Improvements in Swaging Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Apr., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Swaging Machines.
I, ARTHUR JACOB MORSE, of the Town of Salisbury, in the County of Litchfield,
in the State of Connecticut, United States of America, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to swaging machines, and the object is to provide a rotary
swaging machine, capable of swaging bicycle spokes or similar articles, with means
for feeding and cutting off the spokes the desired length.
To this end my invention consists in the combination with the stationary
cylindrical shell, of a circular series of tappets having beveled faces on their
inner ends, the cylindrical shaft in the said shell carrying a rotary head containing
a groove, a pair of dies in the groove, a pair of followers in the groove to engage
the tappets, wedges between the followers and the dies, and a pipe sliding in the
shaft and secured to the said wedges to vary the strokes upon the work.
My invention consists further in the combination with a rotary swaging machine
of the class herein specified, of a shaft carrying a series of cams, a carriage and
a guideway therefor, a gripping device mounted on the carriage, a cutting device
mounted on the carriage, and suitable means connected to the carriage to re-
ciprocate the same and to operate the grippers and cutters thereon, said means
being operated by the said cams.
And my invention consists also in certain other combinations of parts hereinafter
described and specifically set forth in the claims.
In the drawings hereto annexed and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1
is a side elevation partly in section of a swaging machine embodying my invention,
Figure 2 is an elevation of the opposite side of the machine with the carriage
removed from the dies, Figure 3 is the front side elevation, several parts being
broken away to show others more clearly, Figure 4 is a face view of the cylindrical
shell and the revolving head therein, Figure 5 is a top plan view of the machine,
the carriage being removed and the guideway being shown in section, Figure 6
is a top plan view of the machine including the carriage, Figure 7 is an enlarged
side view of the grippers together with adjacent parts, Figure 8 is an enlarged
side view of the cutting devices and guide partly in section, Figure 9 is an end
view of the devices shown in Figure 8, Figure 10 is a face view of the shell and
rotable head with the face plate removed, Figure 11 is a central longitudinal
section of the shell and the movable parts therein, Figure 12 is a perspective view
of the dies, followers and the wedges between them connected to the sliding tube
removed from the rotable shaft, Figure 13 is a perspective view of the cutting bolt
and guide separated from the adjacent parts, and Figure 14 is a view of two
spokes before being cut apart, but after being swaged.
Referring specifically to the drawings, A is the stationary cylindrical shell or
casting, one end of which is expanded to contain a rotable head, B', on the end
of a cylindrical shaft, B, extending horizontally and longitudinally within the
shell. Across the end of the said head is a mortise or groove, and in the groove is

page_text: a pair of sliding dies, b, b, a pair of followers, 61, 61, to engage the beveled faces
of the tappets, a, a, etc., and a pair of wedges, 61, 61, which lie between the dies
and the followers for the purpose of regulating the strokes or varying the size of
the article being swaged. The said wedges are secured at one end to arms, c, c,
extending at right angles to and from one end of a tube, C, within the shaft B.
The parts are so arranged and connected together that when it is desired to
change the distance between the dies and their followers, it is only necessary to
move the tube, C, in the shaft longitudinally in one direction or the other.
Secured to the end of the body of the shell is a circular series of tappets, a, a,
etc., having beveled inner faces thereon to contact with the beveled ends of the
said followers as the head is revolved. Encircling this series of tappets and the
tapering blocks, a¹, a¹, between and separating them is a ring, A', which prevents
the tappets from working out of their grooves, and secured to the face of the said
blocks is a circular face plate, A", as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. Another
face plate, A, is secured to the revolving head to hold the dies and followers in
place in the groove.
During the revolution of the head, there are as many closures of the dies each
revolution of the shaft as there are tappets in the circular series. The tappets are
diametrically opposite each other and this insures a stroke upon both followers
simultaneously.
The tube connected with the wedges allows for the passage of the wire, rod or
bar, W, to be operated upon. The shaft, B, is revolved by means of a pulley B
A loose pulley, C, and a fly-wheel, C, is also shown on the shaft. The article, W,
is fed in gradually at the end of the shaft carrying the pulley. When bicycle
spokes are to be operated upon, the wire, W, is fed in from a reel (not shown).
through the tube, C, and between the dies, b, b, in the head, and the operation is
automatic and continuous although intermittent.
Extending horizontally, secured at one end to the stationary shell, A, or face-
plate A, and mounted on a frame is the guideway, D, for the carriage E.
Mounted on the carriage at the end nearest the swaging head, are the grippers
and d. The grippers consist of a pair of arms journaled at one end to oscillate
on bearings or bolts.
The said arms lie one above and the other below the horizontal plane of the
work, W, and the latter is gripped between their free ends while it is being drawn
through the dies.
While the carriage is moving in the opposite direction or toward the dies, the
upper gripping arm, d, is released and is forced upward by a curved spring, e,
secured at one end to the carriage. The lower gripping arm, d, may be raised and
lowered, or adjusted to the diameter of the work by means of the small set screw e¹.
