IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FORMING METALS FOR RAILWAY WHEEL TYRES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul Rapsey Hodge, of Number 10, Adam Street,
Adelphi, in the Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 22nd May 1868, and dated the 7th December 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul Rapsey Hodge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th December 1867.
I, PAUL RAPSEY HODGE, of Number 10, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the
Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FORMING METALS FOR RAILWAY
WHEEL TYRES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the peculiar construction, arrangement,
and conformation of apparatus for the reheating of railway wheel tyres, more
especially that form of tyre used on a railway wheel patented by William
Brookes, dated, the Seventh day of October, 1859, No. 2286. This peculiar
:

page_text: form of wheel tyre A has first to be shrunk on to the wheel rim B, and after-
wards the lip C has to be turned down over the bevil part D, making the tyre
perfectly secure without the use of bolts or rivets. This has been done here-
tofore by heating portions or a given section of the lip in an ordinary coal fire
and then swedged or hammered down to its place, which method is most
expensive and is also liable to get the wheel out of truth owing to the repeated
beatings and coolings. My improved method is to reheat this lip by the
agency of a series of compound jets of carburetted bydrogen gas and
common air in their proper equivalents to produce the most intense heat.
These jets are brought to bear and impinge on the lip around the
periphery in the following manner :-A circular "muffle" is formed in cast
iron or any other suitable material as shewn in the section. a, a, the body
of the "muffle; " b, the air chamber which is supplied by the pipe (or
series of pipes) such as that marked c, which is supplied with air from any
convenient source, the air is brought into contact and mixes with the car-
buretted bydrogen gas by the gas jets d being brought through the apertures e
which are directed on to the lip all around the internal part of the "muffle."
The gas is supplied to these jets by means of two circular gas pipes ƒ and g so
that jets can be pierced through the "muffle" in as great a number as may be
required, thus surrounding the lip with these compound jets both inside and
outside the lip which will heat it effectually. When this is accomplished the
"muffle" is lifted off by means of a counterweight and chain in the usual
manner.
Secondly. The lip being now heated it is run on to a revolving platform E
under the machine, as shewn in the Drawings; when the roller F is brought
to bear on the back side of the lip, as shewn in dotted lines, and at the same
time a revolving motion is given to the platform E and wheel B, when the
roller in one revolution presses over the lip to a certain degree. The arm G
carrying this roller works in a radial slot H on the upper end and is operated
on by means of a tangent worm I working into a tangent rack on the radial
part of the arm J and J. This tangent screw I is affixed to the shaft K, on
the other end of which is a spur wheel L, into which works a pinion M, this
pinion is affixed on to the shaft N on to which is affixed a crank or wheel
with a handle so that when the handle is turned the tangent screw I acts upon
the quadrant part of the lever J and slides it in the direction of the vertical
arm G and G, when the lip is pressed over and lies down on to the rim of the
wheel; it is here necessary to bring down a greater pressure on to the lip as
the wheel revolves under it. To effect this I construct the head O and O of
the press as shewn, the back side of which rests on to a hinge piece P enabling

page_text: the whole of the head to radiate on it. On the other end I have an hydraulic
cylinder placed below under the floor, the ram of which passes through the
hole R and is fastened at the top by the nut S, so that when pressure is put
on, by pumping the water through the pipe T and above the piston of the ram
U, the power brings down the roller more firmly on to the lip and finishes it
complete. By then reversing the water from the pipe T to the pipe V the
water discharges above the piston and enters below it, lifting the whole head
off the wheel, when it is taken out and another one is reheated, and so on to
any number.
Another method may be adopted instead of the rolling process herein
described by substituting a steam hammer for the roller, which hammer would
be attached to the arm G, a jointed steam pipe would be used from the boiler
to the cylinder so as to allow for the difference of distance travelled by the
arm in passing from one angle to the other, so that instead of rolling down the
lip by the roller it is hammered down while the wheel revolves as before, either
of the processes answering equally well.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Paul Rapsey Hodge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PAUL RAPSEY
HODGE, of Number 10, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the Parish of Saint Martin-
in-the-Fields, and County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirteeth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, Her special licence that I, the said Paul Rapsey
Hodge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1,
the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND FORMING METALS FOR
RAILWAY WHEEL TYRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Paul Rapsey Hodge, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing

