IMPROVE- MENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
こ
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS."-A communication from Marie Joseph
Denis Farcot, of Port St. Ouen, Paris, in the Empire of France,
Engineer.
Sealed the 3rd September 1857, and dated the 4th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th April 1857.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the Conuty of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS," a communication from Marie Joseph
Denis Farcot, of Port St. Ouen, Paris, in the Empire of France. Engineer, to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the general construction
and arrangement of steam hammers, applicable partly to steam iammers of
the ordinary construction.
The improvements consist, first, in so arranging steam hammers that the
steam acts from above. For this purpose it is proposed to add a lateral
[Price 8d.1

page_text: reservoir and stean jacket to the hammer cylinder, so that the piston will be
elevated by the action of the steam in the reservoir in communication with the
bottom of the cylinder, or by a spring of any convenient construction.
Second, in the application and use of a circular equilibrium distributing
valve, which is easily worked and may be applied to existing hammers.
Third, of an arrangement of mechanism or gear for working the valve
either by hand with the aid of a spring, or by means of the hammer itself,
such mechanism being also applicable to existing haminers. For this purpose
the valve is connected by means of an overhead lever and connecting rod to
the handle of the valve gear, the movement of which is greatly facilitated by
the use of springs acting on each side, so as to hold it when at rest in the
centre of the guiding quadrant, and so keep the valve closed. The head of
the piston may be made to open the valve by striking the valve stem, a
buffing spring being interposed to avoid shocks.
By another modification a single helical spring may be placed on the valve
connecting rod for assisting the movement of the valve.
Fourth, of a buffing arrangement for deadening the shocks, and preventing
the breakage of the piston rods. This arrangement cousists in interposing
between the hammer head and piston rod, layers of leather, india-rubber,
felt, gutta percha, cardboard, or other good buffing material.
A similar buffer may be placed on the top of the hammer head, to prevent
it striking the cylinder when raised too high.
Also of a mode of connecting or joining the rod to the hammer, applicable
to existing hammers, which consists in the use of a spherical or conical joint,
and in the interposition of a block of wood beneath such joint between the end
of the rod and the hammer.
Fifth, in raising or lowering the position of the hammer (which is made:
hollow) on the piston rod. This is effected either by a screw thread on the
piston rod and working through the centre of the hammer, or by keys and
mortises or slots, so as to reduce the space-left. for steam when the piston does
not travel to the end of its course.
Sixth, in lubricating the hammer guides by collecting the grease or oil
which falls from the stuffing box, and directing it thereto.
Seventh, in the use of bars of iron or pieces of timber agaiust which a buffer
on the hammer strikes when the latter is suddenly elevated, thereby preventing
the bottom of the cylinder from being damaged.
Eighth, of a mode of working the valve by the continuous rotatory motion
of a cam or eccentric, or by any motion independant of the hammer itself.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of 166, Buchauan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said Jobn
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 STEAM HAMMERS," a communication from Marie Joseph
Denis Farcot, of Port St. Ouen, Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineer,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, aud in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the general construction
and arrangement of steam hammers, some of which improvements are appli-
cable to stean hammers of the ordinary construction.
The improvements consist, first, in arranging steam hammers that the
steam acts from above. For this purpose it is proposed to add a lateral
reservoir and steam jacket to the steam cylinder, so that the piston will be

page_text: elevated by the action of the steam in the reservoir in communication with the
bottom of the cylinder, or by a spring of any convenient construction.
Second, in the application and use of a circular equilibrium distributing
valve, which is easily worked and may be applied to existing hammers.
Third, of an arrangement of mechanism or gear for working the valve
either by hand with the aid of a spring, or by means of the hammer itself,
such mechanism being also applicable to existing hammers. For this purpose
the valves is connected by means of an overhead lever and connecting rod, to
the handle of the valve gear, the movement of which is greatly facilitated by
the use of springs acting on each side, so as to hold it when at rest in the
centre of the guiding quadrant, and so keep the valve closed.
The head of the piston may be made to open the valve by striking the valve
stem, or buffing spring being interposed to avoid shocks.
By another modification a single helical spring may be placed on the valve
connecting rod, for assisting the movement of the valve.
Fourth, of a buffing arrangement for deadening the shocks, and preventing
the breakage of the piston rods. This arrangement consists in interposing
between the hammer head and piston rod, layers of leather, india-rubber, felt,
gutta percha, cardboard, or other good buffing material.
A similar buffer may be placed on the top of the hammer head, to prevent
it striking the cylinder when raised too high.
Also of a mode of connecting or gearing the rod to the hammer, applicable
to existing hammers, which consists in the use of a spherical or conical joint,
and in the interposition of a block of wood beneath such joint between the end
of the rod and the hammer.
Fifth, in raising or lowering the position of the hammer (which is made
hollow) on the piston rod. This is effected either by a screw thread on the
piston rod and working through the centre of the hammer, or by keys and
mortises or slots, so as to reduce the space left for steam when the piston does
not travel to the end of its course.
Sixth, in lubricating the hammer guides, by collecting the grease or oil
which falls from the stuffing box, and directing it thereto.
Seventh, in the use of bars of iron or pieces of timber against which a
buffer on the hammer strikes when the latter is unduly elevated, thereby
preventing the bottom of the cylinder from being damaged.
Eighth, of a mode of working the valve by the continuous rotatory motion
of a cam or eccentric, or by any motion independent of the hammer itself.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now

