Improvements in or connected with Presses for Forging or Stamping Horse-shoes and other Articles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 2nd June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Presses for Forging or Stamping
Horse-shoes and other Articles.
I.
I, ALFRED WILLIAM KNIGHT, of Cuckfield, in the County of Sussex,
Ironmonger and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be us
follows
--
My invention relates to forging presses chiefly designed for the manufacture of
horse-shoes but also applicable for the manufacture of other articles.
A press constructed according to my invention has the upper die arranged to be
operated in any ordinary manner, or the upper die may form part of a drop hammer
or steam haminer. The lower die is carried upon a plate or block adapted to be
moved, and drawn from, beneath the upper die in such a manner that the blank to
be forged may be introduced into and removed from the die more readily than when
the lower die is fixed beneath the upper die.
In order to further facilitate the introduction of the blanks into the die, the
latter is provided with movable sides which are more or less closed together during
the forging operation and then opened to allow the withdrawal of the forged article
and the introduction of the next blank.
In practice I prefer that the movable sides of the die should be operated by
wedges and preferably fixed wedges so arranged that as the plate or block is being
moved beneath the upper die the sides of the lower die will impinge against the
said wedges whereby they will be forced to close.
In order that when the lower die with the blank therein is placed beneath the
upper die the pressure of the latter shall not act until desired I arrange that the
plate or block carrying the said lower die should be movable towards and away
from the upper die. I find it advantageous to make use of a wedge or wedges so
arranged that when the said plate or block carrying the lower die is in position
the movement of the wedge or wedges will cause the lifting of the said plate or
block to the required height.
A
O 1 .
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Presses for Forging or Stamping
Horse-shoes and other Articles.
I, ALFRED WILLIAM KNIGHT, of Cuckfield, in the County of Sussex,
Ironmonger and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to forging presses chiefly designed for the manufacture of
horse-shoes but also applicable for the manufacture of other articles.
A press constructed according to my invention has the upper die arranged to be
operated in any ordinary manner, or the said upper die may form part of a drop-
hammer or steam-hammer. The lower die is carried upon a plate or blo:k adapted
to be moved, and drawn from, beneath the upper
die.

page_text: In order to further facilitate the introduction of the blanks into the lower die,
the latter is provided with movable sides which are more or less closed together
during the forging operation and then opened to allow the withdrawal of the forged
article and the introduction of the next blank.
In practice I prefer that the movable sides of the die should be operated by
wedges so arranged that as the plate or block is being moved beneath the upper die
the sides of the lower die will be forced to close.
In order that when the lower die with the blank therein is placed beneath the
upper die the pressure of the latter shall not act until desired, I arrange that the
plate or block carrying the said lower die shall be movable towards and away from
the upper die. I find it advantageous to make use of a wedge or wedges so
arranged that when the said plate or block carrying the lower die is in position the
movement of the wedge or wedges will cause the lifting of the said plate or block
to the required height.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of the lower die and connected parts of a forging press for
horse-shoes constructed according to my invention; and,
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively sections on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 Figure 1:
Figure 4 is a plan of the lower die with its movable sides removed; and,
Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Figure 4:
Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a plan, and an edge view of the said movable
sides of the lower die detached.
a, a', a' are the parts forming the lower die of the press which is adapted to hold
a horse-shoe blank.
bis the plate or block carrying the lower die, the said plate sliding in guides c, c
in a plate d so that it can be supplied with a blank and moved into position beueath
the upper die to enable the blank to be forged and be withdrawn to enable the
stamped shoe to be removed and a fresh blank introduced."
The sides a', a¹ of the lower die are made separate from the centre portion a as
shewn clearly in Figures 4 and 6, the said sides being adapted to be moved towards
the said centre part whereby the blank contained between them is held in shape
and away from it in order that the punched blank can be removed from the die and
another blank introduced therein. The centre portion a of the lower die is
advantageously formed in two parts a², a³ as shewn, screws a*, a being employed to
hold them together. The part a is of the shape required for the inner edge of the
borse-shoe blank while the part a³ serves to support the said blank and is of a shape
corresponding with the inner edge of the sides a', a' which fit against it when
pressing a blank. The plate a³ is prevented at one end from rising off the plate b
by means of a plate 62 fixed to the extension b', the other end being also prevented
from rising by a projection a formed on the said plate a³ engaging with notches a², a
in the sides a¹, a¹.
a, a are screws passing through an upward extension on the plate b and
serving to adjust the position of the part a of the die and prevent any movement of
it under the forging action; a certain amount of slack in the holes for the
screws a, a allowing of the said adjustment.
e, e are the wedges which I preferably employ for operating the sides a¹, a', one
side of each wedge bearing against a wall or abutment f on the plate b while the
other side of each wedge bears against one edge of one of the sides a', the said edge
being inclined. The wedges e, e serve to move the sides a', a' of the die in one
direction only, the movement of the said sides in the opposite direction being
effected by springs 9, 9 when the wedges are withdrawn. "g', g₁ are guide-rollers
against which the rear edges of the sides a', a' bear.
h, h, are plates attached to the walls f, f to keep the sides a', a¹ and the
wedges e, e in position, the said plates being removable to enable the said sides and
wedges to be removed and other sides of different size inserted instead.
