Improvements in the Treatment of Old Rails.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Old Rails.
I, RUDOLF KLEIN, of 77 Torre Argentina Rome, in the Kingdom of Italy,
Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to a process for rendering old rails of steel and ingot iron
fit for being rolled in ordinary rolling mills without previously cutting them in the
longitudinal direction. The rail most suitable for this method is of the generally
used Vignoles form in all its dimensions and modifications.
All the other commonly used profiles may however also be used according to this
invention.
Old rails have heretofore almost exclusively been melted. According to this
new process directly finished products may advantageously be obtained for
determined purposes.
The rails may be cut into pieces, the length of which depends on the size of the
finished rail or bar to be rolled. The several pieces are then heated to a cherry-
red-heat, whereupon the working pieces withdrawn from the furnaces are passed
through any suitable machines and worked in such a manner, that from the original
profile approximately the cross section shown in Fig. 3 is produced.
To attain this purpose it is necessary; 1. to bend up the ribs or flanges of the
foot of the rail towards the stem or web, 2, to jump the stem or web of the rail to
a greater or less degree.
To bend up the ribs of the foot more easily the central part of the underside of
the foot of the rail may previously be provided by pressing or rolling with an
incision or a groove, as shown in Fig. 1.
The Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the consecutive alterations of the original
profile.
The jumping of the central web or stem of the rail may be carried out to such
an extent that the flanges of the foot of the rail when bent up will project beyond
the head of the rail and in consequence envelop the same partly or entirely, which
is advantageous particularly when the head of the rail is damaged.
The operations above described inay be combined either in one working process
in using a suitable swage by means of a strong, preferably hydraulic press or by
means of a steam hammer or a top-swage, or by several passages through corre-
sponding grooves of the rolling mill, or by combining two of these methods or
employing other means.
The profile thus contained, as may readily be seen, is suitable for being further
rolled according to the usual method in slightly modifying the first passages and
all those profiles, for which the quality of the material and the disposable cross
section of the rail is sufficient, may be manufactured.
Before the rail prepared as before described is passed through the finishing
rollers, it may if it consist of a "weldable" material, be introduced again into the
furnace and heated therein to a low welding temperature. As the several parts lie
close against each other the welding will be carried out without any difficulty at
the next introduction into the rolling mill.
The cross sections of the rails prepared as before described consist of separate
layers if the original rail consisted of an "unweldable" material; these layers
though they lie close against each other, not being welded together.
For this reason the product thus obtained can be used only in cases where it is
indifferent, whether the rails or bars are flawed in the transverse direction.

page_text: This process will therefore advantageously be employed for the manufacturing
light hoops and band iron, carriage-springs, rails for rolling tracks, small angle and
T-iron, rolled wire for manufacturing galvanized wires, and in particular for
producing fence-wire etc.
As the cross section of these profiles consists of several layers, they offer a far
greater security against break, than if they were rolled from a solid block, for
should one of the layers tear on account of a defect in the material, it is not
probable, that the other layers will show the same defect.
But if the original rail be made of a "weldable" material, the above mentioned
properties will not be perceptible when the several layers are welded together.
As will readily be seen, in this case the rolling product will most frequently
be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the treatment of old railway and similar rails of steel and ingot-irou
transforming the original cross section without previously cutting or dividing the
rail in the longitudinal direction substantially as set forth.
2. The method of carrying out the process characterised in the first claim as
applied to a rail of Vignoles or similar form consisting in bending up after if
required having notched the underside of the foot of the rail the two foot-ribs or
flanges towards the stem of web of the rail and jumping the web until the said ribs
touch or envelop the head of the rail and after this if desired if the material is
"weldable" welding the parts together and subsequently rolling to any desired
cross section substantially as described.
3. In the treatment of a rail of a Vignoles or like section by the production
therefrom of other bars or rails giving the rail successively various forms in
transverse section substantially such as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of March 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.