IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OPERATING TILT HAMMERS, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING POWER TO THE SAME
Year: 1869

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OPERATING TILT HAMMERS, AND IN
THE MODE OF APPLYING POWER TO THE SAME." -A communication from
abroad by Treat Timothy Prosser, of Chicago, Illinois, United States
of America.
Sealed the 13th August 1869, and dated the 9th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th March 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
5 No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM FOR OPERATING TILT HAMMERS,

page_text: AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING POWER TO THE SAME," a communication, to be
as follows:
My Invention relates to hammers driven by steam, water, or other
power, and consists chiefly in communicating the power to the hammer
through the means of intervening springs, so as to relieve the frame and
mechanism from the vibration incident to the use of rigid connections
such as are usually employed. The said Invention also consists in the
manner of applying the power so as to regulate the number of blows and
the force thereof at the will of the operator.
The power derived from the driving motor is communicated by belts
or gearing to a friction pulley running on a shaft in fixed bearings
attached to the frame. Another friction pulley 'turns with a shaft, the
bearings of which are on the short arm of a bent lever, the long arm of
which is moved by the foot of the workman so as to bring the pulley on
the short arm into contact with the driving pulley. On the axle of the
movable pulley is an excentric having around it a strap which is con-
nected by rods with a horizontal beam or lever pivotted at or near the
middle to the main frame. Another beam or lever similarly pivotted is
placed above the last-described lever and parallel therewith. The hammer
is attached to the upper lever. The anvil is placed under the hammer at
the end of the lower beam. The hammer and anvil are so constructed
that swages may be adjustably attached thereto of whatever form it may
be desired to give to the article subjected to the action of the hammer.
Hooks are passed through both the parallel beams opposite to each other
and on both sides of the fulcrums, to which are attached strong spiral
springs connecting the two beams. When the treadle is pressed down
by the foot of the operator the faces of the pulleys will be brought into
contact, and the degree of the pressure will regulate the speed of the
revolution of the oscillating pulley and determine the degree of force
with which the hammer will strike and the rapidity of its action. As the
lower beam is moved directly by the excentric, and as it is connected with
and communicates its oscillating motion to the upper beam which bears.
the hammer through the medium of the elastic springs, it follows that the
shock of the concussion of the hammer striking upon an object placed
upon the anvil will be relieved, so as not to jar the frame as in the use of
the ordinary power hammers which are rigidly connected with the
driving mechanism.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th September 1869..
TO ALL. TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign,, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her
special licence that I, the, said. William Robert Lake, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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 MECHANISM FOR OPERATING TILT HAMMERS, AND IN THE
MODE OF APPLYING POWER TO THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my exccutors. or administrators, 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 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 William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon, the said Drawing
making a part of this Specification :-
My Invention relates to that class of machines known as power
hammers, and consists in a combination and arrangement of devices for

page_text: communicating the power to the hammer; also in the arrangement for
hanging, operating, and controlling the hammer, and the changing of the
hammer dies both in the hammer head and in the anvil.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my Invention I
will proceed to describe its construction and operation.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved power hammer; Figure 2
is a top view of the same; Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on
line y, y, of Figure 4; Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line x, x, of
Figure 1; Figure 5 is a horizontal section on line 2, 2, of Figure 1. The
same letters of reference denote identical parts.
In order to obtain the greatest durability and economy I construct the
frame in the manner shown in Figure 1. A, A, are two cross pieces or
sills which form the base of the machine frame; B, B, in the same
Figure, are two posts, which are both tenoned on the lower end, and are
inserted into a mortise in the centre of the sills so as to occupy an upright
position and to be in place to receive the balance of the timbers
composing the frame. Bolted on each side of the posts B are two
longitudinal pieces C, forming the side timbers to the frame.
It will be
seen that the rear post is longer than the front one so as to receive the
cap or cross piece D on its upper end. By thus arranging the frame it will
be seen that all parts are in position to receive the working parts of the
machine and form a durable and most perfect arrangement therefor. On
the upper end of the front post, and attached thereto, is the anvil block F,
containing the die E, which it will be seen is made adjustable and is
easily removed. Upon the upper and lower side of each end of the cap
or cross piece D are fulcrum or pivot boxes G to receive the pivots H
passing through the vibrating arms I and I', which are connected together
and held in position by the springs J and bolts K. It will be seen that
the arms I, I', are in pairs and that the lower pair of arms is shorter
than the upper pair; and it will be also seen that the arms are in cach
pair much further apart at the rear end than at the other or front end;
and also that the rear ends of each pair are not connected whilst the front
ends are.
The lower pair of arms is connected at the front end by a pin
and the bolts m. In the middle of the said pin is a box n, to which
are attached the eccentric rods that vibrate the armis I' and I by means
of the eccentric O on the shaft P, which is connected to the short arm of
the levers q, which levers are pivoted at R, and as the eccentric is driven

page_text: by the friction wheels S, it will be evident that as the foot is placed on the
footboard T the shaft P will be caused to vibrate and to bring the wheels
in contact with those driven by the belt u, and as the pressure of the foot
on the footboard T causes an increase of friction the vibrations are caused
to correspond therewith, and as the hammer is moved up and down by
these vibrations it will be evident that the faster the vibrations are the
harder the hammer will strike, and the slower they are the lighter blow
the hammer will strike, and as these motions are under the control of the
operator by means of the footboard T and lever q the machine can be
made to strike just such a blow as the operator may desire. It will be
seen that the upper pair of arms is longer than the lower arms, and their
front ends are permanently attached together by means of two plates w,
through which the hammer-shank passes, and to which it is attached by
means of the nut V on the upper end of the hammer shank. The hammer
shank near the hammer W is square, and the hole in the plate on the
under side of the arms through which it passes is made to correspond
therewith, whilst the hole in the upper plate is or may be round. The
object of making the hole in the lower plate square and the hammer to
correspond is to keep the hammer from turning when in use. By con-
necting the lower arms to the upper arms by means of the springs it will
be evident that the inertia of the hammer when at rest and the recoil
when at work are overcome in such a manner as to relieve the machine
from those violent shocks incidental to the common tilt hammer and to
convert them into useful effect, for as the hammer is thrown up by its
momentum to a greater distance than the movement of the eccentric an
increased amount of tension is imparted to the forward springs, and when
the hammer descends the increased tension causes it to descend with an
increased velocity and additional force, thus being enabled to strike a
much quicker and harder blow than can be done by the machines now in
use. And as the springs admit of a ready adjustment by means of the
bolts and nuts it can be readily adjusted to a rapid or slow motion as
desired, and as the shock consequent on a vibrating motion caused by a
reverse movement is all taken up by the springs its motions are all easy
and it cannot fail to be durable, the importance of which advantages must
be evident to all who are acquainted with the vast amount of labor
performed by this class of machines.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim,-

page_text: First. The combination and arrangement of the two pairs of arms I, I',
springs J, and hammer W, with the fulcrum D, or its equivalent,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Second. In combination with the vibrating arms of a power hammer the
eccentric O with its connecting straps and rods, the friction wheels S, and
levers q, for the purpose of regulating the blows of the hammer W,
substantially in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September,.
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)