IMPROVE- MENTS IN METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF RAILROAD RAILS AFTER LEAVING FINISHING ROLLS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Pearce Wilding, of 23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF RAILROAD RAILS AFTER LEAVING
FINISHING ROLLS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication by
Andrew Jackson Gustin, of Boston, in the United States of North America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Pearce Wilding at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th February 1880.
4
"
SAMUEL PEARCE WILDING, of 23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent. *IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF
RAILROAD RAILS AFTER LEAVING FINISHING ROLLS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
A communication by Andrew Jackson Gustin, of Boston, in the United States of
North America.
This Invention relates to a combination of improved apparatus, as hereinafter set
forth, for the treatment of railroad rails direct from the finishing rolls by one
successive operation in one heat, so as to deliver them cut to dead lengths more
nearly straight when cold than by the present modes, and in a speedy and
economical manner.
This is effected by a combination of the following apparatus :-
The rail is first received direct from the finishing rolls upon a guide roller plate
or trough formed preferably of a base plate with vertical and horizontal rollers.
Thence the rail enters a pair of reversible vertical carrier rollers or upon a series of
horizontal rollers as may be more convenient. Of these vertical rolls there may be
two or three successive pairs, whose service it is to feed forward, hold fast, reverse,
and adjust the rail, so that it may be conveniently cut into dead lengths by over-
head swinging saws, or an intermediate carriage may be employed to carry the
rail against a fixed saw, as at present practised, such carriage having several of the
reversible rolls. The desired reversiblo motion of these carrier rolls is effected by
their spindles being geared together and driven by bevil wheels from a counter
shaft. This counter shaft is driven from any convenient shafting or engine by
means of a reversible bevil wheel clutch, or preferable a friction cone clutch,
actuated by a lever under the control of the operator, so as to feed forward, stop, or
reverse at will. The top part of each roll is fixed on a coned shoulder of a spindle
or shaft, which passes through a top bearing in a supporting frame, and is adjustablo

page_text: by set screws so as to bring the rolls closer together or wider apart to suit the
rail. The bottom ends of the shafts are stepped also in a bearing plate. The
inner edge of the top bearing block has a raised rim, and the outer under edge of
the roll has a projecting rim downwards to shed the water poured over the rolls,
and to keep out grit from the bearings. The top and bottom bearings are
lubricated by cups fixed on the roll, and communicating by suitable ducts through
the body of the roll and spindle.
After having passed the carrier rolls where the rail has been cut into suitable
lengths it is received into a cambering apparatus for the purpose of giving the hot
rail a suitable camber to compensate for the curvature of unequal shrinkage when
cooling, so that when cold the rail is more uniformly straight than by methods
now in use.
This cambering apparatus is formed by three pairs of rolls which are constantly
driven by gearing, so as to grip and automatically feed the rail through them with
the head and the flange of the rail resting upon the rolls. To give a uniform
rotation to the cambering rolls one roll of each pair is geared together by cog
wheels of equal diameter, the centre shaft being driven by bevil gear from a source
of constant motion. The other three rolls, one in each pair, are geared respectively
by equal gearing to the opposite roll in the pair, which is already connected and
driven by the gearing before described. All six rolls thus rotate accurately
together. The pairs of rolls are each adjustable by set screws out of the line of
the other two pairs, so that any required camber or curvature can be given to the
rail as it passes through for the purpose as before described.
After having been properly cambered the rail is automatically delivered by the
cambering machine on to a cooling bed.
This cooling bed is made of open bare transverse to the position of the rail,
between which are placed two endless chains or wire ropes, so that the upper part
of these ropes or chains is a little below the surface of the bars, and would not
thus touch the rail. These endless wire ropes or chains run round two drums, one
at each end of the bed, and though they inay be driven by either or both of the
said drums it is preferable to drive by means of a third drum in the middle of the
under travel. Placed on each of them is a sliding shoe with a projecting catch or
claw, which engages with the hot rail delivered on to the cooling bed, and then
slides or pushes the rail to either side of the cooling bed according to the direction
in which the wire rope or chain may be made to travel.
As the chains or wire ropes before described are very liable to expansion from
the heat of the rails, a riding weight is applied to one of the drums or pulleys
round which the rope or chain passes, so as always to keep the rope at a uniform
tension.
