Modern Machine-Shop Practice Part 193

If the hammer and anvil face is rounded as in Fig. 2868, or if dies thus shaped are placed in them, their action will be the same as that of the fuller, drawing the work out lengthways, with a minimum of effect in spreading it out sideways.

Detached fullers, such as shown in Figs. 2869 and 2870, are, however, used when the section to be acted upon is less in length than the hammer face.

In the case of trip hammers, steam hammers, &c., blocks fitted to the hammer and anvil block may take the place of detached swages and fullers. Thus, in Fig. 2871 is represented the hammer and anvil block for flat work, the corners being made rounded, because if left sharp they would leave marks on the work. The blocks or dies A and B are dovetailed into their places, and secured by keys K; hence they may be removed, and dies of other shapes subst.i.tuted.

When the work is parallel it may be forged to its finished dimensions by forming in the lower die recesses whose depth equals the required dimensions. Thus, in Fig. 2872 the recess A in the lower die equals in depth the depth A of the work, while the depth of the recess B in the die equals the thickness of the bar; hence by pa.s.sing the work successively from A to B, and turning it over a quarter turn, it will be made to finished size, when the faces C D of the dies meet.

For this cla.s.s of work the recesses must obviously be made in the lower die, because it would be difficult to hold the work upon the lower die in the proper position to meet a recess cut in the upper one: and, furthermore, the recesses in the die should be wider than the work, to avoid the necessity of holding the work exactly straight in the recess, and keeping it against the shoulder or vertical face of the recess. If, however, the work is to be made taper, we may obviously make the recess taper, so as to produce smooth work, the die recess being made to be of the correct depth for the smallest end of the work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _VOL. II._ =EXAMPLES IN STEAM HAMMER WORK.= _PLATE XV._

Fig. 2868.

Fig. 2869.

Fig. 2870.

Fig. 2871.

Fig. 2872.

Fig. 2873.

Fig. 2874.

Fig. 2875.

Fig. 2876.

Fig. 2877.

Fig. 2878.]

When the shape of the work is such that it cannot be moved upon the die during the forging, the operation is termed stamping, or if the hammer or upper die falls of its own weight it is termed drop forging, and in this case the finis.h.i.+ng dies are made the exact shape of the work, care being taken to let the work be enveloped as much as possible by the bottom die, so that the top one shall not lift it out on its up stroke.

In forging large pieces from square to round we have several important considerations. In order to keep the middle of the work sound, it must be drawn square to as near as possible the required diameter before the finis.h.i.+ng is begun. During this drawing-down process the blows are heavy and the tendency of the work is to spread out at the sides, as in Fig.

2873.

When the work is ready to be rounded up it is first drawn to an octagon, as shown in Fig. 2874, so as to bring it nearer the work, nearer to cylindrical form. The corners are then again hammered down, giving the work sixteen sides, the work during this part of the process being moved endways, as each corner is hammered down. The blows are during this part of the forging lighter, but still the tendency is to spread the work out sideways. The final finis.h.i.+ng to cylindrical form is done with light blows, the work being revolved upon the anvil without being moved endways, so that a length equal to the width of the anvil is finished before the work is moved endways to finish a further part of the length.

The tendency to spread sideways is here unchecked, because the iron is squeezed top and bottom only. We may check it to some extent, however, by employing a bottom swage block, as in Fig. 2875, in which case the contact of the swage and the work will extend further around the work circ.u.mference than would be the case with a flat anvil. If we were to use a top and a bottom swage, as in Fig. 2876, the circ.u.mferential surface receiving the force of the blow will be still further increased, but there will still be a tendency to spread at the sides, as at A B, in Fig. 2876. A better plan, therefore, is to use a [V]-block with the hammer, as in Fig. 2877, in which case the effects of the blow are felt at A, B, and C, and the points A B of resistance being brought higher up on the work, its tendency to spread is obviously diminished. By using a top and bottom [V]-block, as shown in Fig. 2878, the effect will be to drive the metal towards the centre, and, therefore, to keep it sound at the centre, it being found that if the metal is swaged much without means being taken to prevent spreading, it "hammers hollow," as it is termed, or in other words, splits at its centre.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2879.]

The points A B of resistance to the blow at C are higher and the tendency to spread sideways is better resisted. For cutting off under the steam hammer, the hack shown in Fig. 2879 is used, being simply a wedge with an iron handle.

WELDING.--In the welding operations of the blacksmith there are points demanding special attention: first, to raise the temperature of the metal to a proper heat; second, to let the temperature be as nearly equal as practicable all through the ma.s.s; third, to have the surfaces to be welded as clean and free from oxidation as possible; fourth, have the parts to be welded of sufficient diameter or dimensions to permit of the welded joint being well forged.

