Improvements in Machines for Bending the Rails of Tramways and Railways and for other like Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Bending the Rails of Tramways and
Railways and for other like Purposes.
We WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY of No. 76 Lionel Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick General Manager of Birmingham and Midland Tramways
Limited and WILLIAM ROBERTS of Wills Street Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Plate Layer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
The machine commonly employed for bending rails and for other like purposes is
defective in the respect that the bending pressure is applied only to the base of the
rail and the head of the rail is frequently distorted in the act of bending. The
ordinary machine is further defective in the respect that it cannot be made to operate
upon the rail excepting at the middle of that part of the rail placed in the machine.
The ordinary machine is also defective or inconvenient in other respects.
The said invention has for its object to remedy the defects referred to and to produce
a machine for bending rails in which the bending pressure is applied to the head web
and base of the rail and the bending of the rail effected without the distortion referred
to. Machines constructed according to the said invention can be made to apply the
bending pressure to any part of the portion of the rail placed in the machine and
possess other minor advantages as hereinafter explained.
We will describe the said invention in connection with the bending of a tramway
girder rail.
The base or foundation of the machine resembles generally that of the ordinary
machine that is to say it consists of a strong bar or beam having at each end an arm
at right angles the said arms being of about one half the length of the said bar or
beam. The said bar or beam instead of being solid as in the ordinary machine has a
deep slot running through its whole length thus virtually dividing it into two parallel
beams one above the other. On this slotted beam the screw box is situated in which the
screw works by which the bending pressure is applied to the rail and the said screw
box is capable of being brought by a sliding motion to any part of the slotted bar or
beam. The said screw has a keyway extending through its whole length and a
ratchet wheel upon the said screw has a key or feather which engages in the said
keyway. The said ratchet wheel consequently rotates together with the screw and the
said screw is capable of advancing or retiring in the ratchet wheel. The said ratchet
wheel is held in position between the sliding screw box and a plate fixed to the said
screw box. The ratchet wheel is provided with a ratchet lever and pawl.
The acting end of the screw carries a block the outer end of which has a configu-
ration the counterpart of the side of the rail and the ends of the arms by which the
rail is supported while being hent have a configuration the counterpart of the other
side of the rail. Hence when a rail is placed in the machine and bent by the rotation
and advance of the bending screw the outer sides of the ends of the rail are supported
from top to bottom while the bending pressure is applied to the inner side of the rail
from top to bottom and the distortion of the rail herein before referred to is avoided.
In using the machine that part of the rail to be operated upon is placed in the
machine being supported by the ends of the arms. The screw box is brought opposite
the part of the rail to be bent by sliding it on the beam and the screw is driven home
by its winch or handle. When the resistance of the rail renders it necessary or
desirable the screw is advanced by the use of the ratchet lever.

page_text: The ends of the arms and beam are provided with handles by which the machine
can be moved and rollers are situated under each end of the beam to facilitate the
travelling of the machine from one part of the rail to another.
TL: TUIL
0205
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Bending the Rails of Tramways and
Railways and for other like Purposes.
We WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY of No. 76 Lionel Street Birmingham in the
County of Warwick General Manager of the Birmingham and Midland Tramways,
Limited, and WILLIAM ROBERTS of Wills Street, Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Plate Layer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The machine commonly employed for bending rails and for other like purposes is
defective in the respect that the bending pressure is applied only to the base of the
rail and the head of the rail is frequently distorted in the act of bending. The
ordinary machine is further defective in the respect that it cannot be made to operate
upon the rail excepting at the middle of that part of the rail placed in the machine.
The ordinary machine is also defective or inconvenient in other respects.
The said invention has for its object to remedy the defects referred to and to produce
a machine for bending rails in which the bending pressure is applied to the head web
and base of the rail and the bending of the rail effected without the distortion
referred to. Machines constructed according to the said invention can be made to
apply the bending pressure to any part of the portion of the rail placed in the
machine and possess other minor advantages as hereinafter explained.
We will describe the said invention in connection with the bending of a tramway
girder rail but the said invention may also be applied to the bending of other rails,
angle iron, channel iron and other bars.
