IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILS POR. RAILWAYS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernard Lauth, late of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania;
but now of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanician, for
the Invention of. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILS POR.
RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 13th March 1860, and dated the 16th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernard Lauth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
September 1859.
I, BERNARD LAUTH, late of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but now of Man--
5 chester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanician, do hereby declare the:
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILS
FOR RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to increase the strength of the metal of which.
rails are formed, and thus to enable them to withstand the wear and tear. for
Da prolonged period.. To effect this, I submit them, when rolled into shape by
the ordinary method, and when in the cold state, to pressure between rollers;
such rollers may be driven by any usual gearing, but a special method I adopt.
is to draw the rail between them, by which means they are caused to revolve
upon their axes, or the said rollers may be caused to traverse the rail.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bernard Lauth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BERNARD
LAUTH, late of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but now of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Bernard Lauth,
Her special license that I, the said Bernard Lauth, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others that I, the said Bernard Lauth, 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
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILS
FOR RAILWAYS," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Bernard
Lauth, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Bernard Lauth, 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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:
The object of my Invention is to increase the strength of the metal of which
rails are formed, and thus to enable them to withstand the wear and tear for
a prolonged period. To effect this, I submit them, when rolled into shape by
the ordinary method, and when in the cold state, 'to 'pressure between rollers:
The machinery for this purpose may be somewhat similar to any usual rolling
apparatus. I will, however, point out an arrangement which may be employed
with advantage for the purposes of my Invention.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side view of the machine,
and Fig. 2, a detached view of the pair of rollers. The rollers are shewn
at a, the upper one being mounted in sliding bearings, capable of adjustment
by screws b. These rollers, as shewn in Fig. 2, are formed with grooves, each

page_text: one of which corresponds to one half of the rail to be rolled, and the flanges
of the rollers therefore are in contact, or nearly so. On each side of the
rollers a are smaller rollers c, d, mounted in bearings, which are capable of
adjustment in slots formed in the framework by means of screws e. These
rollers are not formed with grooves, but are plain cylinders, the width of the flat
hollowed part of the rail, and their use is to straighten it before it enters the
roller a, and to cause it keep it so as it leaves them. In reference to the
shape of these rollers, they will however be plain or grooved according to
the section of the rail to be rolled.
In carrying out my Invention, the rails are rolled hot in the usual way, but
somewhat larger in thickness, say, one-sixteenth of an inch, than they are
intended to be when finished; they are then passed between the straightening
rollers c and grooved rollers a, which, being caused to revolve by any ordinary
method, compress the metal, and thus impart greater strength. The operation
may thus be accomplished at one rolling, but if desired it may be done at two
or more operations, and the rollers a may at first be separated by turning the
screws, as at 6, and gradually bringing them close to each other. And I
would also observe that other arrangements of machinery may be employed,
for instance, the rails may be held stationary, and the rollers caused to
travel along their length; or the rails may be drawn between rollers, which
are not driven, after the manner of a draw bench.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood that I claim as
secured to me, under the above in part recited Letters Patent, submitting
rails for railways, when cold, to the pressure of rollers for the purpose above
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bernard Lauth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
BERNARD LAUTH. (L.S.)