IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY WHEELS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
KIRTLEY, of Derby, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of July,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Matthew Kirtley, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Matthew Kirtley, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Matthew Kirtley, my exors, admors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF RAILWAY WHEELS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said Matthew Kirtley, should cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I, the said
Matthew Kirtley, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
And
My Invention consists of so rolling bars of iron for forming the spokes of
railway wheels that the ends thereof (which come to the centre or nave) shall
have angular pieces on the ends, which coming together will produce a series
of pieces, making a circle suitable for aiding the construction of a nave.
in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me. In place of
hammering moulds or rolling bars of iron and then forming the angular pieces
at the end thereof by hand forging, as has heretofore been practised when
making like descriptions of wheels, my Invention consists of producing such
angular pieces or ends (for coming to the centre of a wheel) by the act of
rolling. The Drawing shews three arrangements of wheels, differing somewhat
in detail, but wherein the angular pieces at the ends of the spokes (which come
to the centre of the wheels) are produced by the act of rolling. And I would
state that. I do not confine myself to the forms of spokes shewn in the Drawing,
as the same may be varied without departing from my Invention, so long as the
angular ends of the spokes coming to the centre of a wheel are produced by
the act of rolling.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a wheel constructed with spokes, made according to my
Invention. Figure 1° shews an edge view of a bar to be bent into spokes;
Figure 1 shews the plain side of the bar; Figure 1° shews the bent spoke;
in this case or construction of wheel only one roller will require to be sunk, as
shewn at Figure 14, or in place of using rollers with sunk parts a straight die
may bo used with plain rollers, as is shewn by Figure 1 B. In respect to this
wheel, and also as to the others hereafter described, it will only be necessary to
-state that the nave is to be formed as heretofore when making like wheels, by
first forging the angular ends by hand.
Figure 2 shews another arrangement of wheel, differing from that above
described, inasmuch as the angular parts are in the opposite directions, and
will therefore require the rollers to be formed accordingly. Figure 2ª is an edge
view; Figure 2b is a plan of the bar; and Figure 2° a spoke bent into form.
Figure 3 shews a wheel' with somewhat different spokes to the preceding
there being two angular surfaces at each end formed by the act of rolling. In
this case both rollers will be зunk to produce the angular ends to the bars for
the spokes. Figure 3° shews the edge view; Figure 3 a plan thereof;

page_text: and Figure 3 the bar bent into spokes. In place of producing the com-
plete bar as above explained, I can roll bars, which being cut across will
form the angular ends to be welded on to bars suitable for making spokes.
Thus Figure 4 shews a bar suitable for being divided transversely and
longitudinally, so as to form a series of angular ends for spokes of railway
wheels; and Figure 5 shews a bar, which by being cut transversely will form
ends for spokes.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim is, the making bars with angular ends, formed by rolling, suitable for the
spokes of railway wheels, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Kirtley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand night hundred and forty-nine