IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD STRAIGHTENING RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME " OF PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Richards of Dowlais in the County of Glamorgan
Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
STRAIGHTENING RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME "
OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lewis Richards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1882.
LEWIS RICHARDS of Dowlais in the County of Glamorgan Engineer
"IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF STRAIGHTENING RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS
FOR THE SAME
"
In the various methods hitherto employed for straightening rails the rails have
been placed and made to rest on supports with a space between for the rail to
deflect in, and in the process of straightening, the rail has been operated upon first
on one face and then on the other.
Now under my invention the rail is passed between two parallel surfaces without
any space for deflection and is operated upon either by hammering or by pressure
on both faces at the same time, the straightening being effected by the parallelism of
the surfaces between which the rail is passed.
For this purpose in one application of the invention the rail may be passed over
a series of supporting rollers between a fixed plane surface to act as an anvil and
the parallel corresponding face of a steam hammer or other suitable or reciprocating
striker adapted to give a succession of blows to the rail which will be straightened
by its being brought to the straight line of the anvil surface instead of being
deflected as usual.
In another application of the invention the straightening may be effected by
passing the rail between rollers moveable under pressure or fixed to the proper
distance and revolving discs. For this purpose it may be convenient to arrange
two revolving discs with a driving wheel on the same shaft between them with
the rollers placed at right angles to the discs and so as to press the rail against the
outer face of the discs. The rollers may run either loose or be driven by suitable.
gear and they may be fixed at the proper distance to suit the section of rail to be
operated upon or made or be moveable and be pressed forward towards the face of
D

page_text: the discs by hydraulic power or other suitable means and the rail is to be
strengthened as required on the flat on one disc and on the edge or in the direction
of its depth on the other disc by its being placed as required and passed between
the rollers and the face of the disc.
Or the discs and rollers with the pressing apparatus may be arranged so as to
operate on the rail in both ways or directions simultaneously.
Instead of rollers combined with discs in the methods stated above, discs alone
may be arranged and driven so as in combination to form straightening surfaces
adapted to act upon the rail either on the flat or in the direction of its depth.
The discs may be mounted on parallel shafts and driven so as to revolve in
opposite directions or they may be mounted on shafts arranged in a line and driven
so as to revolve in the same direction one or both discs being moveable endwise
and pressed together as required with the rail between them.
The rollers and discs or discs alone acting in combination in the manner stated
are an equivalent for the hammer and anvil the straightening being effected in either
case by passing the rail between parallel straightening surfaces without any space
for deflection beyond the straight line.
This method of straightening has the advantage of requiring less skill on the
part of the operator and producing greater rapidity of working.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed"
by the said Lewis Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th April
1883.
LEWIS RICHARDS of Dowlais in the County of Glamorgan Engineer "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF STRAIGHTENING RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND IN APPARATUS
FOR THE SAME
In the various methods hitherto employed for straightening rails, the rails have
been placed and made to rest on supports with a space between them for the rail to
deflect in and in the process of straightening the rail has been operated upon first
on one face and then on the other according to the directions of the bends.--Now
under my Invention the rail is passed between two parallel surfaces without any
space for deficction and is operated upon either by hammering or by pressure on
both faces at the same time the straightening being effected by the rigid or
unyielding parallelism of the surfaces between which the rail is passed.
For this purpose in one application of the Invention the rail may be passed over
a series of supporting rollers between a plano surface to act as an anvil and the
parallel corresponding face of a steam hammer or other suitable reciprocating striker
adapted to give a succession of blows to the rail which will be straightened by its
being brought to the straight line of the anvil surfaco instead of being deflected
as usual.
In another application of the Invention the straightening may be effected by
passing the rail between rollers moveable under pressure or fixed at the proper
distance and revolving discs.-For this purpose it may be convenient to arrange two
revolving discs with a driving wheel on the same shaft between them with the
rollers placed at right angles to the discs and so as to press the rail against the
outer face of the discs.-The rollers may run either loose or be driven by suitable
gear and they may be fixed at the proper distance to suit the section operated upon
or made or be moveable and be pressed forward towards the face of the discs by
hydraulic power or other suitable means and the rail is to be straightened as
required on the flat on one disc and on the edge or in the direction of its depth on
the other disc by its being placed as required and passed between the rollers and
the face of the disc.
Or the discs and rollers with the pressing apparatus may be arranged so as to
operato on the rail in both ways or directions simultaneously.
Instead of rollers combined with discs in the methods stated above discs alone
may be arranged and driven so as in combination to form straightening surfaces
adapted to act upon the rail either on the flat or in the direction of its depth.-The
discs may be mounted on parallel shafts and driven so as to revolve in opposite
directions or they may be mounted on shafts arranged in a line and driven so as to
revolve in the same direction one or both discs being moveable endwise and pressed
towards each other as required with the rail between them.-The rollers and discs
or discs alone acting in combination in the manner stated are an equivalent for the
hammer and anvil the straightening being effected in either case by passing the rail
between parallel straightening surfaces without any space for deflection beyond the
straight line.
This method of straightening has the advantage of requiring less skill on the
part of the operator and producing greater rapidity of working.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention I will proceed to describe
more particularly the manuer in which the same is to be performed by the aid
of the accompanying drawings in which is represented the apparatus above
-referredto.
·

