Wrought Iron or Steel Railway Sleepers.
Year: 1885

page_text: Wrought Iron or Steel Railway Sleepers.
We, EDWARD DAWSON, Ironfounder, Southfield Grove, Middlesbrough, ALEXANDER
T. HARVEY, Draughtsman, 5 Grange Road, Middlesbrough, and JOHN BOW,
Foreman Mechanic 91 Marton Road, Middlesbrough, do hereby declare the nature
of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND PLANT FOR
MANUFACTURING WROUGHT IRON OR STEEL RAILWAY SLEEPERS " to be as follows,
that is to say :-
"
Our said Invention consists in manufacturing wrought iron or steel sleepers in
an improved manner and with economy and accuracy. In carrying out our
Invention the sleeper plates are passed through a furnace and when hot are taken
to a power machine where they are pressed into shape. The hot sleepers are then
taken from that machine to an hydraulic punching machine, where they are placed
upon saddles, carried upon small hydraulic rams. Hydraulic rams at the top of
the machine, carrying suitable tools, come down upon the sleeper, pressing the
sleeper and saddles down, and forming the fastenings upon the sleeper by means of
the aforesaid tools, and others in underblocks. The saddles, carrying the sleeper
are prevented from rising, by means of a check valve, until the upper rams have
receded sufficiently, whereupon the check valve is opened permitting the saddles to
lift the sleeper clear of the tools in the under blocks.
For the purpose of maintaining the gauge of line the plates before being heated
are marked by means of a centre punch or other suitable tool; the marks being at
a certain definite distance apart. The hot sleepers are again gauged by these
marks, before punching, with a pair of trammels or similar tool, set at an ascer-
tained distance, and when necessary the contraction of the plate is hastened by
means of a spray of cold water.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.

page_text: Wrought-iron or Steel Railway Sleepers.
We, EDWARD DAWSON, Ironfounder, of Southfield Grove, Middlesbrough,
ALEXANDER TERTIUS HARVEY, Draughtsman, of 5 Grange Road, Middlesbrough,
and JOHN BOW, Foreman Mechanic, of 92 Marton Road, Middlesbrough, 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, that is to say:-
Our said Invention consists in manufacturing wrought-iron or steel railway
sleepers in an improved manner and with accuracy and economy.
In carrying out our Invention the plates to form the sleepers having been rolled
so as to have a suitable section, are heated and then operated on at two stages, the
desired general form being given to the sleeper at the first stage, whilst at the
second stage parts are shaped in proper positions for fastening the rails. It is of
the greatest importance to have the parts for fastening the rails formed with
accuracy as regards their positions, as the gauge of the line depends upon them;
and the principal part of our Invention has for its object to secure the necessary
accuracy in a simple manner, and notwithstanding the variation in dimensions
caused by the heating and cooling of the plates.
JU.:
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood we hereunto append two sheets of explanatory
drawings to be hereinafter referred to.
Figure, 1, on sheet, 1, of the accompanying drawings is an elevation showing
the principal parts of the machinery employed in the second stage of the shaping
operations; and figures, 2, to 6, on sheet, 2, hereinafter more particularly referred
to are explanatory of a part of the arrangements for securing accuracy of gauge.
In these drawings the same reference numerals are used' to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
Our Invention is applicable to wrought-iron or steel sleepers of various forms
and having various arrangements for fastening the rails to them either directly or
with interposed chairs; but a simple form is shown in longitudinal vertical section
in figure, 5, and in plan in figure, 6, whilst a flat plate for making such a sleeper is
shown in edge view in figure, 3, and in plan in figure, 4, this plate having been
rolled with a thickened middle part.
The plate having been heated by being passed through a suitable furnace is
taken to a first machine in which it is pressed between dies into the required
general shape, as shown for example in figures, 5, and 6. The shaped plate is next
taken to the second machine, which is shown in figure, 1, and is placed, as indicated
by dotted lines so as to rest on saddles, 7, borne up by small hydraulic rams, 8.
These rams, 8, are made with crossheads, 9, having fixed to them rods, 10, which
extend up to the saddles, 7, through guides on each side of the lower parts, 11, of
the framing. Hydraulic cylinders, 12, are fixed to the upper parts, 13, of the
framing and have rams, 14, working out through their lower ends, to which
rams are fixed suitable dies or tools for operating on the sleeper in concert with

