IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN ARTICLES OF CAST-IRON
Year: 1847

page_text: DARLINGS SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DARLING, of Glasgow, Scotland, Ironmonger, send-greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of June; in the tenth year
of Her reign, did; for Herself, Hér heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Darling; my exors,, adiñors; and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole. privilege. and authority, that I, the said William
Darling, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and every of them, by himself and
themselves, or by his and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said William Darling, my exors, admors; or assigns; should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at-all-times hereafter
during the term of. years therein. expressod, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING, AND IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN ARTICLES OF CAST-IRON," within that part of Her
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales; and Town of: Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in Her Islands
of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sárk; and Man, and also within all Her.
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, in such manner as to me, the said
William Darling, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or any of them; should in his
or their directions seem meet, and that I, the said William Darling, my
exors, adññiors, and assigns, should. and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole
profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time forming, growing,
accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention; in which said. in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said
William Darling, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particu-
larly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled
within Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being had thereto, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Darling, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and ascertained
in and by this present instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and in
and by the several Figures and Drawings in and upon the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and identified by my signature at the foot thereof, which
said several Figures and Drawings I do hereby declare are to be considered as
part of and embodied in this present instrument, similar parts of the objects
thereby delineated being therein respectively marked and referred to by similar
letters, that is to say:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to means of producing cast-iron railway chairs
by the use of moulds composed of cast iron or other metal; secondly, to an
arrangement of machinery or apparatus which facilitates the application of
melted iron to the moulds of railway chairs, whether such moulds are composed
of metal or other suitable material; thirdly, to the annealing of railway chairs;
and, fourthly, to the employment of melted iron taken directly from the smelt-
ing furnace in the production of railway chairs. And in order to explain my
.said Invention, I shall, in the first place, describe the Figures and Drawings
hereunto annexed.
The Figure numbered 1 upon the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed
represents a vertical section of the mould I use in the formation of a matrix
or metallic mould for the production of railway chairs, shewing the mould as it
would appear after the pouring in of the metal to form the matrix. a, a, are
two sand boxes, placed one above the other as in ordinary moulding; b, b, is
.a section of the newly cast matrix or metallic mould, the interior surface of
which corresponds to the form of the metallic pattern chair c, c, which is
employed in casting the said matrix.
The Figure numbered 2 is a ground plan of the bottom plate d, d, upon
which the sand boxes a, a, are placed, the latter, together with the matrix b, b,
being removed therefrom.
In commencing to form a matrix by this mode the operator places upon a

page_text: plain mould board (which mould board has steadying pins corresponding to
the under side of the lower sand box a) so much of the pattern of the matrix
b, b, as is included between the dotted lines in the Figure numbered 1.
This pattern is placed in the exact position on the mould board which the
mould will ultimately occupy when placed on the plate d, d. The lower box a
is now adjusted upon the said mould board by means of the steadying pins,
and is rammed up with sand; and a parting of dry sand being applied to its
uppor surface, the upper box is then adjusted above it, and rammed up with
sand, as before. A bottom board is now placed upon the upper sand box a,
and the whole apparatus is then turned over or reversed, and the pattern of the
matrix is withdrawn from the sand, leaving its impression therein. In order
to form the interior surface of the mould of the matrix the metallic pattern
chair c, c, is used. This pattern chair is formed as shewn in the Figures
numbered 1 and 2, the opening in the centre for the reception of the rail
being filled up; a projection e, e, of the shape of such opening, is cast on each
side of the chair, answering as cores for producing openings of a similar shape
in the sides of the matrix.
The Figures numbered 5 and 6 represent an elevation and plan of a:
second addition f, f, which is made to this said pattern chair; also, for
the purpose of casting openings in the sides of the matrix, a projection of
this shape is attached to each side of the pattern chair, as represented in the
Figures numbered 1 and 2. This pattern chair is attached by screws or
otherwise to the plate d, d, and its surface being slightly coated with black-
lead and heated, as is usual in casting on metallic surfaces, the lower sand box a.
is adjusted by means of recesses, corresponding to steadying pins in the plated, d,
upon the said plate, and a metal or other core being placed at 9, on the top of
the pattern chair, the upper box is similarly adjusted upon the lower one,
and the mould is thus completed for the reception of the melted iron, which is
shewn as poured into the mould at 6, 6, in the Figure numbered 1, the metal:
being conveyed into the mould by suitable pouring gates, as is well understood..
The matrix is removed from its mould so soon as the metal is well set by.
means of a drift applied through the hole occasioned by the core g in the
matrix. The finished matrix has now an aperture on each side, corresponding
to the two previously mentioned projections. A strengthening strap of metal
is now put round the open side of the matrix, as at h, h, the matrix is then
placed with its smaller end downwards upon tee turn-over plate k, k, shewn
in the Figures numbered 4 and 7.
The Figure numbered 3 represents a vertical longitudinal section of
the finished matrix fitted with two wedge-shaped pieces of metal 1, 'm,
for the purpose of forming the central opening in the chair and the top