This weight, or a suitable spring which may on occasion be substituted, also
serves the purpose of compensating for any heavy jar upon the stretched rope or
chains.
The apparatus herein described may be arranged either in a continuous line
direct from the finishing rolls, or if space will not pernit the cambering machine
and cooling bed may return in direction towards the rolls. The rail may then be
carried over by a suitable traveller from the line of the saws to that of the
cambering rolls. The whole process is conducted automatically by the apparatus
without lifting or handling the rails until finally delivered upon the cooling bed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Samuel Pearce Wilding in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th August 1880.
"
SAMUEL PEARCE WILDING, of 23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF
RAILROAD RAILS AFTER LEAVING FINISHING ROLLS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR.
A communication by Andrew Jackson Gustin, of Boston, in the United States of
North America.
This Invention relates to a combination of improved apparatus, as hereinafter
set forth, for the treatment of rail road rails direct from the finishing rolls by one
successive operation in one heat, so as to deliver them cut to dead lengths more
nearly straight when cold than by the present modes, and in a speedy and
economical manner.
This is effected by a combination of the following apparatus:-
The rail is first received direct from the finishing rolls upon a guide roller plate
or trough formed preferably of a base plate with vertical and horizontal rollers, the
end of the plate nearest the rolls being moveable to either groove in the rolls.
Thence the rail enters a pair of reversible vertical carrier rollers, or upon a series of
horizontal rollers as may be more convenient. Of these vertical rollers there may
be two or three successive pairs, whose service it is to feed forward, hold fast,
reverse, and adjust the rail, so that it may be conveniently cut into dead lengths by
overhead swinging saw or saws, or an intermediate carriage may be employed to
carry the rail against a fixed saw, as at present practised, such carriage having
several of the reversible rolls. The desired reversible motion of these carrier rolls
is effected by their spindles being geared together and driven by bevil wheels from
a counter shaft. This counter shaft is driven from any convenient shafting or
engine by means of a reversible bevil wheel clutch, or preferably a friction cono
clutch, actuated by a lever under the control of the operator, so as to feed forward,
stop, or reverse at will. The top part of cach roll is fixed on a coned shoulder of
a spindle or shaft which passes through a top bearing in a supporting frame, so
that rolls of different diameters to accomodate rails of different heights may be
used as required, and are adjusted by set screws so as to bring the rolls closer
together or wider apart to suit the rail. The bottom ends of the shafts are
stepped also in a bearing plate. The inner edge of the top bearing block has a
raised rim, and the outer under edge of the roll has a projecting rin downwards to
shed the water poured over the rolls, and to keep out grit from the bearings. The
top and bottom bearings are lubricated by cups fixed on the roll or by a circular
channel in the roll, and communicating by suitable ducts through the body of the
roll and spindle.
After having passed the carrier rolls and been cut into suitable lengths the rail
is received into a cambering apparatus for the purpose of giving the hot rail a
suitable camber to compensate for the curvature of unequal shrinkage when
cooling, so that when cold the rail is more uniformly straight than by methods now
in use.
The cambering apparatus is formed by three pairs of rolls which are constantly
driven by gearing, so as to grip and automatically feed the rail through them with
the head and the flange of the rail resting upon the rolls. To give a uniform
rotation to the cambering rolls, one roll of each pair is geared together by cog
wheels of equal diameter, the centre shaft being driven by bevil gear or otherwise.
from a source of constant motion: The other three rolls, one in each pair, are
geared respectively by equal gearing to the opposite roll in the pair, which is
already connected and driven by the gearing before described. All six rolls thus
rotate accurately together. The pairs of rolls are each adjustable by set screws out

page_text: of the line of the other two pairs, so that any required camber or curvature can be
given to the rail as it passes through for the purpose as before described. I may
dispense with the employment of the outside pairs, retaining only single rolls at
the extremities, and one pair of carrier rolls in the middle. The rolls are geared
together as before described, except that the intermediato gearing of the two
outside pairs is omitted owing to the absence of one member in each pair.
After having been properly cambered the rail is automatically delivered by the
cambering machine on to a cooling bed.
