Improvements in Welding Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Welding Machines.
I, THOMAS FITCH ROWLAND, of 329 Madison Avenue, in the City of New
York, in the County of New York and State of New York, United States of
America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained, in and by the following statement :-
The present invention relates generally to machines for welding, especially for
welding plates together in the form of tubes or cylindrical or other vessels of
various sizes and shapes, the particular machinery herein shown and described
being especially adapted to the welding together of heavy plates of metal and in
the form of large cylindrical structures. In this mechanism, the welding devices
consist of a pair of oppositely arranged and conjointly-acting welding-rolls mounted
one on each of the free ends of a pair of rigidly connected parallel bars or arms,
which bars or arms are supported at their other ends from a suitable base, and in
the present instance, these arms are arranged vertically. Upon these arms is
mounted a vertical movable carriage which. supports and holds the blank to be
welded and is the means for reciprocating the same between the welding rolls. In
suitable position, either borne upon such arms or otherwise arranged in proximity
to the welding rolls is a pair of heating furnaces. The arrangement of the parts
is such that a blank, for instance a cylindrical blank having its edges overlapping
to form a longitudinal seam, may be presented to the furnaces so that both sides
of the seam parts can be simultaneously heated, and, after being properly heated,
the blank can be withdrawn from between the furnaces and forced between the
welding rolls. One form of such machine is illustrated in British Patent
No. 15,428 of November 2, 1889 granted to T. F. Rowland.
The present improvements relate particularly to improved means for adjusting
the welding rolls relatively, that is to say, it is desirable that the rolls have a
maximum welding pressure and that they be held to uniform contact on the seam
when in action, whereby to effect the desired welding compression of the seam
parts and at the same time be prevented from effecting an excessive reduction of
the thickness of the parts at the seam. These welding rolls are usually manipulated
by means of hydraulic mechanism, and in the said Patent is shown a hydraulic
cylinder and piston mechanism designed to move one roll to and from the other,
but the motion of the movable roll is limited by the throw of the hydraulic piston
in its cylinder, and no means is shown whereby to adjust such throw. Also, it
will be seen that to completely withdraw the movable roll from its companion, it is
necessary to practically empty the cylinder, which means, to a certain extent, a
waste of the power fluid.
In the present mechanism, one feature of invention consists of an adjustable
mechanism adapted to limit the throw of the movable welding-roll piston in such
manner that the piston will not at any time have an excessive stroke and in such
manner that the stroke of the piston may be readily adjusted to suit the conditions
of various thicknesses of metal to be welded.
In this kind of mechanism, also, particularly as shown in the said Patent, it has
been common to employ a suitable hydraulic mechanism for the purpose of working
the blank-carrying table. As is well understood, the power necessary to work this
table will vary in accordance with the size and thickness of the blank, and
therefore an hydraulic mechanism suitable for operating this table with a very

page_text: heavy blank thereon is unnecessarily large, and its operation more
or less
correspondingly wastes the pressure fluid power, when the table is used for
vertically operating a blank of smaller size and lighter weight.
Another feature of the invention relates to the use in such a welding mechanism
of a plurality of elevating rams, the arrangement and combination of these rams
being such that when the power of one is not sufficient to properly manipulate the
blank, one or more rams may be brought into operation to act conjointly upon the
blank.
Referring to the drawings accompanying this Specification,
Fig. is an elevation view of one form of mechanism embodying my
improvements, the hydraulic elevating rams being partially broken away.
Fig. 2 shows a side elevation, looking from the left of Fig. 1, of the ram mechanism
of such a welding machine, and showing particularly the blank elevating carriage
and table, the welding arms and rolls as seen in Fig. 1 being omitted.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of portions of the elevating carriage and the
rain mechanism, the three mms illustrated being shown in operable connection with
the carriage as when the latter is about to be started.
Fig. 4 is a similar view except that the table is shown slightly raised by the
middle or main ram, while the supplemental or side rams are shown as not in
operation.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the welding rolls and their supporting parts,
together with the mechanism for operating the movable roll.
Fig. 6 is a detailed side view of the same parts, the operating piston and its
cylinder of the movable rull being shown in lengthwise central section.
Fig. 7 is a modification of the land wheel mechanisin for operating the adjusting
parts of the movable roll.
Referring to these views in detail the numeral 1 represents the masonry and
ground work surrounding and supporting the machine. 2 is the main foundation
or base of the machine to which is attached the two arms or bars 3 and 4, thesu
being separated above the general level by a space suitable to the manipulation of
the blank. 5 represents such a blank, which is shown to be a cylindrical tube,
which may be formed by bending a sheet of metal into cylindrical form with its
edges overlapping. This blank is secured to and supported upon a table 6, carried
on the carriage 7, which is mounted upon the upright arm 3 so as to have vortical
motion along the same while yet held rigidly in relation thereto whatever may be
the position of this along the length of the arm. The table has angular motion
on the carriage to rotate the tube or blank relatively to the arm 3, the hand
wheel & being employed for this purpose; and it also has motion to and from the
arm in a horizontal plane. The specific construction and the means of operating
this table are more particularly described in said British Patent 15,428 of 1889.
Properly supported on the base of the machine or otherwise in fixed relation
thereto is the main hydraulic cylinder 9, the differential piston 10 of which is
secured to the carriage by the socket 11. Upon each side of this hydraulic ram
is located the supplemental hydraulic rain cylinders 12, the floating pistons 13 of
which are in axial line with the sockets 14 on carriage 7. 15 and 16 indicate pipes
by which the main ram is supplied with fluid pressure and by which the same is
exhausted from this ram.
At the lower end of the piston 10 of this ram is located a plunger valve 17
adapted to close the exit communication when the plunger descends and before
the same reaches the lower end of the ram cylinder. This is for the purpose of
preventing injury to the mechanism in case the ram piston be allowed to too rapidly
descend, as in the event of the rupturing of the pressure fluid pipes, or for other
like or similar reason. The supplemental rams 12 may be likewise provided with
such safety valve mechanism.
18 is the pipe which supplies and exhausts pressure fluid through branch pipes 19
to and from the supplemental rams 12, intermediate cocks 20 being provided
whereby communication with one or both of the rams is made or severed. Thus,

