A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF SHAPING IRON
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Rowley, of West Bromwich, in the County of
Stafford, Iron Roller, and John Hadley, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD
OF SHAPING IRON."
Sealed the 24th June 1856, and dated the 18th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Rowley and John
Hadley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 18th March 1856.
We, EDWARD ROWLEY, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Iron
Roller, and JOHN HADLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED METHOD OF SHAPING IRON," to be as follows:-
Our said Invention consists of the method herein-after explained of giving a
taper form to bar iron, whether the said bar iron be plain or angle iron, or
Tiron, or iron otherwise shaped. Iron is usually tapered by a process of
rolling.
Our Invention consists in effecting the said tapering by means of pressure of
the said iron in a die. We make a die of the exact taper which we wish to
communicate to the iron. We place the iron suitably heated in the said die,
and pass the said die and iron under a roll. The pressure of the roll forces

page_text: the heated iron into the die. When the iron is to be made taper from one
end to the other, pressure is applied first to the wide end, and from thence to
the narrow end. When the tapering proceeds from the middle towards each
end, the pressure is first applied at the middle, and from thence to one end;
the pressure is again applied at the middle, and from thence to the other
end. Iron shaped according to our Invention is applicable for ships' knees,
girders for roofs, and other purposes where great strength is required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Rowley and John Hadley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
ROWLEY, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Iron Roller, and
JOHN HADLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Edward Rowley and John Hadley, Her special licence, that we, the
said Edward Rowley and John Hadley, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said. Edward Rowley and John Hadley, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term thercin
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF SHAPING
IRON," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edward Rowley
and John Hadley, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of
one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Rowley, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invent Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: Our Invention consists of the method herein-after described, and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, of giving a taper form, or a form more or less
approximating to a taper form, to bar iron, whether the said bar iron be plain
or angle iron, or T iron, or iron otherwise shaped.
Our Invention consists in effecting the said tapering by means of pressure
applied to the said iron, by which said pressure the said iron is forced to assume.
the shape of a die or mould in which it is placed.
The machinery by which we carry our Invention into effect is represented
in end elevation in Figure 1, and in longitudinal vertical section in Figure 2.
a is a roll, the surface of which is turned of a figure corresponding to that of
one of the surfaces of the iron to be operated upon, that is to say, the surface
opposite to that on which the tapering is to be effected. 6 is a travelling bed
or platform, on the under side of which is a rack c, the said rack engages in
the teeth of a pinion d. The axis of the pinion d, and that of the roll a, are
geared together by means of pinions e, f, as represented in Figure 1. The
bed or platform 6 bears upon plain parts g, h, on either side of the pinion d,
and on the same axis. i, k, are small rollers to guide the bed or platform b in
its motion. is the die or mould in which the iron to be tapered m is placed.
The die or mould is fixed on the bed or platform 6 by wedges, or in any
other convenient manner. The iron m properly heated is placed in the die or
mould. The driving wheel n is thrown into gear with the driving power
when the bed or platform b, and mould or die 1, being carried under the
roll a, the said roll forces the iron m into the taper of the mould l. When
the iron is to be tapered from one end to the other, we prefer to apply
pressure first to the wide end, and from thence to the narrow end. When
the tapering proceeds from the middle towards each end, we prefer to apply
the pressure first at the middle, and from thence to one end; and afterwards
apply the pressure again at the middle, and from thence to the other end.
Iron shaped according to our Invention is applicable for ships' knees, girders
for roofs, and other purposes where great strength is required. Several of the
purposes to which our Invention may be applied are represented in the
Drawing.
Figure 3 represents in front and end elevations at o, a rail to be tapered for a
switch, according to our Invention; p, Figure 3, represents the same after taper-
ing in plan and end elevation; Figure 4 represents in plan and end elevation
at q, a double-headed rail to be tapered; 1, Figure 4, represents the same in
plan and end view after it has been tapered on one side; and s, Figure 4,
represents the same in plan and end view after it has been tapered on both
sides; Figure 5 represents in plan at t, in end elevation at u, and in section

page_text: at v,, a piece of double-angle iron tapered according to our. Invention, and to
be used for ships' knees; Figure.6, represents in section a. piece of iron similar.
to that last described; tapered at both ends; Eigure 7 represents in plan at v
in end view at w, and in section at. ; a piece of iron, tapered as, represented
according to our Invention, and to. be used for ships knees; Figure .8 repre-
sents: in section.the.die or mould and roll with which the iron t, u, v, Figure 5,
is made, the said iron being represented in the die or mould at u; Figure 9
represents a bar of iron in plan at :y, and in edge view. at z, tapered on all its
sides, and to be used for the manufacture of anchors; Figure 10, represents.
in side view at 1, and in end view at. 2, a piece of iron tapered in steps, for
the purpose of making ships' knees; for roofing, and for such other purposes as
it may be applicable to.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit.
ourselves to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of our said Invention; but
we claim as our Invention, shaping, iron by the machinery herein-before
described, and represented in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say,
placing the said iron in a heated state in a die or mould of the exact taper. or
form which is to be given to the iron; and subjecting. the said iron and die or
mould to the action of a roll or rolls, so as to press the said heated iron into
the die or mould.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Rowley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE,SHAW.
EDWARD ROWLEY. (L.S.)