Improvements in and relating to the Rolling and Forming of Malleable Iron and Steel Spokes for the Wheels of Railway Rolling Stock, Applicable also to other like Shaped Articles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1890-Accepted, 18th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Rolling and Forming of
Malleable Iron and Steel Spokes for the Wheels of Railway
Rolling Stock, Applicable also to other like Shaped Articles.
I, GEORGE GARRETT, of the Waverley Iron and Steel Company, Coatbridge, Lanark-
shire, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved mode of, and
arrangement and combination of mechanism, for the rolling and forming of wheel
spokes out of malleable iron and steel bars for carriages, or other railway rolling stock,
or like formed articles, which require the end parts reduced in both directions at right
angles to each other and which invention will be more expeditious and produce more
uniform work than by the modes heretofore employed of reducing the ends of such
wheel spokes or articles after being "blocked" out, by hammering and compression
in dises or creases. In making the ordinary duplex or double wheel spokes, that is,
spokes which require both ends reduced to the same shape as separate spokes, con-
nected by a broad parallel part at the centre which subsequently forms the segment
when the whole is afterwards bent into a sector for forming the finished double or
duplex spoke to be cast in the wheel, it has heretofore been the practice to roll each
said duplex spoke first as plain parallel bars of sufficient size, cut off to the proper
lengths;
or second, as semi-prepared parallel bars with the thick central parts and
reduced ends, made in ordinary way of rolling with rolls prepared as follows:-A
plain roll is used for the back of the bars and a parallel grooved roll the circumference
of which is equal to the length of each double ended spoke, and made of the contour
of the reduced bar, that is having the groove deeper at the part of the circumference
which forms the central part and shallower at the parts which reduce the opposite
spoke parts, and with a reverse deeper wedge part at the ends of each spoke and the
adjoining finish of the circumference indenting the bar at this part where each spoke
would afterwards be separated and cut out of the bar,
.
When plain or semi-prepared parallel or bar spokes and articles of this description
so cut off to their lengths have had to be reduced edgeways at the spoke ends on
opposite sides, they have heretofore been so reduced by steam hammers or presses
after reheating each rolled spoke, and the shape maintained in the flat direction in
matrices or anvil blocks to finish them.
Under my invention as applied to the said form of semi-prepared bar spokes, I make
and cut the spokes and reheat them so far in the usual manner, but by my new
departure and improvements I make a new set or pair of rolls with a double set of
grooves in them the one set for reducing the ends of the spoke edgeways, and the other
set for reducing and shaping or maintaining the shape given to the spokes on the sides.
The first set of grooves are made deep, and of much greater or nearly double the
circumference of, the length of each end to be reduced edgeways, and with a raised
part in each opposite groove coming into action at the same rolling part
of the circumference of the groove to reduce the edges of the spoke parts on
opposite sides as hereinafter stated, these edge grooves being wide enough to allow
each thick wedge part at the ends of the bar spoke while hot to be passed in from the
delivery side of the rolls, while the deep parts of the grooves were rotating tangentially
to each other, and these parts made deep enough to clear the full width of the parallel
bar spoke before being reduced. A movable knee stop is fixed up in front of the two
rolls, against which the end of the bar spoke bears when inserted between the grooves
of the rolls, so that when the raised parts of the grooves come round, they indent and
roll out the end of the spoke to the parallel or reduced shape desired on the opposite
edges. This end of the spoke so reduced while still hot, is turned on the flat and

page_text: inserted into the other pair of grooves in the same rolls, from the delivery side with its
end up against a corresponding adjustable stop, the grooves being wide and shallow in
this case to guide the said reduced end of the bar spoke. In this case one of the rolls,
preferably the lower roll, is made with a plain surface for the flat side of the bar spoke
to be guided in; while the deep part of the upper grooved roll is of sufficient depth to
allow the upper wedge end of the spoke to be passed in freely from the delivery side
of the rolls and the raised part of the groove in the upper roll is made to come into
action and roll and flatten down the reduced part of the spoke, and the enlarged wedge
end part, as it delivers the bar spoke back out of the rolls, both to their proper shape
leaving this reduced spoke part finished, both on the upper and lower surfaces and
side edges, in fact the rolls in this case acting as rolling matrices, in contradistinction
to hammering or rectilineal matrices or creases as heretofore employed. This is done so
quickly that the other end of the spoke can be turned round while hot and similarly
inserted into the reducing and shaping or finishing grooves of the rolls leaving these
bar spokes quite finished at both ends ready for either being flattened or bent into
their proper shape for subsequently forming the spokes.
