US1580930A - Flanging - Google Patents

Description

April 13, 1926. 1,580,930

- G. E. THACKRAY FLANGING Filed Dec. 6,. 1922 x\\ lslil ii 1;; 1

INVENTOR Patented A r. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES GEORGE E. THAGKBAY, OE WES'LMQNT IBQRQUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLANGING.

' Application filed December 6, 1922. Serial No 605,327.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. THAOKRAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Westmont, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flanging; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others, skilled in the art to which it appertains to 'make and use the same. i

My invention relates to flanging metal and particularly to'forming what I call internal flanges, namely, pressed from a metal plate or other met-a1 shape, including reentrant angles with or without curved corners. a

By an internal flange I mean one that is pressed or shaped from the marginal metal which surrounds a. notch or opening, or is idjacent to a re-entrant angle n" the metal, andin doing this, part of the material of the flange and particularly the edge portion ofthe completed flange is of greater lineal dimensions than. before. 7 c

I have found that where attempts have been made to produce flanges of this kind there is a tendency for the metal to stretch in the internal angles and to a lesser extent in the metal adjacent thereto, and when the flange is of substantial width this action has a tendency to reduce, its cross section and in some cases to actually sever the material in or near the re-entrant angle. An example of this is as follows :-If I strive to form a flange around the margin of a notch or an opening in a plate,which opening is approximately 12 inches square and prefer ably provided with rounded corners, and the flange is to be integrally formed of the mar ginal metal which surrounds said opening and is to be pressed outwardly and ultimately stand at an angle from the other material of the plate. that the lineal edge perimeter before flanging the opening of the flange would be 12 times 4 or L8 inches,

while if the flange is formed of uniform width the lineal perimeter of the edge of the flange, if it is 3 inches deep, would be four times 18 inches or 72 inches, thus requiring the edge of the flange tostretch von an average of per, cent. The stretch, however, under such conditions, would be time eejaeeatrated in the corners with the Hindi: at t'lunningthe corner metal ta .ese

those which are shaped or than one-half its original thickness, and in some cases the metal in the corners might be torn, thus making a flange which is defective and useless. In formingflanges around openings or notches of various other forms somewhat simllar results wlll occur, as will be readily understood.

It is the object of my invention to obviate this difiiculty and to form internal flanges without undue thinning or undue localization of said thinning.

In order to accomplish this, for example, in the case of a metal plate, a notch or open ing will be first out therein and the plate then heatedto'a good red heat, if the mate- 7 rial. is of such a nature to be worked more easily at such a temperature.

The hole or notch in the plate of such size that when superimposed upon the bending die having an opening therein,,the upper corner fillets of the metal bounding the opening in the bottom die are at distances from the edges of the hole in the plate about equal to the depths or widths of the various portions of'the integral flange to be formed thereon, which flange is preferably bent to shape by the action of a male or top die having a projection which forces the margins of the plate adjacent the hole into the bottom or female die.- In order to prevent undue thinning of the corners which are subject to excessive stretching by the enlargement of the lineal dimensions of the edge portion of the plate when flanging, I arrange the surfaces of portions of the male die adjacent the corners in'a sloping manner or with larger radii of curvature so that the operation of bending down these marginal portions of the plateis not so abrupt. This arrangement of sloping surfaces on the male die adjacent the corners of the hole in the plate will have the effect of gradually pushing down the material which forms the corner portions of the flanges and the portions adjacent thereto so as to distribute the thinning 'over alarger distance, with n1 cases I- peetee to arrange the topdie trim offset sothat the earner portionsfof thefinhlqes arofdrawn or bent downwardly first while the adjacent side or end portions aret'ree, thus allowing a plastic flow of more"nietal iirto' tl-ie eorne-r-s. A' fier this is done, the other portions of die, finish npon the bottom die, and thesef plates are each provided with an opening 5 therein, WlUCl] may he oi various forum, all of which,

howevicr;haveremnantangles which are the bending of the side and end portionsf'or I the margins with narrower portions.

Havm thus won a eneraldesorl )t'ion h C B3 *of any invention, I will now, in order to make the matter more clear, refer to' tl1e shape corresponding to the holster opening on atruck side frame wltha por parts of this speci annexed sheet of drawings," whiohforms characters refer to like, parts deigure l is a plantiew of apart of a bottom die having an opening therein of r on of the plate to "be flanged superin'i'posed thereon and having its marginal portions 'a-roje'ctfing over SilKtOPGHlDg;tlifllhfitQllll of the the surrounding theopening preferably having rounded upper corners; Figure'ii is a vertical sectional elevation -t hneILdI of Figure 7, showing the bot- T Q5 tom die, the top die and-the I plate' in alien on '--tlie position on the botton'i die prior to'the Hanging; Figure 3 elevation similar to Figure 2 but showing in -e1evat1on another form of top :CllG' with slop- 30.

ingeoriiei portions adapted to bend or" form the flange in and adjacent to the eorners' Figure it-is a vertioal "sectional elevation through the top and bottom dies showing the plate superimposed upon the bottom die with its margins pro ectingover the open ng wthe'reiin; this top die, however, being of {slightly different form, as that part which terms the side flanges is offset and does not operate until afterthe .cornen portions are :presseddownwardly by the sloping corner r'pOT-UOZOS ot the dieyl igure 5 is a bottom )lanviewof the-to die i-llustrated in Ei 'ure 2; Figure 6 is-a bottoni plan View of the top 3 die illustrated in Figure 3; Figure 8 11s a 45.v

bottom! plan view of the top die illustrated yiew of abortion ot a'plate after the internal flange-1s formed thereon, as illustrated.

f-Referring now-to the characters 'of referenceolrthe drawings:r1 are bottom dies "each having an opening-2 therein; the mate rial-at the upper end of the "opening being preferably roundedor formed with curve *so asto more easily bend the, platejthis curye preferably'bemg of the'minimum size requiredior this purpose sothat almost'all -otthe fiange-will be at 'substantially right angles -with ,the body of -the plate. The

part-of the plate immediately contiguous to the margins of the upper-die is known as the bend line,--as this is the' line where the, go begins from the body bending of the flan #ot the plate.