This cooling bed is made of open bars transverse to the position of the rail,
between which are placed two endless chains or wire ropes, so that the upper parts
of these ropes or chains is a little below the surface of the bars, and would not thus
touch the rail. These endless wire ropes or chains run round two drums, one at
each end of the bed, and though they may be driven by either or both of the said
drums it is preferable to drive by means of a third drum in the middle of the
under travel. Placed on them are sliding shoes with projecting catch or claw
which engages with the hot rail delivered on to the cooling bed, and thus slides or
pushes the rail to either side of the cooling bed according to the direction in which
the wire rope or chain may be made to travel.
As the chains or wire rope before described are very liable to expansion from the
heat of the rails, a riding weight is applied to one of the drums or pulleys round
which the rope or chain passes, so as always to keep the rope at a uniform tension.
This weight, or a suitable spring which may on occasion be substituted, also
serves the purpose of compensating for any heavy jar upon the stretched rope or
chains.
The wire ropes or chains may be otherwise arranged to move slowly and in
connection with the horizontal rolls beyond the cambering machine, to automatically
pick up the rails as delivered from the said cambering machine, carrying them at
such speed that when arrived at end of cooling bed they will be cool enough to
pile. By dropping them off the end of the bed by incline or other suitable means,
they may be thus easily placed in position for convenient transference to the
straightening machine as required.
The horizontal rolls receiving the rail from the cambering machine may be
automatically driven at a high speed, and one of their ends adjustable by a hand
lever, so that their axes may be inclined at a considerable angle to that of the rail,
which is prevented from moving endways off the rolls by a suitable stop placed at
the end farthest from the cambering machine. By this means the rail may be
rapidly moved off the rolls in a direction at right angles to the rail in order to
make room for the following rails when delivered in rapid succession.
The apparatus herein described may be arranged either in a continuous line
direct from the finishing rolls, or if space will not permit the cambering machine
and cooling bed may return in direction towards the rolls. The rail may be then
carried over by a suitable traveller from the line of the saws to that of the
cambering rolls. The whole process is conducted automatically by the apparatus,
without lifting or handling the rails until finally delivered upon the cooling bed.
And for the better understanding of this Invention I now proceed to describe
the Drawings herewith, reference being had to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a plan of my improved apparatus as laid down on the floor of
a rolling mill. A is the finishing rolls from which the rail is delivered on to the
guide roller plate or trough B, which is fitted with vertical and horizontal rolls to
allow the rail to travel freely, and the end nearest to the rolls is moveable for
adjustment to any of the grooves in the rolls. C, C, C, are sets of vertical
reversible carrier or feed rollers (shown in detail on Sheet II.), which are driven by
the bevil gear G, G, G, from the counter shaft H, which receives its motion from
the main shaft through a reversible friction and bevil clutch I under the control of
the attendant. The rail is thus fed forward, stopped, or reversed until it is exactly
in position to be cut by the overhead swinging saws D, D. When cut the rail.

page_text: may be fed directly into the cambering machine O, and thence to the cooling bed S,
both placed in line with the carrier rolls C if the space at disposal will admit of
this arrangement; if not, the cambering machine O and the cooling bed S may
return towards the rolls, as shown in the Drawing. In this case a travelling
table X is used, the trough of which is formed by sets of two or more horizontal
rollers ¹ side by side on which the cut portions of the rail are received. These
rolls are driven by bevil gear G₁, G, from the counter shaft, so that they may be
made feeding rollers when desired to deliver the rails to the cambering rolls O. The
travelling table X is capable of a travelling movement across the path of the rail,
actuated by a hydraulic piston Z or other convenient motor. The piston Z operates
a rocking shaft, which is connected by rods to the travelling table, so as to cause it
to travel uniformly and parallel. When the first cut portion of the rail has been
received on the traveller it is travelled over a sufficient distance to receive the next
cut portion alongside the first, and so on until full, when it is travelled over in
juxta position with the cambering rolls O. Those portions of the cut rail which
are not exactly opposite to the cambering rolls, and are not to be fed forward, are
prevented from moving on the feed rolls by a suitable stop placed independently
of the travelling table.
From the cambering machine O, which is shown in detail on Sheet II., the rails
are fed forward on to the cooling bed S, of which an elevation is shown in Figure 2,
Sheet I. This bed is formed of parallel bars T transverse to the position of the
rail, and the cambering machine may be in the centre or to one side of the bed,
according to the facilities of space. When the rails are delivered on to the bed
they are received by the horizontal rollers Z, of which the axes may be inclined as
shown by a hand lever, so as to deliver the rails which are carried over to the edgo
of the bed by the endless wire ropes or chains U and by the claws and carriages V
attached thereto. The rails are prevented from travelling longitudinally with the
bed by means of a stop placed at the end furthest from the cambering machine.
