IMPROVEMENTS IN HARDENING THE SURFACES OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS, AND THE SURFACES OF THE TYRES OF RAILWAY WHEELS AND IN CHARRING THE SURFACES OF TIMBER, TO BE USED FOR RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Longmaid, of Inver, Galway, Ireland, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARDENING THE SURFACES OF THE
RAILS OF RAILWAYS, AND THE SURFACES OF THE TYRES OF RAILWAY WHEELS
AND IN CHARRING THE SURFACES OF TIMBER, TO BE USED FOR RAILWAY
SLEEPERS AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 18th June 1861, and dated the 10th January 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Williain Longmaid at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th January 1861.
1, WILLIAM LONGMAID, of Inver, Galway, Ireland, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARDENING THE SURFACES OF THE
RAILS OF RAILWAYS AND THE SURFACES OF THE TYRES OF RAILWAY WHEELS, AND
IN CHARRING THE SURFACES OF TIMBER TO BE USED FOR RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in hardening the surfaces
of the rails of railways, and the surfaces of the tyres of railway wheels, and
in charring the surfaces of timber to be used for railway sleepers and other
purposes. For these purposes the rails of railways, and the tyres of railway
wheels after they have been formed in the usual manner are subjected to
heat in combination with peat or wood sawdust, or other vegetable matter,
Price 8d1

page_text: previously saturated with dilute sulphuric acid or not, by which means their
surfaces are hardened and vegetable charcoal manufactured. The railway bars
or railway tyres are packed in a suitable chamber or vessel with peat or with
wood sawdust, or with other vegetable matter previously saturated or not with
dilute sulphuric acid, so that the peat or the wood sawdust, or other vegetable
matter is in contact with the surfaces to be hardened, the chamber or vessel is
then closed so as to exclude the air, but at the same time to allow of the escape
of the gases evolved during the operation, and by heat applied externally the
chamber or vessel and its contents are heated to a red heat and retained at that
temperature for a time. By these means not only will the process of hardening
be performed, but vegetable charcoal will at the same time be produced.
In charring the surfaces of timber for railway sleepers and other purposes
I immerse the pieces of timber in dilute sulphuric acid and then pack them
in a chamber or vessel which is then closed so as to exclude the air, but
at the same time to allow the gases evolved in the operation to escape, and
by heat applied externally the chamber or vessel and its contents are raised
to a temperature of about 250 to 300 degrees of heat and retained at that
temperature for a time. By these means the surfaces only of the timber
that has been saturated with dilute sulphuric acid will be charred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Longmaid in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LONGMAID, of Inver, Galway, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Longmaid, Her special licence that I, the said William Longmaid, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Longmaid, 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
HARDENING THE SURFACES OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS, AND THE SURFACES OF THE

page_text: TYRES OF RAILWAY WHEELS, AND IN CHARRING THE SURFACES OF TIMBER TO BE USED
FOR RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Longmaid, 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 Longmaid, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in hardening the surfaces
of the rails of railways, and the surfaces of the tyres of railway wheels, and
in charring the surfaces of timber to be used for railway sleepers and other
purposes. For these purposes the rails of railways, and the tyres of railway
wheels, after they have been formed in the usual manner are subjected to
heat in combination with peat or other vegetable carbonaceous matter
previously saturated with dilute sulphuric acid, or not, by which means their
surfaces are hardened and vegetable charcoal manufactured. The railway
bars or railway tyres are packed in a suitable chamber or vessel with peat
or with wood sawdust, previously saturated with dilute sulphuric acid, or
not, so that the peat or the wood sawdust is in contact with the surfaces
to be hardened, the chamber or vessel is then closed so as to exclude the
air, and by heat applied externally the chamber or vessel and its contents
are heated to a red heat and retained at that temperature for a time, I have
found that thirty-six hours to forty-eight hours have produced very good
results, but the time required will depend on the depth to which it is necessary
for the hartlening to penetrate into the bars or tyres. By these means not
only will the process of hardening be performed, but vegetable charcoal will
at the same time be produced. When the bars and tyres are withdrawn
from the chamber or vessel they are to be tempered in any of the well known
processes. In charring the surfaces of timber for railway sleepers and other
purposes I saturate the timber with dilute sulphuric acid and then dry it
in a suitable chamber or oven heated externally to a temperature of about
250 degrees of heat, which is sufficient to convert the surfaces into charcoal
without injury to those portions of the timber to which the acid has not
penetrated. The saturation of the timber may be facilitated by placing it
into an air-tight chamber with steam, then closing the chamber, and when

page_text: the steam is condensed inject the dilute acid, but when a surface charring
only is required the timber may be saturated in an open vessel. The strength
of acid prefer to use for saturating peat wood sawdust or the surface of
timber is about three degrees of Twaddle's hydrometer.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Longmaid, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM LONGMAID. (1.S.)