The following remarks on the theory of welding are from a paper read by Alexander L. Holley before the American Inst.i.tute of Mining Engineers:--

"The generally received theory of welding is that it is merely pressing the molecules of metal into contact, or rather into such proximity as they have in the other parts of the bar. Up to this point there can hardly be any difference of opinion, but here uncertainty begins. What impairs or prevents welding? Is it merely the interposition of foreign substances between the molecules of iron, or of iron and any other substance which will enter into molecular relations or vibrations with iron? Is it merely the mechanical preventing of contact between molecules, by the interposition of substances? This theory is based on such facts as the following:

"1. Not only iron but steel has been so perfectly united that the seam could not be discovered, and that the strength was as great as it was at any point, by accurately planing and thoroughly smoothing and cleaning the surfaces, binding the two pieces together, subjecting them to a welding heat, and pressing them together by a very few hammer blows. But when a thin film of oxide of iron was placed between similar smooth surfaces, a weld could not be effected.

"2. Heterogeneous steel sc.r.a.p, having a much larger variation in composition than these irons have, when placed in a box composed of wrought-iron side and end pieces laid together, is (on a commercial scale) heated to the high temperature which the wrought-iron will stand, and then rolled into bars which are more h.o.m.ogeneous than ordinary wrought iron. The wrought-iron box so settles together as the heat increases that it nearly excludes the oxidizing atmosphere of the furnace, and no film of oxide of iron is interposed between the surfaces. At the same time the enclosed and more fusible steel is partially melted, so that the impurities are partly forced out and partly diffused throughout the ma.s.s by the rolling.

"The other theory is that the molecular motions of the iron are changed by the presence of certain impurities, such as copper and carbon, in such a manner that welding cannot occur, or is greatly impaired. In favor of this theory it may be claimed that, say, 2 per cent. of copper will almost prevent a weld, while, if the interposition theory were true, this copper could only weaken the weld 2 per cent., as it could only cover 2 per cent. of the surfaces of the molecules to be united. It is also stated that 1 per cent. of carbon greatly impairs welding power, while the mere interposition of carbon should only reduce it 1 per cent.

On the other hand, it may be claimed that in the perfect welding due to the fusion of cast iron, the interposition of 10 or even 20 per cent. of impurities, such as carbon, silicon, and copper, does not affect the strength of the ma.s.s as much as 1 or 2 per cent. of carbon or copper affects the strength of a weld made at a plastic instead of a fluid heat. It is also true that high tool steel, containing 1-1/2 per cent.

of carbon is much stronger throughout its ma.s.s, all of which has been welded by fusion, than it would be if it had less carbon. Hence copper and carbon cannot impair the welding power of iron in any greater degree than by their interposition, provided the welding has the benefit of that perfect mobility which is due to the fusion. The similar effect of partial fusion of steel in a wrought-iron box has already been mentioned. The inference is, that imperfect welding is not the result of a change in molecular motions due to impurities, but of imperfect mobility of the ma.s.s--of not giving the molecules a chance to get together.

"Should it be suggested that the temperature of fusion, as compared with that of plasticity, may so change chemical affinities as to account for the different degrees of welding power, it may be answered that the temperature of fusion in one kind of iron is lower than that of plasticity in another, and that as the welding and melting points of iron are largely due to the carbon they contain, such an impurity as copper, for instance, ought, on this theory, to impair welding in some cases and not to affect it in others.

"The obvious conclusions are: 1st. That any wrought iron, of whatever ordinary composition, may be welded to itself in an oxidizing atmosphere at a certain temperature, which may differ very largely from that one which is vaguely known as 'a welding heat.' 2nd. That in a non-oxidizing atmosphere heterogeneous irons, however impure, may be soundly welded at indefinitely high temperatures.

"The next inference would be that by increasing temperature we chiefly improve the quality of welding. If temperature is increased to fusion, welding is practically perfect; if to plasticity and mobility of surfaces, welding should be nearly perfect. Then how does it sometimes occur that the more irons are heated the worse they weld?

"1. Not by reason of mere temperature, for a heat almost to dissociation will fuse wrought iron into a h.o.m.ogeneous ma.s.s.

"2. Probably by reason of oxidation, which, in a smith's fire especially, necessarily increases as the temperature increases. Even in a gas furnace a very hot flame is usually an oxidizing flame. The oxide of iron forms a dividing film between the surfaces to be joined, while the slight interposition of the same oxide, when diffused throughout the ma.s.s by fusion or partial fusion, hardly affects welding. It is true that the contained slag, or the artificial flux, becomes more fluid as the temperature rises, and thus tends to wash away the oxide from the surfaces; but inasmuch as any iron with any welding flux can be oxidized till it scintillates, the value of a high heat in liquefying the slag is more than balanced by its damage in burning the iron.

