IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING METAL TURES:
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theodore Frelinghuysen Taylor, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, now of No. 8; Southampton
Buildings, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MANUFACTURING METAL TURES:"
Sealed the 18th January 1870, and dated the 29th July 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theodore Frelinghuysen
Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of' Patents, with his
Petition, on the 29th July 1869.
I, THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN TAYLOR, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING METAL TUBES," to be as follows:
My Invention relates to improvements in the machinery for manu-
acturing lap-jointed tubes or pipes from sheet metal, described in the
Specification of an Invention for which Letters Patent have been granted
to William Robert Lake, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the yea
Dvice 11

page_text: of our Lord 1867, No. 1973, which machinery is described as being so
constructed and arranged that the successive operations required to
convert the plate, sheet, or strip of metal into a cylinder or tube and to
make and finish the joint are performed automatically. The plate or
strip is fed into the machine at one end, and is thence passed forward by
a series of feeding, guiding, and bending rollers, which act in such a
manner as to gradually bend the sheet or strip around a stationary
mandril, at the same time lapping one edge over the other, and bending
the edges thus joined down upon the surface of the tube, and then
delivering the finished tube at the opposite end of the said machine.
My present Invention consists chiefly, first, in the arrangement of the
rollers and guides at the side of the machine.
Second. In certain peculiarities in the formation, arrangement, and
operation of the feeding, guiding, and bending rollers; in the com-
bination therewith of stationary guides of novel construction, and in
the means for diminishing the friction of the tube upon the mandril.
Thirdly. In supporting the rollers in adjustable bearings, which permit
them to be adapted to the manufacture of tubes of various thicknesses.
The said Invention also consists in the peculiar construction of a
hollow mandril whereby the lubrication of the tubes is effected in a more
advantageous manner than heretofore, and in constructing the mandril
and parts in connection therewith in such a manner as to form the joint
or seam within the tube so as to leave the exterior periphery perfectly
plain and cylindrical.
The said Invention also consists in various details of construction and
arrangement herein-after described.
The rollers, guides, and other portions of the mechanism are supported
upon a strong frame or stand. The shafts or axles of the rollers are
fitted to turn freely in bearings upon the said frame, and are caused to
work properly together by means of suitable gearing, whereby they are
connected together and to a driving shaft to which motion is imparted
from suitable source of power.
any
According to my said improvements the sheet is first introduced into
a guide, through which it is conducted to the first pair of rollers. These
rollers rotate in a vertical plane, and bend down the edges to form the
lap or portions which are to be united to form the joint or seam. From
this pair of rollers the strip is conducted through a guide, which partially

page_text: bends it, to the second pair of rollers, which also rotate in a vertical
plane, and are made concave and convex to continue the bending of the
tube. The lapped edges of the latter are then brought together as the
tube passes onward by an inclined and curved guideway, and conducted
through a third pair of vertically rotating rollers, one of which has a
channel around its periphery for the passage of the lap; the latter passes
in a vertical position through these rollers and through another fixed
guide to a fourth pair of rollers, which rotate in a horizontal plane, and
which bend one lapped edge over the other and leave it at a right angle
thereto. From these horizontal rollers the tube is passed through a
guide to the fifth pair of rollers, which rotate in a vertical plane. One
of these rollers has a channel or groove with one edge rounded, and by
this groove the right-angled portion of the lap is bent down over the
other portion. In this condition the tube passes between a pair of small
horizontally rotating discs and a pair of small bevilled discs, which turn
the lap down upon the tube. Thence the said tube passes through a
guide and under a small concave disc or roller to the sixth pair of rollers,
which rotate in a vertical plane, and one of which is formed with a
shallow grooye for the passage of the joint or seam. These rollers
compress the seam and finish the tube. Under the concave roller the
mandril is provided with an antifriction roller. When the seam is made
on the inside of the tube the last pair of rollers are made with their
periphery plain or smooth, and the mandril and the antifriction roller
thereon are grooved. I make the mandril hollow to contain oil, and
perforate its sides to allow the oil to flow to the tube. The guide at
the front end of the machine consists of a flat bottom plate and two
adjustable side pieces, which are flanged and extend over the top.
These side plates are made adjustable in order to adapt the guide to
strips of various thicknesses which require to have the lap of greater
or less width. This guide is extended to the first pair of rollers
whereby the lap is formed. The end of the bottom plate extends
over the lower roller, and is curved and reduced on its under surface,
so that it may reach nearly to the centre of the roller and not lie
above the periphery thereof. The top plates of the guide are curved
and reduced in like manner and extended nearly to the centre of the
rollers. By this peculiarity of construction and arrangement the strip
is supported so that its central portion is kept flat while its edges are
turned down. The width of these rollers and of the portion of the guide
which extends between them is less than that of the main portion of the

