"> BENDING SHEET METAL a communication APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING AND
Year: 1884

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVED
">
BENDING SHEET METAL a communication
APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING AND
from Ludwig Potthoff of Berlin German Empire, Engineer to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is a machine for manufacturing corrugated sheet
metal in straight or bent plates.
The machine may be constructed as follows or modified as to the number and
form of setts of rolls and so forth.
There is a suitable frame work in which are mounted one above the other three
shaping rolls having suitable grooves for forming the corrugations in the metal
plate. The top and bottom rolls are adjustable within certain limits the central
roll being fixed in its position the latter is driven directly by means of a belt pulley
whilst the other two receive motion from it by toothed gearing in such a manner
that tho top and bottom roll move in opposite direction.
At either side of the shaping rolls guiding rolls are placed the number of the
latter corresponding with that of the former.
The guiding rolls are driven in the manner as the shaping rolls, vizt the middlo
one of each set directly the top and bottom ones off the middle roller.
The top and bottom rollers of each of these sets are also adjustable.
At each side of the machine is placed a vertically adjustable iron table on which
thero are small rollers which not only serve to introduce the sheets into the machino
but also give them a certain amount of bending so as to allow of them more readily
passing in.
The shaping rolls are of peculiar formation; the part nearest the bearings has
the ribs or raised portions cut away so that the space between the rolls is in those
portions somewhat enlarged; towards the contre however the raised and depressed
portions of the rolls match in the usual way.
The guiding rolls are also of special construction. At the end they may have
high parts which grasp the sheet the high part of the centre roll being wider than
the corresponding part of the top and bottom rolls, so that the end or flange on the
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page_text: latter may run in a groove on the raised foot or flange of the centre roll. The
remaining part of the central and bottom guiding rolls may be slightly grooved, the
top roll forming a plain spindle.
In operation the sheet of metal passes over the table on one side of the machine
enters between the bottom guide roll and centre guideroll on that side and is drawn
through between the bottom shaping roll and centre shaping roll and carried out
between the guide rolls on the other side; it is then placed on the second table
passes in between the top and centre guide rolls on that side, is drawn through
between the top shaping roll and centre shaping roll, and issues between the top
guide roll and centre guide roll on that side on which it was introduced in the first
instance.
This may be repeated if necessary-If the sheets are not only to be corrugated
but bent also, the guide rolls are placed out of line with the shaping rolls.
Dated this 8th day of September 1884.
.

