Improvements in the Manufacture of Rolled Rails and other Sections, the parts of which are of Unequal Thickness.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 29th Apr.,
1899
Improvements in the Manufacture of Rolled Rails and other
Sections, the parts of which are of Unequal Thickness.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from abroad
by Julian Kennedy, of Pittsburg, in the County of Allegheny and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America,) and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to the rolling of flanged rails and other sections the parts of
which vary to a greater or less extent in thickness, and it has for its object to
improve the rolling operation of the last passes of such sections to improve the
product, and to produce the wear and strain upon the rolls.
Heretofore in the rolling of such flanged sections and sections of unequal
thickness on account of the unequal distribution of metal in various parts of the
sections, some portions of the sections became much colder than others and hence
the flow and elongation of the metal was interfered with, and parts of the section
were reduced while at a much lower temperature than desirable for the rolling
operation, while other parts were finished at too high a temperature to insure a good
physical character in the finished product.
The present invention overcomes this difficulty, and it consists in partially rolling
the section, and then equalising the heat in different parts thereof by placing it in a
chamber and allowing the temperature of its various parts to become uniform. Heat
may or may not be supplied to this chamber as may be desirable, as a mere soaking
heat will accomplish the results, the greater heat of one part spreading to the
adjacent parts of the same and the other sections until all parts are of substantially
the same temperature. The piece when thus equalised is taken out of the chainber
and passed through the finishing passes for reducing the section to its final
shape.
I will describe the mode of carrying on the said invention with reference to the
accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a plant for
rolling rails, constructed in accordance with this invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross
section of the reheating furnace employed shewing the arrangement of the rails
therein.
In the drawing in which the invention is shewn as applied to the rolling of rails,
2 represents a three-high stand of rolls, in which the bloom is given five passes. It
is then taken to the second stand of rolls 3 in which it receives three more passes and
from which it is taken to the furnace 4, entering at one side thereof. The rails are
preferably arranged in this furnace so that the head of each lies next to the base of
the next one so as to allow the greater heat of the head to raise the temperature of
the colder base of the one adjacent thereto. The rails are moved sidewise in this
furnace and are taken out through a non-registering exit opening in the opposite end
of the other side of the furnace, the heat having become equalized in its various parts.
It is then given two passes in a stand of rolls 5 and a final pass in the rolls 6, thus

page_text: completing the rolling operation. The rails may be moved sidewise in the furnace by
pushers 7 extending through the side walls, or by other suitable means.
The advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art,
since the injury to the section and the strain upon the rolls consequent to the
rolling of the section, some parts of which are much colder than others, is avoided,
and a much better product obtained.
Many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the various rolls
and their passes, as well as the furnace, without departing from this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of flanged rails and other sections the parts of which are of
different thickness, the method of rolling them until there is a substantial difference
of temperature between different parts thereof, then equalising the temperature
of these parts, and then further rolling the section thus equalised, substantially as
described.
2. In a plant for the manufacture of flanged rails and other sections the parts of
which are of different thickness, the combination of rolls arranged to partially reduce
the metal, an equalising furnace in which the partially rolled sections are equalised
in temperature, and rolls arranged to reduce the sections after such equalisation
substantially as described.