Although I have described these new or improved reducing and shaping grooved
rolls as suited only for rolling out parallel ends on the spokes, the bottoms of their
grooves might be made to roll them out of a wedge or tapered shape, or with enlarge-
ments at the ends. Instead of the finishing groove in the lower roll having a uniform
flat surface, it might have raised and deep parts for making undentations on the lower
surface when that was desired, corresponding to the under surface of the bar spokes
made by the grooves in the bar shaping rolls to suit other forms of spokes or equivalent
⚫ shaped articles.
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Rolling and Forming of
Malleable Iron and Steel Spokes for the Wheels of Railway
Rolling Stock, Applicable also to other like Shaped Articles.
I, GEORGE GARRETT of the Waverley Iron and Steel Company, of Coatbridge,
Lanarkshire, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of
drawings and to the reference letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved mode of, and
arrangement and combination of mechanism, for the rolling and forming of wheel
spokes out of malleable iron and steel bars for carriages, or other railway rolling stock,
or like formed articles, which require the end parts of each spoke reduced in both
directions at right angles to each other, that is on the edges and sides, and which
invention will be more expeditious and produce more uniform work than by the modes
heretofore employed of reducing the ends of such wheel spokes or articles after being
"blocked" out, by hammering and compression in dies or creases. In making the
ordinary duplex or double wheel spokes, that is spokes which require both ends
reduced to the saine shape as separate spokes, connected by a broad parallel part at the
centre which subsequently forms the segment when the whole is afterwards bent
into a sector for forming the finished double or duplex spoke to be cast in the wheel,
it has heretofore been the practice to roll each said duplex spoke first as plain
parallel bars of sufficient size; cut off to the proper lengths; or second, as semi-
prepared parallel bars with the thick central parts and reduced ends, made in the
ordinary way of rolling with rolls prepared as follows:-A plain roll is used for the
back straight side of the bars and a parallel grooved roll for the reduced side of
the bar, the circumference of which is equal to the length of each double ended
spoke, and made of the contour of the reduced bar, that is having the groove deeper

page_text: at the part of the circumference which forms the central part and shallower at the
parts which reduce the opposite spoke parts, and with a reverse deeper wedge part at
the ends of each spoke and the adjoining finish of the circumference indenting the
bar at this part where each spoke would afterwards be separated and cut out of
the bar.
When plain or semi-prepared parallel or bar spokes and articles of this description
so cut off to their lengths have had to be reduced edge-ways at the spoke ends on
opposite sides, they have heretofore been so reduced by steam hammers or presses
after re-heating the ends of each spoke rolled as before described, and the shape
maintained in the flat direction in matrices or anvil blocks to finish them.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood. I have hereunto appended
an explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1 represents one arrangement of the lower and upper rolls A, A¹, of a
mill, as formed with grooves a a¹ for rolling and reducing the ends of spokes on
edge out of parallel bars, in accordance with my improvements, and showing one bar
as having its one end in the act of being rolled and reduced. Figure 2 shows a
corresponding view of the lower and upper rolls A A', of a roll mill, as formed with
shallow grooves b b¹ for rolling reducing and shaping the said ends of spokes on their
sides after removal from the first set of grooves a a¹ Figure 1.
Referring to these drawings, under my invention as applied to the said form of
double ended or semi-prepared bar spokes S, as shown in Figure 1, I make and cut
the spokes to their required lengths and re-heat them so far in the usual manner, but
by my new departure and improvements I make a new set or pair of rolls A A¹ with
narrow grooves a a¹ in them for rolling the ends of the spokes on edge as shown in
Figure 1, and with another set of grooves 6 61, as shown in Figure 2 for reducing
and shaping or maintaining the shape to be given to the ends of the spokes on the
sides after passing through the first set of grooves a a¹.