page_text: dies or tools, 15, fixed on the lower parts, 11, of the framing. The hydraulic
cylinders and their water supply and valve details may be constructed and arranged
according to any suitable known plan; and we make no claim respecting them,
apart from the means we employ to secure accuracy in the gauge of the sleepers"
operated on. The lower hydraulic cylinders, of the rams, 8, which bear up the
saddles, 7, are in communication with the pipe, 16, supplying the water under
pressure, but the branch pipe, 17, leading to them is fitted with a check valve
(at 18) opening towards the supply. When the upper hydraulic rams, 14, are
made to descend they press down the sleeper and the saddles, 7, the lower arms, 8,
then forcing the water back through the check valve; and the upper rams, 14, by
their dies or tools operating in concert with the fixed dies or tools, 15, below
produce on the sleeper the desired projections or indentations for fastening the
rails, the particular forms of such parts depending on the shapes of the dies or
tools, and being changeable to suit various requirements. When the upper rams, 14,
reascend the saddles, 7, are prevented from carrying up the sleeper with them, by
the check valve hereinbefore referred to; but as soon as the upper rams have
receded sufficiently the check valve is opened by means of a handled lever, 19, and
then the water reentering the cylinders of the lower rams, 8, makes the saddles lift
the sleeper up off the lower dies or tools, 15, so that it may be easily removed by
the attendant workmen.
The sleeper being in a heated state when operated on by the machine shown in
figure, 1, contracts afterwards on cooling and consequently the fastening parts have
to be produced in such positions as that they may have the proper gauge or distance
apart when the sleeper has become cool. It is practically impossible to regulate
the heating of the plate in such a way as to secure uniformity in a number of
sleepers; but by our Invention we attain the desired result by having the hydraulic
cylinders with the dies or tools placed at such a distance apart as to suit what may
be termed a minimum heating of the sleeper plate and we always heat the plates
sufficiently and so that any variations in the heat of the plates when brought to
the machine may be above the said minimum and never below it. Then when
a plate is found to be hotter than it should be we reduce its temperature to the
minimum before causing the machine to operate on it. For cooling a plate in this
way when required there is arranged in connection with the machine a horizontal
pipe, 20, perforated along its under side and supplied with water by a pipe, 21,
fitted with a stopcock, 22, this perforated pipe, 20, being placed so as to throw a
spray of water on the middle part of the sleeper.
Before each plate is heated it is marked at two points by means of a centre
punch or other suitable tool. The marks must be at a definite distance apart to
secure which there may be conveniently employed a steel gauge strap, 23, shown
in section in figure, 2, fitted with guides, 24, in the proper positions for the centre
punch, 25, and with a hook or clip, 26, at one end to engage on the end of the
plate. This gauge strap, 23, is applied on the sleeper plate as shown in plan in
figure, 4, and a centre punch, 25, is inserted in each guide, 24, and struck so as to
produce the desired marks on the plate. The marks may be in any positions that
may be thought convenient without reference to the particular gauge of line for
which the sleepers are intended, it is however desirable to have the marks a
considerable distance apart.
Each plate is tested when put into the machine by means of a trial gauge, 27
such as is shown in figures, 5, and 6, and which consists of a rod with turned-down
and pointed ends and with handles, 28, of convenient length. The distance
between the points of this trial gauge, 27, is made just as much greater than
the distance between the marks on the sleeper plate when these are punched, as
corresponds to the elongation due to what has hereinbefore been referred to as the
minimum heat; and when the marks are found to be further apart on the heated
sleeper a spray of water is thrown on the plate from the perforated pipe, 20, in
order by its cooling action to cause the plate to contract until the marks coin-
cide with the points of the trial gauge, 27. Immediately on the coincidence being

page_text: attained the water spray is stopped by closing the stopcock, 22, and the lever, 29,
by which the supply of water under pressure is controlled is moved to admit the
water to the upper ends of the upper bydraulic cylinders, 12;.and the rams, 14, at
once descend and operate on the sleeper.
:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The improved mode of manufacturing wrought-iron or steel railway sleepers,
according to which parts for fastening the rails are formed on such sleepers whilst
the same are in a heated state their temperature being regulated by water applied
in accordance with the indications obtained with a suitable gauge substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. The mode of securing accuracy in manufacturing wrought-iron or steel
railway sleepers, by forming marks on the sleeper plates when cold and subsequently
applying a suitable gauge to the marks when the plates are heated and about to
be operated on by the machinery substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination with plant or machinery for manufacturing wrought-iron
or steel railway sleepers, of appliances for gauging the sleeper plates when heated
and for rapidly cooling them when found to be too highly heated substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Dated this twenty eighth day of May 1886