Improvements in Mills for Rolling Axles, Shafts, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept.,
4001
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1805-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mills for Rolling Axles, Shafts, and the like.
We, JAMES FREDERICK JOHNSTON, of 290, Earl Marshall Road, Forgeman,
and EDWARD BROADHEAD, of 52, Ditchingham Street, Furnaceman, both of
Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of our said
invention to be as follows:-
: -
The objects of our invention are to produce an axle shaft or the like, such for
example as a railway carriage axle, by a rolling process instead of forging the
same under a steam hammer and to produce such articles more expeditiously and
inexpensively than by the ordinary forging processes.
We attain these objects by our improved rolling mill or mills and appliances in
the following manner.
We employ a mill with three rolls, two over and one under, so arranged in
suitably formed housings that the bottom roll always revolves in the same line,
and the two upper rolls are so arranged and fitted as to slide diagonally in an
upward direction, one to the right and one to the left, above the first named
bottom roll; the axes of all the rolls being parallel with each other, for this
purpose we construct the housings with diagonal slides so that as the top rolls are
raised above the bottom roll, they recede from each other and from the bottom
roll and in the same way when the top rolls are lowered they approach the bottom
roll and each other, the centres of all the three rolls remaining equidistant however
near or however far apart they may be. In this way a cavity is formed between
the three rolls in which the bloom can be placed longitudinally and parallel with
the rolls, and subjected to the action of all the three rolls simultaneously, the axle,
shaft or other article can thus be formed of varying diameters and with or without
collars as required.
In the manufacture of railway and other axles in some cases we, by preference,
perform the rolling operation between two sets of three rolls; each set being fitted
in separate housings and placed either in line or in front of each other.
In the first
set or roughing rolls, we place the heated bloom where it is reduced to the proper
dimensions in what is known as the waist and wheel seats and in the second set
or finishing rol's, the journals and collars at each end are formed and the whole
of the other portions of the axle planished and finished off.
Alter leaving this mill the ends projecting beyond the collars of the journals
are cut off in a lathe or other suitable appliance.
The housings in which the foregoing rolls work, we fit upon a bedplate or bed-
plates and we likewise provide them with suitable fittings in the form of brasses,
chocks and bearers, cramps and guards. The top rolls we also provide with
balance or lifting gear and they are actuated in the downward direction by means
of hydraulic or other power so that the pressure on each of the top rolls may be
brought to bear uniformly.
The rolls we likewise form with tenons, and provide coupling boxes and spindles,
by which they may be driven by suitably arranged pinions and driving gear, as for
example, the pinions which actuate each of the three rolls can be geared with one
central driving pinion which would give the requisite motion to the three other
pinions and rolls and by employing long driving spindles the variations in the
centres of the rolls can be provided for. In like manner when the mills are

page_text: placed in line the power can be communicated from the first to the second set of
rolls by means of coupling boxes and spindles as in an ordinary rolling mill.
In some cases we construct the rolls for our improved mill with loose barrels
or collars so that the plain portion of the roll is driven like a shaft or spindle of
the mill, and is provided with interchangeable barrels or collars to suit the
varying sizes and lengths of axles, shafts or other articles required.
The action of our improved mill or mills in rolling, say a railway axle, is
as follows: :-
After the ingot or bloom has been rolled to the required size in an ordinary
rolling or cogging mill and cut off to the required length by a shear or saw, the
bloom is then conveyed, either at the same heat or after being re-heated, to our
roughing mill, the two top rolls having been lifted to receive the same, it is entered
above the bottom roll to the proper position, to which it is carried on a fore plate
with guards, a back plate is also provided with guards and stops such stops being
arranged to hold the bloom in position until it comes under the influence of the
two top rolls which are closed down upon the bloom as soon as it has been placed
in the mill.
When the roughing process has been accomplished the top rolls are again lifted
and the stops withdrawn, when the action of the bottom roll ejects the roughed
axle either onto a suitable runner or carriage, slides or bars, on which it can be
conveyed to the finishing mill in front, or when the finishing mill is in line with
the roughing mill the roughed axle may be delivered onto a traversing carriage and
then conveyed to the finishing mill where a similar arrangement is provided for
entering the axles into position in the mill and for afterwards ejecting the same to
that already described for the roughing mill.
Dated this 19th day of September 1894.
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Mills for Rolling Axles, Shafts, and the like.
We, JAMES FREDERICK JOHNSTON of 290, Earl Marshall Road, Forgeman,
and EDWARD BROADHEAD of 52 Ditchingham Street, Furnaceman, both of
Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The objects of our invention are to produce an axle shaft or the like, such for
example as a railway carriage axle, by a rolling process instead of forging the
same under a steam hammer and to produce such articles more expeditiously and
inexpensively than by the ordinary forging processes.
The nature of our invention will be better understood on reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Fig. 1. is a front elevation of one of our improved rolling mills adapted for
rolling railway axles, the two upper rolls being shewn raised to receive the bloom
to be rolled.
Fig. 2. is a cross section of the same taken on the line A. B. shewing the two
upper rolls lowered and closed upon an axle which has been rolled.
Fig. 3. is an end elevation of a portion of the housing shewing the chocks and
straps by which the two upper rolls are raised and lowered in the diagonal
slides.
Fig. 4. is a plan of the mill.
Fig. 5. is an end elevation of the pinion housings.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

