Improvements in the Mode and Means for Supporting the Ends of Girders and other Beams.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st July, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug.. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mode and Means for Supporting the Ends of
Girders and other Beams.
I, ALFRED WESTWOOD of 8 Horseley Heath Tipton in the County of
Staffordshire, Works Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in the mode and means for
supporting the ends of girders and other beams so that the expansion and
contraction in the girders, beams, trusses or such like members may be allowed
to take place with great freedom and steadiness and at the same time allowing the
girder or other member to deflect or bend in a natural manner under varying and
moving loads. I do away entirely with the old rollers and the pivot above the
rollers as my invention combines the qualities of both in one.
Then
Upon the abutments or walls or other supports I mount a plate at each end for
each girder or truss so formed from a large base as to finish with a segmental
bearing which is struck to one centre and forming part of a circle. A similar plate
is attached to the underside of each end of the girder, beam, or truss.
between these two plates I place an intermediate block which is turned on each
face to suit the curves of each plate, this block, being thinner, by preference, than
even the radius of the circle by which means great steadiness is obtained and room
saved. Each end of the blocks has a flange which prevents the block moving
endwise. The parts may be made of cast iron, steel or other metal and the whole
constitutes an automatic expansion contraction and deflection arrangement which
is complete in itself.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1805
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
шуготошении до шоо али штаце 10г кирро
Girders and other Beams.
I ALFRED WESTWOOD of 8 Horseley Heath Tipton in the County of Stafford
Works Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :—
My invention has for its object improvements in the mode and means for
supporting the ends of girders and other beams so that the expansion and
contraction in the girders, beams, trusses or such like members may be allowed
to take place with great freedom and steadiness and at the same time allowing the
girder or other member to deflect or bend in a natural manner under varying and
Price 8d1

page_text: moving loads. I do away entirely with the old rollers and the pivot above the
rollers as my invention combines the qualities of both in one.
Upon the abutments walls or other supports of bridges, roofs, and other
structures required to be bridged over I mount my bearing plates and intermediate
elliptical bearing block. I also mount a similar bearing plate underneath one or
both ends of the girder, truss or other beam or bridge. The lower bearing plate
is hollowed or curved on its upper face to suit the elliptical bearing block and
the upper bearing block is likewise hollowed upon its under face also to suit the
elliptical bearing block. The bearing block is provided with end flanges to
prevent the block from moving out of its proper position. These bearing plates
and blocks may be made from such metal as steel, cast iron or other suitable metal
or material.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto drawings, illustrating an example of
the same but it must be clearly understood that the principle may be applied to
structural purposes generally which are subject to variations from expansion and
contraction or to deflection and vibratory action.
Figure 1 is a broken off side elevation of a girder or beam G with its left end
mounted upon an abutment A with my bearing plates E and E¹ and my elliptical
bearing block K. between as they would show in a medium temperature.
Figure 2 is a similar elevation to Figure 1 with the same parts shown but the
girder G is here supposed to have contracted in length thus moving the relative
position of E to K and K to E.
Figure 3 is a part end or side elevation and part section of the bearing plates E
and E' and of the elliptical bearing block K as seen at Figure 1.
The girder G represents one end of my beam or truss liable to expansion,
contraction, deflection or vibration, aud A represents, any bridge roof or other
abutment. My invention consists of a bottom bearing plate E hollowed out at e
to any suitable concentric curve and resting upon any suitable support A to which
it may be fastened by bolts or otherwise. The upper bearing plate E¹ is similar
to E but generally somewhat smaller and lighter and it is likewise hollowed at e
to a concentric curve. The intermediate elliptical bearing block K with its
flanges has its upper and lower faces curved to concentric curves so as to fit
the upper and lower bearing plates and these faces are turned in a lathe or
otherwise machined and made true to fit the bearing plates so as to establish and
maintain a large area of bearing surface. It will of course be observed that the
elliptical bearing block is only the required thickness to establish a sufficient
distance between E and E¹ to allow the necessary movements. At Figure 2 the
girder G and bearing plate E' are shown moved to the right by contraction which
has caused the intermediate elliptical block K to slide upon the upper and lower
bearing plates but the bearing surface area remains substantially the same as at
Figure 1 and this would be similar if the girder G were expanded and moved to
the left. This, what I term the combined circular and sliding action of my block
upon the bearing plates, is due to its special shape of curved faces but yet it is
much too thin to separate the plates sufficiently to form a complete circle,
I therefore call it elliptical. This combined action keeps the surfaces from
rusting or corroding which is a most valuable quality in such constructions.
Now while expansion and contraction are thus perfectly provided for by my
invention the girder in either deflecting or vibrating is equally provided for by the
elliptical block K and its bearing plates so that freedom of action with perfect
security and steadiness is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improvements in the mode and means for supporting the ends of girders,
trucco
Leaving late hollamad

page_text: out to a concentric curve in combination with an elliptical intermediate bearing
block rounded on its upper and lower faces to corresponding concentric curves
substantially as herein set forth and shown upon the drawings.
Dated this 20th dox of Lune 1896
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.