page_text: guide, the latter being fitted accurately to the strips so as to guide them
evenly and steadily to the rollers. The difference between the width
of the rollers and of the strip and guide determines the width of the
lap, and as it is necessary that the lap on one side should be wider than
on the other side of the strip I arrange the said rollers and guide in
such a manner that a greater distance is left at one side than the other
between the inner edge of the guide and the outer edge of the rollers.
The centres of the first pair of rollers are slightly higher than the centres
of the other rollers, and the guide is slightly inclined upward as it
approaches the said rollers. These slight peculiarities of arrangement
facilitate the introduction of the metal strips. The strip is pushed
forward by hand through the guide till it is gripped between the first
pair of rollers, which then draw it forward. The upper roller has flanges
at the side, which extend down over the lower roller. The flange on
the side where the wide lap is formed has an inclined or bevilled inner
surface, and the edge of the lower roller is correspondingly inclined. The
object of this peculiar formation of the roller is to prevent the curling or
buckling of the lap. As the strip is drawn forward from the guide
these flanges turn down the edges between the said flanges and the
sides of the lower roller and thus form the lap. The strip with the
lap thus formed is impelled forward through another guide, whereby
the said strip is slightly curved or bent, and its transformation from a
flat strip into a tube is commenced. The bottom of this bending guide
is slightly curved or made concave at the end adjacent to the aforesaid
rollers, the curvature being gradually increased to the other end, which
lies in close proximity to the second pair of rollers. The top of this
guide is a bar with a convex surface, and as the strip passes through
the said guide it assumes the form of the space between its upper and
lower surfaces. The sides of the bottom or concave portion of the
guide rise and approach each other gradually as the curvature increases,
their edges being so arranged that they lie immediately under the lap
of the strip. The first part of the bending guide terminates at a slight
distance from the centre of the periphery of the second pair of rollers.
The lower one of these rollers is concave and the upper one convex,
this concavity and convexity being such as to continue the gradual
bending of the strip from the state in which it was left by the said
guide. The latter may be attached to an extension of the fins or
straight guides or otherwise conveniently arranged. At its termination
its edges are extended beyond its hollow or concave surface, and I form

