An Improved Apparatus for Bending Rails, Bars, and the like.
Year: 1885

page_text: An Improved Apparatus for Bending Rails, Bars, and the like.
We FRANCIS CHARLES DIXON of 79 Lombard Street in the City of London
Civil Engineer and JOHN ABBOTT of 55 Lee Park Blackheath in the County
of Kent Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention to be as
follows:-
Our Invention has for its object to produce a handy portable apparatus for
bending rails bars and the like when they are in positions not accessible to other
bending apparatus as in the case of rails when fastened together by fish plates or
when fastened down to the permanent way the apparatus being provided if desired
with means for indicating the amount of curvature to be given to the rails or bars.
The said apparatus consists of three rollers mounted in a framing or support and
arranged at the upper side of the rollers only there being no connection or portion
of framing extending between the underside of the rollers thus allowing the said
rollers to be placed freely over any portion of the object to be acted upon without
the apparatus encircling such portion of the object. Two of the rollers are
arranged to bear on one side of the rail and the other roller is arranged to bear on
the other side of the rail the bearing being preferably upon the sides of the head
of the rail in order to pass the fish plates and other fastenings. The one is
mounted so that it can be moved by a screw towards or from the plane in which
the other rollers are situated according to the degree of curvature to be given to
the rail or bar and a graduated scale is provided upon the screw or other con-
venient part to enable the correct adjustment to be effected with facility. One or
more of the rollers is or are provided with means by which it or they can be
rotated for traversing the apparatus along the rails or bars.

page_text: We FRANCIS CHARLES DIXON of 79 Lombard Street in the City of London
Civil Engineer and JOHN ABBOTT of 55 Lee Park Blackheath in the County of
Kent Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention for "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR BENDING RAILS BARS AND THE LIKE" and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :—
Our Invention has for its object to produce a handy portable apparatus for
bending rails bars and the like when they are in positions not accessible to other
bending apparatus as in the case of rails when fastened together by fish plates or
when fastened down to the permanent way, the apparatus being provided if
desired with means for indicating the amount of curvature to be given to the rails
or bars.
The said apparatus consists of three rollers mounted in a framing or support
arranged at the upper sides of the rollers only, there being no connection or
portion of framing extending between the underside of the rollers, thus allowing
the said rollers to be placed freely over any portion of the object to be acted upon
without the apparatus encircling such portion of the object. Two of the rollers
are arranged to bear on one side of the rail or bar and the other roller is arranged
to bear on the other side of the rail or bar the bearing in the case of rails being
preferably upon the sides of the head of the rail in order to pass the fish plates and
other fastenings. The one roller is mounted so that it can be moved by a screw
towards or from the plane in which the other rollers are situated according to the
degree of curvature to be given to the rail or bar and a graduated scale is provided
upon the screw or other convenient part to enable the correct adjustment to be
effected with facility. One or more of the rollers is or are provided with means
by which it or they can be rotated for traversing the apparatus along the rails
or bars.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
The accompanying Drawing represents an apparatus constructed according to
our Invention Figure 1. being a plan and Figure 2 a side view of the apparatus
applied to the bending of a rail Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 1-2
Figure 1 and Figures 4 and 5 are a side view and plan respectively of the move-
able roller and its carrier by which it is mounted in the framing.
.The framing A carries rollers B and C mounted and capable of rotating upon
pins b and c. The said framing also has formed in it guides a in which the
guiding surfaces d of the carrier D can be moved towards or from the rollers B. C.
by means of a screw E running in a screw box in the said framing the said screw
bearing upon the outward end of the said carrier D. A bolt e passing through the
axis of the screw and having a head at e engaging in a recess in the carrier D
serves to draw back the carrier when the screw E is rotated so as to move

page_text: outwards. In the carrier D is mounted a roller F keyed or otherwise fixed to its
axis f, which is provided with means for rotating it, such as for example a squared
head f' upon which a handle or lever can be placed or a worm and pinion or other
means may be used suitable for rotating the axis and consequently the roller
affixed thereto. The flange e³ upon the screw is marked with divisions which may
be numbered or lettered so as to indicate the curvature to which the apparatus is
set to bend the rail or bar. When the apparatus is to be used it is placed upon
the rail or bar from above so that the rail or bar is embraced between the
rollers B. C on one side and the roller F on the other side and the screw E is
turned so as to force the carrier D and the roller F inwards until that division of
the index on the flange e' which indicates that the apparatus is set to the required
curvature is opposite a mark (such for example as that at a³) on the framing.
The handle or lever is then placed upon the head f' of the axis fand the roller F
is thereby rotated and the apparatus is caused to travel along the rail or bar and
bend it to the required curvature. The divisions or index may of course be
arranged upon or carried by any suitable part of the apparatus; for example there
may be a pointer on the screw pointing to divisions marked on the framing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is,
First In rail or bar bending apparatus having rollers for bearing on both sides
of the rail bar or the like the mounting of the said rollers on a framing or support
which extends between the rollers, for bearing on opposite sides of the rail bar or
the like, at one side of the said rollers only so that the apparatus does not embrace
or encircle the rail bar or the like and consequently can be placed on to the rails
bars or the like when they are fastened together or in position substantially as
herein before described.
Second-In rail bending apparatus the combination of rollers arranged in a
framing or support so as to bear upon opposite sides of the head of the rail, the
said framing or support extending between the rollers, for bearing on opposite
sides of the rail, on one side of the said rollers only so that the apparatus does not
embrace or encircle the rail but can be placed from above on to the rails when
they are fastened together by the fish plates and are in position on the permanent
way substantially as herein before described.
Third In apparatus for bending rails bars or the like the combination of an
indicator or index for denoting the proper setting of the apparatus for enabling
any required curvature to be given to the rails bars or the like with facility
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fourth-The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus
for bending rails bars or the like as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.