IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TYRES FOR RAILWAY WHEELS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Armitage, of Farnley, near Leeds,
in the County of York, Ironmaster, Fairfax Wooler, of the same
Place, Manager, and John Hodgson, of Wortley, near Leeds, afore-
said, Model Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF TYRES FOR RAILWAY WHEELS."
Sealed the 27th February 1866, and dated the 14th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James Armitage,
Fairfax Wooler, and John Hodgson, at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th October 1865.
We, WILLIAM JAMES ARMITAGE, of Farnley, near Leeds, in the County
of York, Ironmaster, FAIRFAX WOOLER, of the same Place, Manager, and
JOHN HODGSON, of Wortley, near Leeds, aforesaid, Model Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF TYRES FOR RAILWAY WHEELS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in forming the tyres of railway wheels from a
solid block of iron, and making them ready for rolling without being
jointed or having an end weld. For this purpose we make a hole or slit,
or a number of holes or slits, in the solid block of iron, and by any suitable
means we open or press out the mass of iron until the required width of
opening is obtained. When the rough block has been sufficiently opened
out we cause the same to be hammered into the form of the rough tyre..
To effect this we make the anvil with a groove, the section of which will
suit one of the sides and the outer part or periphery of the tyre. The
anvil is also inclined so as to allow the tyre to rest or lie in an inclined
position upon it, the groove of the anvil being at the lower part of the

page_text: incline. The face of the hammer is also so grooved or shaped that the
section will suit the inner part and another side of the tyre. When
therefore the blow is given by the hammer the part of the tyre which is
laid or rests upon the grooved part of the anvil will be forged into the
shape of the grooves both of the anvil and hammer, and thereby a properly
formed rough tyre both in thickness and breadth will be produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William James Armitage, Fairfax Wooler, and John.
Hodgson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
JAMES ARMITAGE, of Farnley, near Leeds, in the County of York, Iron-
master, FAIRFAX WOOLER, of the same Place, Manager, and JOHN
HODGSON, of Wortley, near Leeds, aforesaid, Model Maker, send
greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said William James Armitage, Fairfax Wooler, and
John Hodgson, Her special licence, that we, the said William James
Armitage, Fairfax Wooler, and John Hodgson, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William James Armitage,
Fairfax Wooler, and John Hodgson, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TYRES FOR RAILWAY
WHEELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
James Armitage, Fairfax Wooler, and John Hodgson, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William James Armitage, Tairax
Wooler, and John Hodgson, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
--
Our Invention consists in forming the tyres of railway wheels from a
solid block of iron, and making them ready for rolling without being
jointed or having an end weld. For this purpose we make a hole or slit,
or a number of holes or slits, in the solid block of iron, and by any suitable
means we open or press out the mass of iron until the required width of
opening is obtained. When the rough block has been sufficiently opened
out we cause the same to be hammered into the form of the rough tyre.
To effect this we make the anvil with a groove, the section of which will
suit one of the sides and the outer part or periphery of the tyre. The
anvil is also inclined so as to allow the tyre to rest or lie in an inclined
position upon it, the groove of the anvil being at the lower part of the
incline. The face of the hammer is also so grooved or shaped that the
section will suit the inner part and another side of the tyre. When
therefore the blow is given by the hammer the part of the tyre
which is laid or rests upon the grooved part of the anvil will be
forged into the shape of the grooves both of the anvil and hammer
and thereby a properly formed rough tyre both in thickness and breadth
will be produced. The pile of iron from which the tyre is to be produced
is formed from small slabs piled up in the ordinary manner, and when
welded and hammered will produce the block shewn at Figure 1. This
block is taken to an anvil, as shewn at Figure 2, and a hole is punched
In order to facilitate
through it in the centre by means of the punch a.
this punching operation a hole is made through the anvil b, so that when
the punch is driven into the block of iron by means of the hammer it may
be fairly driven through the block. The block may then be turned over
and the punch knocked out. When the required opening or central hole
is obtained the punched block is to be laid upon the inclined bed b¹ of the
apvil.
The nose a of the hammer may either be solid as in Figures 5 and 6
and suited to the tyre to be operated upon, or an additional lug a* may be
slotted in to the main part of the nose as in Figures 2 and 3, and fastened
by a cottar, as shewn in the Drawing. In both cases the section of the
hammer nose will correspond to the surface required to be hammered, and

page_text: these sections may be of any shape. At the lower part of the inclined
anvil the bed is shaped so as to be of the obverse side of the tyre and will
form the flange of the tyre, and in the combined action of the hammer
and anvil the true shape of the tyre with the flange will be produced.
The tyre while being hammered can easily be turned by hand in its bed on
the anvil.
Figure 7 represents an arrangement in which two blocks or tyres are
being worked simultaneously with the same hammer and anvil, for
which purpose the hammer is provided with a nose a¹ on each side, and
the anvil is also provided with the inclined bed on each side. It will be
seen that on one side the inclined bed is solid with and forms part of the
anvil, while on the other side the inclined bed is moveable and is held in
place by means of a strong pin or pins inserted in suitable holes in the bed
of the anvil, as shewn by dots in Figure 7. It will also be seen that on one
side the flange of the tyre is placed inside and on the other side it is placed
outside. The rough tyre having been formed from the block by repeated
blows of the hammer will then be ready for rolling in the ordinary manner.
Having now described our Invention of improvements in the manu-
facture of tyres for railway wheels, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect; we claim as the Invention secured to us by
Letters Patent as aforesaid the mode herein set forth of forming rough
tyres for railway wheels.
In witness whereof, we, the said William James Armitage, Fairfax
Wooler, and John Hodgson, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
count nuded and
sixty-six
Signed and sealed by the said William
James Armitage, Fairfax Wooler,
and John Hodgson, in the presence
of
J. B. WILKINSON,
27, East Parade,
Leeds.
WM. J. ARMITAGE.
FAIRFAX WOOLER.
JOHN HODGSON.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
(L.S.)