Improvements in the Manufacture of Built-up Articles, such as Wheels for Railway Vehicles, and in Apparatus for this Purpose.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1893-Accepted, 27th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Built-up Articles, such as
Wheels for Railway Vehicles, and in Apparatus for this Purpose.
I, JOSEPH MITCHELL of Mining Offices, Regent Street, Barnsley, in the County
of York, Civil and Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention has for object to reduce the cost of manufacturing built-up articles,
as for example wheels for railway vehicles of the kind in which the spokes are made
of metal rods or bars bent to shape, for which purpose having fitted the spaces
between the outer ends of each adjacent pair of spokes with a wedge or other
suitably shaped piece of metal, I simultaneously heat the whole or a number of the
said ends and filling pieces to a welding temperature and then simultaneously
subject the whole of the heated parts to pressure whereby the corresponding pairs
of spokes are united and the corresponding portions of the wheel rim formed to
shape at one operation.
A suitable arrangement of apparatus for carrying out my invention comprises a
series of gas furnaces arranged in a circular row and corresponding in number to
the pairs of spokes to be heated at one operation, and a series of hydraulic forging
presses also corresponding in number to the pairs of spokes to be welded at one
operation and arranged between the gas furnaces, the arrangement being such that
the outer ends of the spokes and the filling pieces, suitably held together, can be
placed in the gas
furnaces and simultaneously heated, and when at a welding tem-
perature can be raised from these furnaces and placed in the forging presses which
can then be simultaneously operated to unite each of the heated pairs of spokes to
the corresponding filling piece and complete the formation of the corresponding
portions of the wheel rim.
The gas furnaces are or may be constructed with hinged or removable covers to
admit of the ends of the pairs of spokes and filling pieces being readily placed
within and removed from the furnaces. The forging presses are each constructed
with jaws or projections operated by a hydraulic plunger or by a suitable mechanical
arrangement and adapted to enter the adjacent curved spaces between the spokes
and the wheel rim in order to serve as an anvil or abutment. Each press is also
constructed with a hydraulic plunger carrying a head shaped to suit the desired
formation of the wheel rim at the part where the spokes are connected thereto, the
arrangement being such that the desired jaws or projections can be operated
simultaneously, as also can the plungers carrying the forging heads.
As will be obvious my invention can be applied in the construction of built-up
articles or structures of various kinds whether of circular, rectangular, polygonal
or irregular form.
Dated this 27th day of September 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Built-up Artioles, such as
Wheels for Railway Vehicles, and in Apparatus for this Purpose.
I, JOSEPH MITCHELL, of Mining Offices, Regent Street, Barnsley, in the County
of York, Civil aud Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In the manufacture of built-up articles as for example wheels for railway vehicles
of the kind in which the spokes are made of metal rods or bars bent to shape, it has
heretofore been usual to unite the outer ends of each adjacent pair of spokes by
filling the space between them with a suitably shaped piece of metal previously
heating such ends and separately the filling piece to a welding temperature, and
then uniting the parts by pressure, these operations being repeated for uniting each
pair of spokes. Now my invention has for object to reduce the cost of manufac-
turing articles of the kind referred to for which purpose having fitted the space
between the outer ends of each adjacent pair of spokes with a wedge or other
suitably shaped piece of metal, I simultaneously beat the whole or a number of the
said ends and filling pieces to a welding temperature and then simultaneously subject
the whole of the heated parts to pressure whereby the corresponding pairs of
spokes are united and the corresponding portions of the wheel rim formed to shape
at one operation.
A suitable arrangement of apparatus for carrying out my invention comprises a
series of gas furnaces arranged in a circular row and corresponding in number to
the pairs of spokes to be heated at one operation, and a series of hydraulic forging
presses also corresponding in number to the pairs of spokes to be welded at one
operation, the arrangement being such that the outer ends of the spokes and the
filling pieces, suitably held together, can be placed in the gas furnaces and simul-
taneously heated, and when at a welding temperature, can be raised from these
furnaces and placed in the forging presses, which can then be simultaneously
operated to unite each of the heated pairs of spokes to the corresponding filling piece
and complete the formation of the corresponding portions of the wheel rim.
