IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL CYLINDERS to be as follows
Year: 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent agents
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL CYLINDERS
to be as follows:-
"
The invention relates to the manufacture of seamless cylinders of steel, either
open throughout, as tubes, or closed at one end to constitute vessels or receptacles,
or parts thereof.
In the manufacture of drawn steel cylinders and tubes from discs of steel as
heretofore practised the entire process has been performed while the metal has been
in a cold state. This process is expensive owing to the enormous power required
for working the metal in the earlier of the numerous successive drawing operations
required when the thickness of the metal is great and the calibre of the cylindrical
cup-formed body under operation is large.
The object of this invention is to reduce the cost of the manufacture of seamless
steel tubes, especially those of large size; and of the manufacture of seamless steel
cylindrical vessels; and to this end the said invention consists in performing the
manufacture partly while the steel is hot and partly while the steel is cold, that is
to say performing the earlier stages of the manufacture, by which the disc is
brought to the cylindrical form, while the steel is hot, and performing the latter
stages by which the steel is compressed, condensed, consolidated and tempered,
while it is in a cold state. The successive stages through which the steel passes in
its conversion from the disc form to the cylindrical may be to a considerable extent
varied without departing from the nature of my invention.
According to the said invention the flat steel disc is heated, and, while bot, has
its margin turned up all round by any well known or suitable means, as by an
ordinary flanging machine. During the same beat, or after re-heating, the flanged
disc is placed in a mortar-like die, to be therein subjected to the operation of a
mandrel or plunger, by the direct movement of which, towards the bottom of said
die, the plate is brought to say a hemispheroidal cup-like form. The cup-like piece.

page_text: is again heated and then placed in a die of say conical form, to be therein subjected
to the operation of the conical plunger which conforms to said die and by the direct
longitudinal movement of which the cup-like piece is brought to a conical cup-form.
The conical cup-like piece is again heated and while hot is forced through a die, by
a longitudinally moving mandrel or plunger.
In all of the above operations the action to which the steel is subjected while
hot is mainly that of folding, and this action may be repeated as many times as may
be desirable between mandrels and dies of any suitable form or construction.
After the seamless piece has been brought to a cylindrical form and to near the
calibre and thickness required, it may be cleaned by suitable means to remove the
scale, and then subjected as many times as desirable in a cold state to a drawing
action between a die and a triblet or mandrel in the manner commonly practised in
cold-drawing metal tubes and cylindrical articles, for the purpose of compressing,
condensing, consolidating, and tempering the steel and giving a smooth surface to
its interior and exterior.
If tubes are to be formed, the closed end left in the cylinder in forming it from
the disc, may be cut off at the termination of the hot-folding operations and before
the cold drawing operations, or after the first cold-drawing.
The operation of cold drawing will be facilitated by tinning either the exterior
or interior surface of the cylinder or both of said surfaces. The tin will serve as à
lubricant and will also aid in giving a fine finish.
This process of forming seamless steel cylinders possesses the following advantage,
viz. that the metal is subjected to the folding operations necessary to change its
form from the disc to the cylinder while in a hot condition, in which it can be best
folded but not well drawn; and is subjected to the drawing operation to condense,
solidify, temper and smooth it in the cold condition, in which it can be best drawn,
and in which condition only, in fact, it can be drawn, but in which it cannot be so
well folded.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Metal Cylinders.
°
"
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and C° Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL CYLINDERS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-.
This invention relates to the manufacture of seamless metal cylinders either open
throughout, as tubes, or closed at one end to constitute vessels or receptacles, or
parts thereof. The said invention is chiefly designed for the manufacture of stee!
cylinders.
:
In the manufacture of drawn steel cylinders and tubes from discs of steel as
heretofore practised, the entire process has been performed with the metal in a cold
state. This process is expensive owing to the enormous power required for working
the metal in the earlier of the numerous successive drawing operations required
when the thickness of the metal is great and the calibre of the cylindrical cup-
formed body being operated upon is large.
The object of this invention is to reduce the cost of the manufacture of seamless
metal tubes, especially of steel tubes of large size, and of the manufacture of
seamless steel cylindrical vessels; and to this end the said invention consists in
performing the various operations partly while the steel is hot and partly while
the steel is cold, that is to say performing the earlier stages of the manufacture,
by which the disc is brought to the cylindrical form, while the steel is hot, and
performing the latter stages by which the steel is compressed, condensed,
consolidated and tempered, while it is in a cold state.
The successive stages through which the steel passes in its conversion from the
disc form to the cylindrical, may be varied to a considerable extent without
departing from the nature of my invention.
In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a series of operations by which
the conversion may be successively effected.
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a disc from which a cylinder is formed.
Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views illustrating different forms which, the
disc assumes during its formation in a hot state into a cylinder.
Figures 6, 7, 8 are axial sectional views illustrating the means employed to
effect the successive changes of form.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
The flat steel disc Figure 1, is heated, and, while hot, has its margin a, a turned
up all around, as shown in Figure 2, by any suitable means, as for instance by an
ordinary flanging machine. During the same heat, or after re-heating, the flanged
disc is placed in a mortar-like die B, see Figure 6, to be therein subjected to the
operation of a mandrel or plunger C, by the direct movement of which, towards
the bottom of said die, the plate is brought to say a hemispheroidal cup-shaped
form as shown in Figure 3. This cup-like piece is again heated and then placed in
a die D of, say, conical form as shown in Figure 7, to be therein operated upon by
the conical plunger E which conforms to said die, and by the direct longitudinal

page_text: movement of which the said cup-shaped piece is brought to the conical cup-form
shown in Figure 4. When in this form the piece is again heated, and while hot is
forced through a die F, by a longitudinally moving mandrel or plunger G, such as is
shown in Figure 8.
In all of the above operations the action to which the steel is subjected while hot
is mainly that of folding, and this action may be repeated as many times as may
be desirable between mandrels and dies of any suitable form or construction.
After the seamless piece has been brought to a cylindrical form and as nearly as
desirable to the calibre and thickness required, it may be cleaned by suitable means
to remove the scale, and then subjected as many times as desirable, in a cold state,
to a drawing action between a die and a triblet or mandrel in the manner
commonly practised in cold-drawing metal tubes and cylindrical articles for the
purpose of compressing, condensing, consolidating, and tempering the steel and
giving a smooth surface to its interior and exterior.
I have not represented the dies or mandrels and triblets for the cold drawing, as
they are such as are commonly used in the manufacture of drawn cylinders and
tubes.
If a tube is to be formed, the closed end left in the cylinder in forming it from
the disc, may be cut off at the termination of the hot-folding operations and before
the cold drawing operations, or after the first cold-drawing.
The operation of cold drawing is facilitated by tinning either the exterior or
interior surface of the cylinder or both of said surfaces. The tin serves as a
lubricant and also aids in giving a fine finish.
This process of forming seamless steel cylinders possesses the following advantage
viz that the metal is subjected to the folding operations necessary to change its
form from the disc to the cylinder while hot, in which state it can be best folded
but not well drawn; and is subjected to the drawing operation to condense,
solidify, temper and smooth it while cold, in which state it can be best drawn, and
in which condition only, in fact, it can be drawn, but in which it cannot be so well
folded.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign Correspondent I declare that what I claim is
The process of manufacturing drawn seamless cylinders of steel or other metal
from discs, by subjecting the metal in a hot state during the earlier stages of the
process to the folding operations necessary to change the shape from the flat to the
cylindrical, and afterwards subjecting it in a cold state to the drawing operations
by which the cylinders are condensed, consolidated, tempered, and finished,
substantially as herein described.
Dis 17th day of Sentember 1885