IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Maurice Gandy, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF WHEELS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK."
Sealed the 19th March 1875, and dated the 10th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Maurice Gandy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1875.
I, MAURICE GANDY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to a novel method of constructing the wheels of
locomotive engines and carriages and other rolling stock of railways,
and consists in a method of attaching the tyre of the wheel to the main
body of the wheel.
In constructing wheels according to my Invention I have two
methods Be the first method I construct the tyre in the usual wav

page_text: and with a ridge on the inner periphery thereof. This ridge I form in
the shape of a bulb or in any suitable form of dovetail. I then place
the tyre in the "sand," and on it cast the main body and nave of the
wheel, and as the metal cools it contracts and grips the tyre tight. By
my second method I first form the tyre, as before described, with a bulb
or dovetailed ridge, and then make the body and nave of the wheel in
two discs of any suitable material, shaped at their outer edges to receive
the bulb or dovetailed inner rim of the tyre, but a little smaller, for
reasons shown hereafter. In constructing these discs I form on one or
both of them projections to form studs, dowels, or coogs" with corre-
sponding receptacles on the discs, so that the discs are male and female.
In some instances I form recesses in the discs, or holes through them,
into which take loose studs or dowels. In some instances I use the
studs or dowels to form bolts for holding the discs together. The object
of these studs, dowels, "coogs," bolts, or keys is to relieve the tyre of
vertical or cross strains caused by concussion or otherwise. The discs
are held together by bolts, which may pass through the studs or other
provisions before mentioned, or be independent of them.
°
"
I prefer to have a series of bolts round the nave fastening the discs
together, and a series of bolts near the circumference of the outer portion
of the main body of the wheel. These outer bolts I pass through the
studs or other provisions, and I leave the bolt holes in the studs a little
larger so that the bolt will not receive damage from concussion or other-
wise.
In constructing the wheel I expand the discs when of metal by heat,
or I expand both discs and tyre. I then lay one disc in position, and on
it lay the tyre. I then place the other disc and bolt the discs together,
and as the discs cool they contract and grip the tyre tightly, and thus
for all practical purposes render it a solid mass.
By the usual method of shrinking the tyre on to the wheel an
immense tension is thrown on to the tyre, which in most cases is the
cause of the tyre bursting. By my Invention the order is reversed, and
instead of the tyre gripping the wheel the wheel grips the tyre, and
instead of the tyre being subjected to great tension by shrinking on the
wheel, there is absolutely no tension, and hence the tyre cannot burst
from tension, and if by any possibility it breaks by concussion it still
cannot leave the wheel.
.

page_text: In some cases I dispense with constructing the wheel by expanding
and contracting by heat, and have the bulb or dovetail on the inner part
of the tyre
"turned" and fitted to the discs, which are also
" turned".
to receive it, the parts being connected together by a suitable rust or
other joint, as will be understood, and then bolted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Maurice Gandy in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MAURICE
GANDY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight 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 Maurice Gandy, Her special
licence that I, the said Maurice Gandy, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Maurice Gandy, 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 CON-
STRUCTION OF WHEELS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOck," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Maurice Gandy, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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.

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:--
This Invention relates to a novel method of constructing the wheels
of locomotive engines and carriages and other rolling stock of railways,
and consists in a method of attaching the tyre of the wheel to the main
body of the wheel by inward shrinking, or shrinking the wheel on to
the tyre in contradistinction to shrinking the tyre on to the wheel.
"
I construct the tyre in the usual way, and with a ridge on the inner
periphery thereof. This ridge I form in the shape of a bulb or. in any
suitable form of dovetail, and on it form the main body and nave of the
wheel, and as the metal cools it contracts and grips the tyre tight. Or
I form the tyre with a bulb or dovetailed ridge, and then made the body
and nave of the wheel in two discs of any suitable niaterial, shaped at
their outer edges to receive the bulb or dovetailed inner rim of the tyre,
but a little smaller, for reasons shown hereafter. In constructing these
discs I form on one or both of them projections to form studs, dowels,
cr coogs, with corresponding receptacles on the discs, so that the discs
arc male and female. In some instances I form recesses in the discs or
holes through them,, into which take loose studs or dowels. In some
instances I use the studs or dowels to form bolts for holding the discs
together. The object of these studs, dowels, coogs, bolts, or keys is to
relieve the tyre of vertical or cross strains caused by concussion or other-
wise. The discs are held together by bolts, which may pass through
the studs or other provisions before mentioned, or be independent of
them..
I prefer to have a series of bolts round the nave fastening the discs
together, and a series of bolts near the circumference of the outer
portion of the main body of the wheel. These outer bolts I pass through
the studs or other provisions, and I leave the bolt holes in the studs a
little larger so that the bolt will not receive damage from concussion or
otherwise.
In constructing the wheel I expand the discs by heat, or I expand
both discs and tyre. I then lay one disc in position, and on it lay the
tyre. I then place the other disc and bolt the discs together, and as the
discs cool they contract and grip the tyre tightly, and thus for all
practical purposes render it a solid mass.
By the usual method of shrinking the tyre on to. the wheel an