page_text: we carry out our invention in the following manner.
We employ a mill with three rolls, two over, a, a, and one under, b, so arranged
in suitably formed housings c, c, that the bottom roll always revolves in the same.
line, and the two upper rolls are so arranged and fitted as to slide diagonally in an
upward direction, one to the right and one to the left above the first named bottom.
roll; the axes of all the rolls being parallel with each other and for this purpose
we construct the housings with diagonal slides d, d, so that as the top rolls are
raised above the bottom roll, they recede from each other and from the bottom roll
and in the same way when the top rolls are lowered they approach the bottom roll
and each other, the centres of all the three rolls remaining equidistant however
near or however far apart they may be. In this way a cavity is formed between
the three rolls in which the bloom can be placed longitudinally and parallel with
the rolls and subjected to the action of all the three rolls simultaneously, the axle.
shaft or other article, e, can thus be formed of varying diameters and with or
without collars as required.
In the manufacture of railway and other axles, in some cases we perform the
rolling operation between two sets of three rolls, each set being fitted in separate
housings and placed either in line or in front of each other. In the first set, or
roughing rolls, we place the heated axle bloom, which is here reduced to the proper
dimensions in that part of the axle known as the waist and wheel seats and in the
second set or finishing rolls, the journals and collars at each end are formed anl
the whole of the other portions of the axle planished and finished off.
After leaving this mill, the ends of the axle projecting beyond the collars of the-
journals are cut off in a lathe or other suitable appliance.
Both the roughing and finishing mills here referred to we construct of the same
ganeral design. In some cases the improved mill herein described and illustrated
may likewise be employed for performing both the roughing and finishing.
processes.
The housings, c, in which the foregoing rolls a, a, and b, work, we fit upon a bed-
plate or bedplates, f, and we likewise provide them with suitable fittings in the
form of brasses, g, chocks, h, and bearers, cramps and guards. The top rolls we
also in some cases provide with balance or lifting gear, as in a plate mill, and we
actuate them in the downward direction by means of hydraulic or other power so
that the pressure on each of the top rolls may be brought to bear uniformly..
For this purpose the mill illustrated herewith is shewn with hydraulic cylinders, i.
These cylinders may also be used for raising the rolls as well as for lowering them
and putting the pressure on in which case we provide straps, n, secured to the
chocks, h, as shewn in Fig. 3.
The rolls we likewise form with tenons, j, and provide coupling boxes k, and
spindles, 1, by which they may be driven by suitably arranged pinions, m, and
driving gear, as for example, the pinions which actuate each of the three rolls can
be geared with one central driving pinion which would give the requisite motion to
the three other pinions and rolls and by employing long driving spindles I, I, the
variation in the centres of the rolls can be provided for. In like manner when
the mills are placed in line the power can be communicated from the first to the
second set of rolls by means of coupling boxes and spindles as in an ordinary
rolling mill.
In some cases we construct the rolls for our improved mill with loose barrels or
collars so that the plain portion of the roll is driven like a shaft or spindle of the
mill, and is provided with interchangeable barrels or collars to suit the varying
sizes and lengths of axles, shafts or other articles required.
The action of our improved mill or mills in rolling, say a railway axle, is as
follows:-
After the ingot or bloom has been rolled to the required size in an ordinary
rolling or cogging mill and cut off to the required length by a shear or saw, the
bloom is then conveyed, either at the same heat or after being re-heated, to our
roughing mill, the two top rolls having been lifted to receive the same, as shewn

page_text: in Fig. 1. The bloom is then entered above the bottom roll to the proper position,
to which it is carried on a fore plate with guards, or direct by a suitably formed
bogey. A back plate, o, is also provided with guards and stops, p, such stops
being actuated by a lever or levers 9, and arranged to hold the bloom in position
until it comes under the influence of the two top rolls which are closed down upon
the bloom as soon as it has been placed in the mill.
When the roughing process has been accomplished the top rolls are again lifted
and the stops, p, withdrawn when the action of the bottom roll ejects the roughed
axle either onto a suitable runner or carriage, slides or bars, on which it can be
conveyed to the finishing mill in front, or when the finishing mill is in line with
the roughing mill the roughed axle may be delivered onto a traversing
carriage and then conveyed to the finishing mili where a similar arrangement is
provided for entering the axles into position in the mill and for afterwards ejecting
the same to that already described for the roughing mill.
When we only employ one mill for both the roughing and finishing processes the
operation of delivering the bloom to the mill, rolling the bloom into an axle and
the action of the stops will be the same as herein described the only difference
being that when the axle is rolled it would be ejected on to a back plate, o, which
would form an incline to the floor of the mill or onto a suitably gantry or cooling
frame.
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. In a rolling mill in which three horizontal rolls are employed with their axes
parallel to each other, the arrangement and combination of parts and appliances
comprising the housings c, c, provided with fixed bearings for a bottom roll, b, and
with diagonal slides, d, d, to carry and guide the chocks or bearings for two top
rolls, a, a, by means. of which the top rolls when raised, slide diagonally in
parallel lines one to the right and one to the left above the bottom roll so as to
recede from each other and from the bottom roll or when lowered in a like manner
to approach each other and the bottom roll, the centres of the three rolls remaining
equidistant however near or however far apart they may be in the manner and for
the purposes substantially as herein described and illustrated.
Dated this 19th day of June 1895.
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicants.