IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL DISCS OR WHEELS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Abercrombie Curling, of Leeds, in the County of
York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL DISCS OR
WHEELS."
Sealed the 13th March 1877, and dated the 21st September 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Abercrombie Curling
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st September 1876.
"IMPROVE-
JAMES ABERCROMBIE CURLING, of Leeds, in the County of York.
MENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL DISCS OR WHEELS."
THE MANUFACTURE OF
The discs or wheels may be applied to railway carriages, waggons, engines,
tenders, or other vehicles, and may have a rim and boss similar to those of wrought-
iron wheels at present used on railways, but instead of spokes I provide a thin web
or plate between the rim and boss.
"
"
The mode of manufacturing according to this Invention is as follows:-I take a
long bar of wrought iron or steel and having brought it to a suitable heat I coil it
round a revolving mandril until a bloom of suitable size for the wheel disc is
made. I then bring the "bloom" to a welding heat by ordinary known means,
and after hammering it into a solid mass it is ready for the rolling mill, which is
constructed as hereafter described.
The section rolls are set to an angle of about ninety degrees, or at any other
suitable angle to each other, and when required for rolling purposes I cause them to
revolve at a similar speed to that of an ordinary rolling mill, motion being conveyed
through suitable gearing from convenient motive power. The rolls are made to
hang over their bearings, and are cut out to the required shape for forming the rim
and boss. In between these rollers I provide another roll which enlarges or expands
the "wheel bloom" when in a hot state whilst being operated upon by the angular
or section rolls. The angular rollers may either both be driven and caused to revolve
or only one, and the other may be caused to revolve by friction on the metal. I
provide one roller with fixed bearings attached to the framework or bed of the
machine; the other is fitted in sliding bearings, the required pressure being
imparted thereto either by hydraulic or other equivalent means, this pressure being

page_text: "
necessary for forming the "bloom into a disc or wheel of required shape. The
third or intermediate roller has also for the purpose of giving pressure thereto a
hydraulic or other convenient arrangement.
I also provide suitable apparatus for lifting the roller, so that its centre line may
be varied to suit broader or narrow wheels or discs.
By the above described arrangement of machinery the tyre and wheel or disc
may be made in one single piece, the rollers being shaped to the required form.
Suitable guide rollers may be used for steadying the wheel or disc while under the
process of manufacture. These may be adjusted by any convenient known means.
I also add to this wheel or disc rolling mill an apparatus for cleaning or riming
out the hole in the boss of the wheel or disc whilst in a hot state and whilst it is
revolving between the section rolls by the following means:-Underneath the boss
of the wheel and between the framing of the bed plate I fit a hollow rimer or
boring tool having a vertical motion imparted thereto. This rimer or borer is made
hollow, and has a continual stream of cold water passing through it for the purpose
of preserving its cutting edges. The cutting edges are either spiral or parallel with
the axis of the rimer. I also provide underneath the rimer or borer a bath or tank
of cold water into which it may be lowered for the purpose of cooling. The rimer
will be prevented from revolving, but will clean or cut the hole as the wheel or disc
revolves between the section rolls.
When preferred instead of using a coiled "bloom" the wheel or disc may be
formed equally well by a "bloom slabbed" in the ordinary manner.
In this case
the "bloom" is punched in the centre before being rolled, and a steel mandril is
fixed therein to prevent it closing during the rolling operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Abercrombie Curling in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th March 1877.
JAMES ABERCROMBIE CURLING, of Leeds, in the County of York. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
WROUGHT-IRON OR STEEL DISCS OR WHEELS."
The discs or wheels may be applied to railway carriages, wagons, engines, ten-
ders or other vehicles, and may have a rim and boss similar to those of wrought-
iron wheels at present used on railways, having instead of spokes a thin web or
plate between the rim and the boss.
The mode of manufacturing according to this Invention is as follows:-I take a
long bar of wrought iron or steel, and having brought it to a suitable heat I coil it
round a revolving mandril until a
<< bloom of suitable size for the wheel disc is
made; I then bring the bloom" to a welding heat by ordinary known means, and
after hammering it into a solid mass it is ready for the rolling mill, which is con-
structed as hereafter described.
