IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY WHEELS, TIRES, AND OTHER ANNULAR, CYLINDRICAL, AND HOLLOW ARTICLES FROM CAST STEEL, OR MALLEABLE CAST IRON, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Brown Wilson and
William Tijou, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 4th May 1861.
We, EDWARD BROWN WILSON, of Great Ryder Street, Saint James'; in th:
City of Westminster, and WILLIAM TIJOU, of Newland Street, Eaton Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
RAILWAY WHEELS, TIRES, AND OTHER ANNULAR, CYLINDRICAL, AND HOLLOW
ARTICLES FROM CAST STEEL, OR MALLEABLE CAST IRON, AND IN THE MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of railway wheels, tires, hoops,
hollow cylinders, and other articles of a hollow or partly hollow or annular form,
and to a peculiar construction and arrangement of apparatus to be employed
therein. In making the class of articles above mentioned it is proposed to use
an expanding mandril in combination with suitable compressing and shaping
dies, whereby a lateral pressure or expansion of the metal under treatment is
effected simultaneously with the vertical or direct pressure of the dies. This
peculiar combination of expanding mandril and shaping dies is particularly
applicable to the manufacture of railway wheels and tires. In manufacturing
a railway wheel tire for example, according to this Invention, the tire
blank, which is made by casting, forging, or otherwise, is placed in a suitably
shaped die, and in the interior of the tire is introduced the expanding mandril.

page_text: This mandril consists of a conical or tapered metal plug surrounded by a series
of metal sections or segments, the outer ends of which bear against the inner
circumference of the tire. By driving home the conical plug either by steam
power, hydrostatic pressure, or otherwise, the several sections will be forced
outwards, thereby squeezing or expanding the tire in a lateral direction into
the surrounding cavities or interstices of its die, which is so shaped as to give
the desired finished shape to the tire. In the manufacture of railway and other
metal wheels, the expanding mandril is employed for compressing laterally the
interior of the boss or nave, and its descent may be effected by the descent of
the top die, which may be made to press upon it, so that the expanding man-
dril will operate simultaneously with the top die. It is obvious that this
mandril may be used in all cases when a lateral expansion of the article in its
die is required. In making compressed metal railway and other wheels
according to this Invention, it is further proposed to form the web of a curved,
dished, or concavo-convex form, in order to allow for contraction in cooling.
Another part of this Invention relates to a mode of rolling the tread or flange
of a solid disc railway wheel. For this purpose the wheel, after it has been
consolidated between the dies in the manner above described, or after it is cast,
may be finished by placing it between a pair of face plates, having the tread
and flange projecting slightly beyond the peripheries of the face plates. These
face plates are mounted upon a rotating shaft driven by steam or othor power,
and the projecting tread and flange are rolled by the action of a series of
suitably shaped rolls arranged round the periphery of the wheel, suitable
appliances being used for keeping the rolls well up against the tread and
flange of the wheel. The action of these rolls is to compross and consolidate
the metal of the wheel towards its centre and to widen laterally the tread of the
tire, an edge roller being employed for finishing the edge thereof.