Method of making wrought iron pipe

June 11, 1935.

E. B. STORY ET AL

METHOD OF MAKING WROUGHT IRON PIPE Filed Nov. 30, 1932

2,004,138

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Patented June 11, 1935

2,004,138

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,004,138

METHOD OF MAKING WROUGHT IRON PIPE

Edward B. Story, Dormont, and Charles E. Gross, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to A. M. Byers Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania

Application November 30, 1932, Serial No. 645,088

Claims. (Cl. 29—156)

This invention relates to wrought iron products and methods of making the same. It relates particularly to the fabrication of wrought iron pipe or tubing and of products of which said pipe or 5 tubing forms a component part.

A characteristic of wrought iron is that it contains particles of slag which upon fabrication of the wrought iron into its products assume certain characteristic shapes. For example, upon roll10 iⁿS of wrought iron the slag particles are elongated generally in the direction of rolling into what are known as “fibers”. The shape and orientation of the slag fibers affect materially the physical properties of the product. For example, 15 wrought iron of good quality, such, for example, as that made in accordance with the Aston process, rolled in the standard manner may have a tensile strength in the direction of rolling, that is to say, in the direction of the length of the slag 20 ^fibers> of in the neighborhood of 50,000 pounds per square inch, whereas the tensile strength of the same wrought iron at right angles to the slag fibers may be as little as 35,000 pounds per square inch. Furthermore, the ductility of the same 25 ^wr°nsht iron in the direction oi rolling may be such that a standard 8 specimen will elongate about 18%, whereas the elongation of a similar standard specimen but in the direction at right angles to the slag fibers may be as little as 3%. ₃₀ It follows that the properties of rolled wrought iron products may be such that the products may have ample strength or satisfactory properties under certain conditions but insufficient strength or unsatisfactory properties under other condi25 tions. For example, a standard rolled wrought iron structural member may be used to sustain a tensile load in the longitudinal direction of the slag fibers which it could not sustain in a direction at right angles to the slag fibers. Such 40 a structural member may be flanged to carry a heavy load if the flange is formed substantially at right angles to the slag fibers but not if the flange is formed parallel to the slag fibers.

Wrought iron pipe or tubing made in accord43 ance with standard practice and with the slag fibers extending longitudinally thereof is suitable for most ordinary purposes. For certain purposes, however, such, for example, as constructions in which the pipe or tubing is to be ex50 panded or otherwise radially deformed, the greatest stress placed on the metal due to the expanding or radial deformation may be in a direction circumferentially of the pipe or tubing, and for such, and other, purposes we form the 55 pipe or tubing with the slag fibers extending at an angle to the length thereof and preferably extending generally circumferentially thereof. Such pipe or tubing is ideally suited for use in the fabrication of composite metal structures in which the wrought iron pipe or tubing is ex- 5 panded into a perforated metal member, such, for example, as fluid conducting apparatus in which the wrought iron pipe or tubing is joined by radial deformation with a header, boiler drum, plate, etc. 10

Other details, objects and advantages of the Invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the acompanying drawing we have shown 15 a present preferred embodiment of the invention, in which

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic partial plan view of a rolled wrought iron shape;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a skelp formed from ₂₀the shape of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial plan view showing the manner in which skelps such as that of Figure 2 may be joined prior to formation of the pipe;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a _2gwrought iron pipe having its end expanded; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in crosssection, of a composite metal structure employing wrought iron pipes such as that shown in Figure 4. ₃₀

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Figure 1 shows more or less diagrammatically at 2 a rolled wrought iron shape such as a sheet or plate which has been rolled in the direction of the arrow. At 3 is shown purely diagrammati- 35 cally and for the purpose of illustration the general direction of orientation of the slag fibers. Such fibers during the rolling become orientated substantially in the direction of rolling. The tensile strength and ductility of the rolled shape ⁴⁰are considerably greater in the direction of the length of the slag fibers than in a direction substantially at right angles to the slag fibers.

The rolled shape 2 as it comes from the rolling mill has irregular ends 4. These ends are sheared ⁴⁵off, the right-hand end being shown as sheared off along the line 5. Skelps such as shown at 6 in Figure 2 are then successively sheared off from the shape 2 by successive shearings along 50 the lines I, 8, 9, etc., until the desired number of skelps has been formed or until the shape has been used up. The direction of the slag fibers in the skelps 6 is indicated by the arrow in Figure 2. Contrary to standard practice, the slag 55

2,004,138 fibers extend transversely of the skelp instead of longitudinally.

The width of the shape 2, and consequently the length of each skelp 6, is necessarily limited 5 by the size of the rolling mill, and it may be desirable to form sections of pipe of greater length than the width of the shape 2. To this end two or more of the skelps 6 are joined together end to end, as by welding 10, as shown in Figure 3. 10 This step enables the formation of a composite skelp of any desired length and having the fibers extending transversely thereof, as shown by the arrows in Figure 3.

The skelp, whether a single skelp as shown in 15 Figure 2 or a composite skelp as shown in Figure 3, is then formed into pipe in well known manner, such, for example, as by the lap-weld or butt-weld process. The pipe will have the slag fibers extending at an angle to the length 20 thereof and preferably substantially circumferentially. This adapts the pipe for certain particular uses, especially deformation in the radial direction such as expanding. Radial deformation imparts greater stress to the metal circum25 ferentially of the pipe than longitudinally thereof, and, as the slag fibers extend more or less circumferentially, the pipe is stronger in the circumferential direction than if formed in accordance with standard practice with the slag fibers 30 extending longitudinally. Therefore it is better able to withstand the stresses imparted to it by the expanding step.

In Figure 4 is shown a portion of a length 11 of pipe such, for example, as might be formed 35 from a skelp as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3 and in which the slag fibers extend in the direction of the arrows, that is to say, generally circumferentially. The extremity 12 of the pipe is shown as being expanded in a radial direction 40 which somewhat elongates the dag fibers longitudinally of the fibers. When the slag fibers extend generally in the direction of the length of the pipe, expanding of the pipe does not have any appreciable tendency to elongate the fibers lon45 gitudinally thereof, but tends, rather, to split the pipe along planes generally parallel to the fibers and generally parallel to the axis of the pipe. When the fibers are oriented generally circumferentially of the pipe they are adapted for 50 lengthwise stretching upon expanding of the pipe and readily withstand the expanding operation.

In Figure 5 is shown a fragment of a composite metal structure comprising a perforated metal member such as a header 13 into which are 55 expanded or otherwise radially deformed wrought iron pipes or tubes 14. The wrought iron pipes or tubes may be similar to that shown in Figure 4, that is to say, with their slag fibers extending generally circumferentially so as the better 60 to withstand the expanding or radial deformation to which they are subjected upon formation of the joints with the header (3. The joints between the pipes and the header may be formed in well known manner such as by the use of an internal expanding tool.

Wrought iron pipe formed with the slag fibers 5 extending at an angle to the length of the pipe is also found particularly well suited for high pressure installations as the relatively great circumferential strength of the pipe readily counteracts any tendency toward fracture due to pres- 10 sure within the pipe.

The word “pipe” is used in the claims as a word of definition and not of limitation and is intended to comprehend tubular and other elongated hollow products generally. 15

While we have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the same is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of 20 > the following claims.