A New or Improved Method of Manufacturing Seamless Metallic Tubes, and Machinery employed therein.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Manufacturing Seamless Metallic
Tubes, and Machinery employed therein.
I JAMES LETHBRIDGE BROOKE TEMPLER of Stanhope Lines, Aldershot, in the County
of Hants, Lieutenant-Colonel of the King's Royal Rifles do hereby declare the nature
of this Invention to be as follows:-
My invention has especial reference to the production of seamless iron and steel
tubes suitable for use in the manufacture of the frames of bicycles tricycles and other
velocipedes, but my said invention also has reference to the production of seamless
tubes of other metals and metallic alloys and for purposes other than that herein before
referred to.
My invention has for its principal object to simplify the manufacture of seamless
metallic tubes and consists of the new or improved method of manufacture herein-
after described and of the machinery used in the said manufacture also hereinafter
described.
I will describe the manufacture of a seamless tube of steel by my new or improved
method and machinery.
The machinery constituting part of my invention consists essentially of the following
parts. On the horizontal bed or table of the machine is one of a pair of parallel
reciprocating plates hereinafter called the upper and lower pressure plates of the
machine. The said table and pressure plates have a width somewhat greater than that
of the longest tubes to be made in the machine. Supported above the said table is
the upper reciprocating pressure plate the said upper pressure plate being carried by
and working in horizontal guides or races capable of being brought nearer to or raised
further from the said table by pressure screws. The said pressure plates have
simultaneously communicated to them reciprocating motion in opposite directions by
suitable mechanism.
When the two pressure plates are in their normal positions the free end of the
upper pressure plate, that is, the end which is unconnected with the mechanism by
which it is reciprocated, is situated over or nearly over the free end of the lower
pressure plate. On each side of the machine a horizontal hydraulic or other press
is arranged the rams or plungers of which presses work in a line crossing the direction
of motion of the reciprocating pressure plates at right angles. To the ram or plunger
of each press is fixed a cylinder rod or inandril of a diameter equal or nearly equal to
the internal diameter of the tube it is desired to produce the free ends of the said rods
being centred or pointed.
The action of the machine is as follows:-
The solid billet of steel, that is, the short cylindrical rod of steel from which the
tube is to be made is heated to bright redness and is placed on the lower pressure
plate of the machine with its axis in line with the axis of the mandrils carried by the
rains of the hydraulic presses. The said mandrils are advanced until their ends are

page_text: in contact with the ends of the billet when when one is brought to rest while the other
continues its advancing motion the reciprocating pressure plates being simultaneously
put into operation. By the action of the said reciprocating pressure plates a rapid
rotary motion is communicated to the heated billet situated between the advancing
and fixed mandrils of the rams of the hydraulic presses and the metal displaced by
the advancing mandril is thereby made to pass on to or along the said mandril in the
form of a seamless tube.
Where necessary or desirable the mandril which I have described as stationary may
have an advancing motion in order to complete or perfect the axial hole in the tube in
course of manufacture.
The thickness of the tube is determined by the distance apart of the pressure
plates bearing on the heated billet and the diameter of the travelling mandril.
Dated this Fourteenth day of October 1896.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
A New or Improved Method of Manufacturing Seamless Metallic
Tubes, and Machinery employed therein.
I, JAMES LETHBRIDGE BROOKE TEMPLER, of Stanhope Lines, Aldershot, in the County
of Hants, Lieutenant-Colonel of the King's Royal Rifles, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has especial reference to the production of seamless iron and steel tubes
suitable for use in the manufacture of the frames of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes, but my said invention also has reference to the production of seamless
tubes of other metals and metallic alloys and for purposes other than that herein-
before referred to.
My invention has for its principal object to simplify the manufacture of seamless
metallic tubes and consists of the new or improved method of manufacture herein-
after described and of the machinery used in the said manufacture also hereinafter
described.
I will describe the manufacture of a seamless tube of steel by my new or improved
method and machinery.
The machinery constituting part of my invention consists essentially of the
following parts. On the horizontal bed or table of the machine is one of a pair of
parallel reciprocating plates, hereinafter called the upper and lower pressure plates of the
machine. The said table and pressure plates have a width somewhat greater than that
of the longest tubes to be made in the machine. Supported above the said table is
the upper reciprocating pressure plate the said upper pressure plate being carried by
and working in horizontal guides or races capable of being brought nearer to or raised
further from the said table by hydraulic presses or by pressure screws. The said pressure
plates have simultaneously communicated to them reciprocating motion in opposite
directions by suitable mechanism.
When the two pressure plates are in their normal positions the free end of the
upper pressure plate, that is, the end which is unconnected with the mechanism by

