IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS OR GIRDERS AND COLUMNS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William George Woodcock, of West Bromwich, in
the County of Stafford, Manager of Iron Works, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS OR GIRDERS AND COLUMNS."
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 11th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William George Wood-
cock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th January 1861.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE WOODCOCK, of West Bromwich, in the County of
Stafford, Manager of Iron Works, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS OR GIRDERS AND
COLUMNS," to be as follows:-
In making beams or girders according to my Invention, I roll bars of iron
nearly of a trough-shape, two of the said trough-shaped bars rivetted or bolted
together back to back constitute a beam or girder, having flanges both at top
and bottom. At the outer angle of each bar is a depression of a wedge shape,
and when two of the bars are fixed together, two of the said depressions being
opposed to each other both at top and bottom of the beam or girder constitute
dovetails at the top and bottom. Joists of wood may be inserted in the said
dovetails, to which joists flooring or other woodwork may be connected or
joined. I sometimes make those parts of the bars which form the body of the
beams concave on the sides which are presented to each other. The body of
the beam is thereby made hollow. I sometimes make dovetails on the said
Price 8d1

page_text: hollow sides, in which a bar may be inserted for holding together the two
trough-shaped bars in addition to the bolts or rivets. I sometimes also form
dovetails on those sides of the trough-shaped bars which in the finished
beam constitute the outer sides of the beam. The last described dovetails
serve for the attachment of anything which it may be wished to attach to
the beam. Beams or girders made according to my Invention may also be
used as columns.
My improvements in wrought-iron columus consist further in making
wrought-iron coluinns by rolling bars with a dovetail in each of their four
sides. The said dovetails serve for the attachment of walls or other things
which it may be desired to attach to any or all of the four sides of the column.
The bars which I employ to make beams or girders, as well as the columns
last described, are made from wrought iron by rolling in suitably shaped rolls.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent. filed
by the said William George Woodcock in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GEORGE WOODCOCK, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manager
of Iron Works, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William George Woodcock, Her special licence that I, the said
William George Woodcock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William George Woodcock, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Chanuel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS
OR GIRDERS AND COLUMNS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William George Woodcock, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William George Woodcock, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in making wrought-iron beams or girders and
columns of two bars rolled nearly of a trough shape, joined back to back, or
mainly from two such bars joined back to back, as herein-after described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings. Also in applying dovetails
to the sides of beams or girders.
In making beams or girders according to my Invention, I roll bars of iron
of a nearly trough shape, and place two of the said bars back to back, as
represented in section in Figure 1 of the Drawings, where the said trough-
shaped bars are marked respectively a and b. After the said bars a, b, have
been bolted or riveted together by bolts or rivets c, c, as represented in
Figure 2, a beam or girder is produced, having flangeed,d, at top and bottom.
At the outer angle of each of the bars a, b, a depression, either rectangular or
wedge-shaped is formed, and when two of the said bars are fixed together, as
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, two of the said depressions being opposed to
each other at top and bottom of the girder constitute dovetails, or square
depressions at the top and bottom of the said girder. The said dovetails or
depressious are marked e, e, in Figures 1 and 2. Joists of wood may be
inserted in the said dovetails or depressions e, e, to which said joists flooring
or other woodwork may be connected or joined. That part of one of the bars
which forms the body of the beam or girder may be made concave on that side
which is presented to the other bar, and dovetails may be made in both the
inner sides of the bars, in which said dovetails a bar of wood or iron may be
inserted for holding together the two trough-shaped bars in addition to the
bolts or rivets. A beam or girder, made as last described, is represented in
section in Figure 3, in which Figure the concave or hollow side of one of the
bars forming the girder is marked f, and the dovetail made from both bars is
marked g. Both the inner sides of the bars niay be made hollow, and have
dovetails made on them, and in addition to the dovetails on the inner sides
other dovetails may be formed on those sides which in the finished beam con-
stitute the outer sides of the beam, as illustrated in the section, Figure 4, in
which Figure 4 the inner and outer dovetails are marked respectively h and i.
The dovetails i, on the outer sides of the beam or girder serv. for the attach-
ment of woodwork, or of anything which it may be wished to attach to the

