IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY WHEELS
Year: 1848

page_text: SMITH, of Vulcan Works, West Bromwich, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Smith, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Henry Smith,
my exors, aduiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Smith,
my exors, adors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY WHEELS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Henry Smith, should
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say
My Invention consists of forging railway wheels in a succession of anvils,
using hammers of a corresponding character with the anvils, and according to
the shapes of wheels to be produced; súch wheels being solid, without spokes.
But my Invention is also applicable for forging the naves and parts of the
spokes of a railway wheel from a mass of iron, by using anvils and hammers
with working faces, to form the shape of the wheel desired.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me, by
reference to the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a section of an anvil; Figure 2, a plan thereof; and
Figure 3, a side elevation thereof. Into this anvil is placed a slab of wrought
iron in a heated state, suitable for being forged into a shape approaching that
of the future wheel. Or, in place of a circular slab, it might be a circular
mass of scrap or a pile or mass of wrought iron; and the same is to be
continually hammered by the hammer shewn at Figures 4, 5, and 6, which
respectively represent a section, an external view, and an under side view.
By these means the iron will be forged into the shape shewn at Figures 7
and 8, which respectively shew a plan and section of the iron thus far
advanced into the shape of a solid railway wheel. The iron is then again to be
heated and operated on between the segment anvils and hammers, which are
shewn at Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, the workmen turning the
heated iron progressively round on the anvil (for the time being in use) so that
the circular character of the wheel will be preserved by the hammer striking
successively on different parts of the metal. Figure 9 shews a side view,
Figure 10 a front view, Figure 11 a plan, and
of an anvil, which I call the roughing-out anvil. Figure 13 shews a side
view, Figure 14 a front view, Figure 15 a plan, and Figure 16 an under
side view, of the hammer which I call the roughing-out hammer; and it is by
the aid of these tools, and the turning round of the .iron progressively on the
anvil, that the iron is progressively forged into. the size and shape of the desired
wheel, the working faces of these tools being varied according to the shapes of
Figure 12 an under side view,

page_text: the wheels to be produced, the workmen reheating the iron when they see
necessary. I have found that twice to three times heating for the roughing-
out process have been required, but probably this will be improved by longer
practise of the men. The wheel thus far advanced is again heated and placed
and operated on by means of what I call the finishing tools, the heat not being
required to be so high as when rough forging the iron. In this process a
planishing or finishing heat is all that is necessary., Figure 17 shews a section,
Figure 18 a plan, and Figure 19 a side elevation, of an anvil. Figure 20
a side elevation, and Figure 21 an under side view; of the finishing hammer.
The previous tools having brought the wheel into the shape shewn by
Figures 22 and 23, the planishing or obtaining of a finished surface is
brought about by repeated hammerings between the tools last mentioned,
the workmen turning the wheel round on the anvil so as to bring all parts
of one surface of the wheel under the hammer. It will thus be seen that by
using hammers and anvils with working faces, leaving a space between them
corresponding with the section of wheel to be produced, a wheel may be
forged out of iron (suitably heated) into a complete wheel; and it is the con-
structing and using anvils and hammers, forming as it were dies or parts of
dies, which constitutes the peculiarity of my Invention. The hammers are
worked in the ordinary manner of forge hammers, or they may be worked in
the manner of what are called steam hammers. The anvils are placed in
blocks, as other anvils have heretofore been. When my Invention is to be
employed for forging parts of a railway wheel from a mass of iron, then I take
such mass, and by working it under the hammer so as to draw out portions for
forming the nave and spokes, I then subject the mass of iron (when heated)
to the action of an anvil and hammer made in the character of dies.
Figure 23 shews a side elevation, Figure 24 shews a plan, and Figure 25 a
section, of the anvil used by me; but similar anvils may be made for and used
when other number of spokes are desired. Figure 26 shews a side elevation,
a section, of hammer used with the
Figure 27 under side view, and Figure 28
last-mentioned anvil. By this means the mass of iron which has been pre-
viously partially drawn into shape under an ordinary hammer will, by being
acted on by the tools or forging dies just referred to, be brought into more
correct form for the centre and parts of the spokes of a wheel; and the wheel
will then have to be finished by welding thereon parts. of spokes with parts of
felloes, as has heretofore been done when naves and parts of spokes have been
produced by other means. The wheels thus made according to my Invention
are to have holes cut through their naves by placing the wheels in a lathe, or

page_text: by other convenient means, and the outer or running surface is to be turned in
a lathe, and such is the case in facing the nave.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would wish it to be
understood that what I claim is the forging of railway wheels by employing
forging dies or tools, which I have called anvils and hammers, which have
working faces to produce the shapes desired, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
Enrolled the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-nine.