Method of making piston rings

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF SEVERING THE FLANGE OF A PISTON RING INTO A PLURALITY OF SEGMENTS, SAID FLANGE HAVING AN EDGE ADAPTED FOR SCRAPING CONTACT WITH A CYLINDRICAL WALL, PROVIDING A THIN RIBBON-LIKE BLANK HAVING A PAIR OF EDGES AND CUTOUT PORTIONS TERMINATING SHORT OF BOTH OF SAID EDGES, THE PORTION BETWEEN ONE OF THE ENDS OF SAID CUTOUT PORTIONS AND ONE OF SAID EDGES FORMING SAID FLANGE, WHILE SAID BLANK IS DUCTILE, ALONG LINES EXTENDING LATERALLY OF SAID BLANK BETWEEN AND ALIGNED WITH THE MAJOR AXIS OF PREDETERMINED ONES OF SAID CUTOUT PORTIONS AND SAID ONE EDGE, FORMING SHALLOW SCORES IN ONE FACE OF SAID FLANGE, BENDING SAID BLANK TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF SAID PISTON RING, COILING SAID BLANK TO THE SHAPE OF A PISTON RING WITH SAID FLANGE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY, MAKING THE COILED BLANK BRITTLE AND WHILE BRITTLE FRACTURING THE FLANGE ALONG SAID LINES ENTIRELY TO SAID ONE EDGE, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS: SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE FORMING OF SAID SCORES IN SAID ONE FACE OF SAID FLANGE FORMING AN EQUAL NUMBER OF SCORES IN THE OPPOSITE FACE OF SAID FLANGE, SAID SCORES FORMED IN SAID OPPOSITE FACE BEING ALIGNED THROUGH THE THICKNESS OF THE BLANK WITH THE SCORES IN SAID ONE FACE, TERMINATING SAID SCORES IN ONE OF SAID FACES SHORT OF SAID ONE EDGE.