page_text: N N¹are two iron tables capable of vertical adjustment, their upper surface is
fitted with small rollers m (Figures 3. 3). These tables N N' serve to support the
metal sheets whilst being fed in and rolled and give such a curvature to the
straight part of the sheet (the part which has not passed through the cylinder yet)
that the same will easily pass in between the cylinders for the purpose of producing
the next half corrugation.
The guide rollers L L L and M M' M² are driven in a similar manner to that
used for the main cylinders, viz, by means of pulleys P. Q.
These pulleys P and Q respectively are mounted on the shaft of the central
guide roller L and M¹ respectively and their motion is transmitted by means of
toothed gearing O to the guide rollers L L' and M M² respectively.
As will appear from Figure 6 the central guide rollers L M have twice the
width of the rollers L L² M M³ moreover their shafts are provided with narrow
grooves or flutings p corresponding to the distance of the shafts from one another.
The pressure rollers or cylinders E F. G. are grooved or chamelled in the
following special manner :-
The rib I of the central shaping or pressure cylinder F. (seo Figure 5) is slightly
bevelled off at X X and consequently has not the regular outline; for greater
clearness' sake the latter is indicated in dotted lines. The rib II is slightly
narrower than the normal or regular outline (shown in dotted lines) whilst the
rib III and the following ribs and channels are of the regular required section.
The shaping cylinders E. G. have likewise at the forward end a rib Ia Ib which
narrower than the normal or regular shape whilst the ribs II II show the regular
outline as well as the other ribs and channels (Figure 5). The effect of the machine
is as follows:-
The smooth sheet is first bent at one side as appears in either Figure 7 or in
Figure 8. This may be done on an ordinary bending machine or in any convenient
manner.
It is next inserted between the guide rollers L' L' in the direction of the
arrow R (Figure 3) and by these is carried between the shaping cylinders F G
between which it is bent into the shape shown in Figure 9. After passing tho
guide rollers M₁ M³ the sheet is slightly raised and is led between the guide
rollers M M in the direction of the arrow R¹ figure 3, and is carried between the
shaping cylinders E F. and the sheet there receives the shape shown in Figure 10.
After the sheet has passed between the guide rollers L L' it is again inserted in
the direction of arrow R figure 3 as already described and receives the shape shown
in figure 11, then it again follows the direction of the arrow R¹ so that the shape
shown in figure 12 is produced and so on until the sheet receives the regular shape
as indicated in figure 13.
A feature of the utmost importance is the bevelling of the rib I of roller or
cylinder F (Figure 5) as well as the less then normal width of the rib II thereon
and also of the ribs Ia and Ib respectively on the rollers E and G as it is only by
this provision that splitting of the sheets is avoided inasmuch as the pressure of
the rollers, or of their ribs acts only in the bend whilst not pressing upon the
longer side thereof or the so-called "bridge" or "web" and thus it will not cause
splitting or cracking thereof.
If it be desired to bend the corrugated sheet thus produced it is only requisite to
set the guide rolls L L L and M M M higher or lower as may be necessary so
that the centres of their shafts no longer aro in the same horizontal plane as those
of the shafting cylinders and the sheet is passed repeatedly through the mill until
it has been curved to the required degree by successive adjustments of the
guide rolls.
The "finishing" or equalizing of the sheets is effected during the rolling and
simultaneously therewith inasmuch as only half a corrugation is bent at each
operation, and as each corrugation repeatedly passes under the ribs (following the
third) which have exactly the required outline.
M

page_text: Instead of three sets of rollers, two sets only may be placed one above the other
and this would make a smaller and less expensive machine requiring but slight
modifications.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what 1 claim is
1. A machine for corrugating and equalizing or finishing sheet meet and for
bending the corrugated sheet, the said operations being effected by the simultaneous
use of
a) of three pressure rollers or shaping cylinders E F G which are grooved or
ribbed and the grooves whereof are, at the part where the sheet is inserted wider
than the requisite corrugations, so as to prevent splitting, cracking or tearing of
the sheet.
b) of three guide rollers L L L² and M M¹ M² respectively placed at each side
of the shaping cylinders E F G which guido rollers are capable of vertical adjust-
ment and serve, not only to guide the sheet of metal whilst it is being corrugated
but also for the purpose of bending the corrugated sheet, the guide rollers being
for this purpose suitably raised or lowered so that their axes do not lie in the same
horizontal plane as those of the shaping cylinders.
c) of the tables N N¹ having on the upper surface rollers m one table being placed
in front of the rollers L L L and one in front of the rollers M M M and each
being capable of adjustment in a vertical direction and serving to support the sheet
of metal when being led between the guide rollers and at the same time so to bend
the straight part of the sheet that it will readily pass in at the next operation.
2. The shaping cylinders specially formed in such a manner that the rib I of the
central cylinder F is bevelled off at x. x. the rib II being narrower than the normal
or regular section whilst the rib III is regularly shaped; the rib I of roller E and
rib Ib of roller being likewise narrower than the normal or regular section so that
when operating pressure is caused only at the bend whilst the "bridge" or "web"
Buffers no pressure so that tearing or cracking of the sheet is prevented as it is
only the the third rib, and those following it which have the normal shape, the
corrugations being equalized by these latter ribs and grooves.
3. The use of only two shaping cylinders and consequently of two pairs of guide
rolls only and of a single table N so as to produce a cheaper and simpler machine.
Dated this 8th day of June 1885.
ALFRED J. BOULT.