, in front. When each successive half mould box z
is filled and rammed with the sand in a usual manner by hand rammers and scraped
off flush with the upper edges of the box, then the securing brackets B¹¹, B¹¹, are
swivelled out from below, when the moulders then loosen the catches c, c, of the.
back mould box by their under handles now turned upwards and then press down
the front of the flame A with the last rammed box on it which raised the back
plate a off and its pattern 6 steadily out of the mould with finer parting edge than
is possible with any system of hand "drawing" of the pattern, leaving this back
mould finished on the table C, C¹, ready for removal which is lifted off by the usual
end handles onto their casting benches or banks, or on to carriage platforms run on
rails on the floor of the moulding shop, or it might be on beam slings hung, and by
pulleys run on bar rails secured overhead through the moulding shop. As soon as
each finished mould is so removed the next rammed mould is turned and inverted
on to the delivery plate C, C, as described in reference to Figure 4 and seen in this
position in Figure 3 ready for the next box to be rammed in front, all successively
as described. Each upper half box 2' being closed over its last finished under
box with the core as usual placed in mould, when both parts or boxes may
then be closed and secured by ordinary clamps at their flanges 2, 21, they are
then ready for casting. The gates for pouring in the metal being formed in
the upper parts of the moulds as usual so that moulding and casting can go on
continuously all day long, less plant and moulding boxes being necessary for
turning out a greater delivery of work. Slightly tapered or it might be elliptical
or elongated holes may be formed in the side of the pattern plate a, a, on which
the half of the moulding box is rammed with its guiding and steadying pins a";
when these pins are desired to be long, so as to clear them while the pattern
plate is being swivelled off and out of the mould. In this new way of drawing
the pattern bout of the mould on its swivelling plate A, a, great steadiness is
gained, and it is particularly suitable for the moulding of pipes and rounded
semi-circular rhones or other articles, convex or concave, which have few or no
square edges and with sufficient angle to be easily lifted out of the sand without
breaking the edges of the mould in swivelling and "drawing" the pattern out
of it. Although the delivery table C has been shown as raised and tilted down
only by an arrangement of levers A³ from the axle A¹ and levers C2, C3, on the
axle C¹, it will be understood that this might be done by an arrangement of cams
or wheel gearing.
Or otherwise, that a horizontal small sliding or a wheeled traversing table might
be reciprocated to and fro under the swivelling frame, A, a, to receive the rammed'
moulds as finished, either actuated automatically or by hand; and that the

page_text: carriages running on the rails of the moulding shop floor might be brought under the
swivelling frame A and finished mould a, to receive and remove and remove these with-
out the separate or intermediate steadying "draw" table C, C. Or this table C might
be fitted to its end frames D, D, on guides to rise and fall vertically by a cross shaft
below, and links and lever connected to the under side of the table actuated by a
hand lever outside, so as to lower and "draw" the mould from its frame pattern
plate A, a, b, and remove it while the mould is being rammed in front. And,
further, that although the revolving frame A, A', has been shown as fixed by
swivelling brackets B¹¹ under it, while filling and rainming the mould boxes z, z¹,
on it, this frame might be fixed by two simple hand screw catches B² some-
what similar to the ordinary ones c, c, for holding the boxes 2, 2¹, by their
snugs, and mounted (as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and sharp lines
in Figure 4) on brackets B³, projecting out and up from the side frames B, B,
so as to take under the front edge of the frame A, A, at each end instead of
the swivelling brackets B. The ramming plates a, a, are made portable and
removable by screws a', preferably with the proper sized patterns b secured to their
upper surface (all corresponding to the size of pipes or other articles to be moulded
and to the moulding boxes fitted thereto) for removal and the replacement and
fixing of other sizes of plates and patterns a, b, at will, suitable for the size of moulds
required for the particular size of pipes or other articles to be moulded and cast.
"
Although only two radial ramining frames A, A, have been shown as fitted
on the one revolving axle A', this being considered sufficient for common or general
use; yet in special cases, or, if desired, four might be used and act all in an equi-
valent manner; and although the sand has been described as filled into the moulds
and ramined by hand, it is to be understood that this might be done by "shoots
or spouts from hoppers above, into which the prepared sand would be raised and
delivered by screw, or band, and bucket elevators; and that mechanical rammers
might be fitted and reciprocated over the front frame A, a, b, and mould box to
ram the sand into them as soon as filled in, all by motive power and mechanism
under the control of the moulders at the machine.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated; but what I consider novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited.
Letters Patent is,―
First. The general construction or combination of the parts of a moulding
machine with swivelling or revolving moulding frames A, A¹, and plate pattern
a, b, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The construction and use of a swivelling or revolving frame A, A¹, with
plate pattern a, b, in moulding machines, or for making and delivering moulds,
substantially as berein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said James McFarlane, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty second day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES MOFARLANE. (L.S.)