page_text: 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 Paul Rapsey Hodge, do bereby 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
that is to say :-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the peculiar construction, arrangement, and
conformation of apparatus for the reheating of railway wheel tyres, more
especially that form of tyre used on a railway wheel patented by William Brookes,
dated the Seventh day of October 1859, Number 2286. This peculiar
form of wheel tyre has first to be shrunk on to the wheel rim, and afterwards
a lip has to be turned down over the bevil part, making the tyre perfectly
secure without the use of bolts or rivets. This has been done heretofore by
heating portions or a given section of the lip in an ordinary coal fire, and then it
is swedged or hammered down to its place, which method is most expensive and
is also liable to get the wheel out of truth, owing to the repeated heatings and
coolings. My improved method is to reheat this lip by the agency of a series
of compound jets of carburetted hydrogen gas and common air in their proper
equivalents, or by any other combination of hydrocarbons in connection with super-
heated steam or gas to produce the most intense beat. These jets are brought to
Lear and impinge on the lip around the periphery in the following manner :-
A circular "muffle" is formed in cast iron or any other suitable material, as
shewn in the section Figure 1. A, the body of the "muffle"; B, the air
chamber, which is supplied by the pipe or series of pipes such as that marked C,
which is supplied with air from any convenient source; the air is brought into
contact and mixes with the carburetted bydrogen gas by the gas jets D being
brought through the apertures e which are directed on to the lip F all around
the internal part of the "muffle." The gas is supplied to these jets by means
of two circular gas pipes G¹ and G, so that jets can be pierced through the
"muffle" in as great a number as may be required, thus surrounding the lip F
with these compound jets both inside and outside, which will beat it effectually.
When this is accomplished the "muffle" is lifted off by means of a counterweight
and chain in the usual manner.
Secondly. The lip F being now heated it is run on to a revolving platform H
under the machine, as shewn in the Drawings, Figure 2, when the roller I is

page_text: brought to bear on the back side of the lip F as shewn in dotted lines, and at
the same time a revolving motion is given to the platform H and wheel J,
when the roller in one revolution presses over the lip F to a certain degree.
The arm K carrying this roller works in a radial slot L on the upper end, and
is operated on by means of a tangent worm M working into a tangent rack
on the radial part of the arm K and K. This tangent screw M is affixed
to the shaft N, on the other end of which is a spur wheel O into which works
a pinion P, this pinion is affixed to the shaft Q on to which is affixed a crank
or wheel with a handle, so that when the handle is turned the tangent
screw M acts upon the quadrant part of the arm or lever K³, and slides
it in the direction of the vertical arm K and K', when the lip F¹ is pressed
over and lies down on to the rim of the wheel. It is here necessary to bring
down a greater pressure on to the lip F' as the wheel revolves under it. To
effect this I construct the head R and R' of the press as shewn, the back
side of which rests on to a hinge piece S enabling the whole of the head to
radiate on it. On the other end I have a bydraulic cylinder T placed below
under the floor, the ram of which passes through the hole U and is fastened
at the top by the nut V, so that when pressure is put on, by pumping the water
through the pipe W and above the piston of the ram X, the power brings
down the roller more firmly on to the lip F and finishes it complete.
then reversing the water from the pipe W to the pipe Y the water discharges
above the piston and enters below it, lifting the whole head off the wheel,
when it is taken out and another one is reheated, and so on to any number.
Another method may be substituted by which the wheel tyre J⁹
heated in a vertical position bolted on to a vertical face plate on an horizontal
axis, and the roller I brought to bear on the lip F¹ from an horizontal position
to impinge on the lip F' which may be in some cases more convenient than
the one shewn in Figure 2 and described above. In case this method be
adopted the vertical face plate would have to run against friction rollers to
resist the pressure consequent on the impinging force of the roller to roll
down the lip.
By
may be
Another method may be adopted instead of the rolling process herein
described by substituting a steam hammer for the roller, which hammer would
be attached to the arm K, a jointed steam pipe would be used from the boiler
to the cylinder so as to allow for the difference of distance travelled by the
arm in passing from one angle to the other, so that instead of rolling down the
lip F by the roller I it is hammered down while the wheel revolves as before,
either of the processes answering equally well.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of

page_text: carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood, that I do not confine
myself to the precise details or the general arrangements herein described and
shewn in the Drawings as long as I confine myself to the main elements of
these improvements, as they may be varied to suit different diameters of wheels
or wheels of peculiar construction, as the case may be. I would have it
understood that what I claim is,―
Firstly. The method of heating tyres by compound jets of carburetted
hydrogen and common air, or of compound jets of any of the hydrocarbons
and superheated steam in combination, as shewn and described.
Secondly. The manner of rolling down the "lips" of wheel tyres after
being heated, in the manner shewn in the Drawings and described in this
Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul Rapsey Hodge, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
PAUL R. HUDGE. (L.8.)