page_text: a continuation of the said edges either by extending the sides of the
said guide or by additional pieces arranged at the sides of the rollers.
These side pieces gradually approach each other and complete the
bending of the strip into the tubular form before the same reaches the.
third pair of rollers. In order that the two "laps" may come together
slightly at one side of the centre of the mandrel and roller I make
the edge of the guide over which the wide lap passes slightly lower
than the other edge. The edges of these guide pieces are also formed
to bend up and bring the lapped portions of the strip properly together.
This latter object is effected by giving to the edges of the guide a
spiral formation changing them from horizontal to vertical surfaces
between their two ends. These vertical surfaces bring the two laps
close together and deliver the tube in that condition to the third pair
of rollers.. I prefer that the end of the guide at this point should be
provided with small antifriction rollers, between which the lapped edges
pass. The vertical sides of the guide are extended beyond these anti-
friction rollers as near as possible to the centre of the third pair of
bending rollers to support and keep the two lapped edges properly
together. The upper roller of this third pair has a narrow groove turned
in it for the passage of the lap of the tube and gives it a sharp bend
at the corner. The said groove is not in the centre of the rollers but
a little to one side thereof, so that the lap, when laid down as it is when
the joint is finished, will be central with the tube. Slightly beyond
the second pair of rollers, between the same and the third pair, the end
of the mandril is arranged, the said mandril being held by an adjustable
pin passed through a bracket into a hole formed in the mandril or
otherwise supported. From this point the tube passes over the mandril.
As the end of the tube leaves the third pair of rollers it is conducted
through a circular guide to a pair of horizontally rotating rollers,
which bend the long lap of the seam over the short lap. The said
circular guide is formed with a vertical groove for the passage of the
lap, which is thus delivered to the said horizontally fotating rollers.
These rollers are curved on the periphery to fit over the tube, and one
of them above this curved portion has a square shoulder, and above
the said shoulder a groove or channel. The other roller has a projecting
square shoulder, which turns in the said groove. As the tube passes
from the circular guide the long lap is caught by this square shoulder
and bent at a right angle into the groove or channel. These horizontal
rollers are geared together and are connected by means of bevelled

page_text: pinions and an intermediate shaft to the driving shaft. The tube is
impelled forward in this condition from the horizontal or fourth pair
of rollers, through guide, which has no effect upon its form, but
merely keeps it properly together and conducts it to the fifth pair of
rollers, which rollers like those of the first, second, and third pair
rotate in a vertical plane. The said rollers are also concave to cor-
respond with the form of the tube. The upper roller has a groove or
recess, which receives the lap and turns down the long lap over the
short lap and brings the two parts together. This effect upon the lap
is produced by making the edge of one side of the groove or channel
curved, while the other side is left square and sharp. As the tube
comes forward from the last-mentioned guide the portion of the lap
previously bent to a right angle by the horizontal rollers is caught by
the curved edge of the groove, and as it is drawn forward between the
central part of the rollers is turned completely down, leaving the lap
again in a vertical position, but consisting of three thicknesses instead
of two. From this fifth pair of rollers, and in the condition last above
described, the tube is carried forward between a small narrow pair of
horizontally rotating discs or wheels, which compress the lap and deliver
the same to a pair of bevilled discs (one vertical and one horizontal),
which turn the lap nearly down upon the surface of the tube.
The
vertical bevilled disc is formed with a square shoulder, which prevents
the turning of the tube around the mandril from the pressure of the
horizontal disc upon the side of the lap. From these bevilled discs the
tube passes to a small narrow vertical roller with a slightly inclined
concave surface, which turns the lap completely down upon the tube.
To prevent the extreme friction between the mandril and tube which
would be occasioned by the pressure of the last-mentioned roller I
provide the mandril with a small antifriction roller, whose periphery
lies just above the surface of the mandril and immediately under the
joint or seam. From this small concave roller, which only acts upon
the lap, the tube passes through a guide (formed with a groove for the
passage of the lap) to the sixth and last pair of rollers. These rollers
rotate in a vertical plane and are made concave to correspond with
the form of the tube, and the upper one has a shallow groove or channel
for the seam to pass through. The guide is extended to as near the
centre of these rollers as possible, so that it may deliver the tube
properly to the same, and the end of the tube is then caught between
the rollers and drawn forward, and the seam or joint is closely com-