The upper gripper is forced down and held in that position during the travel
of the carriage in one direction or from the dies by means of a small cam, f,
adapted to bear upon the upper side of the arm d. The said cam is mounted on
the end of a short shaft turning in a post, f, on the carriage. On the opposite
end of this shaft is an arm, g, provided at its free end with a roller, g¹, adapted
to travel in a horizontal groove in a bar, F; above but parallel with the guideway.
The said bar is secured in its position on the upper end of a vertically reciprocating
plate F¹, which extends downward nearly to the bottom of the frame and is
bifurcated at its lower end to straddle a horizontal cam shaft, G, journaled in
bearings in opposite sides of the frame H. On the opposite end of the carriage, E,
is mounted the cutting devices. The cutting device proper consists of a vertical
bolt, h, having a transverse passage therethrough for the spoke. This bolt is
adapted to move vertically in its socket, and is held in its raised position with its
passage directly opposite a stationary passage in a guide, i, for the spoke, by means
of a small coil spring, h¹, in the bottom of the socket below the bolt. The cutting
bolt, h, is depressed to cut off the spoke by means of a lever, I, pivoted inter-
mediate its length on the carriage. A set screw, 1, passing through the end of
the said lever makes contact with the upper end of the cutting bolt, h, when the
opposite end of the lever is raised. This end of the lever is provided with a

page_text: move in the same groove with the roller of the lever, g, which
operates the grippers. The gripper and cutter are operated at the same time by
rais ing the bar, F, containing the groove. The said bar is raised by means of a
cam, J, on the cam shaft and a roller, j, on the side of the plate, F¹, riding on the
periphery of the cam. This cam, J, is so shaped and arranged with relation to the
other parts, that the bar, F, is raised when the grippers are nearest the dies, and
lowered when the carriage has traveled to its greatest distance from the dies. Two
other cams are mounted on the same shaft. The middle cam, K, or the largest on the
shaft is the feed cam. This cam moves the carriage in opposite directions to draw out
the wire forming the spokes from between the dies. The connections between
this cam, K, and the carriage, E, are shown very clearly in Figure 2 of the draw-
ings and consist of a double lever, L, journaled at its upper ends in the guide-
way, D, and having a roller, k, near its lower end between the sides thereof, to
bear on the periphery of the cam. The said lever being double allows the great
projection on this cam, K, to pass between the sides of the lever when the latter
swings toward the shaft. The lower end of this lever is connected by a link, ¹,
with another lever, L', which is journaled at its lower end to the base.
link, k, is adjustable in a slot, i, in the lever, L¹, for the purpose of fegulating
the length of the travel of the carriage. A coil spring, M, connects the said levers
with the base of the machine to draw them toward the cam shaft. A link, L¹¹,
connects the upper end of the lever, L', to the lower side of the carriage. A slot /
in the lower side of the carriage permits the end of this link to be adjusted
therein.
The
It will be apparent that when the cam, K, is rotated slightly, in the direction
indicated by the arrow shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, beyond the position
shown, the roller, k, and levers will be drawn inward toward the cam shaft by the
coil spring, M, and the carriage, E, moved toward the dies until the ends of the
grippers nearly touch the same. When in this position the cam, J, controlling
the grooved bar raises the latter, which causes the gripping arms to grip the spoke
and the cutter to cut off the finished spoke at the same time.
The third cam, N, on the cam shaft is for the purpose of operating the
wedges, 61, 61, between the followers and the dies. The wedges must be drawn
out to prevent the action of the dies upon the spoke sometime before the carriage
reaches the end of its travel, to allow for the expanded portion or the space
between the shoulders on the spokes. Just after the carriage reaches the end of
its travel, however, the said wedges are again thrown in and this prevents any
possible recoil of the wire, W, during the backward movement of the carriage.
The cam, N, operating the wedges is split or divided so that the parts may be
turned relatively to each other to vary the distance of the swaged part between the
shoulders.
Curved slots, n, n, in one of the parts, and indicated in Figure 2, serve with
binding screws passing through the slots and entering the other part to fix the
said parts in the position desired. This cam, N, is connected to the tube or pipe, C,
secured to the wedges by the following means.
On the rear end of the base of the machine is a horizontal shaft, O, on which is
fulcrumed the ends of two levers. One of said levers, P, extends upward nearly
vertically to the end of the tube, C, protruding from the end of the driving shaft,
and the other lever, P¹, reaches inward below the cam shaft, its free end being
provided with a shoe, p, bearing on the periphery of the divided cam.
A coil spring, Q, holds this lever in its raised position with the shoe in contact
with the periphery of the cam. A rod, R, extends from one lever to the other
diagonally. By means of this rod swiveled in the said levers, the wedges, 61, 61,
may be adjusted between the dies and the followers. The end of the tube, C, is
threaded and is provided with nuts on opposite sides of a loose ring, 9, which is
journaled by studs, r, r, projecting from diametrically opposite sides in the upper
end of the lever, P, which is bifurcated. The diagonal rod, R, not only varies
the angle formed by the levers, but retains them rigidly in the position in which
they have been set,

page_text: On the cam shaft, G, journaled in the frame, H, is a large worm-wheel," S,
engaging a worm, S', on its upper side. This worm is mounted on a horizontal
shaft, T, extending at right angles to the cam shaft. The worm shaft is journaled
in bearings in the frame of the machine and is provided at one end with pulleys, t,
of different sizes, one of which is to be connected to a counter shaft overhead (not
shown.)
