IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS, PULLEYS, SHEAVES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WHEELS, PULLEYS, SHEAVES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS
OR MEANS EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE." A communication from
abroad by George Granville Lobdell and William Wheeler Lobdell, of the City
of Wilmington, County of Newcastle, State of Delaware, United States of
America.
Scaled the 22nd September 1877, and dated the 18th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of latents on the 18th April 1877.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS, PULLEYS, SHEAVES, AND OTHER LIKE
A
ARTICLES, AND IN APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE."
communication from abroad by George Granville Lobdell and William Wheeler
Lobdell, of the City of Wilmington, County of Newcastle, State of Delaware, United
States of America.
This Invention relates to the manufacture of wheels or pulleys, the rims of which
are grooved or recessed, and the peripheries and flanges of which are subjected to
great friction.
The class of wheels to which the improvement especially relates are,--
First. Grooved pulleys for a hemp or wire rope, or for a chain.
Secondly. Double-flanged wheels adapted to a rail or used in connection with a
flat rope.
And, Thirdly. Wheels such as are used in connection with tube-making machines,
or for other purposes.
The grooves or both grooves and flanges of these wheels, and of other varieties
of the same class are subjected to such friction that they are rapidly worn and
rendered useless, an evil which it is the especial object of this Invention to remedy.
Inasmuch as substantially the same mode of carrying the Invention into effect is
applicable to all wheels of this class, it will suffice to select the third class as an
example in the following description.

page_text: Assuming the wheel to have been cast, the entire wheel is embedded and is in
contact with the sand, excepting where two annular chills have been introduced into
the mould at the part which is to form the opposite sides of the wheel at the exterior
of the groove. The effect of these opposite chills on the molten metal is to harden
the grooved rim of the wheel.
When the groove and rim are narrow, the chilled and hardened metal will extend
across the rim, so that the groove will be so hard as to resist frictional action for a
much longer time than ordinary unchilled cast iron. When the rim is wide, how-
ever, and the groove both wide and deep, a third chill may be required, this chill
being adapted to the groove so that it may aid the other chills in insuring a a
proper extent of hardened metal. This chill, as well as other chills herein-after
described for forming the recesses in the wheels, is necessarily made in segments;
as those segments are subjected to greatest heat at the inner edges, where they are
in direct contact with the molten metal, they have a tendency to spring outwards
at the ends, and to retain the untrue condition which they thus assume. The effect
of this would be the production of wheels with unirue rims, an evil which is óbviated
by confining the segments in a continuous ring.
In some cases the third chill may be comparatively thin, so that the groove may
be formed partly by the sand of the mould and partly by the chill.
It is preferable in most cases to use the opposite chills, for it has been found in
practice that they have a tendency to insure the extension of the hard metal down
to and beyond the bottom of the groove.
Where the wheel has a shallow recess, as, for instance, a double-flanged carriage
wheel or a flanged wheel to be used in connection with a flat rope, there may be a
single chill adapted to the space between the flanges, the said chill being made in
sections. A single chill in sections may also be used for V grooved pulleys, in which
the greatest wear caused by a rope or chain is on the inside of the flanges; or the
same hardened flanges can be produced by the employment of two opposite chills on
the exterior, the hard metal extending through the flanges.
According to another mode of carrying out the Invention, the wheel is hollow
and a chill is fitted to the core by which the cavity is produced, this internal chill
aiding an outer chill at the edge of the wheel to produce the desired depth of hard
metal on the rim of the wheel, the internal chill being made in such segments as
can be withdrawn with the core through openings on one or both of the webs of the
wheel.
Another mode of carrying out this Invention consists in manufacturing in two
parts wheels with chilled grooves, each part being cast in a mould containing a chill
which forms one half of the groove, so that when the two parts have been fitted and
bolted together, a thoroughly chilled groove will be presented.
Thore is a special advantage in this mode of making grooved wheels when they
are applied to tube-rolling machines, in which the rapid wearing away of the wheels
is a source of great expense.
When the wheel has been so far worn as to be useless for the production of tubes
of a given diameter, the two parts may be separated, the faces which fit each other
reduced, and the two parts again secured together, after which the groove may be
turned and adapted to a tube of nearly the same size as that for which the wheel
was originally intended; or when the wheel is worn, packing pieces may be intro-
duced between the two parts, and the groove turned to suit a tube of larger diameter
than those for which it was originally used.
The packing pieces may be of a high grade of steel, and may be hardened at the
edges, so that there may be no essential diminution in the hardness of the grooves.
This method of constructing a wheel in two parts may also be further modified in
various ways.
According to a further mode of carrying out this Invention the rim of the wheel
is made separate from the central portion, the rim having an internal flange secured
by bolts, and an annular plate to the web of the central portion. The rim may be

