Apparatus for Welding Supports or Pedestals at Intervals to Tramway or Railway Rails.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOHNSON COMPANY, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania,
U.S.A., Manufacturers.]
Apparatus for Welding Supports or Pedestals at Intervals to
Tramway or Railway Rails.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In the Specification accompanying an application of even date with the present
No. 16067 of 1891 is described an invention for tramway and railway rails of
various forms having discontinuous supports or pedestals welded to their webs at
intervals. The present invention relates to apparatus whereby such welding can be
soundly and conveniently effected as I shall describe referring to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a part side view and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a tramway rail the
head H and web W of which being rolled in continuous lengths have welded to
them at intervals pedestals or supports such as sand S as described in the Specifica-
tion above referred to. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively longitudinal and transverse
sections of apparatus according to the present invention for effecting such welding
by electricity. On a base F is fixed a framing h carrying a vertical hydraulic
cylinder having plunger P and two horizontal hydraulic cylinders having plungers D.
The plunger is limited in its down stroke by two side links B adjustable by screw
nuts, and is retracted by a counterweighted lever a. The plungers D are also limited
in their forward stroke by nuts T on rods extending back from them through
stuffing boxes and connected to bell crank levers E suitably loaded so as to retract
the plungers. On a central pedestal u is placed a dier shaped to the head of the
rail R which is placed on the die in an inverted position. The portion of rail A
which is to form the support or pedestal is held against the face of the plunger P
by clips or otherwise. On the face of each of the plungers D are fixed insulated
from them and from each other a pair of conducting blocks c which are preferably
of pure copper and are bored to receive a number of spring plungers of the same
metal.
From a suitable source of electricity conductors lead currents of large quantity
and moderate tension to the blocks c, e the two upper blocks being connected to
one say the terminal, the two lower blocks being connected to the-terminal.
The edges of the rail R and of the pedestal A being brought together by the
descent of the plunger P so that they meet at i the two plungers D are advanced
bringing the blocks c, e almost to bear against the sides of R and A their spring
plungers serving to ensure good contact and to distribute the current uniformly
over the parts to be heated. The edges at i, being highly heated by the passage of
the current from the upper pair of blocks c to the lower pair and being pressed
together, become welded. The plungers D D are then withdrawn, the electric
current is switched off, and a pair of face dies (such as K hereinafter referred to)
being held in front of the plungers D these are again advanced pressing laterally on
the welded joint at i and giving it a face finish. The plungers D D being again
withdrawn the clips / disengaged, and the plunger P raised, the rail R with the
pedestal A welded to it is moved along the desired distance to have another
pedestal welded to it in the like manner.
The same apparatus is applicable for welding when the metal is heated by the
blow pipe instead of electricity, certain modifications being necessary as I shall
now describe referring to Fig. 5 which is a sectional plan, Figs. 6 and 7 which

page_text: are part side views shewing two stages of the welding and Fig. 8 which is a vertical
section of the heating appliance. In these figures the same reference letters as in
Figs. 3 and 4 are employed to indicate the same parts. The rail R is run along a
series of rollers M mounted at intervals before and behind the welding press, the
web of the rail projecting, as shewn in Fig. 8 into a tube N of refractory material
through a slot along the bottom of the tube. From suitable gas and air pipes G
jets are directed into the tube N through holes passing at suitable intervals
through its upper side. These jets and holes are conveniently arranged at intervals
say of a foot, and only such of the jets are lighted as correspond with the intended
intervals between the rail pedestals. If for instance the pedestals to be welded to
the rail are to be at intervals of 4 feet, every fourth jet J is lighted so as to be
heating up the required parts of the rail in succession as the rail advances. Between
each pair of holes a partition extending down nearly to the edge of the rail is
introduced to make the tube virtually in separate heating chambers. The short
pieces to form the pedestals are heated in a separate furnace or muffle arranged in
convenient proximity to the welding press. The plungers D have attached to them
blocks C arranged with cavities to form burners connected by flexible tubes 9 with
the gas and air pipes G. The rail R being advanced so as to bring hetween the
blocks C a part of it already heated in the tube N and a pedestal piece A also
heated being placed on the face of the plunger P the edges of R and A are pressed
together while they are highly heated by the burners in C and so become welded
together. The plungers D being then withdrawn facing dies K, Fig. 9 are held
by long handles one in front of each of the blocks C and the plungers D are again
moved forwards to give lateral pressure and finish to the welded joint. The facing
dies K are applicable for the like purpose in the electrical welding operation above
described.
Although I have described the electrical welding apparatus as operating on metal
heated entirely by electricity, it is to be understood that the metal to be operated
on by the electrical welding may in the first place be heated by the blow pipe
arrangement before it is put in position in the press, as in this way the time occupied
in heating may be greatly economised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it understood
that I make no general claim to electrical nor to blow pipe welding, but what I
claim is
-
1. Apparatus for electrically welding pedestals to rails constructed and operating
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.
2. The modifications of the apparatus above referred to, whereby it is adapted
for blow pipe welding, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8
and 9.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.