An Improved Manufacture of Axle-box Lids.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left. 17th Feb., 1990-Accepted, 22nd Mar.,
1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Manufacture of Axle-box Lids.
We, JOHN DONNELLY, WILLIAM MCLAREN, and AMBROSE TRASK all of Metro-
politan Works, Dockley Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
1
Axle-box lids, such as are used in railway vehicles, are usually formed by casting
them in iron or brass, or by forging them from wrought iron. These methods of
manufacture necessitate the drilling of the hole for the reception of the joint or hinge
pin. Now according to this invention an axle-box lid is stamped or struck from a
steel or iron plate by means of dies, the eye or hole for the pin being formed in the
process of stamping,
It is convenient in carrying out the invention to cut a blank out of steel plate of
such a shape that when stamped it will have the desired form; then by successive
operations the part intended to form the eye is partly bent over, an angular projection
is struck up to be acted upon by a spring to keep the lid open or shut, the eye for
the joint pin is completed, and the edges of the lid are turned down on three sides.
These operations are carried out by means of dies, presses, drop-hanımers, or similar
well-known appliances.
Axle-box lids formed according to this invention are exceedingly strong, very light,
and are manufactured at less cost than heretofore.
Dh: 19th
M 1000
W. LLOYD WISE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Manufacture of Axle-box Lids.
We JOHN DONNELLY, WILLIAM MOLAREN, and AMBROSE TRASK, all of Metro-
politan Works, Dockley Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey, Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement —
In the operation of making the lids of railway carriage axle boxes by casting or
forging in the usual manner it is necessary to drill the hole in the hinge knuckle of
the lid for the reception of the hinge pin and the heel piece on the hinge knuckle for
the spring to bear against in order to hold the lid in the open or closed position has
necessarily been formed in the solid.
This Invention relates to a method of manufacturing such axle box lids by stamping
and bending a steel or iron plate by means of dies and other tools in such a way that
it is brought to the finished form without drilling and an axle box lid is produced
which is stronger, lighter, and less expensive than those heretofore made.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speci-
fication, in which figure 1 is a vertical section of the tool for performing the first
operation of bending the tang of the plate to form the hinge knuckle. Figure 2 is a
front view of the same and figure 3 is a plan of the same, partly in section, the plate
being operated on being shewn in each of the figures. Figure 4 is a vertical section
of the tool for stamping up the heel piece on the hinge knuckle for the spring to bear
against, the plate being shewn in the form produced by the previous tool. Figure 5
is a similar view of the tool for completing the bending of the hinge knuckle, the

page_text: knuckle being shewn with the heel piece as struck up by the previous tool. Figure 6
is a vertical section of the pair of stamping dies for turning down the edges of, and
thereby finishing, the lid. Figures 7, 8, and 9, are an edge view, plan, and back view,
of the lid in its finished form.
In carrying out the invention, the blank A to form the lid is first cut of the shape
shewn in figure 3 such that when operated on as hereafter described it will have the
desired finished form. It is then made red-hot and placed in the bending tool shewn
in figures 1, 2, and 3, whereby the tang portion a of the plate is bent to a half round
form, as shewn in dotted lines in figure 1. This tool comprises a bed piece B pro-
vided with side flanges 6 and stops by which the position of the blank A is
determined. It further comprises what may be termed a bending swage D consisting
of a straight cross-bar or bridge with return ends d carrying inwardly-projecting
trunnions d' which revolve in ears e in the overhanging ends of the side flanges
such trunnions being in the same axial line corresponding to the intended axial line
of the hinge knuckle. The trunnions are tubular to admit a mandrel E to be
inserted therein around which the tang a is bent by the operation of revolving the
swage D from the full line to the dotted position in figure 1, the swage being provided
with a lever handle D¹ for operating it.
The tang, having been bent to the form shewn in figure 1, is placed whilst still hot
in the tool shewn in figure 4 which is preferably inclined at an angle, as shewn, in
order that the blank may fall into proper position in the bed die and be operated on
without being held. This tool comprises a punch F and bed die G of a shape to
receive the partly formed knuckle and having a cavity g to permit of the striking-up
of the metal by the punch F; the operating part is of a V-shaped section, the breadth
of the punch being such that it will not operate on the whole length of the knuckle
but strike up an angular projection h extending along the middle part of the hinge
knuckle and leave the ends of the latter untouched in order that when the knuckle is.
completed such ends will be cylindrical. The punch is guided in the ordinary way
in such tools and is operated by any suitable power press which it is unnecessary to
describe.
The blank with the tang partly bent to form the eye and with the heel piece k
struck up thereon, as last described, is now placed whilst still hot in the tool shewn
in figure 5 which comprises a swage I and bed. K, the latter being of a form to receive
the plate and its partly formed knuckle and hold it firmly in position whilst being
operated on by the swage I. The latter has its operative end curved to the intended
form of the knuckle and such curved end is brought down on the end of the tang in
such way as to gradually bend it around a removable mandrel L to the finished
cylindrical form shewn in figures 7, 8, and 9. This tool, like the previous one, is
inclined for the same purpose and these two tools, although shewn separately, may
conveniently form part of the same machine and be worked from the same recipro-
cating press-head so that the two tools will operate alternately or simultaneously on
one or two blanks at a time, as the case may be.
The knuckle having thus been brought to the final form shewn in figures 7 to 9,
the heated plate (which may be reheated at any intermediate stage in the process, if
required) is stamped in a drop press (figure 6) to the final form. M, N, are the top
and bottom dies of the drop press, of a configuration corresponding to the upper and
under sides of the lid and whereby the three edges of the lid are turned down to about
a quarter of a circle in cross-section so as to fit over the mouth of the box to which the
lid is applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;
The manufacture of axle box lids by successive bending and stamping operations in

page_text: the manner and by means of tools such as herein specified whereby the hinge knuckle
is formed with an angular projecting heel piece struck up from the inside and without
drilling, as specified.
Dated this 17th day of February 1890.
J. DONNELLY.
WM. MOLAREN.
A. TRASK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.