Improvements in Concrete, Cement, and other similar Railway Sleepers, Girders, Window Heads, Breast Summers, Lintels, and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1890, .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Concrete, Cement, and other similar Railway
Sleepers, Girders, Window Heads, Breast Summers, Lintels,
and the like.
I, WILLIAM HODGSON BRIGGS, of 178, Lumb Lane, Bradford, in the County of York,
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to Improvements in Concrete, Cement and other similar
Railway Sleepers, Girders, Breast Summers, Lintels and the like articles which are
liable to be exposed to a bending strain, and its object is to enable them to withstand
a greater permanent or intermittent stress than hitherto.
The said improvements consist in imbedding metallic wires, rods or bands in
said articles transposed and fixed in a suitable manner to bear or withstand the
stretching stress such as the stress which tends to break a breast summer or window
head from the underside, the crushing stress along the top side is borne with compara-
tive ease by the concrete or cement.
To carry out my invention I imbed suitable plates in such articles perforated so as
to afford large bearing surface without materially destroying the continuity of the
mass in which they are imbedded and the said rods bands or wires are tightly strung
from plate to plate and arranged in a truss like or other approved form to withstand
the strain above mentioned. Such plates and bands, rods or wires are preferably sur-
rounded by the substance of the article so as to exclude the atmosphere and prevent
corrosion.
The said articles are preferably moulded in suitable moulds, and to obtain the
necessary tension in the wires, rods or bands one or more of said plates is arranged to
engage a scrow or screws in the mould capable of being operated by a handle or lever
for the purpose of drawing said plates apart to regulate the tension, the remainder of
the plates being held stationary in the mould. The ends of said rods, bands or wires
are looped or twisted in eyes in said plates or are secured therein by small nuts. After
being thus moulded the articles may be exposed to heat to facilitate setting, The, said
plate or plates engaging the screw or screws are preferably so arranged that eye bolts
may be afterwards secured therein for greater convenience in lifting or removing
such articles.
In the case of Railway Sleepers holes may be left through them to receive the pins
fixing the chairs and the upper surface may bo specially formed for the reception of
the chairs. Or a modified form of chair may be formed with the Sleeper and of the
same material. The said Sleepers may be ribbed or hollowed out preferably beneath
to reduce their weight. Metallic plates may be imbedded in the Sleepers to receive the
said pins or screw bolts may be used to screw into said plates.
D: 50th an of March 1900
:
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Concrete, Cement, and other similar Railway-
Sleepers, Girders, Window Heads, Breast Summers, Lintels;
and the like.
I, WILLIAM HODGSON BRIGGS, of 178, Lumb Lane, Bradford, in the County of York,
Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to Improvements in Concrete, Cement and other similar Rail-

page_text: way Sleepers, Girders, Breast Summers, Lintels and the like articles which are liable
to be exposed to a bending strain, and its object is to enable them to withstand a
greater permanent or intermittent stress than hitherto.
The said improvements consist in imbedding metallic wires, rods or bands in said
articles transposed and fixed in a suitable manner to bear or withstand the stretching
stress such as the stress which tends to break a breast summer or window head from
the underside, the crushing stress along the top side is borne with comparative ease by
the concrete or cement.
To carry out my invention I imbed suitable plates in such articles perforated so as
to afford large bearing surface without materially destroying the continuity of the
mass in which they are imbedded and the said rods, hands or wires are tightly strung
from plate to plate and arranged in a truss like or other approved form to withstand
the strain above mentioned. Such plates and bands, rods or wires are preferably sur-
rounded by the substance of the article so as to exclude the atmosphere and provent
corrosion.
The said articles are preferably moulded in suitable moulds, and to obtain the
necessary tension in the wires, rods or bands one or more of said plates is arranged to
engage à screw or screws in the mould capable of being operated by a handle or lever
for the purpose of drawing said plates apart to regulate the tension, the remainder of
the plates being held stationary in the mould. The ends of said rods, bands or wires
are looped or twisted in eyes in said plates or are secured therein by small nuts. After
being thus moulded the articles may be exposed to heat to facilitate setting. The said
plate or plates engaging the screw or screws are preferably so arranged that eye bolts
may be afterwards secured therein for greater convenience in lifting or removing such
articles.
In the case of Railway Sleepers holes may be left through them to receive the pins
fixing the chairs and the upper surface may be specially formed for the reception of
the chairs. The said Sleepers may be ribbed or hollowed out preferably beneath to
reduce their weight. Metallic plates may be imbedded in the Sleepers to receive the
said pins or screw bolts may be used to screw into said plates.
In order to fully illustrate my invention reference is made to the accompanying
sheet of drawings in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in each of the figures.
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of the mould with said plates and wires or rods
strained in position.
Figure 2, is a longitudinal elevation of a Breast Summer or Lintel constructed in
accordance with my invention with the position of said plates and wires represented
by broken lines.
Figure 3, is a plan view and Figure 4, an end view of the same.
Figure 5, is a view of one of the said perforated plates.
Figure 6, is a longitudinal elevation of a Railway Sleeper showing the arrangement
and position of said perforated plates and wires or rods by broken lines.
Figure 7, is a plan view of the same.
The mould A is preferably formed of metal and a screw bolt B passes through each
end, such screw bolts engage holes C in the plates D and are adapted to move such
plates longitudinally within the mould. Or such bolts simply pass through said plates
and engage the nut C which nut is left behind when the bolt is removed. A plate E
having a rib F through which the wires G pass is screwed down to the bottom of the
mould by the eye bolt H the screwed end K' of which engages the nut J as well as
screws into the bottom of the mould. With the plates in this position the wires G
are passed through holes in the rib F and their ends passed through the plate D and
secured by the nuts K then the plates D are moved further away from each other by
the screw bolts B so as to tightly strain such wires. The cement, concrete or other
material is now introduced into the mould and levelled off to the top of the mould
and allowed to thoroughly set. After which the bolts are withdrawn and the eye bolt
unscrewed from the bottom of the mould so as to allow the finished article to be raised
by such eye bolt and removed from the mould.

page_text: In the railway sleeper Figures 6 and 7 I preferably use a central plate D' similar
to the plates D but with larger and more numerous perforations and the rods or
wires G run from the top of such plate to the bottom of each plate D and from the
tops of D to the lower side of D¹. Holes L are formed through the sleeper to receive
the pins to secure the chairs. Such holes are formed by placing iron pins in the mould
and removing them after the sleeper is set or partly sot.
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 what I claim is:
In a railway sleeper, girder, window head, breast summer or the like formed of con-
crete, cement or similar substance and liable to be exposed to a bending strain, the
combination of one or more wires or rods and plates arranged substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 30th day of December 1889
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.