These ropes are turned round the end drums V, VI, one at each end of the bed,
one of which is fixed in slotted bearings, so that it can give to the strain of a
riding weight W to keep the rope tight. The ropes are preferably driven by
central drums U', U', which aro grooved spirally on their faces to prevent the rope
from over lapping. These drums are driven by bevil wheels Q" and a friction
clutch gear T on the main shaft, which is operated by a lever under the control of
the attendant.
Sheet II. shows details of the cambering machine and carrier rolls; Figures 3
and 4 are a plan and elevation respectively of the cambering machine. The
rolls J, J, J, J, are arranged in three pairs, which can any of them be adjusted
transversely by the set screws K, K'. The centre pair of rolls is adjusted out of
line with the other two pairs to give the necessary camber to the rails to com-
pensate for the curvature of unequal shrinkage. The rolls are fixed on coned
shoulders M of the vertical shafts E with which they revolve. The vertical shafts
are supported in a step bearing L and in bushed bearings M' in the top plate.
The inner edge of the top bearing bush is raised, and the lower outer edge of the
roll has a projecting rim downwards, to shed the water poured over the rolls,
and to keep out grit from the bearings. The bearings are lubricated either by cups
fixed to the top of the roll communicating by suitable channels with the top and
bottom bearings, or a circular groove may be turned in the top of the roll as an oil
receptacle communicating with the bearings as aforesaid, and the top of the roll
covered with a loose cover N' to keep off the dust and grit. In order to give all
the cambering rolls a uniform motion one out of each pair J, J', J', are geared
together by cog wheels P, each pair being then geared together by the cog-wheels R,
the whole being driven by the bevil gearing Q from the main shaft.
Figures 6 and 7 are the plan and elevation respectively of a pair of carrier rolls,
in which the details of the rolls J, J, bearings M' and L, and lubricating arrange-
ments N, are the same as those already described for the cambering machine.
These rolls are adjustable to any width by set screws K', K', to suit the size of the

page_text: rail. The shafts E, E, are geared together by the cog wheels F, and are driven by
the bevil gear G from the counter shaft H, which is itself driven by bevil friction
clutch under the control of the attendant. When the rolls are used simply for
guiding the rails, as in the trough B, the rolls may revolve on fixed spindles.
And having now fully described and ascertained the object and nature of the
Invention communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, be it known that
what is claimed as novel and useful, and what I desire to protect by Letters
Patent is,-
I. The combination of the whole apparatus, substantially as described, viz.,
a receiving guide plate, reversible and adjustable carrier rolls, cambering machine
and cooling bed; or of parts of them, viz., the combination of the cambering
machine with either or both the horizontal or vertical feeding rolls, and also the
combination of the cambering machine with the cooling bed with or without
adjustable horizontal rolls, bed, and travelling chain or rope, as and for the purpose
described.
II. The method of construction of the carrier and cambering rolls, that is to say,
the combination of a roll which will hold the base line of the ordinary flange or T
rail in a vertical or nearly vertical position in a top bearing having a raised collar
round a centre shaft with a concave base of the bottom of the top roll having a
circumferential rim for the exclusion of water and other impurities; also the
mode of application of lubrication to the top roll and bottom step, substantially as
herein before described.
III. The construction of the cambering rolls to compensate for the curvature of
the rail produced by unequal shrinkage in cooling in the form of three pairs of
rolls, or one centre pair and two single rolls, each pair consisting of two rolls
opposite to each other to produce the necessary foed motion, and being adjustable
out of the line of the other two pairs or rolls as required; also the mode of
gearing same together to produce uniform rotation, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
IV. The construction of the cooling bed by a combination of adjustable horizontal
discharging rollers and endless chains or wire ropes, carrying shoes or cradles, and
with the chains or ropes strained to a uniform tension by a riding weight or spring,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Samuel Pearce Wilding, have hereunto set
iny hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
In the presence of
JOHN C. FELL,
City Patent Office,
23, Rood Lane, Fenchurch St.,
London, E.C.
SAM. P. WILDING. (L.S.)