Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1887.
Complete Left, 21st Sept., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 21st Oct., 1887,
1, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The spoke wheels now usually employed are, in consideration of the welding of the
rim, which is necessary in making the wheel, preferably made of wrought iron. The
expensive manufacture of such wheels, no matter according to which of the known
methods they may be made, and the fractures which frequently occur especially at the
welds, are inconveniences that are avoided as much as possible by the present
invention.
The dangers resulting for the railway traffic from the application of disc wheels
made of cast steel, such as cracks produced by tension in the casting and the pro-
portionally heavy weight of such wheels, will also be avoided by using the wheel
hereinafter described and by the method of manufacturing the same.
According to the present invention cast steel wheels are manufactured as I will
proceed to describe with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the annexed drawing. For
manufacturing these wheels ingot-iron or cast-steel may be employed, that is to say,
a material of peculiar strength and hitherto not yet used for this purpose. The form
shown in Figs. 1 to 4 of the annexed drawing is particularly suitable for a spoke-
wheel made of cast-steel. The nave and the rim of the wheel are connected together
by a certain number of spokes. In order to obtain a smooth and elastic movement of
the wheel it has been found advisable to apply here also, as is the case with other
spoke-wheels, an uneven number of spokes. The spokes themselves are double-
curved in a plane passing through the centre-line of the axle, as shewn in Fig. 2 of
the drawing, this being an essential feature wherein this wheel differs from all the
other spoke-wheels hitherto known. Owing to this peculiar shape of the spokes the
geometrical front elevation (fig. 1) does not show any remarkable difference with
respect to other spoke-wheels. The spoke is made of a forked shape where it joins
on to the rim of the wheel, whereby it is possible to afford to the rim of the

page_text: wheel, not only a number of points of support which is the double of that of that of
the spokes, but also each single spoke receives a double curvature in the plane of the
wheel.
The section shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 is that which is preferably employed. By the
special shape of the spoke and the double curvature in two planes (the plane of the
face of the wheel and that which is perpendicular thereto) not only are all the require-
ments of railway traffic respecting a smooth motion of the car fully satisfied, as the
wheel offers sufficient resistance against the lateral strain exerted on the flange of the
wheel and against the momentum of torsion on the circumference of the wheel, but it
will also be possible, owing to the particular shape of the spokes, to avoid any tension
in casting the wheel. The mould is prepared of any suitable material in the known
way, either by means of a pattern or of a moulding machine. The cores between the
spokes consist at their middle parts of coke-ashes and other similar loose material
while the parts thereof next the spokes are made of the known moulding materials
used for casting shaped steel, such as waste of crucible, clay, slate and the like.
When the casting is finished, the inner loose core is rapidly removed and the wheel,
while it is still red-hot, is placed, immediately after its consolidation, into a heating
furnace or into a sand-bath in which the wheel is gradually cooled. The peculiar
shape of the wheel and the method of manufacturing the same above described render
it possible to cast such wheels without any tension. The material employed for
casting the wheel differs advantageously from that which is used in the manufacture
of spoke-wheel made of wrought iron, by its high degree of strength and malleability
even after casting. The welding of spoke wheels can only carried out advantageouly
when wrought iron is used, which has a certain percentage of phosphorous. In order
therefore to enable a material suitable for welding to be employed, it is necessary,
more or less, to sacrifice strength and clasticity and this fact fully explains the frequent
fractures of wrought-iron spoke-wheels.
Dated this 24th day of Jonna 1007

page_text: An Improved Manufacture of Wheels for Railway Cars.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be perfornied to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The spoke wheels now usually employed are, in consideration of the welding of the
rim, which is necessary in making the wheel, preferably made of wrought iron. The
expensive manufacture of such wheels, no matter according to which of the known
methods they may be made, and the fractures which frequently occur, especially at
the welds, are inconveniences that are avoided as much as possible by the present
invention.
The dangers resulting for the railway traffic from the application of disc-wheels
made of cast steel, such as cracks produced by tension in the casting, and the pro-
portionally heavy weight of such wheels, will also be avoided by using the wheel
hereinafter described and by the method of manufacturing the same.
According to the present invention cast steel wheels are manufactured as I will
proceed to describe with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the annexed drawing.
For manufacturing these wheels ingot iron or cast steel may be employod, that is to
say, a material of peculiar strength and hitherto not yet used for this purpose. The
form shewn in Figs. 1 to 4 of the annexed drawing is particularly suitable for a spoke-
wheel made of cast steel. The nave and the rim of the wheel are connected together
by a certain number of spokes. In order to obtain a smooth and elastic movement of
the wheel it has been found advisable to apply here also, as is the case with other
spoke wheels, an uneven number of spokes: The spokes themselves are double curved
in a plane passing through the centre line of the axle as shewn in Fig. 2 of the
drawing, this being an essential feature wherein this wheel differs from all the other
spoke wheels hitherto known. Owing to this peculiar shape of the spokes the
geometrical front elevation (fig. 1) does not shew any remarkable difference with
respect to other spoke wheels. The spoke is made of a forked shape where it joins on
to the rim of the wheel, whereby it is possible to afford to the rim of the wheel not
only a number of points of support which is the double of that of that of the spokes,
but also, each single spoke receives a double curvature in the plane of the wheel.
The section shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 is that which is preferably employed.
By the special shape of the spoke and the double curvature in two planes (the plane
of the face of the wheel and that which is perpendicular thereto) not only are all the
requirements of railway traffic respecting a smooth motion of the car fully satisfied,
as the wheel offers sufficient resistance against the lateral strain exerted on the flange
of the wheel and against the momentum of torsion on the circumference of the wheel,
but it will also be possible, owing to the particular shape of the spokes, to avoid any
tension in casting the wheel. The mould is prepared of any suitable material in the

page_text: known way, either by means of a pattern or of a moulding machine. The cores
between the spokes consist at their middle parts of coke ashes and other similar loose
material while the parts thereof next the spokes are made of the known moulding
materials used for casting shaped steel, such as waste of crucible, clay, slate, and the
like. When the casting is finished, the inner loose core is rapidly removed and the
wheel, while it is still red hot, is placed, immediately after its consolidation into a
heating furnace or into a sand bath in which the wheel is gradually cooled.
The peculiar shape of the wheel and the method of manufacturing the same above
described render it possible to cast such wheels without any tension. The material
employed for casting the wheel differs advantageously from that which is used in the
manufacture of spoke wheels made of wrought iron, by its high degree of strength
and malleability even after casting. The welding of spoke wheels can only be carried
out advantageously when wrought iron is used, which has a certain percentage of
phosphorus. In order therefore to enable a material suitable for welding to be
employed, it is necessary more or less to sacrifice strength and elasticity and this fact
fully explains the frequent fractures of wrought iron spoke wheels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The improved manufacture of cast steel or ingot iron railway wheels wherein firstly
these are constructed with an uneven number of spokes of oval cross section and
having a double curvature in a plane passing through the centre line of the axis, the
outer ends thereof being of curved bifurcated form where they join on to the rim ;
wherein furthermore the cores for the spokes are formed of a loose material that can
be easily removed after the metal has solidified, and wherein lastly the casting, after
solidification and removal of the said cores, is placed in an annealing furnace or sand
bath to be slowly annealed and cooled, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 20th day of September 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.