CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALLEABLE IRON;
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
LEES, of the Firm of Hannah Lees and Sons, of Park Bridge, in the County
of Lancaster, Iron Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of August, in the twelfth year of Her reign, and in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel
Lees, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Samuel Lees, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Samuel Lees, my exors, adññors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, .exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MALLEABLE
IRON;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
Samuel Lees, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Lees, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following
explanation thereof (that is to say) :-
=
My Improvements in the Manufacture of Malleable Iron relate,-
First, to the method of forming or constructing the pile or fagot (of which
the bar is made) previous to its being welded and rolled or otherwise finished,
and is applicable to the manufacture of most descriptions of malleable iron,
such as hammered and rolled iron, of various forms, round, square, and flat
bar iron, fluted roller iron (particularly such as is used in the machinery
employed in the cotton and other similar manufactures), polygon bars, angle
iron, tee iron, railway tyres, rails for railways and axles, solid or hollow,
tubular bar iron, and any description of malleable iron where quality and
strength combined are required. The ordinary method of forming the pile or
fagot is by placing horizontally, one above the other, several plates or (as they
are technically termed) flat bars; and it must be evident that a shaft or bar
formed from such a pile or fagot will be of unequal strength, and liable to
split or laminate in different directions. My improved method of forming or
constructing the exterior or casing of the pile or fagot is by employing plates
of iron placed at right angles to each other, and dovetailed or so formed as
to overlap each other at the angles, the interior being filled with the best
scrap iron, or bars or plates placed either horizontally, vertically, or at right
angles to each other, and either overlapped or dovetailed or not, as may be
considered most suitable for the purpose to which the iron is ultimately to be
applied.
The second part of my Invention applies to the rolling mill in which the
plates or bars (for constructing the above-mentioned pile or fagot) are formed,
and also for rolling the bars constructed from such a fagot to the size and
form required. The improvement in the method of rolling the plates or bars,
which is also applicable to rolling any form of iron which is grooved or hollow
on the face, consists in the application of a suitably-formed bar or mould
attached to the framing of the rolling mill, so as to preserve the form of the
groove or hollow whilst the bar is passed through the rollers on its edge; and
the improvement in the method of rolling the bars constructed from such a
fagot consists in the employment or use of two sets of rollers placed side by
side, and revolving in different directions, so that the bar may be passed back-
wards or forwards without the necessity of lifting it over the rollers.
The third part of my Invention applies to the method of straightening the
Lars after their having been rolled, and consists in placing them upon a plate
of iron or other suitable level surface, and fastening the two ends by means

page_text: of clamps or otherwise whilst the bar is in a heated state, so that in cooling,
the bar, by its own contraction, assumes a straight line.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention of Improvements in
the Manufacture of Malleable Iron, I will proceed to describe the method of
carrying the same into practical effect, which will be readily understood upon
referring to the Drawings accompanying these Presents, and the following
explanation thereof.
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings, Figure 1 is a Diagram (being a sectional or
end view) representing the ordinary method of piling or fagoting plates or flat
bars for forming a railway bar or rail; and Figure 2 shews a section of a rail
formed from such a fagot, the blue lines (in all the Figures) shewing the
direction in which the grain of the iron is laid, from which it appears that in
consequence of the plates being simply laid one over the other, the surface of
the rail is liable to laminate or split off in layers when in use, and also that
the grain of the iron forming the "tree" (or upright part) of the rail is laid
in the wrong direction for strength. In order to obviate these imperfections
I construct the pile or fagot from which such bars are to be made as repre-
sented by Fig. 3, upon referring to which it will be seen that the exterior of
the fagot is composed of four plates a, a, a, a, dovetailed at the angles, the
upper and lower plates, which are to form the heads of the rail, being of
greater strength than the sides, so as to form a solid working surface, and
also that, by placing the bars b, b, b, composing the "tree" of the rail, in a
vertical position, the bar is rendered much stronger. Figure 4 shews a section
of a rail constructed from such a fagot; Figure 5 shews the ordinary method
of piling or fagoting flat bars or plates for forming a round shaft (as piston
rods) or axles, &c.; and Figure 6 is a section of a shaft or axle formed from
such a fagot, by which it will be seen that the joints of the plates run paralle!
across the shaft, causing it to be of unequal strength on its different sides, and
when turned to be liable to shew black streaks along the shaft, which is a
very great objection. In order to remedy this evil, I form the pile or fagot
as represented at Fig. 7, Fig. 8 being a section of a round bar or shaft formed
from such a fagot, which will be found to be tomposed of as many hoops or
tubes as there are casings in the fagot; and in consequence of the overlapping
of the joints, the bar will be of greater strength, having. no straight joint
running throughout its length, which is of great importance. Fig. 9' is ab
Diagram representing my improved method of piling a fagot for forming a
railway tyre bar; and Fig. 10 is a section of a tyre bar formed from suc!!
a fagot. The bar a, which ultimately forms the working surface of the wheel.
is stronger than the others, and the bars b, b, being placed vertically, throws
the resistance of the sides of the bar in the proper direction. Fig. 11 shews

