IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
COTTAM, of Winsley Street, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of December, in the first year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George
Cottam, Her especial licence, that I, the said George Cottam, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Cottam, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,.
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said George Cottam,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
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 thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Cottam, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to certain modes of constructing wheels for carriages
for railways or roads, and for turnpike roads, whereby the welding of the
spokes with the outer ring may be performed with greater facility than by any
of the modes of construction heretofore resorted to in the construction of
wheels. And in order to give the best information for carrying out the In-
vention, I will describe the Drawings hereunto annexed, first observing that
the same letters of reference are used in all the Figures to indicate similar
parts. a, a, in all the Figures represent the outer ring or felloe of the wheel,
and it will be seen that I use two constructions or sections of bars for forming
the external rings or felloes, as shewn at Figure 1 and Figure 2, the section
of bar at Figure 1 being a rolled bar similar to angle iron (1), but of sufficient
strength for the external ring or felloe of a wheel. Figure 2 differs from
Figure 1, inasmuch as Figure 1 has but one projecting rib b, whilst Figure 2
has two projecting ribs b; and it may be desirable here to remark that what-
ever be the formation of the spokes which connects the ring a with the nave,
the spokes are welded to the ribs 6 in using the section of bar, Figure 1, and
the spokes in using the section of bar, Figure 2, are shut in between and
welded to the ribs b, b, as will be more fully described hereafter. Figures 3
and 4 shew that when the wheels are for the purpose of running on edge
railways the flanch may be produced on railway tire, such as is now employed,
and being turned into a suitable ring may be shrunk on to the external surface
or periphery of the ring or felloe a, or the bars a may have the flanches pro-
duced on the bar itself, making the bar so much stronger as will allow for not
baving tire shrunk thereon (see Figs. 3" and 4").
The rolling of iron bars being well understood, and the turning iron bars
into rings and welding the ends being well understood, and extensively resorted
to for the making of wheels and for other purposes, it will not be necessary to
enter into any description thereof in this my Specification, and the same may
be said in respect to the shrinking on of railway tire, for in these respects the
wheels constructed according to my Invention do not differ from many con-
structions of wheels now in use. Figuro 5 represents a wheel constructed
according to my improvements, the ring a being made with two ribs b, b, and
the spokes c, c, consist of a series of sectors. In making this wheel I turn
the bar a into a ring, and place it horizontally, having a suitable mould for
casting the nave, as heretofore practised in making wheels of this description;
and I prefer to employ iron moulds for that purpose. I place the spokes c, c,
in their places by putting them between the ribs b, b, and the inner angles of

page_text: the spokes c, which are to be cast into the metal naves, should be jagged or
roughed on the ends where they are laid into the moulds, and the sides of the
moulds where the spokes enter, are then to be filled.with sand, and the mould
made up, as is commonly practised and is well understood by moulders.
The cast-iron nave being formed on the spokes, the spokes are then to be
welded and shut in between the ribs b, b. In order to perform this operation
I place the nave on a vertical axle, in such a position that there may be part
of the periphery of the wheel in the fire of a forge and another part on an
anvil, the working surface of which is of the radius of the wheel, curved to
receive the ribs b, b, of the wheel in such manner that portion of the same
which has been raised to a welding or suitable heat may be supported by the
anvil. The smith then by hammering in the usual way, and finishing with
swages, produces a weld of the ribs 6 and the spokes c; and the spokes care
closely shut in between the ribs b, and the other parts of the ribs are to be
closed one on the other. Hence it will be evident that should the weld be
imperfect, the hammering down of, the ribs b, b, on all sides of the spokes will
of itself secure the spokes in their places, and materially aid in producing a
sound and useful wheel.
I would remark that although I recommend the casting of the nave on to
the spokes before welding, as it prevents that drag on the parts which is
caused by the contracting of the nave in cooling, I do not confine myself
thereto. Indeed that part of the making of the wheel constitutes no part of
my Invention, and may be performed according to the opinion of the maker of
the wheels; but should the spokes be first welded to the bar or ring a I
recommend that the spokes should be slightly bent outwards.
Figure 6. shews another arrangement of wheel constructed according to my
Invention, differing from Figure 5, inasmuch as it has four double spokes c in
place of three double spokes, as is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 7 shews another arrangement of wheels having a series of spokes
of flat bars c, c, but in other respects the mode of manufacture is the same as
above explained, the spokes being successively shut in and welded to the ribs
b, b.
"
:'
Figure 8 shews another arrangement of wheel constructed according to my
Invention, there being only one rib 6 on the bar a, of which the ring a of the
wheel is composed. In making wheels according to this construction there
and the
are a series of spokes or bars c, c, as clearly shewn at Figure
section thereof, the two bars c, which may be said to constitute one spoke,
being on either side of the rib b; and on taking a welding or suitable heat to
the two ends of the bars c, c, and the rib b, against which they are to be

page_text: welded, the smith will with facility produce a welding of the parts; but it is
better when all the welding has been perfected on one side of the wheel to
turn the same over, and take a welding heat at each point of junction, and
again well hammer the same; but I have found that by having the working
face of the anvil of the figure of the parts of the wheel acting as a die, that
well hammering on the upper surface on one side is sufficient to produce a
perfect welding. And in order to ensure a perfect and good welding of the
spokes, when of wrought iron, and the rib b, I recommend the using of thin
sheets of steel, to be placed between the spokes c and the rib a, by which, as
smiths well understand, a more certain and effectual weld may be obtained,
for it will be evident that in this case a perfect weld is more important than in
the previous cases, where two ribs are employed; but even in such cases I
find it of advantage to use steel or iron filings to aid the welding or joining of
the parts. The wheels being thus formed are then to be finished as hereto-
fore practised by facing up in lathes.
It should be stated that I make the spokes of wrought iron, or they may be
of steel; and although I have described the casting on of the nave, because I
believe that to be the best mode, I do not confine myself thereto; and I would
remark that various constructions of wheels have before been made where in
the spokes have been welded to the outer ring of the wheel, particularly the
railway wheels made under a Patent granted to William Losh, Esquire, dated
the Thirty-first day of August, One thousand eight hundred and thirty, and by
some others in imitation thereof. I do not therefore claim the welding of the
spokes to the outer rings of wheels for railways or road, and for other roads,
and I make no claim to the making of bars a with one or two projecting ribs
b, similar bars having been produced before. And I would remark that
although I have shewn the bars a as having the ribs 6 throughout their length,
yet it will be evident that the bars may be so rolled as to have projecting ribs
only for a short length where the spokes are to be welded, but such plan
would reduce the stiffness of the bar, and would be more costly in production.
But what I claim as my Invention is the mode herein described of making
wheels for railways or roads, and for other roads, by welding spokes to
ribs, and by affixing the spokes by closing and welding ribs, as herein de-
scribed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Cottam, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
GEORGE (L.s.) COTTAM.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1858, the aforesaid George Cottam came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-eight.