page_text: pressed in the groove between them, and the formation of the tube is
completed. From these rollers it is impelled forward over the end of
the mandril and delivered from the machine. I make the mandril with
a hollow centre, which may be filled with oil. The sides of the said
mandril are perforated to allow the oil to flow to the outer surface of
the mandril, and in order that it may not flow too rapidly I place in
the perforations leather or other porous substance.
The above description relates to the formation of tubes with the lap
or joint outside of the same, the inner peripheral surface being perfectly
smooth and round. For many purposes, however, it is desirable that the
outer surface should be plain or smooth, and then it becomes necessary
to vary the construction of some of the above-mentioned parts of the
machine, so that the protuberance of the seam or joint when finished
will be entirely within the tube. For this purpose I form in the delivery
end of the mandril a groove or channel corresponding with the form
of the seam or joint, and I also groove in like manner the small anti-
friction roller placed in the end of the mandril. The rollers of the last
pair are made quite plain and smooth on their periphery, so that as the
tube passes between them the seam is pressed into the groove in the
mandril, and the outer surface of the tube is left perfectly smooth and
cylindrical.
The adjustable boxes or bearings of the roller shafts or axles are
provided with springs above or below the shafts to allow for variations in
the thicknesses of the metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by, the said Theodore Frelinghuysen Taylor in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 28th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THEODORE
FRELINGHUYSEN TAYLOR, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-

page_text: third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Theodore Frelinghuysen Taylor, Her special
licence that I, the said Theodore Frelinghuysen Taylor, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Theodore
Frelinghuysen Taylor, my excutors, 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 MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING METAL
TUBES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Theodore
Frelinghuysen Taylor, my executors 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 Theodore Frelinghuysen Taylor, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 accom-
panying Drawings forming a part of this Specification :-
My Invention relates to improvements in the machinery for manu-
facturing lap-jointed tubes or pipes from sheet metal, described in the
Specification of an Invention for which Letters Patent have been granted
to William Robert Lake, bearing date the 5th of July, A.D. 1867, No. 1973,
which machinery is described as being so constructed and arranged that
the successive operations required to convert the plate, sheet, or strip of
metal into a cylinder or tube and to make and finish the joint are
performed automatically. The plate or strip is fed into the machine at
one end, and is thence passed forward by a series of feeding, guiding, and
bending rollers, which act in such a manner as to gradually bend the
sheet or strip around a stationary mandril, at the same time lapping one
edge over the other, and bending the edges thus joined down upon the
surface of the tube, and then delivering the finished tube at the opposite
end of the said machine.
My present Invention consists chiefly, first, in the arrangement of the
rollers and guides at the side of the machine.

page_text: Second. In certain peculiarities in the formation, arrangement, and
operation of the feeding, guiding, and bending rollers; in the combination
therewith of stationary guides of novel construction, and in the means
for diminishing the friction of the tube upon the mandril.
Thirdly. In supporting the rollers in adjustable bearings which permit
them to be adapted to the manufacture of tubes of various thicknesses.
The said Invention also consists in the peculiar construction of a
hollow mandril whereby the lubrication of the tubes is effected in a
more advantageous manner than heretofore, and in constructing the
mandril and parts in connection therewith in such a manner as to form
the joint or seam within the tube so as to leave the exterior periphery
perfectly plain and cylindrical.
The said Invention also consists in various details of construction and
arrangement herein-after described.
The rollers, guides, and other portions of the mechanism are supported
upon a strong frame or stand. The shafts or axles of the rollers are
fitted to turn freely in bearings upon the said frame, and are caused to
work properly together by means of suitable gearing, whereby they are
connected together and to a driving shaft to which motion is imparted
from any suitable source of power.
According to my said improvements the sheet is first introduced into
a guide, through which it is conducted to the first pair of rollers. These
rollers rotate in a vertical plane and bend down the edges to form the
lap or portions which are to be united to form the joint or seam; from
this pair of rollers the strip is conducted through a guide, which partially
bends it, to the second pair of rollers, which also rotate in a vertical plane
and are made concave and convex to continue the bending of the tube.
The lapped edges of the latter are then brought togeti:er as the tube
passes onward by an inclined and curved guideway, and conducted
through a third pair of vertically rotating rollers one of which has a
channel around its periphery for the passage of the lap; the latter passes
in a vertical position through these rollers, and through another fixed
guide, to a fourth pair of rollers which rotate in a horizontal plane and
which bend one lapped edge over the other, and leave it at a right angle
thereto. From these horizontal rollers the tube is passed through a
guide to the fifth pair of rollers, which rotate in a vertical plane. One
of these rollers has a channel or groove with one edge rounded, and by

