Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-07
factory the collateral notes will be ready fol
ISSUE
4 CAR WHEEL TEST.
An Interesting Experiment. III the Denver
Yards,

While rustling around the Fort Worth
and Denver yards Saturday a GAZETTE re-
porter's attention was attracted to group
of men around what appeared to be model
OF pile-driyer. Upon joining the group it
was found theywere congregated around one
| of the Pennsylvania railroad company's drop
testing machines. and the principal business
was testing a shipment of car wheels just
received. The tests were conducted under
the supervision of Master Mechanic White
and Foreman of Carshops +. MCGEE. A
number of railroad men were also present
whom the reporter did not know. thirty
three inch Dickson car wheel, made at
Houston and weighing $50 pounds, was
placed in position under the drop. The
weight dropped with crash, squarely
on the hub of the wheel. At
the first blow L crack was
perceptible; at the second blow, two cracks
We're seen; at the third and fourth blows,
the cracks were seen 10 be extending: at
the fifth blow, half the hub and back-plate
We're broken out; Ut the sixth blow the
tange broke, and at the seventh blow the
fange broke in three pieces. An eXamina-
ton of the rim was then made Us to how
successfully the chilling had been
done. 1t was found TO be less
than half an inch in thickness
at the tread of the wheel, just beside the
tiangc. while at the outside edge of the
rim or tire 1t was over an inch in thickness,
thus showing the wheel had not been per
fectly and evenly chilled.
The next test was of 33-inch Marshall
wheel. made at Marshall Tex. and weigh
ing $50 pounds. The conditions governing
the test We're precisely the same as in
the Dickson wheel. The first blow
made no impression: neither did the
second, third. fourth, fifth and sixth. AT
the seventh below crack was noticed;
eighth, two slight traces of cracks APP
peared; ninth. no change; tenth, traces of
cracks extending We're noticed: eleventh,
the force of the blow was increased; no
change could be seen up 10 the twentieth
blow; twenty-firSt the cracks seemed to be
extending; tw6nty-Second, twenty-third,
twenty-fourth and twenty-tifth. no change
could be discovered: twentysiXth, with
this blow the plate around the hub broke
i'll three pieces, but did not fall out.
\ close examination of the wheel was
then MADE, but no defects could
be seen in the hub or rim. The wheel was
then placed with the rim resting il such Il
manner as to receive the full force of the
blow. but several drops were required be-
fore it could be broken. When it was
finally done a careful examination of the
chilling of the rim was made when it was
found the chill was about an inch or a little
more III depth ana WAS very even; at no
portion of the rim or flange being ighter.
The test was fair in every respect, laborers
taxing a wheel oil e;Cn MAKE at random
from shipments just received. This is the
severest lest that can be devised, and
though the Marshall wheels are only guar
anteed to stand eight blows of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad cOmpany'S drop-tcstiug
machine, il will be seen that il required
twenty-SiX blows to fracture the plate.
without injuring in the least the hub or
fange. The Marshall carwheel company
must have secured Il remarkably tough iron
to stand such pounding.
The evenness of the chill in the rim of
wheel is of the utmost Importance TO rail
road companies. The rim must be well
chilled in order to stand the thrust of the
wheel in going around sharp curves at Il
high rate of speed, and in cases Of derail- |
meut, as in each case the blow comes upon
the rim The toughness of the rim
is of Importance especially, because
if the plate breaks it is
not likely that wreck will follow,
but if the thrust of the wheel in rounding a |
curve, or in case of derailment breaks the
rim or fiange or both, the following cars
viii invariably pile up. For this reason |
this drOp-testine device has come into gen |
eral use and is being rapidly adopted by all |
roads, 4 wheel that will not stand the test !
OF eight blows being unfit for use |
on roads where fast freights and |
heavy traffic are found. 1t is prob |
able the result of these tests will |
largely determine the make of wheels used |
on this portion of the Union Pacific system !
hereafter. All future shipment of wheels |
Will be tested, and all that will not stand |
eight blows of the drop hammer will be re-
iected