Referring to Figure 1, the first set of grooves a a¹ in these rolls A A¹ are made
deep and of much greater or nearly double the circumferential length of each end of
the bar S to be reduced edgeways, and with a raised part all in the bottom of each
opposite groove coming into action at the same rolling part of the circumference of
the groove to reduce the edges at 8 of the spoke parts on opposite sides as herein-
after stated, these edge grooves a a¹, being wide enough to allow each thick wedge
part $1 at the ends of the blank spoke S while hot to be passed in from the delivery
side A of the rolls A A¹ which revolve in the direction of the arrows indicated on
them, while the deep parts a² opposite to the raised parts all of the grooves a a¹ were
rotating tangentially to each other, and these parts a² are made deep enough to clear
the full width of the parallel bar spoke before being reduced. A movable and
adjustable knee stop C is fixed up on a table C¹ in front of the two rolls A A¹ for the
extreme inner end S¹ of the bar spoke S to bear up against when inserted from the
front as before stated, between the grooves a a¹ of the rolls, so that when the raised
parts all of the grooves come round, they indent and roll out the end of the spoke to
the parallel or reduced shape desired on the opposite edges of these ends as shown in
the act of doing this in Figure 1. This end of the spoke so reduced on edge and
delivered from the grooves a a', while still hot, is turned on the flat and inserted into
the other pair of grooves b 1 in the same rolls A A¹, from the delivery side A× with
its end up against a corresponding adjustable stop C² on the table C¹, the grooves bb1
being wide and shallow in this case to guide the said reduced end of the bar spoke.
In this case one of the rolls preferably the lower roll A, is made with a plain
surface on the bottom of its groove for the flat side of the har spoke to be guided
in, while the deep part 62 of the upper groove b¹ of the roll A¹ is of sufficient depth
to allow the upper wedge end S₁ of the spoke S to be passed in freely from the
delivery side of the rolls A A¹ up against the stop C, and the raised part 6 of the
groove b¹ in the upper roll A' is made to come into action and roll and flatten down
the reduced part 1 of the spoke S, and the enlarged wedge end part S¹, as it delivers

page_text: "
.
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the bar spoke back out of the grooves b b¹ both to their proper shape leaving this
reduced spoke part finished, both on the upper and lower surfaces and side edges & in
fact the grooves a a and b b' of the rolls A A' in this case acting as rolling matrices,
in contradistinction to hammering or rectilineal matrices or creases as heretofore
employed. This is done so quickly that the other end of the spoke can be turned
round while hot and similarly inserted into the reducing and shaping or finishing
grooves a a¹, and b b¹ of the rolls A A¹ leaving these bar spokes S quite finished at
both ends as shown in edge and side views in Figure 3, ready for being afterwards
flattened or bent into their proper shape for subsequently forming the spokes.
Although I have described these new or improved reducing and shaping grooved
rolls A A¹, as suited only for rolling out parallel or nearly parallel ends 8 &¹ on the
spokes S, the bottoms of their grooves might be made to roll them out of a wedge or
tapered shape, or with enlargements at the ends. Instead of the finishing groove bin
the lower roll A having a uniform flat surface, it might have raised and deep parts
for making indentations on the lower surface when that was desired, corresponding to
the under surface of the bar spokes made by the grooves a a¹ in the bar shaping rolls
to suit other forms of spokes or equivalent shaped articles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
First. The mode of, and arrangement and combination of special grooved rolls for
rolling, and forming or shaping spokes or their ends out of malleable iron and steel
bars, inserted from the delivery side of the grooves, for the wheels of railway rolling
stock, and for other like shaped articles, substantially as herein described, in reference
to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. The construction and use of a pair of rolls A, A¹, formed with narrow
grooves a, a¹, for rolling and reducing on edge the ends of wheel spokes or other
liked shaped articles, and with grooves 6 6¹ for reducing and shaping or maintaining
the shape to be given to the sides of the ends of said spokes or articles, substantially
as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The construction and use of a pair of rolls A A¹ formed with narrow
grooves a, a, for rolling and reducing on edge the ends of wheel spokes or other like
shaped articles inserted from the delivery side of the grooves, substantially as herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated he and Santambar 1800
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.