Improvements in Steam Hammers for Forging Wheels for Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1859-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steam Hammers for Forging Wheels for Railway
and other Vehicles.
I, JAMES AUBREY FACER, Haminerman, of Wayne Street below Manheim Street,
Germantown, Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS
FOR FORGING WHEELS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES " and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention relates to steam hammers for forging wheels for cars &c., and
consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth in the following specifica-
tion and shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.
More particularly my invention relates to certain improvements in the hammer
and anvil dies of the steam hammer for forging the ingot into the requisite shape.
Heretofore it has been customary to manufacture car wheels by two processes;
one of which consists in first casting the wheel of approximately the shape of the
finished article and then subjecting the casting to a rolling action in a machine
especially adapted to the purpose, and the other of which consists in casting the
center of iron or steel and fitting thereto a steel tire which is forged into shape from
a solid bloom by proper manipulation under a steam hammer and rolls.
These processes have many objections principally in the matter of expense or cost
of manufacture, and, in the case of the first mentioned process, a lack of homogeneity
and solidity in the cast metal of the finished wheel.
The object of my invention is to make a car wheel formed from a solid ingot bloom
of steel by forging the ingot under heavy steam hammers having suitably shaped
dies. The car wheel made in this manner is compact and homogeneous as to metal
and possesses a hardened surface due to the forging process.
In carrying out my invention I first take a heated bloom or steel ingot and place
it under a steam hammer having dies of the proper shape to first flatten out the bloom
into a disc of sufficient diameter to form the wheel. When this is done the disc, still
in its heated condition, is set on edge and rounded up and at the same time the flange
or treading part of the wheel is finished in rough. When the bloom is shaped as
above indicated it is placed flat upon the anvil die and a punch is used to form the
axle holes. The hammer die in this operation is used to drive the punch into the
metal.
This punched bloom or rough wheel may then be forged into the finished wheel
by suitable hammer and anvil dies with which however the present invention is not
concerned.
The present invention is concerned only with the devices for flattening, rounding
up, flanging and punching the bloom in the manner described, whereby all of these
operations may be performed on the same hammer and with one heating.
In the drawings:-
-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a steam hammer embodying the principles of my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the detached hammer and anvil dies, and:
Fig. 4 is a general view of the various shapes given to the bloom in the different
stages of its construction.
surface band formed with a
curved, having a groove e
The parts Ee are arranged
A is the hammer. B is the anvil die having a flat
laterally projecting base supporting part E, preferably
corresponding to the section of the flange of the wheel.
at the front part of the body of the anvil die and at a considerably lower elevation

page_text: .
than the upper surface b, so that the front vertical surface L will act as a support
for the bloom during the flanging operation. This anvil die is also provided with a
lateral support having a groove for the flange of the wheel. A pin G is
detachably secured to the lower part of the anvil die and acts as a support for holding
the bloom in a vertical position while being trimmed. C is the hammer dies and is
formed with a flat face c corresponding in size with the surface of the anvil die,
the line of action of the hammer rod being preferably through the central point of these
surfaces e and b. The hammer die is provided with a projection D' on its front part
having the under curved, surface D and groove d therein, corresponding with the
curved surface E, and groove e of the anvil die. It is apparent that the projection [1
may be of any size and may extend the entire length of the die c. The surface D
is raised slightly above the surface c and the surface F is lowered below the
surface b, so that the surfaces and may be used to good effect in working
down the bloom during the flattening process from the shape No. 1 in Fig. 5 to
shape No. 2.
с
The curvature of the surfaces E and D may be dispensed with, if desired, for,
while they have a tendency to center the blank under the projection D they cannot
correspond to the curvatures of wheels of different diameters.
The surfaces c and are preferably made long and narrow, and the parts E and D
are arranged at the middles of the dies and as closely to the center line of the piston
rod of the hammer as possible to reduce the leverage as far as possible and thereby
prevent undue strain upon the dies and hammer.
While I prefer the details of construction which are here shown I do not limit
my invention thereto as it is apparent that they may be varied in many ways without
departing in the least from the principles of my invention.
