IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SLEEPERS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Everard Pedley.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th November 1882.
WILLIAM EVERARD PEDLEY of Old Brompton in the County of Kent Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SLEEPERS"
My Invention has for its object to overcome objections at present existing to the
employment of iron or steel transverse sleepers on railways caused by the bending
of the said sleepers under the weight of a passing train and at the same time to
effect economy in first cost and maintenance and increased steadiness and safety.
In constructing a sleeper according to my Invention I bend a rectangular plate
(with or without the corners removed) of steel or other metal in such a manner that
its parts of greatest width are under the seat of the rails from which parts it
becomes narrower towards the centre between the rails and towards the ends
outside the rails the material of which the sleeper is formed being turned down so
that it is deepest at the parts of least width. The cross section at any point is
trough shaped having straight curved or partly curved boundaries. This trough
shaped section is shallow immediately under the rail seat where the sleeper is widest
and deeper, at other points where the sleeper is narrower.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Edward Pedley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th May 1883.
WILLIAM EVERARD PEDLEY of Old Brompton in the County of Kent Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SLEEPERS
"
My Invention has for its object to overcome objections at present existing to the
employment of iron or steel transverse sleepers on Railways by the production of a
sleeper of iron or steel which shall not bend appreciably under a passing vehicle,
and hence afford a steady and safe permanent way, and also to reduce the first cost
and the cost of keeping in order the fastenings connecting the rail and sleeper, such
fastenings being injuriously affected by the bending of the sleeper.
In constructing a sleeper according to my Invention I bend a rectangular plate
(with or without the corners removed) of steel or other metal in such a manner
that its parts of greatest width are under the seats of the rails from which parts it
becomes narrower towards the centre between the rails and towards the ends
outside the rails, the material of which the sleeper is formed being turned down so
that it is deepest at the parts of least width. The cross section at any point is
trough shaped having straight curved or partly curved boundaries. This trough
shape section is shallow immediately under the rail and where the sleeper is widest
and deeper at other points where the sleeper is narrower.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed.
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings.
'
Figure 1 is a Plan of a finished sleeper formed according to my Invention the
holes by which the rail is to be attached not being shewn as the said holes vary with,
the method of rail connection adopted.
The sleeper here shewn is one for a 4 feet 8 inches guage formed from a flat
bar 10 inches wide by 1 of an inch thick but I do not limit myself to these or any
particular dimensions.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of same.
Figure 3 is a section on the line 1.-2 Figure 1 at the centre line of the rail seat,
Figure 4 is a section on the line 3-4 Figure 2 at the centre of the sleeper.
Figure 5 is an elevation of a sleeper to carry a Vignoles Rail.
Figure 6 is a plan of a plate or bar from which a sleeper may be formed shewing
by dotted lines how the corners may be removed.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 show various rolled sections from which the sleeper may be
made.
'
The shaping may be effected preferably whilst the metal is hot by means of a
matrix made to the dimensions of the under or concave side of the sleeper and a.
die made to fit the outer or convex side. The plate or bar is placed on the matrix
and the die is caused to descend and thereby to press the said plate into the required
shape. The plate or bar may be retained in position on the matrix by rods passing
through the frame work from which the die descends through the die itself and
through holes previously punched in the plate to be formed into the sleeper the
said rods taking into boles in the matrix; the holes in the sleeper may be those
necessary for the connection between the rail and sleeper. These rods can be
raised or lowered independently of the die; they are raised to admit of the plate
or bar being slid into position and are then lowered so as to pass through the holes
in the plate and into the holes in the matrix. The position of these rods may be
varied slightly by means of bushes in the die; matrix, and framing so as to admit

page_text: of the holes in the sleeper being set wider apart for use on curves.
guides to the die.
The rods act as
When the sleepers are intended to carry a double headed rail a chair, preferably
of wrought iron or steel buckled into the necessary shape is employed which is
fastened to the sleeper by rivets or bolts; the rail is secured in the chair by a key.
When a Vignoles rail has to be carried the sleeper may be bent immediately
under the rail seat, as shewn at a a in the side view, Figure 5, so as to give the
tilt to the rail, if that be necessary, and the rail which rests directly on the sleeper,
is secured by gibs and cotters, or by bolts and clips; the bend under the rail seat
may be made by the pressure between the die and matrix which are made of the
requisite shape. The flanges or sides are preferably slightly wider apart at
bottom than at top to allow the sleeper when formed to be readily lifted from the
matrix.
In order to save material the corners of the plate or bar from which the sleeper
is to be formed may be sheared off as shewn by the dotted lines in the plan
Figure 6, the effect on the finished sleeper being indicated by the dotted lines in
Figure 2.
Flexure is caused by the bending moment of the couples formed by the weight
on the rails and such parts of the ballast resistance as do not lie immediately under
the rail seat.
Now the arm of the moment of each couple gradually increases from the edges of
the rail seat to the centre of the sleeper and to the ends.
In the sleeper formed according to my Invention the bearing on the ballast
is gradually reduced from the edges of the rail seat to the centre and ends. Thus
as one factor of the bending moment increases the other diminishes, and
consequently the total bending moments about the edges of the rail seats are
largely reduced.
The bars slightly curved in section (as shewn in Figures 7, 8, 9) are intended to
lessen the subsequent deformation of the section in the process of reduction to its
ultimate shape by pressure between the die and matrix as herein before described.
The section of the bar may be of uniform thickness as shewn in Figure 7, or it
may be slightly thickened at the centre, as is shewn in Figure 8, or at the edges, as
shewn in Figure 9, or at both the centre and the edges as in Figure 10.
The object of this thickening of the centre and edges is to make the finished
sleeper stronger to resist flexure and the thickening at the centre is also useful as
affording an increased bearing to rail fastenings.
The thin part of the section is that which has afterwards to be bent, and this is
consequently easier to bend and is less strained in the operation.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that I do not claim broadly the gradual
reduction of the width of the sleeper and the consequent gradual increase in depth
from the inner edges of the rail seats to the centre of the sleeper but what I
consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :-
-
The Improvements in sleepers for Railways consisting in forming them as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said William Everard Pedley have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal this thirtieth day of April One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
WILLIAM EVERARD PEDLEY (L.S.)