page_text: at the will of the operator, the pressure supply may be admitted to any one or two..
or to all three of the rams, in accordance with the amounts of lifting pressure that
it is found necessary to have in manipulating the blank carriage.
21 and 22 indicate the welding rolls, the first being pivotally mounted in fixed'
journals on the arm 3 and the other roll is pivotally mounted in the laterally
adjustable slide 23. This slide moves in suitable guides 24 on the upper end of
the arm 4 and horizontally to the length of this arm or at right angles to the blank.
The slide 23 is fixedly attached to the hydraulic piston 25 moving in the
cylinder 26, also fixed upon the upper end of the arm 4. 27 and 28 are the pipes
which supply this cylinder with the fluid pressure for the purpose of projecting and
retracting the welding roll 22. 29 is a slide block movable in a suitable socket or
way in the framework of the upper end of arm 4 and bearing two stops 30 and 31
separated by a space representing that necessary to the proper manipulation of the
thickest blank likely to be worked upon this machine. Between these stops
projects the lug 32 on the slide 23. The screw 33 is threaded in the block 29 and
is rotatably held against longitudinal motion in the thrust block 34 said block
being rigidly attached to the frame of the machine in any suitable manner.
outer end of this screw bears a gear 35 meshing with the worm 36 on the shaft of
the hand wheel 37, or such hand wheel may be on the screw shaft, as seen in
Fig 7. Rotating this hand wheel will cause the screw to be turned and the adjust-
able block 29 moved in its socket and correspondingly the stops 30 and 31 of the
movable welding roll will be correspondingly adjusted with relation to the fixed!
welding roll.
The
It will now be plain that suitable pressure applied behind the piston 25 will
project the welding roll 22 toward the fixed welding roll, but that the forward
movement of the latter roll will be limited by the stops 30, it being understood
that the adjustment is to be such as will maintain the proper separation of the
welding rolls with relation to the amount of compression it is desired to effect upon
the scam parts of the blank being welded. In like manner the admission of Hui.l
pressure behind this piston will cause the same to be retracted, as also the movable.
welding roll, but such retraction will be limited by the stops 31, the position of
which is in correspondence with the desired space between the welding rolls as
when the blank is to be moved vertically or angularly in horizontal plane. It is to
be noted that the piston of this movable welding roll upon retraction does not move
to the bottom of its cylinder, and, therefore, the motive fluid need only be exhausted
from the cylinder to such an extent as will effect the required movement of the
piston. In other words, there is no waste of the motive fluid beyond that necessary
to effect the proper motion of the movable welding roll.
38 and 39 represent two heating furnaces, these being preferably located just
above the welding rolls, which furnaces may be secured upon the upper end of the
arms 3 and 4 or may be held in position by other suitable suspending or supporting
devices.
The operation of the mechanism will now be plain. Assuming that the blank is
properly secured to and adjusted upon the elevating table, pressure admitted to the
main ram will elevate such carriage so as to bring a portion of the seam parts of
the cylinder to between the heating furnaces. After these scam parts have been
properly heated the lowering of the blank carriage will bring the heated seam
between the welding rolls, whereupon the movable roll may be advanced to proper
welding position and the blank carriage reciprocated to force and draw the blank
between the welding rolls and thereby effect the union of the overlapping edges or
seam parts of the same. During these operations the blank carriages may be.
angularly turned or vertically moved as the requirements of the welding steps
demand; and, if it be desired, one or more of the blank carriage rams may be
brought into operation to put more or less power upon the carriage.
I am aware that it is not new, especially as suggested in the said Patent.
No. 15,428 to operate the movable welding roll by hydraulic pressure. The
essential feature of this mechanism, however, and in these particular regards, is.

page_text: the employment of adjustable stops limiting the movement in both directions of
the movable welding roll, so as to confine the same to an excursion or range of
motion best adapted to effect the proper welding action, and at the same time, to
limit or prevent such excessive motion as might result in a waste of the motive fluid.
Also, I am aware that it is not new to employ a plurality of rams, the pistons or
operating parts of which are fastened to each other in such manner that when the
piston rod of one ram is operated the piston rods of the other rams must also be
moved. My invention, relates to two or more rams which are disconnectedly
arranged with relation to the blank carrying carriage that they operate, so that
one or more of the rams may be separately or conjointly applied to the carriage.
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. The combination in a welding machine, of two welding rolls arranged to
conjointly operate upon opposite sides of a blank, mechanism for advancing and
retracting one of said rolls relatively to the other, and an adjustable piece carrying
stops adapted to limit the movement of the movable roll in both directions toward
and from the other roll, for the purposes set forth.
2. The combination in a welding machine, of two welding rolls arranged to
conjointly operate upon opposite sides of a blank, mechanism for advancing and
retracting one of said rolls relatively to the other, and an adjustable stop limiting
the movement in both directions of the said movable roll, and mechanism for
effecting the adjustment of said stop, for the purpose set forth.
3. In combination in n welding machine and with a fixed and an adjustable
welding roll, a blank carrying carriage, a main rain connected to said carriage, and
one or more supplemental rams arranged to disconnectedly engage suid carriage,
and means substantially as described whereby said main ram can be caused to
operate the carriage with or independently of said supplemental rams, for the
purpose set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.