66
The section rolls are set to an angle of about ninety degrees, or at any other suitable
angle to each other, and when required for rolling purposes I cause them to revolve
at a similar speed to that of an ordinary rolling mill, motion being conveyed
through suitable gearing from convenient motive power. The rolls are made to
hang over their bearings and are cut out to the required shape for forming the rim
and the boss. In between these rolls I provide another roll which enlarges or
expands the "wheel bloom" when in a hot state whilst being operated upon by
the angular or section rolls. The section rolls are fitted in sliding bearings, the
required pressure being imparted thereto either by hydraulic or other equivalent
means, this pressure being necessary for forming the "bloom" into a disc or wheel
of the required shape; the third or intermediate roller has also for the purpose of
giving pressure thereto a hydraulic or other convenient arrangement.

page_text: formed equally well from a "bloom" slabbed in the ordinary manner or from a
steel ingot..
And in order that my Invention may be more completely understood, reference
is given to the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings, and to the letters and
marks thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent a machine for rolling disc wheels according to my
Invention. Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, the right-hand half being
a section at line Z, Z; the left-hand half a section at line Y, Y; Figure 2 is a cross
section at the irregular line X, X; Figure 3 is a cross section at the centre line
V, V; Figure 4 is a part sectional plan and part plan, the right-hand half being a
section at W, W, and the left-hand half a plan with the guide frame A111 shewn in
section; Figure 5 represents the section of the
"bloom to be operated on;
Figure 6 is a section through rolls modified for rolling wheels with taper discs ;
A, A are the two main side frames of the machine; A", A are stays; I, I, are
cross frames which act also as stays and support the plummer blocks I¹; B, B are
two sliding heads capable of being forced to or from the middle or centre line by
hydraulic pressure acting on the rams c, c.
""
و
The conical section rolls B' are fitted on inclined shafts B₁ driven by bevil
gear J, J. To each of the heads B are fixed two cheeks I111, which carry the
conical boss bearings I¹¹, and extend_down to the main shaft cross bearings H, H;
these bearings surround the sleeves K which are attached to and revolve and slide
with the lower bevel wheels J; the cross bearing frames H transmit all side thrust
of the main shaft O to the frames A; the sliding heads B are prevented from rising
by bars G, which are firmly bolted to the frames A, and which also serve as tension
rods for the cross head c¹; stops are fitted on the main frames to prevent the coned
rolls B¹ from forcing the back roll D out of position if one should touch it before
the other.
Water under pressure is led to the hydraulic cylinder ¹¹ through holes in the
piston rod c connected to pipes leading to an accumulator or other source of pres-
sure; the cylinder L is also supplied with water under pressure by pipes leading
to the top and bottom of cylinder.
"
The back or expanding roll D revolves freely in the cross head D¹, and is driven
by friction against the heated "bloom, side thrust being taken by the
sides of the main frames A. The cross head D¹ is connected by bolts M, M, to the
lower cross head E, which is attached to the piston rod E¹, whereby the back roll
D can be lowered or raised and forced against the "bloom" with great pressure;
the frame L also serves as a stay for the side frames A. On one of the sliding
heads B I mount a standard A¹¹, which is capable of being swung back on its
hinges K¹ when the section rolls and spindles require to be drawn out; on this
standard A are mounted swinging guide arms J, carrying the guide rolls Ju;
the guide arms are moved about their pivots by the right and left hand screw J¹,
which is held in position by a collar at its centre which can revolve and slide
between the cheeks N; the right and left hand screws also work through nuts.
pivotted on the arms J. The main driving shaft O has a key way cut in, its
running feathers are secured in the lower bevil wheels J; the flanges of the
sleeves K bear against facings on the cross bearings H, and thus keep these bevil.
wheels always in gear. At the driving end of the main shaft OI provide a coupling
of ordinary construction (not shewn in the Drawing), which can be quickly un-
fastened; the driving shaft may then be drawn endways out of its bearings and

page_text: the bevil wheels being all supported in their places, the sliding heads, sliding
cheeks, bevil wheels and cross frames may be lifted bodily out of the machine
for repairs, &c.