"But it still remains to be explained why some irons weld at a higher temperature than others; notably, white irons high in carbon, or in some other impurities, can only be welded soundly by ordinary processes at low heats. It can only be said that these impurities, as far as we are aware, increase the fusibility of iron, and that in an oxidizing flame oxidation becomes more excessive as the point of fusion approaches.

Welding demands a certain condition of plasticity of surface; if this condition is not reached, welding fails for want of contact due to mobility; if it is exceeded, welding fails for want of contact due to excessive oxidation. The temperature of this certain condition of plasticity varies with all the different compositions of irons. Hence, while it may be true that heterogeneous irons, which have different welding points, cannot be soundly welded to one another in an oxidizing flame, it is not yet proved, nor is it probable, that h.o.m.ogeneous irons cannot be welded together, whatever their composition, even in an oxidizing flame. A collateral proof of this is, that one smith can weld irons and steels which another smith cannot weld at all, by means of a skilful selection of fluxes and a nice variation of temperatures.

"To recapitulate. It is certain that perfect welds are made by means of perfect contact due to fusion, and that nearly perfect welds are made by means of such contact as may be got by partial fusion in a non-oxidizing atmosphere or by the mechanical fitting of surfaces, whatever the composition of the iron may be within all known limits. While high temperature is thus the first cause of that mobility which promotes welding, it is also the cause, in an oxidizing atmosphere, of that 'burning' which injures both the weld and the iron. Hence, welding in an oxidizing atmosphere must be done at a heat which gives a compromise between imperfect contact due to want of mobility on the one hand, and imperfect contact due to oxidation on the other hand. This heat varies with each different composition of irons. It varies because these compositions change the fusing points of irons, and hence their points of excessive oxidation. Hence, while ingredients such as carbon, phosphorus, copper, &c., positively do not prevent welding under fusion, or in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, it is probable that they impair it in an oxidizing atmosphere, not directly, but only by changing the susceptibility of the iron to oxidation."

In welding steel to iron both are heated to as high a temperature as possible without burning, and a welding compound or flux of some kind is used.

In welding steel to steel the greatest care is necessary to obtain as great a heat as possible without burning, and to keep the surfaces clean.

An excellent welding compound is composed as follows: Copperas 2 ozs., salt 4 ozs., white sand 4 lbs., the whole to be mixed and thrown upon the heat, as is done when using white sand as described for welding iron. An equally good compound is made up of equal quant.i.ties of borax and pulverized gla.s.s, well wetted with alcohol, and heated to a red heat in a crucible. Pulverize when cool, and apply as in the case of sand only.

A welding compound for cast steel given by Mr. Rust in the _Revue Industrielle_ is made up as follows: 61 parts of borax, 20 parts of sal-ammoniac, 16-3/4 parts of ferrocyanide, and 5 parts of colophonium.

He states that with the acid of this compound cast steel may be welded at a yellow red heat, or at a temperature between the yellow, red, and white heats. The borax and sal-ammoniac are powdered, mixed, and slowly heated until they melt. The heating is continued until the strong odor of ammonia ceases almost entirely, a small quant.i.ty of water being added to make up for that lost by evaporation. The powdered ferrocyanide is then added, together with the colophonium, and the heating is continued until a slight smell of cyanogen is noticed. The mixture is allowed to cool by spreading it out in a thin layer.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2880.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2881.]

The lap weld is formed as follows: Suppose it is required to weld together the ends of two cylindrical pieces, and the first operation is to pump or upset the ends to enlarge them, as shown in Fig. 2880, so as to allow some metal to be hammered down in making the weld without reducing the bar below its proper diameter. The next operation is to scarf the ends forming them, as shown in Fig. 2881, and in doing this it is necessary to make the scarf face somewhat rounding, so that when put together as in the figure contact will occur at the middle, and the weld will begin there and proceed as the joint comes together under the blows towards the outside edges. This squeezes out scale or dirt, and excludes the air, it being obvious that if the scarf touched at the edges first, air would be enclosed that would have to find its escape before the interior surfaces could come together.

It is obvious, that if the two pieces require to weld up to an exact length and be left parallel in diameter when finished an allowance for waste of iron must be made; and a good method of welding under these conditions is as follows:--

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2882.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2883.]

Let the length of the two pieces be longer than the finished length to an amount equal to the diameter. Then cut out a piece as at A, in Fig.

2882, the step measuring half the diameter of the bar as shown. The shoulder A is then thrown back with the hammer, and the piece denoted by the dotted line B is cut off, leaving the shaft as shown in Fig. 2883.

The faces of the scarf should be somewhat rounding, so that when the weld is put together contact will take place in the centre of the lapping areas. Then, as the surfaces come together, the air and any foreign substances will be forced out, whereas, were the surfaces hollow the air and any cinder or other foreign substances would be closed in the weld, impairing its soundness.