page_text: 'These
this groove the right-angled portion of the lap is bent down over the
other portion. In this condition the tube passes between a pair of small
horizontally rotating discs and a pair of small bevelled discs which
turn the lap down upon the tube. Thence the said tube passes through
a guide and under a small concave disc or roller to the sixth pair of
rollers, which rotate in a vertical plane, and one of which is formed
with a shallow groove for the passage of the joint or seam.
Under the concave
rollers compress the seam and finish the tube.
roller the mandril is provided with an anti-friction roller. When the
seam is made on the inside of the tube the last pair of rollers are made
with the periphery plane or smooth and the mandril and the antifriction
roller thereon are grooved. I make the mandril hollow to contain oil,
and perforate its sides to allow the oil to flow to the tubes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of the top of my improved machine; Figure 2 is a
side elevation of the same; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, are transverse sections
on the lines x, x, y, y, z, z, x2, x¹, y¹, y, z¹, 21, Figure 1.
Figure 9 is a similar section to Figure 8, illustrating a modification of
my Invention...
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9º, are sections through the rollers cor-
responding with Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figures 10, 11, 12, are side and end views of the mandril detached.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
The rollers, guides, and the other portions of the mechanism are
supported upon a strong frame or stand A. The shafts or axles of the
rollers are fitted to turn freely in bearings upon the said frame, and are
caused to work properly together by means of suitable gearing, whereby
they are connected together and to a driving shaft B, to which motion
is imparted from any suitable source of power. At the front end of the
machine is a guide a, which consists of a flat bottom plate a¹ and two
adjustable side pieces a², which have flanges aª extending over the top.
These side plates a² are made adjustable to adapt the guide to make the
lap of greater or less width. This guide is extended to the first pair of
rollers b, whereby the part to form the lap is bent or turned down. The
plates a¹, a³, are reduced and extended nearly to the centre of the rollers.
By this peculiarity of formation and arrangement the metal strip has its
central portion kept flat while its edges are being turned down. The

page_text: width of the rollers 6 and of the portion of the guide a which extends
between them is less than that of the main portion of the said guide, the
latter being fitted accurately to the strips. The difference between the
width of the rollers and of the strip and guide determines the width of
the lap, and as it is necessary that the lap on one side should be wider
than on the other side of the strip, I arrange the said rollers and
guide in such a manner that a greater distance is left at one side than
the other between the inner edge of the guide and the outer edge of the
rollers. a* is a box containing oil for lubricating the strips. The centres
of the first pair of rollers bare slightly higher than the centres of the
other rollers, and the guide is slightly incliued upward as it approaches
the said rollers. These slight peculiarities of arrangement facilitate the
introduction of the metal strips. The strip is pushed forward by hand
through the guide a till it is gripped between the first pair of rollers b,
which draw it forward. The upper roller b¹ has flanges at the side, which
extend down over the lower roller 62. The flange 63 on the side where
the wide lap is formed has an inclined or bevelled inner surface, and the
edge of the lower roller is correspondingly inclined, as shewn in Figures
3 and 3, to prevent the curling or buckling of the lap, which as the
strip is drawn forward from the guide a is turned down and formed
between the flanges and the sides of the lower roller. The metal strip
with the lap thus formed is impelled forward through another guide c,
whereby the said strip is slightly curved or bent, and its transformation
from a flat strip into a tube is commenced. The bottom of this bending
guide c is slightly curved or made concave at the end adjacent to
the aforesaid rollers b, the concavity being gradually increased to the
other end, which lies in close proximity to the second pair of rollers d.
The top of this guide is a bar c' with a convex surface, and as the metal
strip passes through the said guide it assumes the form of the space
between its upper and lower surfaces. The sides c2 of the bottom or
concave portion of the guide c rise and approach each other gradually, as
shewn in Figures 1 and 2, as the curvature increases, their edges being
so arranged that they lie immediately under the lap of the metal strip.
This first part of the bending guide c terminates at a slight distance from
the centre of the periphery of the second pair of rollers d; the upper
roller d' of this pair is convex, and the lower one d² concave, as clearly
shewn in Figures 4 and 4", this convexity and concavity being such as
to continue without interruption the gradual bending of the strip from
the state in which it was left by the guide c. The latter may be

