IMPROVEMENTS IN MILE MANIRACTURE OR AXLES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Newman, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, and William Whittle, of Smethwick, in the
County of Stafford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MILE MANIRACTURE OR AXLES"
Sealed the 8th January 1856, and dated the 16th July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Newman and
William Whittle at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, 'with their
Petition, on the 16th July 1855.
We, JAMES NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, and WILLIAM WHITTLE, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AXLES" to be as follows, that is to say:--
This Invention consists in making hollow axles used for railway & other
purposes with an internal support, so that the section presents the appearance
of a circle having a cross inside. For this purpose, we roll iron into strips or
sheets, having on one side four projecting ribs or flanges; the strip being then
turned round into a tube, these ribs meet & form a cross; or the centres may
be rolled separately, and the tube formed in segmental strips, bound round the

page_text: centre, and the whole rolled together; or, tubes of any suitable section may be
introduced into the axle. The journals are afterwards welded in a single bar;
or three or more radial arms may be used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Newman and William Whittle in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th January 1856.
1.m
TO ALL TO WHOM. THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
NEWMAN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and
WILLIAM WHITTLE, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Newman and William Whittle, Her special licence that we, the said
James Newman and William Whittle, our exécutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Newman and William Whittle,
our 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF AXLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Newman and William Whittle, by an instrument in writing under
our 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 we, the said James Newman and William Whittle,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our improvements consist, firstly, in manufacturing hollow axles having solid
journals, and with one or more diametrical bars or radial arms or supports

page_text: running longitudinally through the interior, by which their tubular form is
materially strengthened, whilst from the distribution of the metal the extreme
of lightness consistent with the requisite strength is obtained.
And, secondly, in constructing solid axles upon the same principle, which
axles, having the longitudinal cross-shaped bar, before nanied, running through
their entire length, from the extra rolling they will receive, and the manner in
which the iron is put together, will derive considerable additional strength.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet A Figure 1 is a section of the iron rolled or otherwise worked into
the form required for our axle iron; Figure 2, elevation of the rolls we employ
for bending and closing the axle'; Figure 3, transverse section of the same.".
Sheet B: Figure 4, elevation of the rolls we use for forming the journals;
Figure 5, cross section of same; Figure 6, section of the iron we employ for
filling up the journals; Sheet B, Figure 7, longitudinal section of the axle
before the journals are formed; Figure 8, transverse section through the
centre; Figure 9, section of another form of iron which we can employ;
Figure 10, the same when bent up, between two of which pieces, Figure 11,
the cross bar is to be welded, as seen at Figure 12; Figure 13, cross section
of an axle formed of segmental strips with a solid cross piece; Figure 14;
section of an ordinary road. carriage axle made on the same principle.
We now proceed to describe the manufacture of the form of axle shewn-in
section, Figures 7 and 8, which is a hollow or tubular axle. Having first
rolled in grooved rolls or otherwise prepared the iron of the section shewn in.
Figure 1, it is to be heated, and we then proceed by the use of the rolls seen
at (a, Figure 2,) to bend or turn up the strip until it is sufficiently formed to
go through the grooves (b). After having been passed through these, it is drawn
through the grooves (c), and afterwards through those marked (d), by which
last it is closed, and the flanges (x, x,) are thus brought together in the form
of a cross in the transverse section, and being welded in the centre form a
strong support through the whole length of the inside of the tube. Four solid
segmental pieces, rolled or otherwise prepared of the form seen in Figure 6,
are then inserted in the segments at both ends of the axle, as seen in Figure 7,
and welded at the same time as the axle, which is effected by passing the whole
between a pair of rolls having grooves of a somewhat smaller-section than
those marked (d) in the closing rolls. If necessary, the axle is now to be
re-heated, after which the ends are to be subjected to the process of cross
rolling between rolls of the form shewn in Figures 4 and 5, by which those

page_text: parts of the axle are reduced in diameter to form the journals, the shoulders
and butts being also formed by the same operation.
Another mode of constructing this axle is by employing iron of the section
seen, in (Figure 9), and then rolling or otherwise bending it up into the
form seen at (Figure 10). A piece of the section seen at (Figure 11) is
then rolled or otherwise prepared and placed between two of the semi-
circular skelps, as seen at (Figure 12), and welded into that form by rolling
or other suitable means; or the axle may be made as seen at (Figure 13),
by employing for the outer tube of the axle, iron of a segmental form, four
of which segments are to be placed between the arms of a cross piece pre-
viously prepared to the required form, as seen in the Drawing, and the whole,
is securely welded together by rolling; a sound weld being insured by means
of the slight fins or flanges left for that purpose on the ends of each arm of
the cross piece, and which fins are intended to grip and weld down
upon the
edges of the segmental skelps.
The foregoing description applies mainly to, the manufacture of axles for.
railway rolling stock, or others of a circular section; but (Figure 14) shews
an axle made upon the same principle intended for vehicles travelling on,
common roads, which description of axle is usually square in section. The
cross pieces are in this case placed in the diagonal of the square.
So far we have described our improvements as applicable to the manufacture
of hollow or tubular axles having solid journals; but, we propose also to manu-
facture solid axles by the same principle, in which case, having proceeded so far
as to make a tube with the cross bar running from end to end, we insert
throughout its entire length, iron of the section shewn at (Figure 6); thus the
tube will be completely filled, up, and the whole of the parts may be, welded]
throughout, or only welded at the journal by the process of cross rolling. In
the formation of those parts, should it be preferable in either case, great addi-
tional strength is gained by the disposition of the several parts of which the
axle is formed. We have stated that we employ one or more diametrical_bars
or radial arms, and hitherto we have described axles in which we employ two
bars, or rather a section of iron, having the appearance of two bars crossed in
transverse section. We can also use one bar placed diametrically across, and
running the entire length of the interior of the tube, or any suitable number of
bars placed radially, which will give the desired internal support; but when we
vary the form of this internal strengthening in making solid axles, the section
of the bars employed for filling up must also be varied in a corresponding
manner.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be clearly understood that we
do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein specified; but that which
we claim is,
Firstly, the improvements described in the construction of axles, by making
them hollow or tubular, with one or more diametrical bars or radial arms
or supports running in a longitudinal direction through the interior, by which
we are enabled to gain extreme rigidity and lightness.
And, secondly, we claim the improvements described in the manufacture of
solid axles, as herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Newman and William Whittle,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES
(L.S.) NE WMAN.
WILLIAM (L.S.) WHITTLE.