page_text: the method of constructing a fagot for forming a hollow or tubular bar or
shaft. If the interior of the shaft or tube should be required to be of larger
diameter, the pieces a, a, forming the tubular core, must be removed, the
under casing b, b, dispensed with, and a larger core substituted. Fig. 12
shews a fagot for forming round, square, polygon, flat, angle, tee, and other
bars, which is composed of five dovetailed casings placed around a square bar.
Fig. 13 is a modification of the same, the exterior casing a, a, only being
lovetailed, the interior casings having the joints crossed at the angles as at
b, b. Fig. 14 shows an ordinary fagot or pile enclosed in a dovetailed
casing. Fig. 15 represents a pile or fagot suitable for the best turning iron
for making fluted or other rollers, and principally used in preparing and
spinning machinery employed in cotton and other such manufactures, and is
formed by placing the dovetailed plates a, a, together, and filling the centre b
with the best scrap iron. Figs. 16 and 17 are modifications of the arrange-
ment shewn in Fig. 13, the outside plates in the latter being overlapped, as
shewn at a, a, a, instead of being dovetailed.
In Sheet 2 of the Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved
rolling mill; and Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. a, a, is the framing of
the apparatus, and b, b, the main driving shaft to which motion is to be com-
municated from the engine or other driving power in any convenient manner.
Upon this shaft b a spur wheel c is keyed driving a spur wheel d, which
communicates motion to the rollers e, e, in the usual manner. These rollers
are suitably formed, in order to impart the requisite form and dimensions to
the plate or bar. The bar is first passed through the rollers 1, 1, and after-
wards turned upon its edge, and passed between the rollers 2, 2, the bar or
mould preserving the form of the groove or indentation produced in the
surface of the bar by the rollers 1, 1. After passing between the rollers 2, 2,
the bar is sufficiently reduced in width to pass between the rollers 3, 3, and
subsequently through the rollers 4, 5, and 6. Of course it will be evident
that the rollers e, e, may be removed and others substituted for them accord-
ing to the form of the plate or bar to be produced, and also that the bar or
mould may be changed so as to suit the form of the groove or indentation
made by the roller 1, 1. Suppose a square bar to have been made from the
above plates, and fagoted, as described in the first part of this Specification, it
is to be then welded, rolled out, and finished, by passing it alternately back-
wards and forwards between the rollers g, g, and h, h. It will be seen that
the rollers g, g, are coupled to the rollers e, e, and consequently revolve in the
same direction; but the rollers h, h, are caused to revolve in the reverse direc-
tion by the following means:-The spur pinion c, upon the main driving shaft,
actuates another spur pinioni keyed upon the longitudinal shaft A, upon the

page_text: other end of which is fixed tlie spur'pinion 'driving a spur wheel m; to which
the rollersih, hy are coupléd: Supposing; then, these rollers g, gandh, h; to
be revolving in opposite directions; thetbarris-first passed between the rollers 7,
and then back again through the rollers 8,, and afterwards alternately. between
the rollers 9; 10, 11, 12, 13; 14; 15, and 16:. The carriage'n, n; to which the
rod o, for supporting the bar, is attached, is caused to traverse backwards and
forwards. along the rails pp, as required in the following manner: To the
spur wheel d is attached a grooved pulley q. driving: (by means of a band)
the pulley r fixed upon one end of the shaft s. Upon the other end of this
shaft s is a mitre wheel't driving a similar wheel u keyed upon the stud that
carries the friction. roller. v. There are two smaller friction rollers.w and a,
(see plan view Fig. 3) mounted. upon a frame, which swivels upon a centre
at 1. Between the rollers v, tu, and a, pass thin plates or rails 2, 3, attached
to the carriage n, n. When the carriage is required to traverse either in one
direction or the other, the handle 4 must be moved so as to cause either the
roller w or to press the rail 2 or 8 against the roller w; and as this roller
is constantly revolving, the carriage will thus be caused to traverse in the
direction required.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark
in conclusion that I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, the methods of forming the outside of a pile or fagot by placing
plates or flat bars of iron together at right angles, the plates being dovetailed
or overlapped at the corners, whether the interior is filled with scrap iron or
with plates laid horizontally one above the other, or at right angles to each
other, and either dovetailed or overlapped at the angles or not.
Secondly, with respect to the rolling mill, I claim the use or employment
of the bar or mould f, for preserving the form of the groove or indentation
whilst the bar is being passed through the rollers on its edge.
Thirdly, I claim the method of driving the rollers 9 and h in opposite
directions, as above described.
Fourthly, I claim the method of actuating and reversing the carriage n, n.
And, lastly, I claim the method of straightening bars of iron, by confining
their extremities whilst in a heated state, and then causing them to assume a
straight line by their own contraction in cooling.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Lees, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
.
SAMUEL (L.S.) LEES.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Samuel Lees came
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine. .