:As iiluS-trated in qtheyarious figures,-3 is a portion of a plate whloh 1s superimposed.

preferably supplemented by rounded junctions or curved lillets, as shown, in order to avoid the square corners which are dlfiieult remake and tend to Cllll'll-QG the material to be flanged. The marginal,portions of the plates to he flanged area and in the various illustrations 6 is"the flange formed around fi eation and in which like 5 operation. The. top p'llu'iger or ram or the b iding' the margins oit 'the plate As illustrated in Figures 3 and G, 10 is the top; or male die having sloping or beveled surfaces 11 at its'oorners, and these are adapted to gradually and progressivelybend down the corner portions or the flange, the

' lower edge ot' this diealso having a round- "is a vertical sectional ing 12 as illustrated. t

As illustrated" ln-Figuies and %,13 is the topbr'Ina-le die hating o'fi'set portions 14, formed asshownfwhi'oh,"as the die oper- 'ates,'a're"adapted to Contact with the side port1onsof the flange after; the corn er' 'por tions hafve been "first :grac'lua-lly "pressed down, thus'allowmg the cornersto be shaped while at the same'tnne permitting the material which formsthefiange to he maintained in the corners'and tobe "drawn away from theside portions, asthisisdone in order to.

pievent undue thinning of the corner portions. The die lg alsohas sloping orchamfer-ed corners 15 'whioh gradually' b'eiid' the "corner portions ottheplate, and 16 is thi "bottonroi son'ie'what T shapedlower face oi the'die -13.

--in Figm'emand Figure7 is a pe rspective My invention: operates as follou' s:+A plate 3 'h'asafhole 5 out therein 'to'ai'iy shape desired, which, however, has re-entrant 'faiigles 'orfoo'rners provided with rounded fillets for the reasons heretoforestated, j and this plate is then placed over the opening in'the bottom' dief 1 "when the" top dieis in its "upper position. guitable gauges (not shown)-may be" used to hold the plate in position on the bottom'dio, after which the top 'die is pushed downwardly and b'eu'ds the marginal portions of the ijlateinto the open- G visfOrmed thereon-as illustrated in"Figure 7. w v

By reason of the oonstru'otion'and conformation of myjdies thecorner portions which would otherwise be drawn thin or severed are gradually pulledfbent or drawn into shape in such a wayfthat the straighter or sideportions' of the flange are pressed dowinvardly more by pure bending, and while this is done the plastic flow of the material is such that the material flows toward and into the corner portions to maintain their thicknesses. The sloping sides of the dies also have a diagonal wiping or drawing action which has a tendency to pull the material from the side or end portions of the flange into the corners to maintain their thickness as nearly as possible.

Although I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details thereof, as shown and described, but

may use such modifications in, substitutions for, or equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of my invention or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I l. The method of flanging a plate around an opening of substantially rectangular shape therein, which consists in bending the corner portions thereof by a progressive bending action while the adjacent side and end portions are substantially free, and then bending said side and end portions.

2. The method of hanging a metal plate around an opening therein, which consists in first cutting said opening to theform desired with re-entrant corners, then gradually and progressively bending the corner portions while bending the side or end portions more abruptly.

3. The method of fianging a metal plate around an opening therein, which consists in first making said opening to the form desired with re-entrant corners, then graduallyand progressively bending the corner portions while the adjacent side portions and end portions are substantially free, and then finishing the flange by bending said side and end portions.

4. Apparatus for forming an internal flange on a plate around an opening having re-entrant angles, preferably with rounded corners, comprising a bottom die having an opening therein substantially conforming to the outline of said flange, a male die cooperating therewith having a projecting portion of shape similar to the opening in the bottom die but of lesser size, the corner portions of said male die'being slopin 5. Apparatus for forming an internal flange on a plate around an opening having re-entrant angles, preferably with rounded corners, comprising a bottom die having an opening therein substantially conforming to the outline of said flange, a male die co-opcrating therewith having a projecting portion of shape similar to the opening in the therein having re-entrant corners, compris- I bottom die but of lesser size, corner por- V ing a bottom die having an opening substan-1 tially conforming to the outline, of the gen oral shape ofsaidfiange, and having rounded edge portions, a male die adapted to cooperate therewith having a projecting portion of shape similar to the opening in the bottom'die but of lesser size by an amount about equal to twice the thickness of the metal to be flanged, two of the corner portions of said male die which form. the corners of the flange being sloping, and other portions adjacent thereto which form the side and end flanges offset therefrom, so as to act later in the movement of said male die.

In witness whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

GEORGE E. THACKRAY.

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