page_text: plate or cover n, n; all arranged for casting a railway chair. b, .b, is the
matrix with its projecting pins or cores o, o, for the formation of the spiko
holes. These cores are cast in one piece with the matrix by means of the
holes in the pattern chair, as represented at o, o, in the Figure numbered 1;
or the said cores or pins may be cast loose, such pins having been previously
used, and form no portion of my Invention. The Figure numbered 4 is
a vertical section of the matrix and its turn-over plate k, k, taken at right
angles to the Figure numbered 3..
'
The Figure numbered 7 is à ground plan of the turn-over plate k, k,
shewing the matrix upon it, with its top plate removed.
The. Figures numbered 8 and 9 represent respectively a side elevation
and two end views of each of the wedge-shaped pieces of metal l, m,
shewing the amount of inclination which is given to their surfaces in contact.
In adjusting: these, welges to the matrix previous to casting, a railway
chair, the piece is first slipped into its position until the stop p strikes
against the side of the matrix, when the second piece m is adjusted in con-
junction with it. The openings in the matrix caused by the pieces f, f, before
referred to in the Figure numbered.2, are now filled up by similar picces of
metal, cast separately, of the same size, as clearly represented in the Figures
numbered 5 and 6; one, of which pieces has cast upon it the pouring gater,
shewn in the Figure numbered 6 in dotted lines. These pieces being, respec-
tively adjusted by means of their angular edges fitting, into corresponding
grooves in the sides of the matrix; the cover or top plate n, n, is placed on
the open top of the matrix, which is thus completed for the reception of the
melted iron, which is poured in by the gate r, clearly represented in the Figure
numbered 4.. So scon as the metal is properly set, the cover n, n, is removed
and the matrix is then 'reversed upon its turn-over plate k, k, the first quarter
turn being assisted by the knuckle s, and the second by the falling of the
strengthening strap h, h, into the hollow t, t, in the turn-over plate. The
matrix being thus placed with its smaller end uppermost, the newly cast chair,
together with the two wedge-shaped pieces of metal l, m, are struck out by
means, of a drift applied through the hole caused by the core g; the loose side
pieces f, f, come away along with the chair and wedges, thus allowing of the
free passage of the latter directly from the matrix. The whole of these pieces
fall through the hole u in the turn-over plate, the matrix being left upon the
said, plate alone; the wedges 1, m, are then successively struck out of the
central opening in the chair, when the latter is ready for dressing and com-
pletion. The metal core thus composed of the two wedges l, m, may, if deemed
advisable, be composed of three or more wedges, but I prefer to use two only.

page_text: Tho. Figuro numbered 10.represents-a ground plan, and the; Figure num-
bered 11 a vertical section of the apparatus I, use for, the purpose of:
facilitating the application of the melted metal, to the moulds.. v, v, is a
circular metal. or other ring, having a narrow rail w, w, formed round its
lower surface, which rail rests upon a series of grooved pulleys a, a, revolving.
on studs carried by a set of standards y, y, threo only of which are shewn
in the Figure numbered 11. This said. ring is provided with suitable lever
handles z,, for the purpose of causing it to. revolve at pleasure upon. the
pulleys x, x. In preparing to cast with this ring, the moulds, with their
turn-over plates, are arranged upon it at proper intervals as found necessary;
and as each mould is prepared for the reception of the melted metal, it is
brought round to the stationary metal ladle a', when the metal may be poured.
in and the casting finished. I prefer to have the ring of such a size as to.
carry, thirty or more moulds at once, my object being to secure greater speed
by the adoption of moveable moulds, in connection with a stationary metal
ladle or other receptacle; it. is evident that various modifications of this appa-
ratus may be rendered available for the purpose, as, for instance, a moveable
mould table of any shape may be used, having either a rectilinear or circular
motion. It is to be observed also, that holes, corresponding to the holes u in
the turn-over plates, must be made in the ring v, v, in order to permit the
chairs and wedges to pass through after each casting. In order to anneal the
chairs so as to improve their quality, I propose to remove them as early as
possible after the metal is set in the moulds, and place them in suitable anneal-
ing kilns or furnaces, as is ordinarily performed with regard to various articles
of cast iron; or the chairs may be deposited in a sand bath or other
receptacle of dried sand, and gradually cooled, so as to produce the same effect.
With regard to the last head of my Invention, my improvements consist in
certain modifications; whereby I.am enabled to make use of melted iron taken
directly from the smelting furnace in the manufacture or production of railway
chairs. In order to do this. I make. a. sufficient, space under. the taphole in
the furnace, in such a position as to; allow of the removal of the melted iron.
by a ladle or other suitable. vessel, instead of running it out by a sand gate, as
usua'. In following out this plan, I commence to remove the metal as soon as
it collects in the bottom of the furnace in sufficient quantity to permit of the
filling of the ladles without an admixture of slag, or cinder..
Ilaving thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I lay no
claim to any of the parts or processes herein-before mentioned, separately or
in combination, other than is herein-after.. pointed out and claimed as new

page_text: combinations of mechanical details or processes, constituting improvements in
moulding, and in the manufacture of certain articles of cast iron.
What I do claim as my Invention is,―
First, the casting of railway chairs in metallic matrices or moulds.
Second, the use of two or more wedge-shaped pieces of metal for the
purpose of forming the interior surfaces of the said chairs.
Third, the mode of applying the melted metal to moulds for casting railway
chairs as aforesaid, whether the said moulds are composed of metal or any
other suitable material, as herein described.
Fourth, the annealing of railway chairs, as herein described.
Fifth, the use of melted iron taken directly from the smelting furnace,
according to the modifications herein-before described in casting railway chairs
whether such chairs are cast in metallic or other moulds.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Darling, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.