IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAINS, AND IN THE APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ann Brooman, of Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, Widow and Sole Administratrix of the late Clinton Edg-
cumbe Brooman, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company,
of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAINS, AND IN
THE APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."-A communication from
abroad to the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman by the Company
or Society Marrel, Frères, of Rive de Gier, France.
Sealed the 11th March 1870, and dated the 20th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Clinton Edgcumbe
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th September 1869.
I, CLINTON EDGCUMBE BROOMAN, of the Firm of Robertson,
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHAINS, AND IN THE APPARATUS IN
CONNECTION THEREWITH," to be as follows:-

page_text: Hitherto the manufacture of large chains, such as chain cables and
others, has been exclusively accomplished by manual operations, and
among these the most difficult and delicate to succeed in is the welding
of each link, which is effected on the anvil by means of a tool and by
being struck by a hammer. This method usually results in a feeble and 5
imperfect union of the metal, causing the chains to be of little strength,
and liable, whatever may be the quality of the iron employed, to
deformation and breakage under the effect of even an ordinary strain.
Now this Invention consists essentially in shaping the links of the
chains and in welding or uniting the ends of these liuks automatically 1
by mechanical means, making use for this object of the steam hammer,
the hydraulic press, or the tilt hammer.
The different operations in which this process consists are the
following:-
1st. In a means of increasing the thickness of the ends of the metal
of each link in a matrix of convenient form by the action of a steam or
other hammer, in order to prepare the ends for the welding.
2ndly. A stamping of the link in a flat position between two matrices,
each provided with an oval channel of the exact configuration of the
link. This stamping by a single blow of the hammer head produces the
welding, the two ends having been curved and brought close together by
a previous operation.
And, 3rdly. A stamping of the link after placing it between two
hollows made in the sides of the above-mentioned matrices, in order to
jam in by force between the two sides of the link a stay or cross bar in-
tended to prevent the approaching or flexion of the two sides of the link.
The successive operations of the process having been described I
proceed to explain the action and form of the apparatus by which they
are executed.
The matrix for receiving the ends of the link consists of four parts,
the matrix itself, two long pieces of iron or steel, the broader portions
of which have hollows to correspond to the matrix, and a key which is
placed between the two iron pieces, and intended to press them against
'the inner sides of the matrix. The link after having been prepared in
the form of an U, is introduced vertically into the hollow interior of the
matrix, which corresponds with its external form, and the two sides of
the link are supported internally upon the hollow picces of iron above

page_text: spoken of, and project somewhat beyond the matrix. The blow of the
hammer head is then given, and the metal of the link is driven back'
into the openings between the iron pieces and the upper part of the
matrix. The matrix is pierced from side to side opposite to the shoulder
of the link with an opening, which allows the link to be seen, and by
means of which it is extracted with the aid of a bolt or key at the.
bottom of the matrix. Before drawing together the two ends of the
link in order to unite them one of the ends is passed through the last
link of the chain. The two ends of the link are then brought near to,
one another so as to insert it in an oval channel in the matrices. The
two ends have been previously heated, and a single blow of the hammer
head is sufficient to unite or weld them very firmly to one another.
In the matrices just described there may be two rounded chambers
intended to hold the stay or cross bar which is to be fixed in the link.
There is a hollow or chamber at each side of the matrix. As the chain'
cannot be held as in the ordinary manufacture by hand by the link
which is being welded, in consequence of the latter being entirely covered
by the matrix, it has been necessary to contrive special tongs or pincers
in order to maintain the link in a vertical position. These tongs or
pincers act as follows:-The two curved extremities of their branches,.
which are bound together by an articulated rod, are introduced into the
link preceding that which is being operated upon and which is required
to be held. This they hold by the stay or cross bar when such is used,
and they are pressed against the shoulders of the link last formed but
one, and of the new link which it is required to support. This link
being placed in the matrix in an upright position the stay or cross bar.
is then inserted, which one stroke of the hammer head fixes and renders
solid with the rest of the link in a very perfect manner.
The principal advantage of this system is that in uniting the link the
matrices embrace it completely and thus prevent its being deformed by
the pressure of the hammer upon the parts to be united, the iron also
being perfectly maintained within the grooves or channels of the matrices
is submitted to a very strong compression, which produces a perfect
homogeneity in the joint.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ann Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th March 1870:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANN
BROOMAN, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Widow and Sole
Administratrix of the late Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, of the Firm of
Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City
of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Ann Brooman, Her special licence
that I, the said Ann Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Ann Brooman, my executors, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF
CHAINS, AND IN THE APPARATUS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," (communicated to
the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman from abroad by the Company or
Society Marrel, Frères, of Rive de Gier, France,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Ann Brooman, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 per-
formed, 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 Ann Brooman, do hereby declare
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, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say :-
Hitherto the manufacture of large chains, such as chain cables and
others, has been exclusively accomplished by manual operations, and

