An Improved Method of Making Railway-spikes and similar Articles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Making Railway-spikes and similar
Articles.
We, EDWIN ELLIOTT ANGELL, of Somerville, in the County of Middlesex and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist, and STEPHEN
PORTER, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, United
States of America Machinist do hereby declare the nature of our invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
.
The object of this invention is to produce in an economical manner railroad
spikes and similar articles of superior strength and penetrating qualities:
The invention consists in forming a blank of a proper length to produce a spike
of the required size, the opposite ends of said blank being cut on parallel diagonal
lines, then heating to a welding heat the upper portion only of said blank, then
simultaneously bending the cool beveled end of said blank into the central axial
line thereof to form the point of the spike and upsetting the heated end thereof
into a spike head, substantially as hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a prepared blank to be made into a spike
under this improved method.
Figure 2 represents a front elevation thereof.
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section of a die and a blank disposed therein
preparatory to being forged pursuant to this improved method.
Figure 4 represents the completed operation, showing the die, the spike as formed
therein from the blank, and the plunger which operates upon the blank in con-
junction with the die to form the spike."
Figure 5 represents a side elevation of a complete spike.
Figure 6 represents a front elevation thereof.
Figure 7 represents a top view thereof.
Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different
figures.
In carrying out this process, blanks similar to the blank 10 are cut from a
bar of steel or other suitable metal of the cross-section required for the spike
to be produced and of a length nearly twice that of such spike. In severing a
blank the bar is cut diagonally in parallel lines forming beveled points. 11 and 12
inclined in opposite directions at the opposite ends of the blank, and no waste of
stock occurs.
The upper portion 13 of the blank above the dotted line 15 is then heated by an
electric current or other suitable means of heating to a welding temperature and
the lower portion 14 is left cool in the metallurgical sense of the term, below said
dotted line.
The blank so heated is then placed in a die 20. This die has an elongated
chamber 22 of a length equal to the finished spike minus its head, the lower end of
said chamber being tapered on two opposite sides forming a pointed socket 23 of a
shape corresponding to the point of the finished spike. The die is also provided
with a chamber 21 in line with the chamber 22. This chamber 21 is of an area in
cross-section equal to the area of the head to be formed on the spike and
corresponds in shape to said head. A narrow shoulder 24 forined on one side at
the lower end of the chamber 21 and a wide shoulder 25 is formed on the opposite
side at the lower end of said chamber. The shoulder 25 has a concave recess
nclined downward toward the chamber 24. A plunger 30 is adapted to fit closely
and slide within the chamber 21. This plunger is provided at its lower end with a
concave recess 31 adapted to form the convex top of the head on the spike.

page_text: In placing the blank in the die the lower cool portion 14 of the blank extends
partially into the chamber 22, the beveled end thereof resting against the angle
formed by one of the tapered sides of the socket 23 and the heated portion 12
stands in the larger chamber 21 with its beveled face toward the side of said
chamber which has the narrow shoulder 24.
After the blank is placed in the position aforesaid, as represented in Figure 3, the
plunger 30 is forced into the chamber 22 into contact with the softened portion of
the blank and drives said blank downward until its beveled lower end swings into
the pointed socket 23 at the lower end of the chamber 22 whereby said beveled end
is bent into a central spike point, and at the same stroke said plunger acting in
conjunction with the sides and the bottom of the chamber 21 upsets and shapes the
soft metal into a spike head.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The method of making a spike which consists in heating the upper portion
only of an elongated blank to a softening temperature, the lower portion thereof
being left cool, and then forging the softened portion of said blank into a head,
substantially as set forth.
2. The method of making a spike which consists in forming a bevel-ended blank
longer than the spike to be produced, then heating the upper portion only of said
blank, the lower portion being left cool, and then by a single stroke swaging the
lower beveled end of the blank in a cool state into a spike point, and upsetting
the heated and softened portion of said blank into a spike head, substantially as
described.
Witnesses:
F. C. SOMES,
EDWIN ELLIOTT ANGELL.
STEPHEN PORTER.
514, F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., U.S.A., Lawyer.
GEORGE D. BURTON.