The gas furnaces are constructed with hinged or removable covers to admit of
the ends of the pairs of spokes and filling pieces being readily placed within and
removed from the furnaces. The forging presses are constructed with jaws or
projections each operated by a suitable mechanical arrangement and adapted to
enter the adjacent curved spaces between the spokes and the wheel rim and to serve
as an anvil or abutment. Each press is also constructed with an hydraulic plunger
carrying a head shaped to suit the desired formation of the wheel rim at the part
where the spokes are connected thereto, the arrangement being such that the desired
jaws or projections can be operated simultaneously, as also can the plungers
carrying the forging heads.
As will be obvious my invention can be applied in the construction of built-up
articles other than wheels for railway vehicles, as for example tram car wheels, cart
wheels, and wheels for agricultural implements.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of a complete apparatus which is constructed
with eight furnaces and a corresponding number of presses the arrangement being
designed to weld simultaneously eight pairs of spokes, but it will be evident the
number of furnaces and presses may be varied according to requirement.
Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but shows the several parts of the apparatus
in the positions they respectively occupy at the completion of the welding
operation.
Fig. 3 shows a half plan of the annaratus

page_text: Fig. 4 shows a plan of the apparatus with the upper rams and press head
removed.
Figs. 5, 6 & 7 show respectively an elevation, a plan in the open position, and a
plan in the closed or working position of the movable jaws.
Fig. 8 shows part of a wheel and illustrates the appearance at the junction of
two spokes on completion of the welding operation.
12 is a
1 is brickwork enclosed in sheet metal casings 2 & 3-in this brickwork are the
stationary portions of the furnaces, each comprises a combustion chamber 4, with
slagging chamber and cleaning hole 5, the latter charged with sand and furnished
with a brick closure 6. 7 is a gas main and 8 the burner gas supply pipe (wrought
iron) which is closed at its inner end and near thereto is formed with a number of
radial gas outlets 9. 10 is an air main with branches traversed by the burner gas
supply pipe 8 which is fixed air-tight in a boss on the air main at 11.
wrought iron pipe that forms a lining to a portion of the passage 13 in the furnace
wall and is connected to the air main by screwing into a boss 14, thus there is
formed an annular passage for the introduction of air to support combustion between
the pipes 8 and 12. 15 is a cover carried by a davit-like swinging bracket 16
supported in a footstep 17 and passing through a guide 18. 19 is a gas supply pipe
provided with a cock (not shewn) and connected by a flexible connection (not
shewn) with the gas main 7. This pipe 19 communicates with the gas chamber 15*
of the cover, from which the gas flows through the burner gas pipes 15b (wrought
iron) into the fire-brick lined chamber 15°. 20 is an air supply pipe provided with
a cock (not shewn) and connected to a flexible connection (not shown) with the air
main 10. This pipe 20 is connected with the air chamber 154 whence the air flows
through the wrought iron pipes 15° around the burner gas pipes 15 to the
chamber 15°. The flame enters the upper part of the main combustion chamber 4
from passage 15¹.
It will be seen that the under side of the cover 15 is concave. It has the form
of a segment of a hollow sphere, in order that the flame may be caused to spread in
a suitable manner over the pieces of metal to be heated.
21 is an air inlet cock or valve through which air is fed to the main from an air
receiver to ensure a steady blast.
It is convenient to make the air main also the gas main each in as many connected
sections or lengths as there are furnaces so as to admit of ready renewal. 22 is a
gas valve.
