IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHTENING, SMOOTHENING, AND FINISHING ROUND METAL TUBES AND BARS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Pritchard, of Smethwick, in the County
of Stafford, Tube Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHTENING, SMOOTHENING, AND FINISHING ROUND METAL
TUBES AND BARS."
Sealed the 8th July 1873, and dated the 10th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Pritchard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th January 1873.
.
I, GEORGE PRITCHARD, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Tubo
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Improve-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHTENING, SMOOTHENING, AND FINISHING ROUND
METAL TUBES AND BARS," to be as follows:-
According to this Invention the tube or round solid bar is passed
between a series of rollers in the following manner :-
The tube or bar to be straightened, smoothened, and finished according
to these improvements is passed between a group of three friction rollers

page_text: with its length in the same direction as or parallel with the axes of the
rollers.
Only one group of rollers or a series of two or more groups of rollers
may be employed.
One or more of the rollers must be driven so as to revolve on its axis 5
for the purpose of making the tube or bar revolve, or instead of the tube
or bar revolving the whole group of rollers may be arranged so as to
revolve around the tube or bar.
? The machine is arranged in such manner that the rollers can be moved
nearer to or farther from one another, so as to take different sized tubes 1
or bars, and when in operation they are caused to press sufficiently upon
the tube or bar to produce the desired result.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said George Pritchard in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th July 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PRITCHARD, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Tube Maker, sond
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Pritchard, Her special license
that I, the said George Pritchard, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Pritchard, my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 STRAIGHTENING, SMOOTHENING, AND FINISHING ROUND METAL
TUBES AND BARS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Pritchard, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under I, or their, George Pri-
, should particularly

page_text: 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 George Pritchard, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
According to this Invention the tube or round solid bar is passed
between a series of rollers in the following manner :—
The tube or bar to be straightened, smoothened, and finished according
to these improvements is passed between a group of three friction
rollers with its length in the same direction as or parallel with the axes
of the rollers.
Only one group of rollers or a series of two or more groups of rollers
may be employed.
One or more of the rollers must be driven so as to revolve on its axis,
for the purpose of making the tube or bar revolve, or instead of the tube
or bar revolving the whole group of rollers may be arranged so as to
revolve around the tube or bar.
The machine is arranged in such manner that the rollers can be moved
nearer to or farther from one another so as to take different sized tubes
or bars, and when in operation they are caused to press sufficiently upon
the tube or bar to produce the desired result.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed, which show several views of a machine suitably arranged and
constructed for straightening, smoothening, and finishing metal tubes or
bars in accordance with my Invention.
Figure 1 is a plan and Figure 2 a side elevation of the machine,.
Figure 3 being a section taken on the line 1, 1, to show the arrangement
of apparatus for adjusting the position of the rollers a, b, c, to set them
closer to or wider apart from one another for the purpose of operating
upon tubes or bars of different diameters.
.

page_text: The rollers a, b, c, are formed with collars, enlargements, or operating
revolving surfaces a¹, b', c¹, which are placed or arranged at suitable
distances apart on the rollers, or such operating surfaces may extend
from end to end of the rollers, according to the effect they are required to
produce upon the surface of the tube or bar.
The rollers a, b, c, are caused to revolve in the following manner :—
(1) is a driving pulley fixed on the shaft or axis (2), actuated by a steam
engine or other motive power. The toothed wheel (3) drives the inter-
mediate toothed wheel (4), fixed on the shaft or axis (5), which thus
gives motion to the toothed wheel (6), running freely upon the hollow
axis (7). To the wheel (6) the ring (8) is bolted, having inverted teeth
on its inner circumference, which take into and drive the toothed
pinions a², b, c, fixed on the axes of the rollers a, b, c, as shown by the
separate views, Figures 4 and 5, Sheet 4, of the Drawings.
The position of the rollers a, b, c, is adjusted for operating upon dif-
ferent sized tubes or bars, as may be required, in the following manner :——
d is a hand wheel, upon the axis of which a worm d¹ is fixed, which
takes into and drives the toothed quadrant e, fixed on the axis e¹, a
pinion e on which takes into and drives the toothed ring ƒ, on the inner
circumference of which inverted teeth f¹ are formed, which take into the
eccentric toothed pinions a³, b³, c³, which turn freely on the axis of the
rollers a, b, c.
The toothed rings fare connected by tie rods f¹ to corresponding
toothed rings fat the opposite ends of the rollers, to actuate correspond-
ing toothed excentric pinions a³, b³, c³, mounted on the axes of the rollers,
by which means the axes of the rollers can be moved nearer to or further
from the centre, to operate upon different sized tubes or bars.
The toothed rings fare formed with a circular projecting rib or flange,
by which they are supported in position so as to revolve in. circular
grooves formed in the blocks or bearings which carry the axes of the
rollers a, b, c.
The tube or bar to be operated upon is conducted longitudinally into
the machine at the central point A, between the rollers, being forced or
drawn through between them, and delivered through the hollow axis
at B.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing and carrying the same into practice, I would have it under-

page_text: stood that I do not confine myself to the exact arrangement and
construction of machinery herein described and shewn in the accom-
panying Drawings, so long as the true character of my Invention is
retained; but what I claim is, the improved arrangement and con-
struction of machinery for straightening, smoothening, and finishing
round metal tubes and bars, substantially as herein described and shewn
in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Pritchard, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
GEORGE PRITCHARD. (L.S.)