AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAC- TURING WHEEL-TIRES AND OTHER METAL RINGS OR HOOPS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by Jean Claude Ollagnier, of Paris, France.]
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAC-
TURING WHEEL-TIRES AND OTHER METAL RINGS OR HOOPS to be as follows:--
"
In order to manufacture wheel-tires, a straight iron bar is usually employed
which must be cut exactly to the required length to fit the circumference of the
wheel to be encircled; it is afterwards necessary, by hand, to scarf the two ends
of the bar, prepare them for welding, then to bend the bar, weld it and dress it
and reheat it before placing it upon the wheel. Under these conditions, if the iron
is short or brittle, the bar is useless; if the workman does not succeed in obtaining
a proper weld there is loss of time, and if the weld is not perfect, a rupture of the
tire is inevitably caused in a longer or shorter period of time.
In order to obviate these numerous inconveniences I employ the method and
apparatus hereinafter described.
The present invention comprises the special preparation of the faggot and the
passage of this faggot through a special rolling mill, in order to give it exactly the
form and dimensions which the tire should definitely have.
The roughly forged faggot is a circular faggot which I weld by stamping.
This faggot can be made of two or more bars bent to the form of a circle and
placed one within another, pieces of scrap iron being put at the ends of these bars
so as to render the circular faggot as homogeneous as possible and to avoid in this
manner, any waste when it is heated to white heat before passing through the
rolling-mill.
The tire having been roughly forged and heated to white or welding heat in a
furnace designed for this purpose, I place it in a rolling, mill, the upper roller of
which corresponds with the form which it is desired to give to the interior of the
tire. The said upper roller, besides receiving a rotary movement, has an up and
down movement which can be regulated at will and which permits the introduction
of the roughly-forged tires between the rollers. This up and down movement of
the upper roller is rapidly effected through the medium of two shafts provided with
LDS. AJ

page_text: screw-threads and which are set in motion by means of toothed wheels and clutches
for throwing the same in and out of gear; then, when the upper roller bears upon
the rough forging, rotary motion is imparted to the two rollers, the rapidly running
pulleys are thrown out of gear, and the pressure continued by means of a pulley
and pinion running more slowly.
When the tire has nearly attained the desired diameter, the slow running pulley
is thrown out of gear and pressure is caused by hand by means of windlass levers
or handles.
Two lateral carriers or slides, provided with rollers and capable of movement in
opposite directions to each other upon a rod which is provided for this purpose
with right and left hand screw-threads, are actuated by means of a hand-wheel,
the rollers of the said carrier or slide being caused to press against the tire during
the time it is subjected to the pressure above referred to, in order to make the said
tire perfectly circular.
The proper diameter of the tire having been obtained, the upper roller is raised
by causing the above-mentioned fast-running pulleys to rotate in a direction
opposite to that imparted to them for exerting the pressure as above set forth.
The finished tires are then removed and placed on a device provided with a
number of cylindrical steps, one of which fits exactly into the tire so as to prevent
its deformation while cooling. This device comprises a piece formed of a certain
number of steps the diameters of which decrease from the bottom to the top. This
device is divided into a number of sectors and through its centre passes a cone
which is caused to ascend more or less and which, acting as a wedge, moves the
sectors away from the centre, so that the steps fit closely into the tyres placed upon
them, and prevent the deformation of the latter.
For the preparation of the faggot, if the bars are too large and of unequal
thickness, or if they are not sound, they are passed through channels or grooves
formed in the rollers, which grooves are of various depth and width, and when the
said bars have become perfectly uniform they are rolled or coiled to form the circular
faggot.
The chanuels or grooves in the upper and lower rollers serve partly for the first
rolling operation and partly for the finishing operation.
According to a modification of the rolling mill which I employ in the method
herein before described, the parts of the rollers upon which the tires are rolled
.consist of rollers or washers keyed on shafts of wrought iron, steel, or cast iron.
By giving these rollers or washers the necessary form, tires of all dimensions and
also hoops for casks can be produced 'by circular rolling and without subsequent
welding.
Another modification consists in replacing the clutch of the fast running pulleys
by a friction clutch actuated by a screw, lever or other suitable means.
I employ this apparatus, and the method above described, for the manufacture of
rolled hoops or tires of steel, taking either old steel hoops or tyres or steel from any
source to be converted into.new tires which will serve especially for the wheels of
tramway or railway vehicles.
The faggots or blooms are manufactured as above described.
The tire is sometimes made with internal flanges between which the wood of the
wheel is inserted. This arrangement of the tire enables me to dispense with the
boring of holes in the periphery of the wheel and the use of bolts for fastening the
said tire, and has the advantage, in addition to economy as regards hand labour, of
giving the wheel greater solidity.