To each furnace is provided a screw 23 with hand wheel 24. The screw passes
through a corresponding screw hole in the guide 18 or it may be through a separate
fixed nut and is adapted to receive and hold at its inner end a bar 26 preferably of
square or polygonal cross section secured by a screw 27 and whose inner end is
caused to press against and hold in place during the heating process the filling piece
or glut 28 intended to be welded to a pair of spoke ends 29. The axes of the
screw 23 and burner gas pipes 8 and 12 are in a common vertical plane radial to
the centre of the complete apparatus.
30 is a hydraulic cylinder with ram 31 adapted to carry a ram head 32, in lieu of
which other ram heads can be from time to time substituted to accommodate the
form of boss of the wheel for the time being in course of construction. The ram-
head supports the wheel during welding as well as whilst it is being transferred from
the furnaces into position for welding (Fig. 2).
33 is a combined press head and welding press frame; it is supported by columus 3+
and carries the hydraulic cylinder 35 with rams 36 these corresponding in number
to the number of pairs of spokes to be simultaneously welded.
Attached to the rams 36, which are supported in guides 37 to ensure a true
horizontal movement are fixed forging heads 38 provided with cutting edges 39.
In plan the cutting edges 39 and forging recess 40 are of a curved form corresponding
to the curvature of the external circumference of the wheel rim. 41, 41, are jaws
or projections adapted to enter the adjacent curved spaces between the spokes 29
and the wheel rim 29° and to serve as anvils or abutments.

page_text: These jaws or projections are carried by short shafts 42 which extend through
separate holes in the central boss of the press head 33 and rest upon collars 43;
above which are keyed or otherwise fixed pinions 44 one on each shaft 42, these
-pinions gear into an internal toothed wheel 45 supported upon the top of the boss.
The inner flange of the internal wheel 45 bears against the collars 43 of the shafts 42
thus preventing the pinions getting too deeply into gear with the internal wheel.
The wheel 45 may be supported upon anti-friction rollers or chilled balls or other
suitable means may be adopted to provide against undue friction if required.
46 is a lever provided with a handle 47 and screwed into a boss 48 on the
periphery of the wheel 45, which can be rotated by actuating the lever.
At the lower end of each shaft 42 are two eccentrics 49, 4G (Figs. 5, 6 and 7)
the thickness of each of these eccentrics is equal to one half the full width of
one of the jaws or projections 41; these jaws or projections are stepped in order
that when the two jaws forming a pair are together their upper and lower outer
surfaces shall be flush.
The upper jaw of each pair is secured on its eccentric by a strap 50 (Figs. 5, 6
and 7).
The lower jaws of each pair can be simply slid on to the lower eccentric and
secured there by means of a washer 51 and lock nuts 52 (Fig. 5). In each jaw is a
slot 53, through which pass a pin 54 or the plain cylindrical part of a screw fixed
to the central boss of the press head 33 and which serves to guide the movement of
the jaws when actuated by the eccentrics 49, 49*.
Assuming the jaws or projections to be in the positions shewn in Fig. 6, if now
the handle 47 be moved in a circular path to the right or the left (Fig. 3) the
wheel 45 will be caused to rotate and it will in turn rotate the pinions 44, as these
and the eccentrics 49, 49" turn with the shafts 42, the jaws or projections 41 will be
moved into the positions shown in Fig. 7 in which they will serve as anvils.
I will now describe the method of manufacturing an ordinary railway wheel with
apparatus of the kind described above.
The lower ram-head 32 being in the position indicated by dotted lines at 32" in
Fig. 1, an ordinary wheel such as partly shewn in Fig. 6, without the gluts is
placed on the ram head which is lowered and guided so as to bring the wheel centre
into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4.