The operation of my improved hammer is as follows: The heated ingot 1 is placed
upon the surface k of the anvil dies and flattened down into the shape 2. It is
apparent that any shape of ingot may be used though that shown is preferred. This
flattened blank, 2, is then placed against the face of the anvil die and rests upon
the surface E and over the groove e as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The hammer
die C is now brought down, and by the hammering operation and turning of the
bloom, the flange is formed upon the bloom bringing it into the shape 3, by reason of
the forging operation between the surfaces E e, which gives to the edge of the
bloom a shape corresponding to the cross section of those surfaces. The bloom is now
placed flat upon the anvil die surface band a punch driven in by the hammer. The
bloom is then turned over and the punch is driven from the other side to form
the axle hole. The blank will then be flanged, rounded up and punched in the
condition shown in Fig. 4. It is apparent that the punching operation may be per-
formed previously to the rounding up and flanging, if desired, or the hole may be
subsequently drilled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is performed I declare that what I
claim is
-
1st. In a steam hammer for forging wheels a hammer die having a projection upon
one face thereof, in combination with an anvil die provided with a laterally extending
support for the periphery or tread of the wheel blank to hold said blank in an upright
position against the side or face of the anvil and permit it to be turned during the
rounding up. and flanging operation.
2nd. In a steam hammer for forging wheels, a hammer die having a projection upon
one face thereof, in combination with an anvil die provided with a laterally extending
support for the periphery or tread of the wheel blank, at the base and face to hold
said blank in an upright position against the side or face of the anvil and permit it to
be turned during the rounding up and flanging operation.
3rd. In a steam hammer for forging wheels, a hammer die having a projection upon
one face thereof, having a curved under surface, in combination with an anvil die

page_text: provided with a laterally extending support for the periphery or tread of the wheel
blank, to hold said blank in an upright position against the side of the anvil and
permit it to be turned during the rounding up and flanging operation.
4th. In a steam hammer for forging wheels, a hammer die having a projection upon
one face thereof, having a curved and grooved under surface, in combination with an
anvil die provided with a laterally extending support, for the periphery or tread of
the wheel plank, to hold said blank in an upright position against the side or face of
the anvil and permit it to be turned during the rounding up and flanging operation,
provided with a groove for receiving the flange on the periphery of the blank.
5th. In a steam hammer for forging wheels from solid ingot blooms, the combination
of a hammer and an anvil die having flat surfaces to flatten and drive a punch into
the bloom, a projection upon said hammer die and laterally projecting supports upon the
base of the anvil die to support the flattened blank in an upright position against
the face of the anvil die for the purpose of rounding it up.
6th. Dies for forging steel wheels consisting of an anvil die having a smooth or flat
upper surface and a vertical front portion provided at a point below the upper surface
with a grooved support for the flange of the wheel blank in combination with a
hammer die having
an under face corresponding in area to the face of the anvil die
and a front projection above the support of the anvil die and having its under surface
to correspond to the flange of the wheel blank.
7th. Dies for forging steel wheels consisting of an anvil die having a smooth or
flat surface and a vertical front portion provided at a point below the upper surface
with a grooved support for the flange of the wheel blank, and a lateral support
secured to the anvil die and arranged to one side of the groove support to hold the
wheel blank from moving laterally, in combination with a hammer die having an
under face corresponding in area to the face of the anvil die and a front projection
above the said lateral support secured to the anvil die and having its under surface
shaped to correspond to the flange of the wheel blank.
Sth. Dies for forging steel wheels consisting of an anvil, die having a smooth or
flat upper surface and a vertical front portion provided at a point below the upper
surface with a grooved support for the flange of the wheel blank, and a lateral support
to the anvil die and arranged to one side of the grooved support to hold the wheel
blank from moving laterally, detachable pins secured to the anvil die laterally with
respect to the grooved support and on the side opposite to the lateral support, in
combination with a hammer die having an under face corresponding in area to
the face of the anvil die and a front projection above the support of the anvil die
and having its under surface shaped to correspond to the flange of the wheel-blank.
Dated this 1011 101ninh
AD 19ou
JAMES AUBREY FACER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.