The Practical mechanic's journal . on. PEACTICAL INGENUITIES. SELF-ACTING APPARATUS OF NASMYTHS STEAMHAMMER. The steam hammer, as originally constructed by Mr. Nasmyth, wasnot self-acting, each stroke being made by an attendant through hand-gear fitted to the steam-valve for the purpose. The practical workingof the invention soon showed that the arrangement was by no meansfitted for the full development of its power, and Mr. Nasmyth was earlyled to devise means of rendering the blows independent of the attentionsof the workman. The conditions to be fulfilled by a self-acting apparatus were, th
The Practical mechanic's journal . on. PEACTICAL INGENUITIES. SELF-ACTING APPARATUS OF NASMYTHS STEAMHAMMER. The steam hammer, as originally constructed by Mr. Nasmyth, wasnot self-acting, each stroke being made by an attendant through hand-gear fitted to the steam-valve for the purpose. The practical workingof the invention soon showed that the arrangement was by no meansfitted for the full development of its power, and Mr. Nasmyth was earlyled to devise means of rendering the blows independent of the attentionsof the workman. The conditions to be fulfilled by a self-acting apparatus were, that theheight to which the hammer rose should be capable of adjustment, inorder to have complete command over the power of the blow; and that,the instant the blow was struck, the hammer should again rise, so thatno loss of time should ensue. In addition to the direct loss of time occa-sioned by the resting of the hammer upon the mass of heated metal be-neath it, another disadvantage was speedily discovered, namely, that the Fig. I! It1!!!! .,.!, I iWjji,, i lull1 , jiwmi!k_jiiiuiutu>. In,- W^mm///m/mW/^& v»m _j 78 THE PRACTICAL MECHANICS JOURNAL. cold hammer face carried off a great amount of heat from the metal, thusneither turning a heat to the hest advantage, nor retaining the mate-rial sufficiently long in a workable state. The peculiar difficulty ofinsuring a true automatic arrangement will be recognized, when it isconsidered that the instant of percussion must vary with almost everyblow that is struck, for the bar gradually becomes thinner by hammer-ing; and in a flat bar, a blow is first given on the flat side, and then onthe edge, the difference in the fall of the hammer in the two cases beingoften several inches ; and, further, that the hammer must be under in-stant control at all times. As illustrations of the practical ingenuity displayed in the apparatuswhich has so successfully answered these conditions, we have engravedtwo separate drawings of it, so as to
Size: 1377px × 1816px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookidpra, booksubjecttechnology