page_text: immense tension is thrown on to the tyre, which in most cases is the cause
of the tyre bursting. By my Invention the order is reversed, and instead
of the tyre gripping the wheel the wheels grips the tyre, and instead of
the tyre being subjected to great tension by shrinking on the wheel, there
is absolutely no tension, and the tyre cannot burst from tension by frost
or concussion, and if by any possibility it breaks it cannot leave the
wheel.
- Having thus explained the nature and object of my Invention I will
now proceed to describe more in-detail, and show how the same may be
carried out into practice, reference being had to the annexed Sheet of
Drawings illustrating my Invention and some of the modifications
thereof, like letters, on the Drawings. being used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 represents a section of a railway wheel constructed according
to my Invention.
Figures 2, 3, and 4 illustrate modifications of my Invention.
To construct wheels. with metal discs I first form the tyre with a pro-
jection A. on the inner periphery,. on which projection I turn a groove B
on each side to receive the flanges on the discs. I then form the boss or
nave C in one piece with the disc D and the flange E. I then use a
second disc F.with a similar flange H, the said disc being made to ship
over the boss C, where it is held in position by the flange K and the
bolts J, L.. In construction. I heat and expand the discs D, F, and the
retaining flanges E, H, and in some instances the tyre a, so that as the
wheel cools the discs contract and grip the tyre tightly.
$.
Referring to the modification shown at Figure 2 it will be seen that I
use one. disc D, which developes into. the flange E, and I hold the tyre
on the opposite side. by the retaining ring and flange H, the disc and
retaining ring being shrunk on to the tyre a and fitted to the boss C,
which is provided with a flange C', the whole wheel being secured by
the bolts J, L.
Referring to the modification at Figure 3 it will be seen that I use
two retaining rings E, H, which, are shrunk on to the tyre a, and secured
to the disc D by the bolts L, the disc D being secured to the nave or
boss C by the bolts J.
Referring to the modification at Figure 4 it will be seen that I dispense
with the double groove B in the tyre a, and substitute the groove B and

page_text: the flange R. The disc D is held in position by the retaining ring and
flange E, which is shrunk on to the tyre a, the wheel being held together
by the bolts J, L. The bolt holes L' in the disc may be made larger
than the bolts to give the wheel elasticity.
In forming the discs and retaining rings I turn the projection or lip
which fits into the grooves B to fit the tyre tightly, and by preference a
little larger than the groove in the tyre, so that it requires pressure to
make them enter the grooves in the tyre. I slightly champher the edges
to cause them to enter easily. By pressure I force the discs and rings
on to the tyre, and then secure them by bolts L and to the nave or boss.
by the bolts J.
In all the modifications or methods of application of this my Invention
I fit the discs or rings so that they grip and force the tyre inward instead
of the tyre having outward springing tendency.
Having now described and ascertained the nature and object of my
Invention, and shown how the same may be put into practice, I wish it
to be understood that I do not confine myself to any exact shape or
description of the various parts of a wheel constructed according to my
Invention, as the same is capable of numerous modifications, but what I
claim as my Invention and secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid
is, the method herein-before described of constructing wheels for rail-
way rolling stock by the process of inward shrinking or shrinking the
wheel, being the discs, or the tyre retaining rings on to the tyre, in
contradistinction to shrinking the tyre on to the wheel, substantially as
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Maurice Gandy, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.