page_text: attached to an extension of the guide a, or otherwise conveniently.
arranged. At its termination its edges c³, c¹, are extended beyond its
bottom or concave surface, and I form a continuation c³ of the said edges
either by extending the sides of the said guide or by additional pieces
arranged at the sides of the rollers d. These continuations or side pieces
cs gradually approach each other, as shewn in Figure 1, and complete
the bending of the strip into the tubular form before the same reaches
the third pair of rollers e. In order that the two "laps" on the metal
strip may come together slightly at one side of the centre of the
mandril and rollers e, I make the guiding edge c* over which the wide
lap passes slightly lower than the outer edge, as clearly shown in
Figure 4. The edges of these guide pieces are also formed to bend up
and bring the lapped portions of the strip properly together. This
latter object is effected by giving to the edges of the guide a spiral
formation, changing them from horizontal to vertical surfaces between
the two points 1, 2, Figure 1. These vertical surfaces 2 bring the two
laps close together, and deliver the tube in that condition to the third
pair of rollers e. I prefer that the end of the guide c at this point should
be provided with the antifriction rollers h, between which the lapped
edges of the metal strips pass. The vertical sides of the guide care
extended beyond these antifriction rollers, as shewn at Figure 2, as near
as possible to the centre of the third pair of bending rollers to support
and keep the two lapped edges properly together. The upper roller e¹ of
this third pair has a narrow groove e* turned in it for the passage of the
lap of the tube, and the edges of this groove give the corner of the lap a
sharp bend, as shewn in Figures 5 and 5*; the said groove is not in the
centre of the rollers but a little to one side thereof, so that the lap when
laid down, as it is when the joint is finished (see Figure 8), will be
central with the tube. Slightly beyond the second pair of rollers d,
between the same and the third pair e, the end of the mandril fis
arranged, the said mandril being held by an adjustable pin f¹ passed
through a bracket f2 into a hole formed in the mandril, see Figures 10,
11, 12, or otherwise supported. From this point the tube passes forward
over the mandril, at whose other end it is delivered from the machine in
a finished condition. As the end of the tube leaves the third pair of
rollers it is conducted through a circular guide i to a pair of horizontally
rotating rollers j, which bend the long lap of the seam over the short
lap, as shewn in. Figures 6 and 6*. The circular guide i is formed
with a vertical groove for the passage of the lap which is thus delivered

page_text: to the, rollers j. These rollers are curved on the periphery to fit over
the tube, and the roller j above this curved portion has a square
shoulder jt, and above said shoulder a groove or channel j³. The other
roller has a projecting square shoulder ja, which turns in the groove j³.
As the tube passes from the circular guide i the long lap is caught by
the square shoulder ja and bent at a right angle into the groove or
channel, as shewn. These horizontal rollers j are geared together by
toothed pinions k, and are connected by means of bevelled pinions k¹ and
an intermediate shaft k² and spur wheels w¹, wa, to the driving shaft B.
The tube is impelled forward in this condition' from the horizontal
rollers j through a gude l, which has no effect upon its form but merely
keeps it properly together and conducts it to the fifth pair of rollers m.
The said rollers are concave on the periphery to correspond with the
form of the tube. The upper roller m' has a groove or recess m*, which
receives the lap and turns down the long lap over the short lap and
brings the two parts together, as shewn in Figures 7 and 7*. This effect
upon the lap is produced by making the edge 3 of the groove or channel
m* curved, while the other edge 4 is left square and sharp. As the tube
comes forward from the guide the portion of the lap previously bent
to a right angle by the rollers j is caught by the curved edge 3 of the
groove, and as it is drawn forward between the central part of the rollers
is turned completely down, leaving the lap again in a vertical position,
but consisting of three thicknesses instead of two. From the rollers m
and in the condition last above described the tube is carried forward
between a pair of small narrow horizontally rotating discs or wheels n,
which compress the lap and deliver the same to a pair of bevelled
discs o, one vertical and one horizontal, which turn the lap nearly down
upon the surface of the tube. The vertical bevelled disc o¹ is formed
with a square shoulder o*, which prevents the turning of the tube
around the mandril from the pressure of the horizontal disc o upon
the side of the lap. From these bevelled discs o the tube passes to a
small narrow vertical roller with a slightly inclined concave surface,
which turns the lap completely down upon the tube. To prevent the
extreme friction between the mandril f and tube which would be
occasioned by the pressure of the last-mentioned roller, I provide the
mandril at this point with a small antifriction roller q, see Figures
10, 11, 12, whose periphery lies just above the surface of the mandril
and immediately under the joint or seam of the tube. This roller is

