IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
.
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Jean Baptiste Delrieu, of 29, Boulevart
St. Martin, Paris, Metallurgist.
Sealed the 10th October 1862, and dated the 17th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th April 1862.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS," to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of ordinary railroad rails, they are usually cased in a
layer of puddled iron for preserving the rail during the rolling, and imparting
to it a smoother surface; this coating is united to the rough iron forming the
body of the rail. The latter rails present the least defects in the welding;
their surfaces, however, are insufficiently hard, as it should by preference be
of steel, and be perfectly welded and united to the body of the rail, the only
practical method of obtaining which is the partial conversion of the surface of
the coating into steel before welding the mass together. Fine-grained.iron,
termed acierated iron, is the best adapted for producing a good result of the
cementation.
In order to obtain a partial cementation only of the casing, sand or other
argilaceous or silicious earths are employed in order to protect the lower part
of the rails from the great heat required for the cementation, which changes

page_text: the quality of the iron with which these matters are in contact and renders it
brittle and difficult to weld.
Now this Invention relates to a mode of preserving the one part of the iron
from the action of cementation, so as to permit of its welding perfectly without
the addition of any flux, by simply placing the one part of iron in contact with
the other, of course at a proper heat and pressure, which results,―
First, in its retaining all the qualities of a good welding in ordinary rails.
Secondly, in the production of a casing with a perfectly cemented surface,
while the interior possesses ductility.
Thirdly, in preserving the quality of the iron in the parts of the casings,
non-acierated.
For this purpose I make the covering piece partly of fine-grained iron and
partly of coarse grain, the two irons being turned out rough from the puddling
furnace. I thus obtain a rail surface, which, after being laminated, when
broken, will present the following appearance (vizt.): Upper face, fine-grained
fibrous iron; lower face, coarse-grained puddled iron. Thus it will be evident
that this improved facing unites all the conditions required for obtaining a
good welding.
There now only remains to acierate the fine-grained iron without changing
the quality of the puddled iron of the casing. For this purpose, having regard
to the disastrous effects of employing earths or other argilaceous or silicious
matters for preserving intact the iron in the casing, as above described, I
dispense with all foreign matters and simply make use of moveable thicknesses
of iron, which I place on the parts not required to be cemented; by this means
that part of the casing is protected from the action of the charcoal used in the
cementation, while, on the other hand, the casing is placed on the layer of
charcoal which is to serve for the cementation or acieration.
By this means the coarse-grained iron, being protected by the sheet or plate
iron, will be left uncemented, while the fine-grained part in contact with the
charcoal will be. cemented as desired.
1 c.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on" the
17th October 1862.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain' and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS," a communication to me
from abroad by Jean Baptiste Delrieu, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris,
Metallurgist, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Clark, 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 Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the 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 Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,.
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, (that is to say,)-
This Invention relates to the cementation of the surfaces of railway rails:.
By this system I replace with advantage, 1st, rails of cast and puddled.
steel possess a sufficiently enduring quality, but are not so economical as
desired; 2ndly, the rails. with steel surfaces formed by welding iron and steel
together are always imperfect, whatever may be the chemical agent
employed; 3rdly, the cemented rails become brittle after lamination, and
occasion considerable loss. The improvements of this Invention are as.
follows:-
1st, in the manufacture of ordinary rails a casing. of faggotted or puddled
iron is used to maintain the body of the rail during the rolling, and to give it a
smoother surface; this puddled iron is welded to the rough iron forming
the remainder of the rail. These rails present the fewest defects in. the
welding; their surface is, however, not sufficiently hard, and should be of
steel, and be perfectly united to the body of the rail, the only practical means

page_text: of effecting which, being the partial conversion of the surface of the covering
into steel before welding it together.
2ndly, fine-grained iron; called acierated iron, is better adapted than any
other for ensuring a good cementation.
3rdly, to effect a partial cementation in the interior of the casing from
above, I have used sand or other argilaceous or silicious earths to protect the
lower part of the mass from the cementing action, and from the effects of the
great heat which effects the cementation, but these matters change the nature
of iron with which they are in contact, and render, it brittle and difficult to
'weld; it is therefore necessary to adopt another method of preserving the
lower part from the cementation, so as to ensure its being perfectly.welded
without the addition of a flux, which method consists in merely putting the
iron in the presence of iron, by which means I obtain,. 1st, the preservation of
all the qualities of a good cementation of ordinary railway rails; 2ndly, a
casing perfectly cemented or converted into steel above, and at same time
ductile; 3rdly, the preservation in the non-acierated part of the surfaces of all
their first qualities, and nothing but the first qualities. I manufacture the
covering with half fine-grained iron and half coarse-grained iron, the two irons
being turned out rough from the puddling or faggotting furnace; I thus
obtain a casing which, when broken, will present the following appearance :-
fine-grained fibrous iron.
coarse-grained puddled iron.
Upper face
.Lower face
It will be evident that this improved coating or surface unites all the con-
ditions required for obtaining a good welding, and my object would be áttained
if I could acierate the fine-grained iron without changing the nature of the
puddling iron of the casing. To obtain this result, and knowing the detri-
mental effects of earths, hammer slag, and argilaceous or silicious matters for
preserving the iron intact, as above described, I dispense with all foreign
matters, and simply use movable plates or sheets of iron, which I place on the
parts not required to be cemented. By this means that part of the casing is
protected from the action of charcoal and cementation, while, on the other
hand; the casing is laid on a bed of charcoal, which serves for the cementation
or acieration. By this means the coarse-grained iron, being protected by the
sheet iron, will not be converted into steel, while at the same time the fine-
grained part in contact with the charcoal will be cemented.
The charging of the furnace is effected in the following manner:-1st, I
place a layer of pulverized charcoal of about an inch and a quarter in thick-
ness; 2ndly, on this bed is placed a thickness of the cover, in applying which
the fine-grained surface is next the charcoal; 3rdly, on the casing is placed a