page_text: which it is reciprocated, is situated over or nearly over the free end of the lower
pressure plate. On each side of the machine a horizontal hydraulic or other press is
arranged, the rams or plungers of which presses work in a line crossing the direction
of motion of the reciprocating pressure plates at right angles. To the ram or
plunger of each press is fixed a cylindrical rol or mandril of a diameter equal or nearly
equal to the internal diameter of the tube it is desired to produce, the free ends of
the said rods being centered or pointed.
The action of the machine is as follows:-
The solid billet of steel, that is, the short cylindrical rod of steel from which the
tube is to be made, is heated to bright redness and is placed on the lower pressure
plate of the machine with its axis in line with the axis of the mandrils carried by the
rams of the hydraulic presses. The said mandrils are advanced until their ends are
in contact with the ends of the billet when one is brought to rest while the other
continues its advancing motion the reciprocating pressure plates being simultaneously
put into operation. By the action of the said reciprocating pressure plates a rapid
rotary motion is communicated to the heated billet situated between the advancing
and fixed mandrils of the rams of the hydraulic presses and the metal displaced by
the advancing mandril is thereby made to pass onto or along the said mandril in the
form of a seamless tube.
The thickness of the tube is determined by the distance apart of the pressure plates
bearing on the heated billet and the diameter of the travelling mandril.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation Figure 2 in plan
and Figure 3 in end elevation machinery constructed according to my invention for
the manufacture of seamless metallic tubes.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
Drawings.
a, bare the reciprocating pressure plates of the machinery the said pressure plates
sliding on bed plates marked respectively a, b as will be understood by the reference
to Figures 1 and 3, the upper pressure plate a travelling in one direction while the
lower pressure plate b is travelling in the opposite direction as is indicated by the
arrows in Figure 1.
The bed plates a¹, 6' are each carried by the rams or plungers of a series of vertical
hydraulic presses marked respectively a, 6 so that they can be made to approach
towards or recede from one another. The cylinders of each series of hydraulic presses
are so coupled together that they are simultaneously put to pressure or exhaust as
will be understood by reference to the plan Figure 2. Further, the cylinders of the
hydraulic presses a, a, a² are preferably coupled to the cylinders of the hydraulic
presses 62, 62, 62 so that the rams or plungers of one series of presses balance the rams
or plungers of the other series of presses, that is to say, when the cylinders of the upper
presses a² are placed to exhaust for the purpose of permitting the upper bed plate a¹
and its reciprocating pressure plate a to descend the water leaving the cylinders of
the upper presses a² passes into the cylinders of the lower presses 62 but little
additional pressure of water being required to effect the motion of the rams of the said
presses.
I have not represented the mechanical means for giving to the pressure plates a, b
their reciprocating motion as this may be effected by the cranks of an ordinary
stationary engine or by other well known mechanical means..
c, d are the horizontal bydraulic presses by which the mandrils c, d are operated.
The said mandrils c², d² are fixed in sockets or holders c', d¹ on the ends of the rams or
plungers of the hydraulic presses c, d the said sockets being made capable of adjust-
iment for the purpose of accommodating mandrils of various sizes. One of the said
mandrils, namely the mandril d, is preferably tubular and of a size and thickness
equal to that of the tube to be made. The other mandril is solid and has a diameter
equal or approximately equal to the internal diameter of the tube to be made. The
acting end of the mandril ct is pointed and the horizontal hydraulic presses are so
arranged that the axis of the solid mandril is in line with the axis of the tubula

page_text: mandril d² the said axis of the mandrils crossing the line of motion of the reciprocating
pressure plates a, b at right angles.
The mandrils c², d² are guided in their motion by guides e, e which are made adjust-
able for accommodating the various sizes of mandrils which may from time to time be
used.
In manufacturing a seamless metallic tube according to my invention a heated
billet of iron or steel is placed on the lower pressure plate b when the plates are in the
position with respect to each other represented in Figure 1 but before the pressure plates
, b are brought together as is represented in Figure 1. The pressure plates are made
to approach each other by the action of the hydraulic presses a², 62 until they bear on
opposite sides of the heated billet situated between them. The hydraulic press dis
put into action so as to advance the end of the tubular mandril d2 against one end of
the heated billet when the said mandril is brought to rest. The hydraulic press c is
put into action so as to advance the end of the solid mandril c2, which is pointed
against the other end of the heated billet. The advancing motion of the mandril c²
is continued and the reciprocating motion of the pressure plates a, b is simultaneously
commenced the reciprocating motion being continued with gradually increasing pres-
sure until the distance between the pressure plate a, b is equal or approximately
equal to the external diameter of the tube in course of manufacture. By the action
described of the reciprocating pressure plates a rapid rotary motion is communicated
to the heated billet situated between the advancing and fixed mandrils and the metal
displaced by the advancing mandril is made to pass on to or along the said
advancing mandril and the billet is thus converted into a seamless tube which
is removed from the mandril c2 by the reverse action of the hydraulic press c.
Instead of employing a pointed mandril in combination with a tubular mandril, both
mandrils may be pointed and where necessary or desirable the mandril which I have
described as stationary may have an advancing motion in order to complete or perfect
the axial hole in the tube in course of manufacture.
Although I have described and represented and prefer to employ vertical hydraulic
presses for raising and lowering the pressure plates yet I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself thereto as other equivalent mechanism such for example as
pressure screws may be employed.
And although I have only described my invention in connection with the manufacture
of tubes from solid billets yet it may be applied to the manufacture of tubes from
hollow or tubular billets or to the finishing of tubes made in the ordinary way, that is
weldless or wrought lap welded tubes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention of," A new or improved method of manufacturing seamless metallic
tubes and machinery employed therein :"-
First Manufacturing seamless metallic tubes from billets by giving to the said
billets a rapid rotary motion by the action of a pair of reciprocating pressure plates
working in opposite directions and at the same time submitting the said billets to
end-wise pressure that is, to the pressure in the line of its axis of a pair of mandrils
substantially as hereinbefore described; also the application of the said manufacture
to the finishing of tubes made in the ordinary way.
Secondly-The new or improved machinery hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings for the manufacture of seamless metallic tubes according
to the process claimed in the prior claim the said machinery consisting essentially of
a pair of pressure plates having reciprocating motions in opposite directions the said
pressure plates being brought nearer together or separated further from each other
by hydraulic pressure or other pressure and the use in combination with the said
reciprocating pressure plates of a pair of horizontal hydraulic presses situated at
opposite sides of the said pressure plates and at right angles thereto the rams o

page_text: plungers of the said presses carrying mandrils substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated.
CALL
1005
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.