Filling pieces or gluts 28 are then placed in position between the outer ends of
every two juxtaposed spokes as in Fig. 4, and the handwheels 24 are turned until
the respective bars 26 have forced and securely held the corresponding filling pieces
or gluts 28 in position-the furnace covers 15 are then moved into position directly
over their respective combustion chambers 4 (see Fig. 1) and the lower and upper
flames of each furnace are caused to play upon the spoke ends and glut in such
furnace, and to raise the same to a welding temperature; whilst this is being done'
the hand-wheels 24 are from time to time turned sufficiently to ensure the main-
tenance of the filling pieces or gluts 28 in position. When the parts to be welded
have attained a suitable temperature the hand wheels 24 are rotated, thus twisting
the bars 26, disconnecting them from the gluts and drawing them back the furnace
flames are lowered, the furnace covers are moved into their open positions (as they
are with one exception shown in Fig. 4) to clear the wheel, the ram 31 is put in
action the ram head 32 being thereby raised to the position indicated in Fig. 2, the
lever 47 is moved sufficiently to cause the movable jaws or anvils 41 to assume the
position indicated in Fig. 7 the rams 36 of the welding presses are caused to advance
and to cut down the gluts or filling piece flush with the respective sides of the
wbeel rim and also to complete the welding operation by pressure towards the
wheels axis. The rams 36 being afterwards moved back; the movable jaws or
anvils 41 returned to the position shewn in Fig. 6; and the lower ram 31 returned
to the position indicated in dotted lines 32 in Fig. 1 the wheel can then be
removed. In order that all the welding presses may be conveniently set in action
simultaneously, their cylinders are placed by suitable pipes (not shown) in connection
with a common valve whereby pressure can be admitted and cut off to the whole of

page_text: the cylinders in a well known manner. The smaller cylinders 35° and their rams
are for returning the main rams as well understood.
For heating the parts to be welded with gas furnaces such as described I consider
it advantageous to use water gas with a suitable proportion of air which can of
course be regulated according to requirement as well understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I would have it understood
that the details may be variously modified in carrying out my invention. Thus as
will be evident other means than those illustrated may be employed to hold the
filling pieces during the heating process; one plan is to weld to that end of each
filling piece which will be its upper end when it is in place between the spoke ends
in position for heating, a short bar that forms an arm adapted to rest upon the ends
of the juxtaposed spokes and so to hold up the filling piece. The number of
furnaces and welding presses embodied in my compound apparatus will depend on
the number of spokes to be simultaneously welded; and the forms of the parts to
be welded together will vary according to circumstances; as for example a number
of solid spokes, portions of rim, and filling pieces may be simultaneously welded
together by apparatus such as described. Although have described the simul-
taneous heating and the subsequent simultaneous welding together of the whole of
the spoke ends and juxtaposed portions of wheel rim to form a wheel centre it will
be evident that say half the number might be done first and afterwards the other
half, but I do not consider this plan so advantageous as the simultaneous
heating and the simultaneous welding of the whole. And I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In the manufacture of built-up articles such as wheels for railway vehicles,
placing together a number of spokes with portions of wheel rims and filling pieces
or gluts, heating simultaneously the whole or a number of the spoke ends, juxta-
posed portions of rim and filling pieces or gluts to a welding temperature, and then
simultaneously subjecting the whole of the heated parts to pressure thereby uniting
the juxtaposed spoke ends portions of rim and filling pieces or gluts and completing
the formation of the wheel rim.
2. The simultaneous heating of spoke ends portions of rim and filling piece whilst
held together substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for the manufacture of built-up articles such as wheels for railway
vehicles comprising a series of gas furnaces having removable covers and so
arranged that the several spoke ends, adjoining portions of wheel rim and filling
pieces can be simultaneously heated substantially as described.
4. In connection with means for simultaneously heating a number of spoke ends
portions of rim and filling pieces as herein mentioned apparatus comprising a series
of forging presses with suitable jaws or projections adapted to serve as anvils
and means for adjusting their positions the arrangement being such as to weld
at one operation the whole of the heated juxtaposed parts substantially as
described.
5. My combined apparatus substantially as described and illustrated for heating
and welding together parts of built-up articles such as wheels for railway vehicles.
6. The manufacture of built-up articles such as wheels for railway vehicles in
the improved manner hereinabove described and illustrated.
Dated this 27th day of July 1802
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.