page_text: shewn grooved in the Drawing for a purpose herein-after mentioned.
From the small concave roller p, which only acts upon the lap, the
tube passes through a guider (formed with a groove for the passage
of the lap) to the sixth and last pair of rollers s. These rollers are
made concave to correspond with the form of the tube, and the upper
one s¹ has a shallow groove or channel s* for the seam of the tube to
pass through. The guide is extended to as near the centre of these
rollers as possible so that it may deliver the tube properly to them,
and the end of the tube is 'then caught between the said rollers and
drawn forward, the seam or joint being closely compressed in the groove
between them, as shewn in Figures 8 and 8", and the formation of the
tube is completed. From these rollers it is impelled forward over the
end of the mandril and delivered from the machine. I make the
mandrilf with a hollow centre, as shewn in Figures 10 and 11, which
may be filled with oil.
The sides of the said mandril have small per-
forations to allow the oil to flow to the outer surface of the mandril,
and in order that it may not flow too rapidly I place in the perforations
leather or other porous substance. The diameter of the mandril f may
be reduced between the centres of the different pairs of rolls to diminish
the friction.
The above description relates to the formation of tubes with the lap
or joint outside of the same, the inner peripheral surface being perfectly
smooth and round, as shewn in Figures 8, 8. For many purposes,
however, it is desirable that the outer surface should be plain or smooth,
and then it becomes necessary to vary the construction of some of the
above-mentioned parts of the machine so that the protuberance of
the seam or joint when finished will be entirely within the tube, as
shewn in Figures 9, 9". For this purpose I form in the delivery end
of the mandril a groove or channel v corresponding with the form of
the seam or joint, and I also groove in like manner the small anti-
friction roller g placed in the end of the mandril. The rollers s are in
this case made quite plain and smooth on their periphery, see Figure 9,
so that as the tube passes between them the seam is pressed into the
groove v in the mandril, and the outer surface of the tube is left perfectly
smooth and cylindrical. The adjustable boxes or bearings of the
roller shafts or axles are provided with springs above or below the
shafts to allow for variations in the thickness of the metal strips.

page_text: Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shewn how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I
claim,-
First. The feeding, guiding, and bending rollers and stationary guides
arranged at the side of the machine, and constructed substantially as
described for the purposes set forth.
Second. The combination of the said rollers and guides with the
mandril and with means for diminishing the friction of the tubes
thereon, substantially as set forth.
Third. Supporting the said rollers in adjustable bearings, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. Making the mandril hollow and perforating the same for the
purpose of lubricating the tubes, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The peculiar construction of the mandril and parts in con-
nection therewith for forming tubes with an inside seam or joint,
substantially as set forth.
Sixth. A machine for manufacturing metal tubes whose operative
parts consist of the aforesaid rollers, guides, mandril, and other devices
arranged, combined, and operating together for transforming a metal
strip into a tube and forming and closing the joint or seam thereof,
substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theodore Frelinghuysen Taylor,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
THEO. F. TAYLOR. (L.S.)