The base or foundation of the machine resembles generally that of the ordinary
machine, that is to say, it consists of a strong bar or beam having at each end
an arm preferably at right angles, the said arms being of about one half the
length of the said bar or beam. The said bar or beam instead of being solid as in
the ordinary machine has a deep slot running through its whole length thus virtually
dividing it into two parallel beams, one above the other. On this slotted heam
the screw box is situated in which the screw works by which the bending pressure
is applied to the rail and the said screw box is capable of being brought by a
sliding motion to any part of the slotted bar or beam. The said screw has a keyway
extending through its whole length and a ratchet wheel upon the said screw has
a key or feather which engages in the said keyway. The said ratchet wheel con-
sequently rotates together with the screw and the said screw is capable of advancing
or retiring in the ratchet wheel. The said ratchet wheel is held in position between
the sliding screw box and a plate fixed to the said screw box. The ratchet wheel
is provided with a ratchet lever and pawl.
The acting end of the screw carries a block the outer end of which has a con-
figuration the counterpart of the side of the rail and the ends of the arms by
which the rail is supported while being bent have a configuration the counterpart
of the other side of the rail. Hence when a rail is placed in the machine and
bent by the rotation and advance of the bending screw, the outer sides of the ends
of the rail are supported from top to bottom while the bending pressure is applied
to the inner side of the rail from top to bottom and the distortion of the rail
herein before referred to is avoided.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in front elevation; Figure 2 in
plan and Figure 3 in transverse vertical section, a machine for bending tramway rails
and other rails and bars and for other purposes, the parts of the said machine being
constructed and combined according to this invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
Drawing.
a, a is the foundation or base of the machine consisting of a slotted beam or bar,,
that is, of two parallel beams or bars having at each end a side arın 6 at right angles
thereto but we do not limit ourselves to that position of the side arms. In the backs
of these side arms the tramway rail c (or other rail or bar) to be bent is supported.
The said rail c is represented bent by the action of the machine the straight rail before
the bending operation being indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The shape of the
side supporting arms b, b of the machine is best seen in the cross section Figure 3;
d is the bending screw and e is the screw box in which the said screw works, the
screw box e being capable of sliding upon the slotted beam or bar a, a (see Figure 3)
so as to permit of the application of the bending power to any part of the trainway
rail c.
The bending screw is rotated by a winch or handle passed through its head
as usual or by the ratchet lever and appliances hereinafter described; f is a ratchet
wheel fixed on and turning with the bending screw d. The said ratchet wheel fis
fixed to the screw d by the latter being provided with a continuous key way d¹ in
which a key or feather engages, the said key or feather also taking into the ratchet
wheel (see figure 1) so that the ratchet wheel and screw' rotate together, but the said
screw is also capable of advancing or retiring in the ratchet wheel. The ratchet
wheel is held in position between the screw box e and the plate g connected with the
screw box in the manner represented in Figure 2; h is the ratchet lever by which
the ratchet wheel on the screw d is rotated and is a double pawl (shewn out of
gear in the drawing) turning on the centre on the ratchet lever. By means of the
spring bolt one or other limb or arm of the double pawl i can be put into gear
with the ratchet wheel and the reciprocating motion of the ratchet lever is made to
communicate rotary motion to the ratchet wheel and screw in one or other direction
às may be required.
When the ratchet lever is not being used the double pawl i is held out of action
by a notch at the bottom of the spring bolt & bearing on the pointed summit of the
said pawl as represented. When the ratchet motion is required to be communicated
to the screw d the pawl is turned on its centre in one or other direction so as to
cause one of its limbs or arms to gear with the ratchet wheel the said pawl being
maintained in gear by the inclined side of the spring bolt A bearing on one. of 'the
inclined sides of the, pawl.
The inner end of the bending screw d carries a bending block the screw being,
connected to it preferably by a swivel action. The shape of the bending block / is
best seen in Figure 3. By referring to the said Figure 3 it will be seen that the
lock has a configuration the counterpart of the side of the rail c, that is, the counter-
part of the figure of the head, web and base of the rail against which it is to act and
the ends of the side arms b, b by which the rail c is supported while being bent
have a configuration the counterpart of the other side of the rail (see Figure 3).
