AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF AXLES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES
Year: 1854

page_text: Sealed the 18th July 1854, and dated the 10th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Brown and John
Brown at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Peti-
tion, on the 10th February 1854.
We, DAVID BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Machinist,
and JOHN BROWN, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Roll Turner,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF AXLES FOR RAILWAY AND
OTHER CARRIAGES" to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a hollow cylindrical axle constructed in the
manner illustrated in the Drawing, and manufactured as herein-after
described.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of an axle constructed according
to our Invention. It consists of the two similar and nearly semi-cylindrical
pieces a, b, one of which is shewn separately in section in Figure 2, and two
other similar and nearly semi-cylindrical pieces c, d, one of which is shewn

page_text: separately in section in Figure 3. The several pieces a, b, c, d, are formed in
suitable lengths by rolling, and are placed in the relative positions shewn in
Figure 1. They are welded together in these positions, by being rolled
between four cylindrical rollers, rotating in the same direction, the partially
formed axle, Figure 1, being placed between the opposed faces of the said four
rollers in such a position that its axis of rotation should be parallel to the axes
of the said rollers. The said axle, Figure 1, is thus welded while rotating,
and by the form and arrangement of the junctions, a very effective welding is
made by the process described. We sometimes modify our Invention in the
manner illustrated by Figure 4, that is to say, we take two pieces of the shape
of Figure 5, or of the shape of Figure 3, and placing them together in the
relative position shewn in Figure 4, weld them together by the process above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Brown and John Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Machinist, and JOHN BROWN,
of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Roll Turner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said David Brown and John Brown, Her special licence that we, the said
David Brown and John Brown, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said David Brown and John Brown, our 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 ex-
pressed, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC-
TION AND MANUFACTURE OF AXLES FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said David Brown and John Brown, or
one of us, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: 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 we, the said David Brown and John Brown,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):--
Our Invention consists in the method of constructing and manufacturing
cylindrical axles for railway and other carriages, herein-after described.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a hollow axle constructed
according to our Invention. It consists of the two similar and nearly semi-
cylindrical pieces a, b; these pieces are shown separately in section in Figure 2;
the semi-cylindrical pieces a, b, are formed in suitable lengths by rolling;
they are presented to each other, edge to edge, as represented in the Figures,
and raised to a welding heat, and subjected to the action of the machine
herein-after described, by which the edges of the semi-cylinders a, b, become
welded together, and a hollow cylinder, Figure 1, is produced. We sometimes
weld upon the hollow cylinder a, b, a second hollow cylinder formed of the two
semi-cylinders c, d, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, the junctions of the
semi-cylinders c, d, being unopposed to the junctions of the semi-cylinders
a, b. We weld the semi-cylinders c, d, together, and to the cylinder a, b, by
raising the whole to a welding heat, and subjecting it to the action of the
machine herein-after described. We sometimes introduce a solid cylindrical
core into the interior of the hollow cylinder, made in the manner described,
and weld the whole together; but when we wish to make solid axles, we
prefer modifying our Invention in the manner illustrated in the sections,
Figures 3, 4, and 5, that is to say, we make a feather or rib e, f, on the
concave surface of each of the semi-cylinders a, b, the said feathers or ribs
extending the whole length of the semi-cylinders, and we make the internal
solid core of the shape represented in the section, Figure 4, the said core con-
sisting of a cylinder having the grooves g, h, extending its whole length; the
said grooves g, h, corresponding in form to the ribs or feathers e, f, Figure 3.
The several parts, that is to say, the parts a, e, and b, f, Figure 3, and
the core, Figure 4, are put together in the manner illustrated in Figure 5,
and the whole being raised to a welding heat is subjected to the action of the
machine herein-after described, and thereby welded into one mass. We
sometimes make axles partly hollow and partly solid; in such case we intro-
duce a solid core in the part which we wish to be solid. The parts which we
make solid in an axle partly hollow and partly solid are usually the ends
where the bearings are formed and the middle, but we do not confine our-.

page_text: selves thereto. Figure 6 represents in side elevation, Figure 7, in end
elevation, and Figure 8, in plan, our machine for manufacturing axles for
railway and other carriages. i, k, l, m, are four rollers, situated horizontally;
the lower rollers l, m, work in fixed bearings, and the rollers i, h, work in
bearings capable of a vertical motion; n, o, are levers, which by the weights
P. P, 9, 9, acting through the connecting rods 7, 7, 8, s, are made to raise the
bearings of the rollers i, k.
The said rollers i, h, are brought down to any required position by the set
screws t, u, which said set screws are worked by the winch v, the said winch v
giving motion to the axis w; a, y, are worms on the axis w, which engage on
the opposite sides of the wheels, 1, on the set screws t, u. By turning the
winch vin one direction, the rollers i, k, will be depressed, and by turning
the winch v in the opposite direction, the set screws t, u, will no longer press
upon the bearings of the rollers i, k, and the said rollers will be raised by the
weights p, p, q, q. A pinion 2, fixed on the driving shaft, gives motion to the
rollers i, k, l, m, through the pinions 3, 4, 5, 6, as represented; the said
rollers i, k, l, m, having motion in the same direction. The rollers may either
be made of the same diameter throughout their whole length as represented,
or the said rollers may be increased in diameter near their ends, so as to form
the neck or bearing of the axle. In using our machine the axle to be welded
after having been raised to a welding heat, is introduced between the rollers
i, k, l, m, at the end 7 of the machine, and takes the position represented
at 8, Figure 7. The rollers i, k, are brought down by the action of the
winch v, and the axle 8 receives a rotatory motion, and is exposed to the
simultaneous pressure of the four rollers i, k, l, m; it thus becomes welded into
one mass. By the action of the winch v, the rollers i, k, may be raised, and
the axle 8 removed from the machine. Although we prefer to construct our
machine with four rollers placed horizontally as described and represented, yet
we do not limit ourselves thereto, as three or other greater number of rollers
may be used, and placed vertically or in an inclined position.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the precise methods herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of our said Invention. But we claim as
our Invention,-
Firstly, forming hollow axles for railway and other carriages, by welding
together two bars of iron, having a hollow semi-cylindrical or nearly semi-
cylindrical figure, as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing.

page_text: Secondly, forming hollow axles for railway and other carriages, by welding
together two hollow cylinders, each formed of two hollow semi-cylinders, or
nearly semi-cylinders, the joined edges of one pair of semi-cylinders being
unopposed to the joined edges of the other pair, as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly, forming solid axles or axles partly solid and partly hollow for
railway and other carriages, by combining a solid core or cores, either of a
cylindrical figure, or of the figure represented in Figure 4 of the accompanying
Drawing, with a hollow cylinder made by any of the methods herein described
and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Fourthly, manufacturing axles for railway and other carriages, by welding
together the parts of which the same are composed, by rolling between three
or more rollers rotating in the same direction, the axis of the axle being
parallel to the axes of the rollers during rolling, as herein described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Brown and John Brown, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
DAVID BROWN. (L.S.)
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT.
JOHN BROWN.
(L.S.)