Improved Method of and Means for Rolling Railway Axles and other Circular Sections.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Means for Rolling Railway Axles and other
Circular Sections.
We LLEWELLYN JONES, of 4 Imperial Terrace Blackpool, Lancashire, Rail
Roller, and FRANK HORSFIELD, 7 Victoria Street, Penistone, in the County of
York, Roll Turner, do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates more particularly to the rolling of railway axles, but it
may also be applied to rolling work of different kinds having circular cross
sections.
In carrying out the invention as applied to the production of railway axles, we
construct a pair of housings to carry four rolls, the faces of which can be brought
together.
They are preferably arranged as a top and bottom roller, and two side rollers,
the adjustable rolls being the top one, and one of the side rolls, and they are all
driven in one direction by means of gearing and intermediate spindles and clutches
of any suitable and effective construction.
The faces or peripheries of the rolls are turned to the required configuration to
produce the collars and other forms upon the axle.
The heated bar is sawn off to length and placed between the rolls, for which
purpose the top roll is raised and the side roll drawn back; the rolls are then closed
and set in motion, and are set up until their faces are in contact, at which point the
axle has arrived at its finished size.
The axle can then be removed either by raising the rolls and lifting it out from
the top or by withdrawing it from the end as preferred.
Dated the 24th day of July 1894.
ROBT. F. DRURY, C.P.A.,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield, Agent for Applicants.
Improved Method of and Means for Rolling Railway Axles and other
Circular Sections.
We, LLEWELLYN JONES, of 4 Imperial Terrace, Blackpool, Lancashire, Rail
Roller, and FRANK HORSFIELD, 7 Victoria Street, Penistone, in the County of
York, Roll Turner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same has to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:
This invention although applicable to rolling circular cross-sections for many
other purposes, relates particularly to rolling axles for railways, collieries and
the like, and therefore we shall describe and illustrate how it is carried into effect
for such work.
The object of the invention is to enable the output to be increased, and to
economise in the cost of manufacture, and we attain these objects by means of the
mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which similar letters of
reference indicate parts in all the figures.

page_text: arrangement of the rolls.
Fig. 2, half a railway axle.
Fig. 3, half of the top' roll.
Fig. 4, half of a side roll.
Our invention consists in the arrangement and working of a set of four
rolls R', R, R, R*, carried in a pair of housings H, three at least being provided
with the means of adjustment either towards or from the material to be operated
upon marked A, all of which are shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen that the rolls
are arranged as follows, R', and R2, are the top and bottom rolls, the top roll
having a vertical adjustment; R³, and R', are side rolls which can be moved
horizontally to and from each other, either separately or simultaneously by means
of hand worked screws S, or by hydraulic or steam rams.
Although we have only shown the top roll R¹, arranged to be moved vertically,
the bottom roll R2, may also have a similar action if desired.
These four rolls are caused to revolve in one direction by means of intermediate
spindles and clutch boxes, and gearing, preferably consisting of four toothed wheels
gearing into the teeth of a central wheel fixed upon the driving shaft but we make
no claim to this.
To roll railway axles such as shown in Fig. 2, the side rolls R³, and R', being
arranged to operate first upon the axle bar A, are turned to the configuration or
thereabouts shown in Fig. 4, that is without the collar C, shown in Fig. 3, but
gradually increased in diameter or bellied at the centre B, so as to first reduce the
centre of the axle H, the consequent elongation therefrom taking place before it is
gripped by the collars C, upon the top and bottom rolls.
A round bar of suitable length and diameter is heated and placed in position
between the rolls which may be accomplished by passing it through the housings
end wise into the position shown in Fig. 1.
We however prefer to raise the top roll A', draw back one of the side rolls and
introduce the bar through the space so formed, and when rolled down to size one of
the side rolls is drawn back until the axle can pass between and underneath,
dropping upon a lurry or the like to be taken away. Its passage is indicated by
the arrows shown in Fig. 1.
The narrow collars N, are to set down the overplus metal at the end of axle'
indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, which is afterwards cut off.
The finished size of the axle may be indicated to the roller by removable rings
upon the necks of the rolls coming in contact, or by adjustable stops.
We are aware that prior to our invention it has been proposed to construct a
mill for similar work in which an adjustable top roll is placed centrally over two
bottom rolls in fixed bearings and we therefore disclaim such arrangement, which
would not accomplish the object of our invention.*
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
i
- ;
1. The method of rolling axles for railways, colliery axles and other like:
objects having circular cross-sections between a set of four rolls three of which (at.
least) are adjustable and which are constructed and rotated substantially in the
manner herein before described and shown.
2. A rolling mill constructed with four rolls, viz.-a top and bottom roll, and two
side rolls, three at least having means for adjustment to and from each other,
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown, for the purpose specified.
Dated the 14th day of Decembar 1901
ROBT. F. DRURY, C.P.A.,
Bank Buildings, George Street, Sheffield, Agent for Applicants.