IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING CAST-STEEL RAILWAY TIRES AND IN APPARATUS THERE-.
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Martin Rowan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th May
1865.
I, JOHN MARTIN ROWAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING CAST-STEEL RAILWAY TIRES AND IN APPARATUS THERE-.
FOR, ," to be as follows, that is to say: -
This Invention has for its object the making of cast-steel railway tires in a
superior manner and more rapidly and economically than hitherto.
In practising the Invention the cast-steel ingot having been hammered on its
sides and ends in the usual way is sawn into cheese-shaped pieces each of a
size and weight suitable for making one tire. The sawing is effected by a
circular saw working in a vertical plane. The ingot is carried by a head-
stock fitted upon a bed frame which is mounted on trunnions and can be
turned over to bear the ingot towards the circular saw. The headstock is
fitted to slide on the bed frame and is shifted after each cut to move the ingot
forward for a fresh cut. The end of the ingot close to the cut is supported
by a second headstock fitted with three rollers, which are set in spiral grooves
permitting of their being separately adjusted to irregularities in the form of
the ingot. The end of the ingot carried by the first headstock is held by
sérew chuck clamps upon a. face plate the spindle of which is mounted to

page_text: turn in a bearing in the head-stock, and whilst the saw is acting the ingot is
turned round either continuously or at intervals; each cheese or portion sawn
off from the ingot is next hammered in the usual way between a flat anvil and
hammer, and the hammer should have sufficient power to make the cheese
bulge a little at the middle of its periphery.
The improvements next described have reference to the flange on the tire,
the formation of which flange has hitherto been extremely difficult and tedious,
and as these improvements very considerably simplify and facilitate the
operation they are of great importance. The cheese is placed in a cress or
matrix which is shaped with a concavity round its upper edge corresponding
to the required flange, and in this cress the cheese, which is at first deeper
than the cress, is hammered until its upper part is enlarged so as to fill the
concavity. The hammer is according to one modification made with a
narrow face extending diametrically across the top of the cheese, but by
preference slightly concave in vertical section. The cress with the cheese
in it is moved round in any convenient way during the hammering so that
every part may be acted upon in succession. According to another modification
a round flat-faced hammer head is used, but two or more narrow faced blocks
are placed on the cheese for the hammer to strike on, and these blocks are
moved round as the hammering proceeds. The bottom of the cress is formed
with a central hole in which there is a bolt or spindle with a head on it. The
hammering of the cheese causes an indentation to be. made in it by this bolt
head, which indentation facilitates the subsequent punching ont of the,centre.
The cheese is pushed up out of the cress by the bolt, this being acted on by a
lever below worked by a screw, and when the cheese is raised a little above
the top of the cress a lever forked to pass on each side of the bolt and jointed
to a crane chain is inserted under it, and serves for carrying it to and from
the beating furnace. The cheese or block acted upon in the cress may either
be previously hammered as described, or it may be crude and unhammered
pressed, or rolled. The centre of the cheese is next punched out in..the usua
way, but instead of enlarging the centre by means of conical mandrils acted
on by steam hammers as hitherto, until large enough for the ordinary "break
ing-down," rolling mill, the enlarging is by this Invention effected by rolling
in a mill specially arranged for the purpose. This mill differs from the
"breaking-down" mill in having a support for the upper end of the insid
roller. There are also used in it several inside rollers of gradually increasing
sizes which are inserted in succession as the tire becomes distended by th
rolling action. These rollers are all formed with bottom spindles of one siz
to fit the bottom bearing. The acting part of the roller is enlarged i

page_text: diameter to enter between the top and bottom flanges of the external opposing
roller, and on the upper spindle of each inside roller there is fitted loosely a
ring of the full size of the roller externally, and filling up the upper bearing,
which has to be large enough for the roller to pass through it. The ring is
cut away on one side to allow the roller to enter in between the flanges of the
external roller. When the tire is sufficiently enlarged in the apparatus just
described it is transferred to the "breaking-down" mill and completed in the
usual way.
The obtaining of the flange on the cheese, which is an important part of
the process, may be effected by means of three or more suitably grooved
rollers, between which the cheese is placed, these rollers being made to act
with considerable pressure; but it is in all cases an essential feature of the
present Invention to raise the flange in the first instance either on the solid
cheese prior to the centre being punched out, or with the centre punched out,
but having a steel mandril or centre piece inserted in the hole. A steel
mandril may be used advantageously when it is desirable to make the inside
of the tire either conical or with a flange, as such form can be given in a
better manner when the cheese or block is made to approximate thereto at
as early a stage of the manufacture as possible.