page_text: proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
a
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings represents a side view, partly in section,
of one arrangement of my improved steam hammer; Figure 2 is a back view
of the same; Figure 3 is a horizontal section through 1, 2; Figure 4 a
similar section through 3, 4. A is the steam cylinder, which has cast on it
a jacket or casing B. The framing C is constructed with a reservoir R,shewn
in section, Figures 3 and 4; or the reservoir may be formed as a continuation
of the cylinder, as shewn in Figure 5. This reservoir is filled with steam of
lower pressure than that contained in the boiler, and is supplied from the
interior of the cylinder through the pipe c. The pipe a, which is provided
with a cock b. conducts the steam from the boiler to the casing B, whence it
communicates with the upper side of the piston P, through the opening
contained in the cover G. This cover is also fitted with an eduction pipe h
and the slide valve El, which is of a circular form, the steam acting equally on
its whole circumference. The underside of this valve is furnished with a
spring i, so that in the event of carelessness on the part of the attendant the
piston in its up stroke will strike against this spring, opening the steam porty
and admitting the steam into the cylinder, thereby providing a cushion to
break the shock.
By increasing ordiminishing the strength of the spring & the hammer, the
rapidity of its rise can be regulated, and by having a sufficiently large cylinder
and varying the length of time for the steam to exert its power, the full force
of the hammer can be regulated. I may here observe that by placing the
piston in communication with a cistern or reservoir, in which there is a vacuum,
the steam, after forcing the piston downwards, might be condensed therein,
then the under side of the piston being in communication with the atmosphere,
it is clear that if the cylinder is sufficiently large the atmospheric air will
cause the piston to rise.
When there is no condenser in the arrangement the steam can be
discharged into the atmosphere after having performed its function, then the
lower side of the piston opening into a reservoir containing steam or com-
pressed air, slightly above the pressure of the atmosphere (but less than the
strength of the steam in the boiler), the hammer will remount with a force
due to this excess of pressure.
Again, when the upper side of the piston discharges its spent steam into the

page_text: air by havingan unusually large piston rod, as shewn at Fig. 5, so proportioned
that the annular surface left on the lower side should be equal to th or th
the area of the top side of the piston, and placing the under side in com-
munication with the boiler, the hammer would remount by virtue of the excess
of pressure; then the steam being made to act on the upper side of the piston
would force that steam which caused it to mount back into the boiler, by
reason of the difference of surfaces. The pipe c serves also to draw the
condensed water from the steam casing into the reservoir R, where the
pressure is not so great. This arrangement is for the purpose of utilizing the
heat contained in the condensed steam, and at the same time maintaining a
constant pressure.
The lower portion of the reservoir Ris furnished with a
large pipe E,through which the steam contained in the reservoir is made to act
on the under side of the piston, thus causing it to rise. The valve H is worked
by means of the lever handle I, which works on the centre j (fixed to the
framing), and is connected to the lever J by the rod K. This valve may be
placed on the top of the cylinder, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 13, and 14, or on
one side, as shown in Figure 5, and can be worked in either case by the
samearrangement of levers,andit is applicable to any ordinary steam hammer.
This valve may also be worked by means of an eccentric similar in form to
that shewn in Figure 16, in which case the principal controling lever would
be pressed by a powerful spring. This eccentric would be so arranged as to
open or close the induction and exhaust passages at the proper time, as
existing in steam boat, locomotive, and other engines; thus by moving the
eccentric on its shaft the introduction of steam may be controlled in any way
that may be desired.
An index plate is fixed on the framing, and is fitted with a notched groove,
which forces itself against a projection on the lever for working the valve.
When this valve is closed, and consequently in the middle of its stroke, this
index serves to keep the lever I in a horizontal position, by means of the
spring the extremity of which is connected thereto by the two guages m, the
other extremity is fitted with two feet, through which the screws n pass, and
are so arranged that they come in contact with the framing when the lever I
has concluded its stroke, and is caused to vibrate by the action of the springs
and until it becomes stationary.
Another arrangement is shewn in Figure 5 for attaining the same end, and
consists in placing a spiral spring K¹ around the rod K, one end of the spring
bearing against the support or guide F, while the other end presses against
the upper end of the rod K, near to its junction with the lever
and keeps