One of the said supporting parts of the side arm is marked m in Figure 3.
When the rail is put into the machine the outer sides of its ends are thus supported
from top to bottom by the bearing blocks at m while the bending pressure is applied
to the inner side of the rail from top to bottom by the block which is advanced
by, the rotation of the bending screw d. The ends of the arms b, band beam -a
are provided with handles p. p by which the machine can be moved and rollers
are placed under each end of the beam to facilitate the travelling of the machine
from one part of the rail to another during the bending operation.
.
In using the machine that part of the rail c to be operated upon placed in
the machine, being supported by the end blocks m, m of the arms b, b. The screw
box e being moved on the double or slotted rail a, a is brought opposite the part

page_text: of the rail c to be bent and the bending screw d is driven home by its winch or handle
so as to cause the bending block carried by the said screw to bear upon and bend the
rail in a horizontal direction to the required degree as represented in the drawing.
When the resistence of the rail e renders it. necessary or desirable to obtain extra
power, the screw d is advanced by the use of the ratchet lever acting upon the
ratchet wheel fixed on the screw but the ratchet motion is specially useful when
the rail is required to be bent near it end or ends.
By applying the bending pressure to and supporting the rail by the use of the
machine described and represented the bending of the rail is effected without
distorting the sectional figure of the rail and the bending block can by the sliding
of the screw box on the double beam of the machine be made to operate upon any part
of the rail in the machine. The bending block can be readily detached from the screw
and bending blocks of other sectional figures to suit the rails (or other articles) to be
bent may be substituted for the said block, and similarly the blocks m supporting the
rail may be detached from the side arms b, b for the same purpose.
When tramway rails are required to be bent vertically so as to give to the heads of
the rails either a concave or convex curve to accoinodate them to the curved
gradient of the road, the bending machine is modified in the manner represented in
front elevation in Figure 4 of the Drawing: that is to say, the bending screw and
bending block as well as the side arms of the double beam are used in a vertical
position instead of a horizontal position the said bending block being made to act upon
the head or foot of the rail according as a concave or convex curve is to be given to
the head of the rail. The machine represented is fitted to operate upon the head
of the rail to give a concave curve in a vertical direction to the said head of the rail;
a, a is the double beam on which the screw box e slides and b, bare the side armis of
the said beam; d is the bending screw and is the bending block having on its acting
face a configuration the counterpart of the head of the rail c. The side arms b, b of
this machine have the same configuration as those represented in the machine
Figures 1, 2, and 3, the rail e to be bent being supported by its foot upon the
horizontal shoulders or angle parts at 62, 62 the rail and bending block occupying
the bend or recess between the horizontal or angle parts at of the side arms
and the parts of the side arms which join the slotted beam a, a (see Figure 3).
The machines represented may be used for bending rails generally and for bending
other metallic articles, such for example as angle bars, channel iron, bridge iron, tee
iron, girders shafting axles and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as the
said invention of "Improvements in machines for bending the rails of tramways and
railways and for other like purposes
י;
First. The construction and combination of the parts hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawing for applying the
bending pressure to the inner side of the rail or other article from top to bottom
and supporting the outer sides of the ends of the rail or article from top to bottom
during the bending operation and thereby preventing the distortion of the sectional
figure of the rail or article in the act of hending substantially as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. The use in the machine of the double or slotted beam upon which said
beam the screw box (in which the bending screw works) is capable of a sliding
motion to enable the bending block to operate upon any part of the rail or article
placed in the machine substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Thirdly. The combination with the bending screw of the machine of the ratchet
motion described and illustrated for advancing the said screw when extra resistance
in the act of bending has to be overcome.
Lastly. The modification of the parts of the machine herein before described and

page_text: illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawing for bending the rail or article in
a vertical direction so as to give to the head of the rail or article either a concave or
convex curve.
Dated this Third day of February 1890
WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY.
WILLIAM ROBERTS.