Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Seamless Steel Tubes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th M y, 1895-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Seamless
Steel Tubes.
We, ROBERT WOOTTON of 113 Harborne Road Edgbaston Birmingham in the
County of Warwick, Gentleman, and BENJAMIN HEWITT of Fir Tree Villas,
Waterloo Road Smethwick in the County of Stafford aforesaid Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the manufacture
of seamless steel tubes and refers to the releasing of such tubes from the mandrel
upon which they have been drawn by which they are released more rapidly and
easily than hithertofore.
In carrying our invention into effect we mount three or four pairs of horizontal
rolls in a suitable roll frame cach pair being driven by tooth gear so as to give
motion to the top or bottom rolls respectively while the top and bottom rolls are
geared together so as to cause both the top and bottom rolls of each pair to revolve
with a uniform speed and in the requisite direction. In the case for instance of
three pairs of rolls being used the middle pair is adjustably mounted so as to admit
of being raised or lowered from the horizontal line of the other rolls. The outer
pair of rolls at each end are provided with grooves round their circumference to fit
the tubes for feeding to and drawing from the central rolls the nipping faces of
which are bevilled or formed conical shaped and are so arranged that the larger
periphery of bottom roll engages with the smaller periphery of top roll with a
uniform space between. the two. These rolls are also grooved to fit the tube and
instead of one pair we may have two or more pairs of these rolis.
The action is as follows:-The tube upon the mandril is fed into the first pair of
flat faced rolls which bulges the tubes on two sides and afterwards passes through
the bevilled faced rolls the grooves of which being at different diameters to the
tube in their point of contract cause the tube to revolve as it passes through them
so that as the tube passes through the last pair of flat faced rolls it is nipped and
bulged on the reverse sides of the tube to that of the nip of the first pair of rolls
which tends to move it on the mandril or bar and so loosens the tube from same the
rear rolls assisting to keep the bar straight and true. The top rolls in all cases to
be made vibratory by means of spiral or other springs while the bottom rolls are to
be supported upon springs so as to give a slight deflection to the tube and bar while
passing through rolls.
Dated this 13th day of March 1895
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Seamless
Steel Tubes.
We, ROBERT WOOTTON, of 113 Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gentleman, and BENJAMIN HEWITT, of Fir Tree Villas,
Waterloo Road, Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
Our invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the manufacture
of seamless steel tubes and refers to the releasing of such tubes from the mandrel
upon which they have been drawn by which they are released more rapidly and
easily than hithertofore to effect which we pass the tubes containing the mandrels
through a series of rolls, one pair of which are so shaped and operated as to have a
twisting action on the tube so as to throw up the metal of the tube from the
mandrel thereby enlarging the tube and making the removal of the mandrel an
easy matter.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
iuto practice we have appended hereto two sheets of drawings upon which we have
fully illustrated the nature of the said improvements together with the mode of and
means for carrying the same into effect.
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section through one of our machines.
Figure 2, is a plan of same.
Figure 3, is a side elevation with the gearing removed and indicated by dotted
lines.
Figure 4, is an enlarged elevation of the central rolls.
Figure 5, is a similar elevation to Figure 4 but showing a modification in the
shape of the rolls.
Figure 6, is a cross sectional elevation showing the means for adjusting the
position of the bottom central roll.
In carrying our invention into effect the two pair of feeding rolls A and A' are
mounted in the frame C and are provided with the grooves a³ for the passing of the
tube X containing the mandrel which may be fed in at or drawn from either end as
the case may be. Intermediately between the two pair of rolls A. and A' a third
pair of rolls B is mounted these being shaped as shown at Figure 4 by which each
roll bites the tube at the two parts and 62 which are of different diameters.
These points when in contact with the tube causes the tube to have a twisted move-
ment as it is fed forward thereby tending to bulge up the metal of the tube X
between the central rolls B and outer rolls A and A' and thus move its position
upon the bar so as to release it. The shafts of the bottom rolls A, A and B are
provided with the tooth wheels P and are connected by the intermediate wheels E
so that the whole of the bottom rolls revolve with a uniform speed and direction
the top rolls being in each case geared with their respective bottom rolls. The
whole of the top rolls are made vibratory by the springs F and for the purpose
of obtaining a fine lateral adjustment of the central rolls B their shafts are mounted
between the screw pivots H which are in turn mounted in the sliding blocks.J
and Jin such a manner that the blocks J' of the top rolls vibrate with the main
shaft against the resistance of the spring f¹ which in addition to the springs of the
main bearing are provided for this purpose. The vertical adjustment of the lower
roll B is effected by the wedge K which is provided with the series of inclined
faces so that the blocks J bearing the pivot pins H¹ of the lower rolls and the
supporting bearing block N are all equally adjusted by the wedge K and nuts k³
and as will be seen in Figure 6 by which means the rolls B may be adjusted in
or out of line with the rolls A and A' as may be required. The machine may be

page_text: driven from either of the shafts as may be found convenient and by the addition of
the reversing gear the tubes may be passed in at one end and back through the
reverse end.
We do not confine ourselves to the exact shape of the central rolls B as they may
be varied and may be as shown by Figure 5 as long as the two points b¹ and 6 of
variable diameter are retained.
We may have the two sets of rolls A and A' at the one side of the rolls B instead
of at each side or we may have two sets at each side and one set may be mounted
vertically and the other horizontally so that the nips of the one pair is on the sides
of the tube while the second pair is top and bottom. We may also have two
pairs of rolls B and one pair of these may be mounted vertically and the one
horizontally.
The bevil rolls B may be so adjusted laterally with regard to each other that
the grooves form an oval or eliptical aperture by the sides of which the tube is
operated thereby giving it the necessary twisting action as before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1st. The improvements in machinery for the manufacture of seamless steel
tubes substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and shown upon the
accompanying drawings.
2nd. In a machine a pair of rolls Beach being capable of operating upon
the tube at variable surface speeds in combination with one or more pair of
rolls A and A' substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and as shown.
Dated this 29th day of May 1895.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.