The wedges e, e are advantageously united and moved backwards and forwards by

page_text: a toothed rack i and pinion; operated by a shaft k and hand-wheel 1, the said means
also serving to move the plate or block 6 carrying the lower die into and out of
position beneath the upper die; pins m, m being provided on the wedges which
when the latter are withdrawn to allow the lower die to open, strike against the
plate hand move the plate b, the movement of the latter in the contrary direction
being effected after the movement of the wedges has first closed up the lower die
as will be obvious. Instead of the rack and pinion may in some cases employ a
worm and worm-wheel.
The plate d carrying the lower die is provided with suitable means such as
a wedge, a screw, eccentrics or a lever (not shewn) for lifting it towards the upper
die when it is desired that the latter shall act upon the blank contained in the
lower die and for lowering it after such action. In order that this rising and falling
movement shall be effected without causing a corresponding movement of the rack i
the latter is provided with a pin n engaging a hole in the wedges on which pin they
can rise and fall without being disconnected.
As in using a lower die of the kind hereinbefore described the employment of
punches in the lower die for punching out the nail holes or other recesses would
interfere with the proper working of such lower die, I dispense with punches in the
lower die and apply them to the upper die, the bottom of the lower die being shaped
to form the hoof surface of the shoes.
This arrangement of punches in the upper die is also advantageously used in
conjunction with solid lower dies, that is to say, dies which are not adapted to open
as hereinbefore described.
The operation is as follows:-Assume the lower die to be empty and the parts to
be in the position shewn in Figure 1 with the said lower die beneath the upper one
but in its lowered position. The hand wheel I must now be turned in the proper
direction to draw the wedges e, e in the direction of the arrow, thus allowing the
sides a', a' of the lower die to open under the action of the springs g, g into the
position shewn by the dotted lines. The continued movement of the wedges e, e
then causes the withdrawal of the lower die from beneath the upper die by reason
A horse-shoe blank o at the proper
of the pins m, m bearing against the plate h¹.
heat is now introduced into the lower die and the band-wheel being operated in
the contrary direction the wedges are pushed forward partly closing the sides a', a
upon the blank, the resistance of the latter causing the movement of the hand-wheel
to be imparted to the plate 6 whereby it is caused to move with the lower die into
position beneath the upper die, a suitable stop (not shewn) being provided against
which the plate 6 strikes to determine such position. The continued movement of
the hand wheel will then close up the sides a', a' upon the blank and give them the
required shape and by operating the plate d so as to lift the lower die towards the
upper die the latter can be operated to give the required shape to the upper surface
of the blank. The plate d is then lowered and a series of operations similar to
those just described are effected, the punched shoe being removed from the lower
die and a fresh blank inserted and operated upon.
b
By making the sides a', a¹ of the lower die change places upside down and by
turning the centre portion a also upside down I am enabled to make horse-shoes of
the opposite hand to those just described, the one set of dies thus serving for the
manufacture of horse shoes in pairs.
Although I have described the use of movable wedges for operating the sides a³, a¹
of the lower die it will be obvious that fixed wedges can be employed, the movement
of the plate carrying the lower die causing the said sides to impinge against the said
wedges whereby they will be forced to close.
Instead of operating the sides a', a' of the lower die by wedges as described I
may employ wedges on the upper die adapted to impinge against inclined surfaces
on the said sides, or a single hand or right and left hand screw connected with the
said sides and in some cases the sides can be hinged together. Or a lever or spring
may be employed for operating the sides a', a'.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a forging or stamping press a die for containing the article to be forged
formed in parts in combination with means for moving together and separating such
parts, substantially as described.
2. In a forging or stamping press a die for containing the article to be forged made
in parts in such a manner that they are adapted to be arranged in position for
forging articles of opposite hand, substantially as described.
3. In a forging or stamping press of the kind herein described, the combination
with the die having the movable sides, of wedges and springs operating substantially
in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
4. In a forging or stamping press arranging the die for containing the article to
be forged in guides whereby it can be moved into and out of position beneath the
moving or pressing die substantially as described.
5. In a forging or stamping press the combination of a lower die having a plain
bottom for forming the hoof-surface of the shoe and an upper die having punches
thereon adapted to form holes or recesses in the metal blank in the lower die,
substantially as described.
6. The manufacture and use of the improved apparatus for the manufacture of
horse-shoes herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of April 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.