By the means above described, the feeding mechanism is operated independently
of, the swaging mechanism. Any suitable and well known clutch device may be
inserted in this worm shaft if desired. The operation of the machine is as
follows:
The wire, W, to be swaged or formed and cut into spokes is fed from a reel into
the end of the small tube, C, connected to the wedges, 61, 611, until it reaches
through and beyond the dies sufficiently to allow the grippers, d, d¹, to take hold
of it, the grippers then being in the position close to the dies as shown in Figure 1:
The end of the wire held by the grippers forms the shoulder or expanded end of the
first spoke. While the swaging head, B¹, carrying the dies, b, b, is revolved and the
dies rapidly strike the wire on all sides to reduce the size thereof, owing to the
followers coming in contact with the tappets held in the shell, the wire or spoke
is drawn out slowly from the dies to the position shown in Figure 2, this operation
being effected by the rotation of the cam, K, in the direction of the arrow engaging
the system of levers connected to the carriage and stationary parts. Sometime
before the carriage reaches its extreme distance from the dies, the cam, N, reaches
a point where the shoe, p, riding on its periphery drops in toward the shaft,
thereby withdrawing the wedges on opposite sides of the dies, b, b, sufficiently to
prevent the dies from striking the spoke. The wire being drawn out while not
operated on by the dies for a distance, is provided with the expanded portion at
the ends of two spokes as shown clearly in Figure 14 of the drawings. When,
however, the wire has been drawn out to its fullest extent, and just before the
carriage is returned to its original position, the cam, J, on the cam shaft lowers
the grooved bar, F, connected with the gripping and cutting devices, releasing the
gripper, d, which is raised by the spring, e, and also at the same time releasing the
cutting bolt, h, which is raised by its coil spring, h, below it. Then the cam, K,
allows the carriage to return to the dies or to its original position. It should 'be
mentioned here, however, that while the carriage is returning, the wedges are
pressed in and the dies are operating on another spoke; this prevents any recoil
of the wire that might possibly occur while the grippers are open. The carriage
travels quickly in this direction. After reaching the dies, the grippers d and d¹
are again closed and the cutting bolt depressed, cutting off the end of the first
spoke if too long. Then the carriage proceeds to move away from the dies
gradually as before and the process is repeated. Whenever the carriage returns
after the first time, it will be apparent that the cutter takes effect in the middle of
the expanded portion between two swaged portions, or, in other words, the cutter
separates the spokes.
I do not desire to be limited to the precise construction shown and described
herein for it will be obvious that it may be changed without departing from my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a swaging apparatus, the combination with a rotary swaging machine of
the class herein specified, of a horizontal shaft, a guideway extending from the
swaging head parallel with the axis of the driving shaft, a carriage in the guideway
to travel along the same, a cam on the horizontal shaft to move the carriage,
grinners on the carriage to grip the work, a spring to raise one of the grippers,
means to depress the gripper, a cutter mounted on the said carriage, and a con-
nection between the second cam on the cam shaft, and the grooved bar, F, to
depress the gripper and cutter to operate both simultaneously, as set forth.

page_text: 2. In a swaging apparatus, the combination with a rotary swaging machine of
the class herein specified, of a horizontal shaft, a guideway extending from the
swaging head parallel with the axis of the driving shaft, a carriage in the guide-
way to travel along the same, a cam on the horizontal shaft to move the carriage,
grippers on the carriage, a spring to raise one of the grippers, a cam to depress the
same, an arm on the cam shaft provided with a roller, a horizontal bar containing
a groove for the roller to travel in, a lever to operate the cutter also mounted on
the carriage, a roller carried on one end to travel in the said groove, and an upright
plate secured to the grooved bar and engaging the second cam on the cam shaft,
as set forth.
3. In a swaging apparatus, a rotary swaging head carrying a pair of dies, a
guideway secured to and extending from the said head, a carriage travelling in
the guideway, a guide for the work on the carriage, a socket at one end thereof, a
vertical bolt in the socket provided with a passage for the work, a spring in the
socket below the bolt, a lever pivoted intermediate its length to the carriage, a set
screw passing through one end and engaging the vertical bolt, a roller on the
opposite end of the lever, a grooved horizontal bar to form a guide for the roller to
travel in, and suitable means to raise the grooved bar, as set forth.
4. In a swaging apparatus, a rotary swaging head having a groove therein con-
taining a pair of dies, a pair of followers and a pair of wedges, a tube extending
longitudinally through the driving shaft and secured at one end to the wedges, a
lever fulcrumed on the base of the machine and connected to one end of the said
tube by a universal joint, a lever extending from the same fulcrum horizontally,
an adjustable rod extending diagonally between the two levers to change the angle
between them, a shaft carrying a worm gear and a cam, a shoe on the end of the
lever engaging the cam, and a spring to raise the lever, as set forth.
1101 date of Tul 1897
Dated this 21st day of July 1897
ARTHUR JACOB MORSE.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.