page_text: of cast iron, with a chilled groove produced in the manner herein-before described,
or it may be of steel, and the steel may be hardened.
When the rim of this wheel has been so far worn as to be useless, it may be
removed and replaced with a new rin.
It should be understood that the chilled grooves and peripheries of the above
wheels are to be turned truly, excepting in the case of the chain or rope wheels and
the carriage wheel, which need not in all cases be turned.

page_text: It is preferable in most cases to use the opposite chills a, a, for it has been found
in practice that they have a tendency to insure the extension of the hard metal
down to and beyond the bottom of the groove.
Where the wheel has a shallow recess, as, for example, in the case of a double-
flanged carriage wheel or a flanged wheel to be used in connection with a flat rope,
as shown in Figures 2 and 7, there may be a single chill d, as shown in the latter
Figure, the said chill being made in sections. A single chill din sections may also
be used for the pulley E, Figure 8, in which the greatest wear caused by a rope or
chain is on the inside of the flanges; or the same hardened flanges can be produced
by the employment of two chills i, i¹, Figure 9, the hard metal extending through
the flanges.
Figure 10 represents another mode of carrying out the said Invention. The wheel
in this case is hollow, and a chill is fitted to the core by which the cavity is pro-
duced; this internal chill aids the outer chill at the edge of the wheel to produce
the desired depth of hard metal on the rim of the wheel, the chill being made in
such segments as can be withdrawn with the core through openings in one or both
of the webs of the wheel.
Figure 11 illustrates a mode of manufacturing in two parts H, H', wheels with
chilled grooves, each part being cast in a mould containing a chill k, which forms
one half of the groove, as shown in Figure 12, so that when the two paris have been
fitted and bolted together a thoroughly chilled groove will be presented.
A special advantage is obtained by this mode of making grooved wheels when
they are applied to tube-rolling machines, in which the rapid wearing away of the
wheels is a source of great expense.
When the wheel, Figure 11, has been so far worn as to be useless for the produc-
tion of tubes of a given diameter, the two parts may be separated, the faces which
fit each other reduced, and the two parts again secured together, after which the
groove may be turned and adapted to a tube of nearly the same size as that for
which the wheel was originally intended; or when the wheel is worn, the packing
picces n, Figure 13, may be introduced between the two parts, and the groove
turned to suit a tube of larger diameter than those for which it was originally
used.
The packing pieces may of a high grade of steel, and may be hardened at the
edges, so that there shall be no essential diminution in the hardness of the groove.
Other modifications of a wheel made in two parts will readily suggest themselves
to persons skilled in the art from the example given.
Figure 14 represents another mode of carrying out the said Invention. In this
case the rim I of the wheel is made separate from the central portion J, the rim
having an internal flange p secured by bolis q and an annular plate t to the web of
the central portion J. The rim may be of cast iron, with a chilled groove produced
in the manner herein-before-lescribed, or it may be of steel, and the steel may be
hardened.
When the rim of this wheel has been so far worn as to be useless, it may be
removed and replaced with a new rim.
It should be understood that the chilled grooves and peripheries of the above
wheels are to be turned truly, excepting in the case of the chain or rope wheels,
Figures 8 and 9, and the carriage wheel, Figure 7, which need not in all cases be
turned.
It should be observed that the term " wheel," as used in this my Specification, is
intended to include analogous articles of the same generic character.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. A wheel having a grooved or recessed rim chilled as herein-before
described.

page_text: Second. The mode herein described of casting a wheel with chilled groove or
recess, that is to say, by means of opposite chills used in the mould, substantially in
the manner herein-before described.
Third. The mode described of casting a wheel with a chilled groove or recess at
the rim, that is to say, by means of the edge chill with or without the opposite side
chills, as herein-before described.
Fourth. A wheel mould in which an external chill is combined with an internal
chill f, as herein-before described.
Fifth. A wheel with grooved or recessed rim, the said wheel being composed of
two parts separately chilled before they are united.
Sixth. The wheel, composed of the grooved and chilled rim I, combined with the
central portion J, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, 1, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)