IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING, BENDING, HARDENING, AND TEMPERING
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Dodge, of the Atlantic Works, Newton Heath, near
Manchester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING, BENDING, HARDENING, AND TEMPERING.”
Sealed the 2nd March 1880, and dated the 2nd October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Dodge at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd October 1879.
JAMES DODGE, of the Atlantic Works, Newton Heath, near Manchester, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING, BENDING,
HARDENING, AND TEMPERING."
The object of this Invention is for rolling, bending, hardening, and tempering
piston rings and other articles.
In performing my Invention I employ a form of rolling mill with an attachment
consisting of a slide working in a groove, or otherwise, operated by an eccentric or
cam turned on or fastened to one of the rollers so as to give it a to and fro
movement. On this slide I place dies of the requisite shape to form the articles
required. On the standard of the machine or on the bed plate of the same I form
a corresponding place for dies, in such a manner that the dies in the movable
slide can come in contact with them, or nearly so, and between these I purpose
to bend, press, or forge the article to the shape required.
Another part of my Invention consists of turning or forming into the faces of
the rollers, or into bushes so constructed as to fit the axes of the rollers, irregular
or taper grooves passing around the rollers or bushes in the form of screws, in
such a manner that the article to be formed may be acted upon continuously in
lengths greater than the circumferences of the rolls or bushes.
My improved apparatus for hardening and tempering articles thus formed
consists of a furnace somewhat similar to the furnaces now in use for hardening
and tempering saws. Underneath the bed of the heating chamber of the furnace
I place a cistern containing oil or other suitable liquid. In this cistern I place a
stand so constructed that it can be raised up into the furnace or heating chamber,
or lowered down into the liquid in the cistern, so that the article to be hardened
and tempered can be placed on this stand and heated, and then lowered into
the liquid, and again raised into the heating chamber to be tempered without
being removed from the stand. In some cases the stand is made to revolve in
the furnace to impart a uniform heat to the article to be hardened or tempered.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Dodge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st April
1880.
JAMES DODGE, of the Atlantic Works, Newton Heath, near Manchester, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS 1N MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR ROLLING, BENDING,
HARDENING, AND TEMPERING."
My Invention consists in improvements in machinery and apparatus for rolling,
bending, shaping, hardening, and tempering piston rings and other articles. I turn
or form in the faces of the rolls (or in bushes on shafts in place of the rolls) spiral
grooves, either taper or of other shape, to roll the bars for piston rings or other
articles. On one end of one of the rolls or shafts I form or fix an eccentric or cam
which gives an up and down motion to a die or former which works in slides, and
bends or shapes the piston ring or other article to the required form by pressing it
against a stationary die or former. For hardening and tempering the piston rings
or other articles I place beneath the bed of the heating chamber of the furnace a
cistern to contain oil or other liquid, and I make use of a stand on which is fixed
the article to be hardened and tempered, so that it can be raised into the heating
chamber, and lowered into the cistern without the article being removed from the
stand; this stand may be made to revolve. And in order that my Invention may
be fully understood, I will describe the two accompanying Sheets of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan of my improved
machine for rolling, bending, and forming piston rings and other articles; Fig. 3 is
a view of the driving end of the machine shewing the stopping and starting attach-
ment; and Fig. 4 is an end view shewing the bending and forming apparatus.
a, a, are bushes with taper spiral grooves formed in them for rolling piston rings or
similar articles; these grooves may encircle the bushes many times so as to allow
taper bars of great length to be rolled between them; the bushes are fitted on the
shafts or axles by the nuts b. Although the spiral grooves shewn are for rolling
taper bars, they may be made for rolling bars of an irregular shape, and the grooves
may be formed in solid rolls instead of in bushes, as shewn.
In Fig. 3, c is a bracket containing a spring d which forces down the bell crank
lever e to throw the clutch into gear with the driving wheel; g is a cam on the
pinion driving the upper roll; this cam raises the bolt hand so lifts the lever e,
and throws the clutch out of gear and stops the machine; the bolt h is drawn
back by a bell crank lever i worked by the treadle j and connecting rod j³, so as to
enable the operator to start the machine at will by depressing the treadle; the
treadle is raised by the spring k in the bracket k¹. One end of the bar to be rolled
is placed between the rolls when the grooves are widest and deepest, and the
machine is started by the operator depressing the trendle j; the machine is stopped
by the cam g on the pinion on the top roller shaft raising the bell crank lever and
throwing the clutch out of gear; when one half of the bar has been rolled, the
other end is placed between the rolls and the operation is repeated. The dies for
bending, formning, or shaping are shewn best on Fig. 4; is the movable die
working in the slides m, m, and raised and lowered by the cam a², shewn in dotted
lines; n is the stationary die fitted in the bracket n¹ fixed to the standard. The
stationary die n forms a concave segment to form a section of the periphery of the
ring, and the movable die has a convex surface corresponding with the inner
diameter of the ring to be formed. When the bar has been rolled to suitable tapers
it is heated again, and one end is inserted between the dies, and the movable die
being raised by the cam a² bends that portion of the bar to the required curve; the
bar is fed forward between the dies every time they open, each portion of the bar
being operated upon and bent to the required curve until the piston ring, consisting

page_text: of any number of coils, which may be of any suitable diameter is formed. Although
these dies are shewn for bending piston rings, they may be made of any shape for
bending, swedgeing, and forging other articles.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is an elevation in section; Fig. 6, a front elevation; and
Fig. 7, a plan of a furnace to which my improvements for hardening and tempering
piston rings and other articles are applied; o, o, are the furnace walls; p, the grate
bars; q, the bridge; and r, r, the discharge flues; these may be of the usual
construction; s is a cistern containing oil or other liquid; s' is a stuffing box in the
end of a hydraulic pipe 8; t is a piston forming the ram and supporting the table t,
constructed by preference of two perforated metal plates, which form an air
chamber to protect the pistou and the liquid in the cistern from the heat. On
this table is placed the stand u provided with sockets, as shewn detached in plan
at Fig. 8, in which sockets are placed triangular bars v to keep the springs or other
articles from collapsing by the heat, or from becoming distorted or warped by
immersion in the liquid. It will be seen from the arrangement of the sockets in
Fig. 8 that rings of various diameters may be held by the triangular bars placed in
thein; these bars are so held in the sockets that only one corner of each bar comes
in contact with the surface of the ring or other article. The stand may be caused
to revolve on the pivot x by a bar worked by the attendant at the front of the
furnace.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention and described the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the
details given, as they may be varied and modified, but what I claim is,―
First. Rolling bars for piston rings and other articles by means of spiral grooves
or patterns formed in the surface of the rolls (or in bushes), by which means
articles of much greater length than the circumference of the rolls may be rolled
continuously, substantially as shewn and described.
Secondly. Bending, forming, or shaping piston rings or other articles by the use
of a stationary and a movable die, the latter being actuated substantially as shown
and described.
Thirdly. The cistern for oil or other liquid placed beneath the beating chamber,
and the stand raised and lowered by a piston, or otherwise, by which means the
piston ring or other article can be raised into the heating chamber and lowered
into the liquid, and returned into the heating chamber for tempering without being
removed from the stand; also, the construction of the stand and bars, substantially
as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dodge, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty first day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
JAMES DODGE. (L.S.)