page_text: sides of the beam or girder. I sometimes give to the dovetails on the outer
sides of the bars when the body of the beam is not hollow, the form represented
in Figures 5 and 6, and make the flanges on the bars, forming one edge of the
girder, much broader than those forming the other edge, as represented in the
said Figure 5. A piece of wood k, Figure 6, may be placed between the bars
before they are bolted or fastened together. Where the beam or girder is
deep, I make two dovetails on the inner side of the girder, by which dovetails
the bars are fastened together; and I also make two dovetails on the outer
sides of the girder, by which latter dovetails woodwork or other matters may
be attached thereto. A girder made according to this modification is
represented in Figure 7.
In addition to the flanges at the top and bottom of the girder, other flanges
may be fixed on the sides running along the middle of the girder, as illustrated
in Figures 8, 9, and 10 of the Drawings. In Figure 8 the two bars l, m,
constituting the body of the girder, are rolled of the form represented, and
are connected toget! er by inserting a piece of wood or iron into the central
dovetail, as well as by pins or rivets, if required. In the dovetails at the
outer sides of the beam or girder bars of iron, o, p, forming flanges are inserted
and fixed. The said flanges o, p, serve to support brickwork or other matters
which may be required to be supported on the sides of the beam or girder.
Figures 9 and 10 represent other girders having flanges fixed in their outer
sides marked r, s. The bars 12, s², forming the bodies of the girders or beams,
Figures 9 and 10, are rolled of the forms represented, and are joined together
by welding, or by bolting or rivetting. One of the said bars has projections on
its inner side, which engage in recesses in the inner side of the other bar, as
represented.
Figures 11, 12, and 13 represent sections of other beams or girders made
according to my Invention, the bars forming the bodies of the beams or
girders being put together in the manner described with respect to Figures 9
and 10. The outer sides of the beams or girders, Figures 11, 12, and 13, have
circular recesses q made in them, by means of which recesses the girders can
be joined or connected together by plates or continuous flanges inserted in the
said recesses, as represented in Figure 14. The upper and lower ends of the
beam may either have rectangular or lozenge-shaped openings made therein,
as represented in Figures 9, 11, and 12, or they may have circular recesses, as
represented in Figures 8 and 13. The top and bottom ends of the girder
may be covered by the end bars t, as represented in Figures 10 and 12 (one
only of which is represented in Figure 12) projections on the said end plates
or bars engaging in correspondingly shaped recesses in the ends of the girder

page_text: In the girder represented in Figure 10, the top and bottom are covered by
end bars, the projections on which are differently shaped,and engage in cor-
respondingly shaped recesses in the top and bottom of the girder.
Figure 15 represents in vertical section a solid beam or girder having side
dovetails made according to my Invention: The said side dovetails may be
applied to sclid beams or girders of any section.
Beans or girders connected together in the manner represented in
Figure 14, namely, by a continuous flange or plate u, are especially suited to
be used in the construction of fire-proof buildings. The said flange or plate u
is made of the same length as thegirders, and separates the different stories of
the building from one another; and when covered with some non-conductorof
heat,such as sand, effectually prevents the spreading of fire from story to story
of the building. Beams or girders having short flanges at their sides,as illus-
trated in Figures 8, 9, and 10 may be used as railway beams, and for a
variety of other purposes. Beams or girders made according to my Invention
may also be used as columns by placing the said beams or girders in an
upright position.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the improvements in wrought-iron
columns,herein-after described and illustrated in the accompanyingDrawings.
1 make the said columns by rolling bars with a dovetail in each of their
four sides. The said dovetails serve for the attachment of walls or other
things which it may be desired to attach to all or any of the four sides of the
column. Or, when the column is required to have two, three, or more flanges
on its sides, I make the said column in the manner represented in horizontal
section in Figure 16 of the Drawings. I roll the central part of the column
with solid dovetails won each of its four sides, and connect to the said sides
by means of the said dovetails, flanges or bars made in the manner herein-
before explained with reference to beams or girders. The said flanges or
bars have hollow dovetails in their ends, which can be made to engage upon
the solid dovetails won the central part of the column as represented, and
afterwards be fixed by bolts or rivets. The sides and free ends of the said
flanges or bars are provided with dovetails, by which woodwork, brickwork,
or other matters can be connected to the said columns. Flanges or bars
made in any convenient way, having a hollow dovetail in one end, and being
plain on their sides, and at the end opposite to that having the dovetail, may
be connected to the dovetails w on the central part of the column. By my
Invention great facility is obtained in constructing columns; and woodwork,
brickwork, or other matters can be readily connected to the said columns.
Beams or girders and columns made according to my Invention, may be

page_text: made of any size and strength to suit the purpose to which they are to be
applied.
The trough-shaped bars which I employ to make beams or girders, as well
as the columns described, are made from wrought iron by rolling in suitably
shaped rolls; but as the said rolls are of the kind commonly employed for
rolling bars of iron for other purposes, and an ordinary roll turner will be
competent to make the said rolls from the description and illustration of the
bars to be rolled, herein-before given, I do not consider it necessary either to
describe or to represent the said rolls.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim
as my Invention,―
Firstly, the improvements in wrought-iron beams or girders and columns,
herein before described and illustrated in Figures I to 15, both inclusive, of
the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, making the said beams or girders
and columns essentially from two rolled bars of a nearly trough-like form,
placed back to back and secured together by bolting or rivetting, or partly by
bolting or rivetting, and partly by inserting a block or blocks into a dovetail
or dovetails in the said bars, or securing the said bars together by welding,or
by welding and bolting or rivetting; also the application of side dovetails to
beams or girders.
Secondly, the improvements in wrought-iron columns, herein-before
described and illustrated in Figure 16 of the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say, making columns by rolling bars with dovetails on some or all of their
sides, and when flanges are required on the columns, connecting the said
flanges to the columns by dovetails essentially in the manner herein-before
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William George Woodcock, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM GEORGE WOODCOCK. (L.S.)