page_text: amongst these the most difficult one and the most delicate to succeed in
is the welding of each link, which is generally effected upon the anvil
by means of a tool and by being struck with an ordinary hammer. This
method usually results in a feeble and imperfect union of the metal,
causing the chains to be of little strength, and liable, whatever may be
the quality of the iron employed, to deformation and breakage even
under the effects of an ordinary strain.
Now this Invention consists essentially in shaping the links of chains
and in welding or uniting the ends of these links automatically by
mechanical means, and in making use for this object of the steam
hammer, the hydraulic press, or the tilt hammer.
The different operations in which this process consists are the
following :—
1st. Increasing the thickness of the ends of the metal of each link in
a matrix of convenient form by the action of a steam or other hammer
in order to prepare the ends for the welding.
2ndly. Stamping the link in a flat position between two matrices each
provided with an oval channel of the exact configuration of the link.
This stamping by a single blow of the hammer head produces the
welding, the two ends having been curved and brought close together by
a previous operation.
And, 3rdly. Stamping the link after placing it between two hollows
made in the sides of the above-mentioned matrices in order to wedge in
by force between the two sides of the link a stay or cross bar intended
to prevent the approaching or flexion of the two sides of the link.
The chief difficulty in the last two operations is the maintenance of
the link in the horizontal or vertical position. This is accomplished by
means of a novel description of tongs or pincers, the forks of which are
introduced into that link of the chain preceding the one which is being
operated upon.
The successive operations of the process having been described I
proceed to describe the action and form of the apparatus by which they
are executed. This apparatus is represented in the accompanying
Drawings, which also show the link in the different stages of its
manufacture.
Figures 1 and 2 show in plan and elevation the matrix for receiving
the ends of the link. This matrix consists of four parts, the matrix

page_text: proper a, two long pieces b, b, of iron or steel, the broader portions of
which have hollows to correspond to the matrix, and one of which is
shown separately in Figure 3, and a key c, shown at Figure 4, which is.
placed between the two iron pieces b, b, and is intended to press them
against the inner sides of the matrix. The link m after having been
prepared in the form of an U, as shewn in Figure 5, is introduced
vertically into the hollow interior of the matrix which corresponds with
its external form, and the two sides of the link are supported internally
upon the hollow pieces of iron b, b, and project somewhat beyond the
matrix. The blow of the hammer head is then given and the metal of
the link is driven back into the openings between the iron pieces b, b,
and the upper part of the matrix. The matrix is pierced from side to
side opposite to the shoulder of the link with an opening o, which allows
the link to be seen, and by means of which it is extracted with the aid of
a bolt or key d at the bottom of the matrix. The link with its two ends
driven back or broadened out is represented in Figure 6. Figures 7 and
8 show in plan and side section one of the two matrices f, between which
the stamping in a flat position producing the welding and the stamping
in an upright position for fixing the stay or cross bar are effected.
Figure 9 is a vertical transverse section of the matrix f and the die f¹.
These are both provided with an oval groove or channel g¹ formed like
the link, and this channel is interrupted at the side opposite to where
the welding is performed by a hollow h, which serves as a resting place
for the vertical shoulder of the preceding link of the chain. Before
drawing together the two ends of the link in order to unite them, one of
the ends is passed through this preceding link in the chain. The two
ends of the link are then brought near to one another so as to enable
the link to be inserted in the oval channel in the matrix f. These two
ends have been previously heated, and a single blow of the hammer head
is sufficient to unite or weld them very firmly to one another. Figures &
and 9 show clearly in the matrices fand f¹ the two rounded chambers i, i,
intended to lightly compress the branches of the link in order to hold
therein the stay or cross bar K which is to be fixed in the link. This
rounded chamber i is repeated at each side of the matrix, as shewn in
Figures 7 and 9. As the chain cannot be held as in the ordinary
manufacture by hand by the link which is being welded, in consequence
of the latter being entirely covered by the matrix, it has been necessary
to contrive special tongs or pincers in order to maintain the link in a
vertical position. These tongs or pincers are shown in plan at Figure 10

page_text: and in elevation at Figure 11, which represent them in action upon the
chain. The two curved extremities of their branches p, p, which are
bound together by an articulated rod q are introduced into the link m¹
preceding that which is being operated upon, and which is required to
be held. This they hold by the stay or cross bar, and they are pressed
against the shoulders of the link m" last formed but one, and of the new
link m which it is required to support. This link being placed in the
matrix in an upright position the stay or cross bar is then inserted, and
onc stroke of the hammer head fixes it and renders it solid with the rest
of the link in a very perfect manner.
The principal advantage of this system is that in uniting the link the
matrices embrace it completely, and thus prevent its being deformed by
the pressure of the hammer upon the parts to be united; the iron also
being perfectly maintained within the grooves or channels of the
matrices is submitted to a very strong compression, which produces the
perfectly homogenity of the joint.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The method or process substantially as herein-before described
of manufacturing chains consisting essentially in shaping the links of the
chain and in welding or uniting their ends automatically and by
mechanical means.
Secondly. The means or apparatus substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for manufac-
turing chains consisting of the matrix for receiving the ends of the links
shown at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4; of the matrices in which the welding
of the links and the fixing of the cross bar or stay are effected, as shown
at Figures 7, 8, and 9; and of the special tongs or pincers for holding
the links, shown at Figures 10 and 11.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ann Brooman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March One thousand
eight hundred and seventy.
ANN BROOMAN. (L.S.)