US2383584A - Method of flanging bimetallic plate - Google Patents

Description

lAug. 28, 1945. G c. BEISHLINE ETAL 2,383,584.

Filled Jan. 21, 1941 A INVENTORS TTORNE.' v

Patented Aug. 28, 1945 Guy C. Beishline, Berwick, Pa., f and Charles F. y

' Walp, Bualo,'N. Y., assignors to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 21, 1941, serial No. 375,282

' 5 claims. (C1. 29-148) y This invention relates to the anging of plate in general and in particular to the langing of bimetallic plate such as used in armoring of mobile or stationary structures.

In the past flanges have been placed around openings in armor or other plates to provide de-l ectors preventing splash from bullets entering the 'gun ports or observation holes. In cases of heavy armor th'ese flanges have been cast in place. In recent years where mobilestructures were armored the use of cast metal became impossible due to weight and it was necessary to re sort to high strength alloy steels properly treated to give maximum resistance against penetration. With such high alloy steels properlyY treated a proper ange could not be obtained and the flange was provided by means of welding a bead around theopenings and grinding this bead to proper contour but such operation on the plate damaged the plate structure and gavean extremely weak `condition at a very vital point in the armor. It is flange or in backing up the flange, thus producingl an opening surrounded by plate having av maximum strength up to the very edge of the opening. One of the objects, accordingly, of the invention 'is the production ofthe flanged bimetallic plate having uniform structure in the plate and ange.

`A further object of the invention is th`e production of a bimetauic plate having openings Surjrounded by flanges projecting from the hard side of the plate and with a substantially uniform depth of hardness in the plate and flange.

' A still further object of the invention is the pro.. duction of a bimetallic plate having openings therein surrounded by flanges projecting from the hardened side of the plate and formed by a compression of the hard surface and backing metal.

These and other objects of the invention will i be apparent to vpersons skilled in the'art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a sectional Yview through a machiner adapted to operate on the bimetallic plate which is shown in position on the machine bed; l,

Fig.A 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the positionof tool parts after th'e opening has been punched through the bimetallic plate;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the position of bimetallic plate and' swaging dies at the beginning of the swaging or compressing operation;

' Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View similar to Fig, 3 but showing the tool parts and plate condition upon the completion of the swaging or, compressing operation;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the opening in the completed plate; y

Fig. 6 is a front View of the anged opening in the bimetallic plate, and

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional'view taken subu stantially on line l-l of Fig. 5 and better disclosing the condition of the metal at the opening.

The high strength alloy steel plates may bereceived from the rolling mills in nal condition to be worked but in most instancesfwill be received in a plain rolled condition and must be carburized to produce the hard skin on one surface backed up by softer metal, all of which is so necessary to production of a proper plate capable of resisting penetration by modern arms. The plates may be carburized in any well known manner and after carburizing they must be annealed to produce the proper structure and to soften the plates suliiciently for drilling, punching or other operations. After the plates are annealed they are heated locally and brought to a punching machine such as shown in Fig. 1 with the locally heated area in position beneath' the male punchdie. The plate will be in the condition indicated by th'e drawing, namely, with a hard surface 2 backed up by a relatively softer metal 4 and it should be noted that when in position for punching the hard surface is uppermost and is the first to be contacted by the male die. e

Th'e machine may be of 4any form but in the instance shown comprises a heavy base 6 supporting the bed 8 to which is clamped a heavy stripper plate I0. The female die I2 having the desired opening therein is supported in any suitable mannerupon the bed plate of the machine, while work positioning guides I4 are clamped or held on the bed in proper position so that the' plate to be punched may be readily brought to its correct position between the dies. The female dieY l2 is formed, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, with a considerable taper in orderto permit passagerof the punched slug, while the throat I6 has considerable clearance C between it and the male die in" order'that the punched plate will have an/opening with tapering sides converging-toward the hard side of th'e plate, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The clearanceC between the throat of the female of any desired contour on its punched face, but in the instance shown has beentaperedfasatfZZ in order to act moreas a shear and reduce the power necessary to punch ,the"-liigh strength bimetallic plate. Y

After the bimetalllc platehas been punched'as shown in Fig. 2 it may be immediately removed to the swaging machinezcprvidedt.enoughih'eat still remains in the plate, otherwise it.must be reheated locally at the opening, after'which it is :.takenzto `theY swaging machine;l :The yswaging af: machine: may be '.identicalfzwith the punching if..machinedescribedtwith the exception: that different tools are carried by the bed andfram.; 'The tools `carried byf.fthefswagingimachine;\ asfshown l'inFigs; 3: and 4,'are arfeinalendiev So'having a -f 1straight.'walled'.fopeningttherethrongh; -.with;.the

upper edge surrounded by at cavityf. of :thecontourldesired rfor 1 the final -tange .ron the plate.