page_text: In Figures 1 and 2 are represented in side and front elevation an arrangement in
which the rail is or may be passed over a series of supporting rollers E E between
a plane surface A to act as an anvil and the parallel corresponding face of a steam
hammer B or other suitable reciprocating striker adapted to give a succession of
blows to the rail which will be straightened by its being brought to the straight
line of the anvil surface A instead of being deflected as usual.-C is the standard
for supporting the steam cylinder for working the hammer.-Hammers or
reciprocating strikers may be arranged so as to operate upon the rail in a vertical
and horizontal direction simultaneously.
1
Figures 3 and 4 represent in elevation and plan an arrangement in which the
straightening of the rail is effected by passing the rail between rollers moveable
under pressure or fixed at the proper distance and revolving discs. CC are two
revolving discs with a driving wheel F on the same shaft between them, H H are
the rollers placed at right angles to the discs and so as to pross the rail I against 1
the outer face of the discs. The rollers H.H may run either loose or be driven by
suitable gear and they may be fixed at the proper distance to suit the section of rail
to be operated upon and they may be moveable and be pressed forward towards the
face of the discs C C by means of hydraulic power as shewn at A or by other
suitable means.
And the rail is to be straightened as required on the flat-on ono..
disc and on the edge or in the direction of its depth on the other disc by its being
placed as shewn and passed between the rollers and the face of the disc.
Figures 5 and 6 represent in elevation and plan an arrangement in which the
discs and rollers with the pressing apparatus are caused to operate on the rail in
both ways or directions simultaneously. In Fig; 6-the rollers acting-on-the-side-of-
the rail are supposed to be removed.
:
On reference to these figures it will be seen that the disc CC and the rollers HH
are arranged so as to act both horizontally and vertically on the rail as it is passed
between them as shewn more particularly in the elevation Fig: 5.-It will be seen
also that the parts are combined in such a manner as to be more concentrated in
their united action on the rail than in the previous arrangement.
Figures 7 and 8 are similar views of an arrangement in which the rail is operated
upon on different sides simultaneously by the two discs C C arranged one before
the other as shown one being arranged so as to revolve vertically and the other
horizontally with rollers H H pressed against the rail by means of hydraulic
apparatus A A. The number of discs CC or of rollers H H is not limited to what
is shewn in the drawings but the number may be varied as required. In-tead of
rollers combined with discs as above described discs alone may be arranged and
driven so as in combination to form straightening surfaces adapted to act upon the
rail either on the flat or in the direction of its depth, The discs may either be
mounted on parallel shafts as shewn in Figures 9 and 10 and driven so as to revolve
in opposite directions or they may be mounted on shafts arranged in a line as shewn
in Figures 11 and 12 and driven so as to revolve in the same direction, one or both
discs being moveable endwise and pressed towards each other as required with the
rail between them.-In Fig: 9 the discs CC are shewn as acting on the rail in the
direction of its depth and in Fig: 10 ns operating on each side of the rail.—And
in Figures 11 and 12 the rail is shewn as operated upon in similar ways.
The discs together with rollers or the discs alone acting in combination in the
manner described are a mechanical equivalent for the hammer and anvil, the
straightening being effected in either case by passing the rail between parallel
straightening surfaces without any space for deflection beyond the straight line and
applying force or pressure to the sides or faces of the rail as described. This is the
special characteristic of the Invention.
The above described method of straightening rails has also the advantage of

page_text: requiring less skill on the part of the operator and of producing greater rapidity
of working.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I hereby declare that what I claim as of my Invention is:-
First: The straightening of rails by passing them between parallel straightening
surfaces without space for deflection and applying force or pressure to the sides or
faces of the rail as and for the purpose substantially as described.
Secondly: The combination of discs and rollers arranged so as to form parallel
straightening surfaces for rails substantially as herein before described.
And lastly: The combination of discs so as to form parallel straightening surfaces
for rails substantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof I tho said Lewis Richards have hereunto set my hand
and seal the Twenty fifth day of April in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
LEWIS RICHARDS (L.S.)