Plate-bend′ing ma-chine′.
A machine for bending plates of metal to any required curve for boilers, water-wheel buckets, etc. Those for forming regular curves comprise three rolls, two of which are driven by gearing, and the third, generally the upper one, runs free.
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Plate-bending machine. |
In the illustration,
a b are the driven rolls, rotated in either direction by the gears
c d. The bearings of the free roll
e are raised or lowered by turning the hand-wheel
f, which, by means of the gear-wheels
g, rotates the shaft
h, having a worm at each end gearing with worm-wheels
i, which turn screws supporting the bearings of the roll
e. By varying the distance between the upper and lower rolls, a greater or less curvature is given to the plate, the curvature being greater in proportion to their nearness together.
In some machines of this kind the upper roller is provided with separate adjustments at each end, so that, by raising one end more than the other, plates may be bent to a conical shape, or by altering the relative hight of its bearings, their surfaces may be made of an elliptic, parabolic, or other non-circular curve.
For bending the thick and irregularly curved plates required for armor-plating a powerful form of press is employed.
The upper and lower beds have each a series of parallel longitudinal bars, adjustable by screws, so that a special curve may be given to each plate.
The bars of the two beds are adjusted so as to correspond, and the plate, flat, as it comes from the forge or rolling-mill, is placed between them, and the movable bed, usually the lower, is caused to approach the other by screw or hydraulic pressure.
See armor-plating; rolling-mill.