page_text: this lever in such a position that the slide valve remains closed. By this
arrangement it is only necessary for the attendant to press down the lever I,
which opens the valve and allows the steam to act on the piston. Thus it
will be seen that the valve gear is much more simple than the plans hitherto
adopted.
Another arrangement for opening the valve when the hammer is at the
termination of its stroke is shewn at Figures 13, 14, and 15, and consists in the
application of a spring of india-rubber (or some analogous material) o to the
buffer t, which, mounting with the hammer, strikes against the curved line ()²,
thereby communicating motion to the starting lever I. A screw p¹ is con-
nected with the lever I, the other end of such screw passing through a nut in
the fork formed on the end of the lever o", so that by turning the screw p¹ by
means of the wheel p, the valve can be regulated to the greatest nicety, thus
providing a simple self-acting gear for supplying the cylinder with steam at
the requisite moment.
This combination presents an advantageous system of control, and is
applicable to any other description of steam hammer.
With the view of lessening the wear and tear arising from the shock of
the hammer against the object operated upon, the piston rod (which in the
old-fashioned hammers is the part most liable to injury, transmits the shock
through a series of thicknesses of leather, caoutchouc, felt, gutta percha,
linen, cardboard, &c., (see Figures 13 and 14), laid one on the other, or
fastened together and held between two thick sheets of iron by bolts u, and
destined to transmit the strain of the piston rod equally.
This description of buffer serves also to check the rise or fall of the piston
(in case of inattention on the part of the attendant) by coming in contact
with strong iron bars or pieces of iron rail T, which are securely fixed to the
framing, thereby lessening the risk of knocking out the cylinder bottom.
Figures 7 and 9 show another arrangement for obtaining the same effect, and
consists in placing between the joint of the hammer and the piston rod
alternate pieces of caoutchouc and metal, as shewn at 4, and surmounting the
whole with a piece of wood T', which comes in contact with the lower cover
of the cylinder, and deadens the shock in the event of the hammer being
allowed to ascend too high, for which reason, and for the purpose of breaking
the shock of the vibrations, I also make use of the intermediate piece of
wood v; and the spherical joints v₁, Figures 6 and 7, are conical, as shown
at v2, Figures 8 and 9, for connecting the hammer to the piston rod. If it be
desired to shorten the stroke of the piston, this may be effected by placing

page_text: washers of various thicknesses between the upper part of the hammer and the
under side of the layers before referred to, by this means the piston will travel
to the end of the cylinder, thus a ready means is offered for effecting great
economy of steam.
Figures 10 to 12 present an arrangement of valve for varying the length of
time for the admission of the steam spring which causes the hammer to
remount, such valve being self-regulating, and compensating the loss of steam
arising from condensation. By tightening the nuts s, in order to extend the
spiral springs' resting on the valve S, the steam will be insufficient to lift it,
until the pressure in the reservoir (which bears on the top side of this valve)
is terminated, and then the spring of itself will be insufficient to keep the
valve closed; thus by merely screwing up more or less the nuts s, there is
provided the means of regulating the pressure in the reservoir.
Figures 18 to 21 show another arrangement of valve, whereby the steam
comi: g from the boiler is conducted through the pipe T, which is divided into
two passages as shewn; the steam contained in the reservoir passes through
the pipe T, and presses on the under side of the plate attached to the spiral
springs, so as to compress the latter. When the steam in the reservoir has
not sufficient power to raise the hammer, the spiral spring expands and
opens a passage for steam in communication with the boiler, which imparts
additional heat to that contained in the reservoir by passing through the
aperture S in the valve, and thus raising the hammer.
Figures 13 to 15 represent a hammer of larger construction, in which the
reservoir is placed at the side instead of in the framing, as described in refe-
rence to Figures 1 to 4, in which also the hammer head is made hollow, and the
piston rod is screwed therein; by this arrangement the stroke of the piston can
be regulated, which is effected by placing a greater or less number of washers or
layers of elastic substances w¹between the hammeraud the nut U, which serves
to connect it to the piston rod; in place of using a nut the piston rod may be
made to screw into the hammer head, an la key inserted in a key-way, several
of which are made in the piston rod for that purpose. A small reservoir V is
formed on the top of the coupling for the purpose of catching any grease that
may fall from the gland immediately above it, such grease being conducted by
the small tubes to lubricate the hammer guide. Another way of varying the
stroke of the hammer is by causing the spring o to strike against the lever o
which will then allow the steam to escape, and the hammer will re-ascend by
the pressure of steam contained in the reservoir R until such time that it
opeus again the steam induction port above the piston, which will force the

page_text: piston down again, thus it will be seen that the operation is accomplished
without any attention on the part of the attendant, other than raising the
stops of the lever o¹ by means of the screw p¹.
Should it be necessary to work the hammer at a greater velocity without
changing the amount of steam necessary for the up stroke, or the intensity of
the blows,provision is made whereby the valve inay be actuated by the hammer
itself, by causing the spring O, Figures 14 and 15, to come in contact with the
end of a second lever before the stroke is fully completed, such lever being
placed in a downward position, and made fast to the valve rod K by means of
a screw connected in a similar manner to that herein-before described. The
screw arrangement above referred to affords great facility in forging steel,and
in the manufacture of gold and silver leaf, and similar operations, as it can be
adjusted to any thickness of the object to be acted on within certain limits,
without affecting the stroke of the hammer.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
J. HENRY JOHNSON (L.S.)