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAC-
TURING WHEEL-TIRES AND OTHER METAL RINGS OR HOOPS" and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
.
This invention relates to the manufacture of wheel tires and other metal rings
and to apparatus therefor.
In order to manufacture wheel tires, a straight iron bar is usually employed
which must be cut to the required length to fit the circumference of the wheel to
be hooped. It is afterwards necessary, by hand, to scarf the two ends of the bar to
prepare them for welding, then to bend the bar and weld the ends and then reheat
it before placing it upon the wheel. Under these conditions, if the iron is short
or brittle, the bar is useless; if the workman does not succeed in obtaining a
proper weld there is loss of tine; and if the weld is not perfect a rupture of the
tire is inevitably caused in a longer or shorter period of time.
In order to obviate these numerous inconveniences I employ the method and
apparatus hereinafter described.
The present invention comprises the special preparation of a faggot and the
passage of this faggot through a special rolling mill, in order to give it, exactly,
the form and dimensions which the tire should definitely have.
The roughly forged faggot is of circular form and is welded by stamping.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a view illustrating the construction of a faggot.
Figure 2 is a front view of the rolling mill.
Figure 3 is an end view of the same from the side opposite to that at which the
driving gear for the rollers is placed.
Figure 4 shows in front view a modification of the rolling mill.
Figure 5 shows an arrangement for preventing the deformation of the tires
during their cooling.
The faggot can be made of two or more bars bent to the form of a circle and
placed one within another as shown in Figure 1, pieces of scrap-iron being put at
the ends of these bars which are arranged in juxtaposition to each other so as to
render the circular faggot as homogeneous as possible, and to avoid any waste when
the faggot is heated to white heat before passing through the rolling mill.
The tire having been roughly forged and heated to white or welding heat in a
furnace designed for the purpose, is placed between the parts B B' of the rollers C, C¹.
The part B corresponds with the form it is desired to give the interior of the tire.
The roller C, besides receiving a rotary movement, has an up and down movement
which can be regulated at will, and which permits the introduction between the
portions B B of the roughly forged tires. This up and down movement of the
upper roller is rapidly effected through the medium of two shafts D D' provided.

page_text: with screw threads and set in motion by means of toothed wheels E and clutches
for throwing the same in and out of gear; as soon as the upper roller C bears
upon the rough forging, rotary motion is imparted to the two rollers, the rapidly
running pulleys F are thrown out of gear, and the pressure is continued by means
of a pulley G and the pinion and wheel H running more slowly.
When the tire has nearly attained the desired diameter, the slow running pulley G
is thrown out of gear and pressure is applied by hand by means of levers or
handles J or other suitable means.
Two lateral carriers or slides provided with rollers and capable of movement in
opposite directions to each other upon a rod L which is provided, for this purpose,
with right and left hand screw-threads, are actuated by means of a hand-wheel M,
the rollers of the said carriers or slides being caused to press against the tire during
the time it is subjected to the pressure above referred to, in order to make the tire
perfectly circular.
The tire having been made of the required diameter, the upper roller is raised
by causing the pulleys to rotate, in a direction opposite to that imparted to them
for exerting the pressure as above set forth.
The finished tire is then removed and fitted on a device shown in Figure 5, to
prevent its deformation while cooling.
This device consists of a certain number of cylindrical steps the diameters of
which decrease. from the bottom to the top. The said device is divided into a
number of segments, and through its centre passes a cone which is caused to ascend
more or less and which acting as a wedge moves the segments away from the
centre, so that the steps fit closely into the tires placed upon them, and prevent
the deformation of the latter.
In the preparation of the faggot, if the bars are too wide and of unequal
thickness, or if they are not sound, they are passed through the channels or grooves
formed in the rollers, which grooves are of various depth and width, and when
the said bars have become perfectly uniform they are rolled or coiled to form the
circular faggot.
The channels or grooves in the rollers C and C¹ serve partly for the first rolling
operation and partly for the finishing operation.
Figure 4 shews a modification of the rolling mill 'which I sometimes employ.
The parts B, B¹ upon which the tires are rolled consist of rollers fixed on shafts CC'
of wrought iron, steel, or cast iron. By giving these rollers the necessary form,
tires of any dimensions and also hoops for casks, and the like, can be produced by
circular rolling, and without subsequent welding.
Another modification consists in replacing the clutch of the pulleys F F by a
friction clutch, actuated by a screw, lever or other suitable means.
Motion is transmitted to the rollers through the clutches O the wheels R, the
sleeves P and the intermediate shafts Q...
I employ this apparatus and the method above described for the manufacture of
rolled hoops or tires of steel, taking either old steel hoops or tires, or steel from
any source to be converted, into new tires which will serve especially for the
wheels of tramway or railway vehicles as represented in the three figures designated
by the letters C.
The faggots or blooms are manufactured as above described.
I have shown in figures A and B a section through the tire made with internal
flanges, between which the wood of the wheel is inserted. This arrangement of
the tire obviates the necessity for boring holes in the periphery of the wheel and
the use of fastening bolts or pins, and has the advantage, in addition to economy
as regards hand labour, of giving to the wheel greater solidity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First The manufacture of wheel tires, or the like, from circular faggots formed
by placing bars bent to the form of circles one within another, the ends of the.

page_text: bars being placed in juxtaposition, welded by stamping, and then subjected to the
rolling mill, as described above and for the purpose specified.
Second The rolling mill for finishing the roughly forged wheel tires or faggots,
having a roller C with a portion B, the external form of which corresponds to that
which the interior of the tire is to assume, the said roller having imparted to it a
rotary motion, and a vertical motion serving to exert pressure upon the rough
forging placed between the rollers, as described with reference to figures 2 and 3
of the accompanying drawing.
Third In a rolling mill for forming wheel tires from rough forgings as described,
the combination of the rollers C C having fixed or movable portions B B¹ the
rolls K carried by slides traversed by screws L having their threads cut in opposite
directions, and the mechanism for gradually forcing down the upper roller C, as
described with reference to figures 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawing.
Fourth The device formed of cylindrical steps of different diameters, and
divided into segments so as to render them expansible by means of a central cone,
for preventing the deformation of the tires during cooling, as described above with
reference to figure 5 of the annexed drawing.
1
100-
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.