The process of manufacture by the machine above described is as follows:-
A "bloom" roughly forged to the shape shewn at Figure 5 is brought to a suitable
heat and placed between the section rolls B¹, which are made to revolve, and at the
same time are forced together until their lower cones touch the sides of the roll D,
the thickness of which thus serves to determine the breadth of the wheel rim ;
the
back roll D is now pressed against the bloom with great force and the metal confined
between the three rolls at the same time subjected to great pressure is shaped by the
action of the rolls so as to form a rim of increased diameter united by a disc wheel
to the boss.
When the wheel has nearly reached the required diameter and has attained a
dull red heat I "slack" back all three rolls and the two guide rolls J, allowing
the wheel to drop in its position. When the boss reaches the section rolls B¹ I
then bring all three rolls into action again and force the wheel gradually up into
its highest position, thus passing the whole surface of the disc between the section
rolls, which, acting on the metal at a low temperature, will give to the wheel a
highly finished surface. This furnishing process can be repeated as required, bringing
the wheel up to the required diameter. The roll D might be forced upwards while
the section rolls B¹ are kept revolving in a fixed position, or the roll D might be
kept revolving in a fixed position while the section rolls B¹ are forced downwards
during the expanding of the "bloom."
For rolling wheels with taper discs the rim of the roll D is made with its sides
of suitable inclination, the cones of the section rolls B¹ being made to correspond
therewith, as shewn in the enlarged section, Figure 6.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, represent a simpler form of machine for rolling disc
wheels, the main difference from the first machine being in the use of worms instead
of tooth wheel gearing for driving the section rolls. This alteration gives a more
compact machine, and by doing away with the central driving shaft enables a much
simpler form of apparatus to be used for raising and lowering the back roll E.
The sliding heads will also be much stronger and in one piece, and so formed that
the driving apparatus slides with it bodily and without having the tendency to be
so easily thrown out of gear.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken through the centre; Figure 8
is an end elevation with part section taken through the centre line of bearing B¹,
and shewing the back of the guide roll frame; Figure 9 is a cross section taken
through the centre line shewing the guide rolls, arms, and frame together with the
right and left hand screw for working the same; Figure 10 is a plan shewing the
guide table partly in section.
A, A, are two side frames; A¹, A¹, are stays; A", A", are two sliding heads
firmly kept in position by the bars B; the sliding heads A¹¹ have the lower halves
of the bearings B₁ cast solid, with these the tops are firmly bolted on, and when in
position fit into the gaps formed for them between the frame A and the bar B;
B are worm shafts driven by the pulleys c, and which gear into the worm wheels c¹
which are keyed on the section roll spindle c¹¹; D are screws for forcing up the
sliding heads, they are supported by the cross heads D¹ which are retained in
position by the rods B and the cotters D¹. The back roll E slides on guides E¹,
which are solid with the frame A and is capable of revolving freely in the sliding
head E¹¹, it is forced up to its work by the screw F working through the cross
stay F. The guide table is bolted down to the sliding head A", and carries the
guide arms F and rolls G. Nuts are pivoted on to the guide arms F1 through
which the right and left hand screw G¹ works, which is kept from moving endways
by the collar G¹¹ revolving and sliding in a slot on the framework.
Hydraulic cylinders may be used for forcing up the sliding heads, also for moving
the back roll E. The machine may be driven by any convenient known means.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I make no general claim to the use
of rolls of conical form for the purpose of rolling disc wheels but I claim,-
First. The use and application, substantially as herein described, for rolling diso
wheels of two rolls of shouldered conical form, which rolls can be pressed together
in combination with a back roll which can be forced towards their shoulders, 80
that the metal thus confined between the rolling surfaces is drawn out and shaped
to the required form.
Second. The use and application for rolling disc wheels in the manner referred to
in the preceding claim of apparatus, wherein two shouldered conical rolls are
mounted obliquely in longitudinal sliding frames and a back roll is mounted in a
transversely sliding frame, the said frames being caused to move by hydraulic or
other suitable pressure, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Abercrombie Curling, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
JAMES A. CURLING. (L.S.)