Year: 1886

page_text: We, WILLIAM STRAPP of Frenches, Red Hill, Surrey, Gentleman; and GEORGE
EDWARDS, of Whitby Lodge, Thornton Heath, Surrey Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Our improvements consist in the first place of hollow Keys or Wedges made
of Steel, Iron, Phosphor-Bronze and other materials to be used instead of, or in
like manner to, ordinary wood railway Keys and other Keys; and in the second
place of Duplex Keys with tightening bolt for the like purposes. .
Having now declared the nature of the said invention, we now proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed, by aid
of the accompanying drawings.
Fig's. 1 and 3 are transverse sections, Fig. 2 is elevation, and fig's. 4, 5, 5ª are
horizontal sections shewing our improved hollow Keys as applied to ordinary
chairs and rails.
65
"
Fig's. 6, 7 & 8 are transverse sections; and fig. 9 is plan; shewing our improved
Keys as applied to our combined Chairs and Sleepers called Saddles in our
patent No 2552 AD 1886.
Fig's. 10, 11, 12 are longitudinal elevations of hollow Keys shewing some of the
forms of joint we adopt for those Keys which are not tubular.
Fig's. 13, 14, 15, 16° 16a, 16b are transverse sections of some of the forms which
may be applied to our improved hollow Keys.
Fig's. 17, 18, 19 are plans shewing our improved duplex Wood Keys as applied
to our Railway Saddles (patent N° 2552-1885).
A fig's. 1 to 16b hollow Keys.
B fig's. 17, 18, 19 duplex Keys.
At figs. 1 and 2 the hollow Key A is shewn to be placed between the rail C and
the jaw of the chair D, as is usual with the wooden Keys; while at fig. 3 the Key
is shewn on the inside of the Rail.
This transposition is further illustrated by sections of parts of wheel tires E
(fig. 1 & 3). Sometimes these hollow Keys A are tubular, weldless, or with welded

page_text: dovetailed, or otherwise closed joints, in which case some of the sides are preferred
of Curved shapes similar to those shewn at tig's. 1, 3, 6, 7, 14 & 15 in order to
render them sufficiently elastic for driving and for adjustment to uneven Key-
ways In other cases they are butt jointed at the side, top, or bottom as shewn
at F fig's. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 16ª 16b the open or butt joints
contributing to the necessary elasticity of the Key-These open or butt joints are
straight, indented, tenoned, curved, in similar forms to those shewn, and may be
further varied to suit circumstances.
These hollow Keys A are kept in place by means of stops, sometimes by simple
bulges in the metal as at G fig's. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16 16, 16b; in other
cases the stop is like a rivet G¹ (fig. 14). When the elasticity of the Key is such
as to allow these raised parts to pass the jaw of the Chair, or into recesses in the
Chairs as shewn at fig's. 1, 3, 4, 6, 9 or to the outside of the jaw of the Chair as at
fig's. 2 and 12-When however there is not sufficient elasticity or spring in the
Key for that purpose, one or both ends may be furnished with bolts or set pins
and locknuts G (fig. 5) or cotter, or split pin G to keep them in place, and in
some cases the stop is made like a spring latch as shewn at G fig. 5^, seperate or
part of the Key itself.
These our improved Keys when applied to long jawed Chairs or Saddles herein-
before mentioned may extend throughout the whole or a portion only of the
Keyway, or more than one Key may be used as shewn fig. 9, with recesses and
bulges as shewn at G-In other cases we use with the like long Keyways our
improved duplex Keys B (fig's. 17, 18, 19) forced and held in place by bolts H, and
nuts I and socket or linknuts J.
These our improved Keys and their various parts and appendages, may be made
of the size, length, shape, and strength, suited to the circumstances or requirements
of the case, and by any suitable machinery.
The tubular Keys may be made round like ordinary tubing and afterwards
pressed into the required shape, or they may be made direct into shape at one
operation, wrought or cast.
The open jointed Keys may be made by any suitable machinery, but those of
steel or iron, we prefer to make by cutting the required shape out of sheet metal
and pressing them hot or cold into the required shape.
If required they may be hardened and tempered, case hardened, or annealed, to
the required stiffness.
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 :-
1st Hollow Keys or Wedges, made of Steel, Iron, Phosphor-bronze, or other
suitable material of the shape, and in the manner herein described and shewn.
2nd Bulged, rivetted, screw or cotter, stops, to keep the hollow Keys in place
as described and shewn.
3rd Duplex Wedges with their tightenings as described and shewn on the
drawings.
W. STRAPP.
GEORGE EDWARDS.