Rail forming machine and method

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR FORMING RAILS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF DOUBLE VANES OF THE TYPE HAVING DIFFERENTLY CURVED PARALLEL BLADES CONNECTED ALONG TWO OF THEIR OPPOSITE EDGES TO PROVIDE AN INNER BLADE AND AN OUTER BLADE SPACED APART BETWEEN SAID EDGES WITH SAID INNER BLADE HAVING A CONCAVE SURFACE FACING AWAY FROM SAID OUTER BLADE AND SAID OUTER BLADE HAVING A CONVEX SURFACE FACING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING: (A) A FRAME; (B) A PAIR OF PARALLEL ROLLERS IN SIDE BY SIDE SUBSTANTIALLY ENGAGING RELATION FOR FRICTIONAL DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH OPPOSITE SIDES OF A STRIP OF SHEET METAL FOR DRIVING SAID STRIP LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF IN ONE DIRECTION FROM AN INFEED SIDE AT ONE SIDE OF SAID PAIR OF ROLLERS TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF UPON ROTATION OF SAID ROLLERS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS; (C) MEANS ON SAID FRAME SUPPORTING SAID ROLLERS FOR SAID ROTATION THEREOF; (D) GENERALLY COMPLEMENTARY SLOT-FORMING MEANS ON SAID ROLLERS RESPECTIVELY COMPRISING A PROJECTION EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF ONE ROLLER OF SAID PAIR AND A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OPENING RECESS FORMED IN THE OTHER ROLLER FOR RECEIVING THEREIN SAID PROJECTION UPON EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID PAIR OF ROLLERS DURING THE INTERVAL WHEN SAID PROJECTION AND SAID RECESS ARE AT ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID ROLLERS; AND, (E) MEANS ADJACENT TO SAID OTHER ROLLER AND TO SAID ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID PAIR OF ROLLERS FOR HOLDING SAID STRIP TIGHTLY AGAINST THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID OTHER ROLLER ALONG THE EDGES OF SAID RECESS DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME WHEN SAID PROJECTION APPROACHES AND ENTERS SAID RECESS UPON SAID REVOLUTION OF SAID ROLLERS WITH SAID STRIP DISPOSED BETWEEN THE LATTER FOR DRIVING IN SAID ONE DIRECTION WHEREBY SAID STRIP WILL BE SLOTTED BY SAID PROJECTIONAND WILL BE FIRMLY SUPPORTED AGAINST SAID OTHER ROLLER DURING SAID SLOTTING.