Improvements in Rolls for Manufacturing Car-axles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DAVID LEWIS EVANS, of Cleveland, in the
County of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, U.S.A., Inventor.]
Improvements in Rolls for Manufacturing Car-axles.
1, REGINALD WALTER BARKER, of Monument Chambers, King William
Street, London, Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLS FOR MANUFACTURING CAR-AXLES, to
be as follows :-
My invention relates to improvements in rolls for manufacturing car-axles, the
rolls being adapted to shape the axle from a cylindrical blank and to swagger up
the surplus metal at the ends of the axle.
In my invention the trunnions of the lower rolls are journalled in stationary
boxes of the housings, while the trunnions of the top roll are journalled in
vertically-movable boxes, adapted to reciprocate in vertical ways of the housings,
as is well known in the art. The rolls are preferably geared at both ends, the
trunnions of the lower rolls being provided with gears that engage in common with
idle or intermediate gears, so that the two rolls turn in the same direction. The
gears of the one lower roll also engage gears of the driving-shaft. The trunnions
of the top roll are provided with gears, that also engage gears of the driving-shaft,
these gears having long teeth, whereby the top roll may be moved up and down a
limited distance without affecting the operation of these gears. The driving-shaft
is of course provided with a driving pulley or gear.
These
I employ double-acting hydraulic rams, the piston-rods of which are connected
with the journal-boxes of the upper roll for moving the latter up and down.
rams connect with the same water-supply, so that they move in unison. Screws
could be employed for the purpose; but the hydraulic rams are preferable, and
both screws and rams are well known for such purpose.
What are considered the novel features of these rolls are their peculiar form,
whereby they are adapted to reduce a cylindrical blank to the required form of a
car-axle, and the flanges on the upper roll for shearing off the surplus metal at the
ends of the axle. The blanks comprise cylindrical bars of metal and are supposed
to be approximately of the size of the finished axle at the largest portions of the
latter, the blanks being of such length as will provide the necessary metal for the
axle, and perhaps a trifle extra metal at the ends to insure the end sections of
the axle being full. The central portion of these rolls is bellied, respectively to
reduce the central portion of the axle as desired, and next outside are cylindrical
sections of rolls of such reduced size as to leave the engaging portions of the blank
approximately of their initial size. Next outside the rolls are provided with larger
cylindrical sections to reduce the blanks to the proper size for the journal-bearings
of the axle. Next outside the rolls are provided with grooves for forming the end
collars of the axle, and next outside of these grooves the top roll is provided with
flanges extending to approximately or a trifle beyond the axis of the axle to
swagger up the ends thereof. The size of the end sections of the finished axle are
such as to admit of turning off these sections in finishing the journal-bearing in
fitting the car-wheel. The blanks are of course heated before they are fed to the
rolls, and an apron or table is provided for feeding the blanks sidewise to the rolls,
this table being provided with suitable guides by means of which the blank, when
delivered to the rolls, is centrally located between the housings; also a table or
skid for receiving the axles as they are removed from the rolls is provided.

page_text: Fig. 3 is an elevation in transverse section on line a a, Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a finished axle.
A. A represent the housings; B B, the lower rolls; C, the top roll, and D the
driving-shaft. The trunnions of rolls B B are journaled in stationary boxes of the
housings, while the trunnions of the top roll are journaled in vertically-movable
boxes E, adapted to reciprocate in vertical ways of the housings, all of which is
well known in the art. The rolls are preferably geared at both ends, the trunnions
of rolls B B being provided with gears B' B', that engage in common with idle or
intermediate gears E, so that the two rolls B turn in the same direction. The
gears 131 of the one lower roll B also engage gears D' of the driving-shaft. The
trunnions of roll C are provided with gears C₁, that also engage gears D₁ of
the driving-shaft, these gears having long teeth, whereby roll C may be moved up
and down a limited distance without affecting the operation of these gears. The
driving-shaft is of course provided with a driving pulley or gear. (Not shown.)
E E are double-acting hydraulic rams, the piston-rods of which are connected
with the journal-boxes E¹ of the upper roll for moving the latter up and down.
These rams connect with the same water-supply, so that they move in unison.
Screws could be employed for the purpose; but the hydraulic rams are preferable,
and both screws and rams are well known for such purpose.
What are considered the novel features of these rolls are their peculiar form,
whereby they are adapted to reduce a cylindrical blank to the required form of a
car-axle, and the flanges on the upper roll for swagging up the surplus metal at
the ends of the axle. The blanks comprise cylindrical bars of metal and are
supposed to be approximately of the size of the finished axle at the largest portions
of the latter, the blanks being of such length as will provide the necessary metal
for the axle, and perhaps a trifle extra metal at the ends to insure the end sections
of the axle being full. The central portion of these rolls is bellied, respectively,
as shown at be in Fig. 1, to reduce the central portion of the axle as desired, and
next outside are cylindrical sections of the rolls b' c¹ of such reduced size as to
leave the engaging portions of the blank approximately of their initial size. Next
outside the rolis are provided with larger cylindrical sections to reduce
the blanks to the proper size for the journal-bearings of the axle. Next outside
the rolls are provided with grooves e³ for forming the end collars of the axle,
and next outside of these grooves the top roll is provided with flanges c',
these flanges extending to approximately or a trifle beyond the axis of the axle to
swagger up or shear off the ends thereof. The finished axle G is shown at dotted
lines, Fig. 1, and full lines, Fig. 4, the size of the end sections being such as to
admit of turning off these sections in finishing the journal-bearing in fitting the car-
wheel. The blanks are of course heated before they are fed to the rolls, and an
apron or table H is provided for feeding the blanks sidewise to the rolls, this table
being provided with suitable guides 4, by means of which the blank, when delivered
to the rolls, is centrally located between the housings; also a table or skid

page_text: (shown at I) for receiving the axles as they are removed from the rolls is
provided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
In rolls for rolling car-axles, the combination of housings and rolls, each roll
having at each end two narrow cylindrical sections of different diameters, and a
groove located to the outside and adjacent to each larger cylindrical section, one of
said rolls having a flange at each end for swaggering up or shearing off the surplus
metal at the ends of the axle, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 11th day of December 1891.
REGINALD W. BARKER.