The male swaging tool 34-ltlikewiseihasfstraight 'P sides throughout-the major portion of itsflength,

while the nose is tapereasrat=-35ftdcausezan'upsetting and 'compressionY of:` metal inzsthe bi- '-me'tallic plate. 'The preperly'f:heatedi ',bimetallic plate will `be placed oni. the'V -`females"swagingndie `with the hard side downward; .therebyi causing the male swaging tool tor first'. contact f thee' relatively s'oftf'metalforrning'the. tapered. sides. of athe' openning, as' clearly -fshown in .Fig; 3 :.which'z. indicates thecontact of'thevmale swaging toolwithfthe bimetallic plate'andf after afslight-fdistorting pressure `has fbeen` appliechafiApplication ofwfurther pressure Willf cause the male 'swagingwtooltotfmove downwardly rcompressinguthe hard part 2f. ofrthe bimetallic-plate and causing it to flow. into the `recess inthe' yfemale die,whi1e`iat thesamef timeirthe A relativelyvv s'ofter-'metal-is` compressediandfzmade more dense Hadjacentvthe; openingrandthezplate and'- tool then assumdthe position'fandzcondition shown inFig. 4.2 i 'Upwardlmovement fof .thermale r die Twill, offcourse lift`=thef1biinetallic platesfcom 4x"from the -tool-by means offfthei heavier: :stripper plateVv I0 andmay then beremovedwfronntheimavchine and-thebead orfiange'd'opening .willxappear 1^ as shown nFigs. 5, 6 and 7. *:AftertheIplate--has been removed from the swaging machin'euandrprof c vided no'further operations are-tor be performed on the'plate, it may begivenitsfiinalsheatwtreat placing' it in condition -fjfor-f---application.toe the armored structure. TAS clearly shown in tFigs. 4,

` 5 rand 7 the'hard surface of the'iplate-y isfofsubstantially uniform depth up tothewveryledge of the' openingv land will retain "its.. flullis'trengthasince onlycompressive forces have beenfapplied: during 6 its distortion, such compressive forcessbeingcapplied not only by the swaging-too1',1but.-by the movement' of hard surface due to' the'fshape ofi/:thecswaging tool'and the taper inthelpuncliediopenngl It isi;

of course,necessary that'fthe volume'of.metal re- `-mainingf in nthe "openingdue'to the vtapered the softer metal forced# toward the punchinglbe.;properlyf.:proportioned sofasto as fnearly as.l possiblevexa'ctly supply .the metalinecesvsari' f' in the4 compression-1'ora swa'gingc` cperatlon;

Once this volume has been carefully calculated the flanges will appear as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and '7 Which follow almost exactly the etched samples taken from actual flanged plates.

Although the invention has been shown and described in considerable detail, it will be obvious that slight modifications in procedure as well as considerable `variation in the machinery used will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art 1,0 but all such modifications and procedure and variation in machinery are contemplated aS will "-Lfallwithin thescope of the following claims dening our invention.

What isclaimed is:

v 1:,The method of providing a hard surfaced inetegral flange .on a bimetallic plate having a hard surface backed up by a relatively softer metal,

which consists in punching an opening in the c plate by moving a slug of metal from the hard surface through the softer backing metal, and

:hthen' formingthe vangebyaforcingfaf'swaging tool f .z through the: opening .-towardrfthe :hardxsurface: sifrmultaneouslycompressingithe softer:rnetal-;foi'rn ing the sides of theopeningl andmovmg lthetsame i towardthe hard surface to bend: .theeflatter outf award1y` and form-the flange.

i 2.- Thamethod of providing aihardxsurfacediinfr te-gral .flange on a'bimetallic plate ahaving afhard sur-facerbacked'iupwby a relatively.: softer-l metal, which' consistsin forcingl annundersizepunchifrom the hard-surfacethrough the softerimetal t'oform `an opening'w'ith sidesfhaving a predetermined -\taper;fand' then'y sizing theI epenlngA/.andxforming 'j thehardssurfaced flange by forcing a1 swagingtool 3D through-the open-ingitoward'y the hardi-surface sif -multaneously compressing fthe: softermetallformingA the tapering sides of theropen-ingandim'oving the same toward thehardfsurface to bend-the lat- -'-ter outwardly forming theflange.

` 3'.' The rmethodof providing 'afbimeta-llicfintegral flange-on a bimetallictplate each having a hard outer surface backed` up bya `lrelatively 'softer metal, 'which consists irr-formingan'openh1"sing in the plate andthen forming' thevflangev` by "c forcing ay swaging tool Athrough fthe opening "toward thevhard surface -`simultaneously compressing the softer metal forming the si'des'- ofvthe 'openingand` moving the'same -toward th'elhard 'surface tobend-the latter outwardly thereby forming the bimetallicflange.

' 4. The method of providing abimetallicinte- "j'gral-*angeon a bimet'allic"plateeachhaving a hard'outer surfacebackedup by relativelys'ofter metal, which consists inpunching in" the 'plate'. an

fr "0opening having sidesv of aipredeterminedtaper converging toward the hard surface and containing'sucient metal to .form theflange, and then forming the bimetallic flange and' simultaneously straightening the sides of theopeningbyforcing a swagingv tool vthrough thetopening. toward the fhard surface.

. 5. 'Thecmethod of providing ay bimetallic. integral yfiangeon abimetallic .plategeachlhaving a 5 lhard cuter ysurface backed up,by..a:relatively vsofter metalsA `which :consists in 'forming .in rtheeplate an .opening having ltaperingsdes converging 4toward l, -thefhard-surface of .the ,plategf-and then straightening the sides of the-opening.andsimultaneously forming. theqbimetallic.- .fflangef` by'` forcing the 'sof-ter metal of .theJtapering.sidestowardthethard surface. ltherebyebending thea-:hard :surface nutwardlyandfforrningthe bimetallidflange. GUY C,-.BEISHI;INE. ..:CHARLES `Fc WALP.

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