page_text: sheet of iron of about one-eighth of an inch thick; 4thly, another row of
casings of faggotted iron is disposed resting on the sheet iron, and so on till
the cementing furnace is completely charged. I would remark that, in thus
charging the furnace, the casings have the surfaces of fine iron in contact with
the charcoal, and their puddled surface against the sheets of iron.
After having placed the proof bars in the mass, with which communicating
from the outside of the furnace may be had, the outer ends of which bars are
luted with the greatest care, the furnace is then submitted to the action of a
continuous and sufficient heat. The carbon of the charcoal penetrates by
degrees the fine-grained iron, and transforms it into cemented steel, whilst the
sheet iron preserves the puddled iron from becoming cemented, at the same
time softening and preserving all its original qualities.
At the end of about five or six days the fine-grained iron is completely
acierated; this result is indicated by the proof bars; the action of the heat
is then stopped. It will be seen, on examination, that the casing presents
on the cemented side a much closer grain towards the edge of the fine-
grained iron. The acieration gives it the appearance of a casting, which
reaches from the face to the centre of the casing where the acieration ter-
minates.
The acierated surface is as resisting as tempered steel, while the opposite
surface is of the same nature as iron. I also reserve the right to produce the
same effect of preserving one part of the casing, although, dispensing with the
sheet iron for protecting it, simply by separating from the beds of charcoal
the part of the iron which is not to be acierated by putting it in contact with
covers rounded on one side and flattened on the other (by passing them
through rollers), as represented in the annexed Drawing. c represents the
layers of charcoal; i, i, casings round on one side and flat on the other; in
this arrangement the flat parts of the one layer touch those of the lower
layer. If necessary, the spaces k are filled with baked earths or other matters
contributing to the preservation. The furnace being discharged, I raise the
temperature of the casings to a white heat, and pass them through. rollers to
render them ductile. The lower cylinder on which the puddled iron rests
should be roughened; this rolling enables me to destroy all the blisters which
may be formed, and will equalize the action of the carbon by concentrating
the iron. The faggots for the rails are made as in ordinary, but replacing the
casing of faggotted or puddled iron by a partially acierated casing, and care
being taken to put the puddled side of the metal of the case in contact with
the rough iron of the faggot. It is evident that, in welding the casing to the
faggot, it is only necessary to proceed as in ordinary; however, the difference

page_text: between the fusion of steel and iron induced me to be cautious not to burn
the steel in the heating of the faggots for welding.
I have found it advantageous to pursue the following method:-1st, to put
the faggot in the furnace with the casing above; 2nd, the faggot having
arrived at a white heat, I turn it, and put the covering on the sole; 3rdly;
precipitate the action of the heat. In this manner the steel heated to white
heat contracts in the sole of the furnace, the temperature of which is lower
than that of the middle part. The steel being protected by this contact, I
promptly raise the welding heat, and owing to the roughness of the puddled
iron the heat rapidly spreads between the cover and the rough rail.
The lamination of these rails is effected as in ordinary, the acierated part
being used to form the head of the rail. Immediately after sawing the ends,
I plunge the head of the rail for about fifteen seconds in water to slightly
harden the acierated surface. This improved process is thus essentially' new,
practical, and useful, by reason of the comparative saving of expense and the
immense advantages produced. The rails have all their running parts of
steel, which is of diminished hardness by reason of the iron composing the
rail. On breaking any of these improved rails, they present a perfectly homo-
geneous fibre in a longitudinal direction.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same,
I delare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is the improved methods
for the acieration or mixed cementation of the upper parts of the casings of
rails which constitute the principal face of the rails. These new methods
consist in protecting the said rails by coverings of sheet iron, or by the simple
contact of the casings of the rail at certain parts of the surfaces, as herein
described, instead of using argilacious or silicious earths or slags, as in
ordinary.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (LS.).