IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING AND CURVING RAILWAY BARS OR RAILS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Richards, of Dowlais, in the County of Glamorgan,
Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR STRAIGHTENING AND CURVING RAILWAY BARS OR RAILS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lewis Richards at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th June 1880.
LEWIS RICHARDS, of Dowlais, in the County of Glamorgan, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING
CURVING RAILWAY BARS OR RAILS."
AND
My Invention consists in the combination of grooved rolls with adjustable guides
to deflect and direct the bars as required.
In the machine may be mounted either one pair of rolls, or more than one pair
placed in succession with their axis horizontal, perpendicular, or at any other
required angle. The rolls may be cast in one piece, or the outer part of the body
may be a separate ring or rings fastened on a central spindle or shaft. The rolls
may be either in the form of cylinders or truncated cones, and made of cast iron
(chilled or otherwise), cast or forged steel, wrought iron, or other suitable material,
and should be turned to suit each other with as many grooves as required for one
or more sections of bars.
The rolls are mounted so as to admit of their being opened or closed at will.
They are also adjustable end wise and in other directions by means of set screws.
The rolls may be made to-turn in one direction only, or they may be made to
turn in either direction by means of a reversing motion, and the bars made to
traverse either way accordingly.
Adapted to the said rolls are adjustable guides fixed to rests, which are fastened
to the frame of the machine, and are interchangeable as required.
These guides are fitted so as to act close to the operating part of the rolls, and
D
11

page_text: they are made to bear upon or against all the faces of the bar under operation, or
against as many of its faces as may be found necessary.
The guides are adjusted and fitted or adapted to the rolls so as to fix the path,
whether straight or curved, by which the bar must travel on leaving the groove or
grooves in in the rolls. The said guides in combination with the rolls are to be used
in substitution for the means hitherto employed for straightening and curving
railway bars or rails, and are an improvement thereon, as being more positive in
action, and admitting of increased simplicity in the machine.
The bar or rail, after being passed through one groove, may be passed through
another that is suitable for taking the rail with either axis horizontal in the
first groove, and perpendicular in the second, or with the rail turned a quarter of a
revolution.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said Lewis Richards in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th January 1881.
LEWIS RICHARDS, of Dowlais, in the County of Glamorgan, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING
CURVING RAILWAY BARS OR RAILS."
AND
My Invention of "Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Straightening
and Curving Railway Bars or Rails" consists in the combination of grooved rolls
with adjustable guides to deflect and direct the bars as required. In the machine
may be mounted either one pair of rolls, or more than one pair, placed in succession
with their axis horizontal, perpendicular, or at any other required angle. The rolls
may be cast in one piece, or the outer part of the body may be a separate ring or
rings fastened on a central spindle or shaft. The rolls may be either in the form
of cylinders or truncated concs, and made of cast iron (chilled or otherwise), cast or
forged steel, wrought iron, or other suitable, material, and should be turned to suit
each other with as many grooves as required for one or inore sections of bars.
The rolls are mounted so as to admit of their being opened or closed at will.
They are also adjustable endwise and in other directions by means of set screws or
by other convenient means.
The rolls may be made to turn in one direction only, or they may be made to
turn in either direction by means of a reversing motion, and the bars made to
traverse either way accordingly.
Adapted to the said rolls are adjustable guides fixed to rests which are fastened
to the frame of the machine and are interchangeable as required. These guides aro
fitted so as to act as close as may be necessary to the operating parts of the rolls,
and they are made to bear upon or against all the faces of the bar under operation,
or against as many of its faces as may be found necessary.
The guides are adjusted and fitted or adapted to the rolls so as to fix the path,
whether straight or curved, by which the bar must travel on leaving the groove or
grooves in the rolls.
The said guides in combination with the rolls are to be used in substitution for
the means hitherto employed for straightening and curving railway bars or rails,
and are an improvement thereon, as being more positive in action and admitting of
increased simplicity in the machine.
The bar or rail after being passed through one groove may be passed through
another that is suitable for taking the rail with either axis horizontal in the first
groove and perpendicular in the second, or with the rail turned & quarter of a
revolution.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to describe
more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, in which are represented a machine as above referred to,
but fitted with only one pair of rolls.

page_text: sufficient pressure to produce the necessary grip to draw the bars or rails through.
The rolls are also adjustable end wise and in other directions by means of set
screws as shewn, or by other convenient means. The rolls are driven by means of
gearing in the ordinary way; C, C, are rests bolted to the frame of the machine
which carry tho adjustable guides D, D. These guides are formed and arranged as
shewn, in order to be capable of operating on the bar or rail as it is drawn through
or between the rolls. The guides are adjustable as required by means of set screws
as shown, or by other convenient means, and when adjusted they are fixed in position
so as to adapt them for giving the suitable deflection and direction to tho bar or rail
as it passes through them. On reference to Figures 2 and 5, it will be seen that
the guides D, D, are arranged so as to bear against or present guiding surfaces to
the under parts and two sides of the bar or rail, but if found necessary, a top guide
or guides may be nuded. In Fig. 4 is shown the form of the guides whereby they
are enabled to commence their operation on the rail or bar as near to the line
passing through the axis of the rolls as may be necessary.
This mode of operation of the adjustable guides D, D, is a feature of great
importance, by which they are distinguished from rollers such as have been
heretofore used for the purpose.
E, E, are rollers for supporting the bar in its passage through the machine.
In the Drawings is represented a machine with only one pair of rolls and set of
adjustable guides, but these may be multiplied as desired, and the rolls may bo
formed with more grooves so as to admit of the bar or rail being passed, first
through a groove, like that shewn in Figures and 5, and afterwards through
another groove, as in Fig. 6, adapted for the bar or rail turned a quarter of a
revolution; or there may be two separate machines, one as shewn, and another with
grooves suited for the rail when turned a quarter of a revolution.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not claim as of my Invention
the use of grooved rolls otherwise thau in combination with adjustable guides as
described; but what I claim is, the combination of adjustable guides with grooved
rolls, for the purpose of straightening or curving railway bars or rails, as herein-
before described,
In witness whereof, I, the said Lewis Richards, have hereunto set my hand and
scal, the Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one