IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY AND OTHER WHEELS."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edwards, of 122, Rock Street, Sheffield,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY AND OTHER WHEELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edwards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th February 1875.
1, WILLIAM EDWARDS, of 122, Rock Street, Sheffield, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY AND OTHER WHEELS," to be
as follows:-
1
My Invention has for its object the manufacture of solid disc railway
and other wheels from ingots of cast steel, and consists in forging the
said ingots into round blooms, varying in size according to the diameter
of the wheel required, and a hole being punched in the centre of the
blooms, the same are then forged or pressed in a succession of dies of

page_text: different shapes until a perfect and complete wheel is produced without
the aid of any rolls or rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARDS, of 122, Rock Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edwards, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edwards, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edwards, my 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
therein 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY AND OTHER WHEELS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edwards, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 William Edwards, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and the Figures marked thereon, similar letters having reference to
similar parts:—

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
solid cast steel railway disc and other wheels, and consists in first casting
a circular ingot of steel of any desired size with a hole in the centre, and
'then hammering or pressing it, either with or without swage blocks, until
it becomes sufficiently condensed or solidified to bear the process required
to produce the finished wheel. Or I may otherwise forge a round bloom
to the thickness and diameter required, and then punch a hole in the
centre by means of a steel punch 6, as shewn at Fig. A. (Sheet 1). Or I
may again leave the bloom solid, and then have the central hole drilled
by means of the usual and well known appliances. I then proceed to
forge or press the bloom C between the dies d, d, until the said bloom O
becomes sufficiently expanded and has taken the form of the dies d, d,
as shewn at Fig. 1. I then remove the forging or bloom O to the
dies E, E, Fig. B., which after being manipulated in a like manner takes
the form of dies E, E, as shewn at Fig. 2, and from thence it is carried
to the finishing dies f, f, Fig. C., where the wheel is forged to its proper
size and dimensions, as shewn at Fig. 3. Or I cast a bloom to shape
shewn between dies at Fig. B. or C., and expand it between successive
dies to size required for a finished wheel.
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 (Sheet No. 2) shews the elevation and section of
each process up to finished wheel.
I can if I think proper still add to or reduce the number of blocks,
tools, or dies, according to the size of the disc steel railway wheel
or other disc wheels, as may be required, taking care that a sufficient
number of dies be used to prevent the alteration of form being effected
too abruptly.
The great advantage in this wheel over all others yet produced is that
the wheel and tyre are gradually shaped by the successive action of the
several dies at the same time that the metal is consolidated, so as to
produce a sound wheel in one solid piece. Great security is given,
because the wheels manufactured by my improved process must be made
of the best quality of steel, otherwise it will not stand the process of
manufacture.
My process of manufacture also possesses the advantage of giving a
great wearing surface to the tyre, as shewn by dotted lines at Fig. 7
(Sheet 2), which can be worn thinner than any combined wheel and tyre
and with nerfect safety.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I claim as my Patent the process
of forging or pressing steel railway or other disc wheels in a succession
of dies or blocks, thereby expanding the forging gradually from one-
size to another until the wheels have attained the proper size and
form.
of dies or DOCKS, thereby expanding the forging gay
size to another until the wheels have attained the proper size and
form.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edwards, have hereunto
• set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
form.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edwards, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.