IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS AND AXLES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Beattie, of No. 11, Lawn Place, South
Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Beattie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
September 1855.
I, JOSEPH BEATTIE, of No. 11, Lawn Place, South Lambeth, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS AND AXLES" to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist in forging the parts of the iron spokes which form
the nave of the wheel, so as to allow wrought-iron rivets or bolts to pass
through or between their joints, and through the iron or metal washers which
are placed on each side of the wheel, to complete the formation of the nave,
and by this means the nave ends of the spokes and the washers are firmly
rivetted and fixed together before the nave is welded; and I form the outer
end of each spoke into a segment of the circle of the wheel, and I bring each
end of the segment so formed in contact with the corresponding part of the

page_text: adjoining spoke and for the purpose of closely uniting such corresponding
parts before welding them together, I form each end of such segments so as
to admit one or more pieces of iron of a dovetailed or other suitably-formed
shape to enter into or between the end of one of such segmental parts, and
the end of the other segmental part in contact, and thereby cramp or hold
together such ends, and the wheel, either in the entire or part or parts, is then
welded together, and afterwards bored out and turned, and a tongued pro-
jection, dovetail, or rib is formed on each side of its periphery or rim, and I
bore out or form the tyre to suit the projection, dovetail, or rib on one edge
of the rim of the wheel; and I form a dovetailed groove or channel in the
solid part of the tyre of the wheel beneath the guiding flange, and having
removed or cut away a portion or portions of that part of the tyre where the
channel or dovetailed groove is formed, I insert, drive, or place in such channel
or groove all round the wheel dovetailed or other suitably-shaped segments of
metal, whereby the rim and the tyre of the wheel are firmly cramped or held
together, and the tyre is prevented escaping from the wheel in the event of
fracture. In some cases I construct railway wheels partly of wood and partly
of iron, in which cases I use iron hoops or rings shrunk on, rivetted, or per-
manently bolted to each side of the wooden segments of the body of the wheel,
and I make these hoops or rings of the same diameter as the rim of the wheel,
or very nearly so, to allow the tyre to pass over them; and I have flanges or
lips rolled on their outer sides, so that one is made to fit into a corresponding
groove in the tyre of the wheel, and the other is cramped or held by a suitably-
formed segment of metal fitting into a dovetailed groove or channel in a
similar manner to that previously described; and I construct either solid or
hollow axles for railway wheels of three or more longitudinal pieces of malleable
iron rolled either with corresponding ribs, tongues, and grooves or corrugations,
so that when combined and welded together they form the body of the axle.
In making hollow axles, I form the edges alternately with tongues, or ribs and
grooves, so that they may fit each other; or I form each edge of the pieces
of metal of which I compose the axle with grooves, so that tongues or suitably-
shaped pieces of rolled iron or steel may be introduced between them for the
purpose of holding, binding, and cramping them together, and by this means
I obtain greater facility and security in welding them all together, and in some
cases I form hollow axles of segmental longitudinal pieces of malleable iron,
rolled either with tongues or wedge-shaped projections and grooves to suit
corresponding grooves and tongues, or projections formed in longitudinal bars
of iron, so as to cramp and unite the outer edges of each pair of longitudinal.
segmental pieces before mentioned, and by connecting each pair of longitudinal

page_text: segments by similar cramped longitudinal pieces, the whole body of the axle
is firmly held together for welding, as before described. The longitudinal
cramping pieces or bars have indents or recesses rolled on their outer angles,
and there are projecting ribs rolled on the extreme or outer angles of the
longitudinal segments, and these are either hammered or rolled down into
such indents or recesses, and by this means they are held in their position, and
the entire mass of the segmental picces which form the axle are firmly com-
bined, and the whole being afterwards welded, the axle is formed. In some
cases I make the cramping pieces before described of steel, and insert them
in their required position in the manner before described, and I do this for the
purpose of giving greater strength and elasticity to the axles and the better
to preserve them from fracture or damage; and I make solid axles in a
similar manner with longitudinal segmental pieces formed so as to converge
to the centre or nearly so; and when they do not converge entirely to the
centre, in some cases I make them solid by properly inserting and welding a
longitudinal core of steel in the centre, and I also form solid or hollow axles
with a number of rolled segments of iron, which are placed together and
heated and twisted, and afterwards again heated to a welding heat and welded.
A solid or hollow iron or steel core may be placed in the centre either before
or after twisting, or the segments when welded and twisted may be welded
together, and when cold placed within a heated iron tube shrunk on, or the
whole may be welded, or partly so. And in some cases the segments, after
being twisted, may be surrounded by one or more series of segments properly
formed and twisted in the opposite direction, or placed longitudinally, and the
whole may be afterwards heated and welded together. Hollow axles so made
may have a hollow core inserted in the centre, and solid axles so formed may
have a solid core inserted in the centre. The segments may be rolled with
tongues and grooves, and prepared for the insertion of cramping bars, as before
described, and the whole twisted and welded together. There may
be many
modifications of my said improvements in railway wheels and axles, and I
claim the right to make such modifications accordingly.
I have already obtained Letters Patent, which, inter alia, include my inven-
tions relating to railway wheels and axles. I wish, therefore, to limit this my
application for Letters Patent for my improvements herein-before described,
which are new.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Beattie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BEATTIE, of No. 11, Lawn Place, South Lambeth, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, 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
me, the said Joseph Beattie, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph
Beattie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joseph Beattie, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS AND AXLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Beattie, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their 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 I, the said Joseph Beattie, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 also had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in forging the parts of the iron spokes which form
the nave of the wheel so as to allow wrought-iron rivets or bolts to pass
through or between their joints, and through the iron or metal washers which
are placed on each side of the wheel, to complete the formation of the nave,
and by this means the nave ends of the spokes and the washers are firmly
rivetted and fixed together before the nave is welded; and I form the outer
end of each spoke into a segment of the circle of the wheel, and I bring each
end of the segment so formed in contact with the corresponding part of the
adjoining spoke and for the purpose of closely uniting such corresponding

page_text: parts before welding them together, 1 form each end of such segments so as
to admit one or more pieces of iron of a dovetailed or other suitably-formed
shape to enter into or between the end of one of such segmental parts, and
the end of the other segmental part in contact, and. thereby cramp or hold
together such ends; and the wheel, either in the entire or part or parts, is
then welded together, and afterwards bored out and turned, and a tongued
projection, dovetail, or rib is formed on each side of its periphery or rim, and
I bore out or form the tyre to suit the projection, dovetail, or rib on one edge
of the rim of the wheel, and I form a dovetailed groove or channel in the solid
part of the tyre of the wheel beneath the guiding flange, and having removed
or ent away a portion or portions of that part of the tyre where the channel
or dovetailed groove is formed, I insert, drive, or place in such channel or
groove all round the wheel dovetailed or other suitably-shaped segments of
metal, whereby the rim and the tyre of the wheel are firmly cramped or held
together, and the tyre is prevented escaping from the wheel in the event of
fracture. In some cases I construct railway wheels partly of wood and partly
of iron, in which cases I use iron. hoops or rings shrunk on, rivetted, or
permanently bolted to each side of the wooden segments of the body of the
wheel, and I make these hoops or rings of the same diameter as the rim of
the wheel, or very nearly, so as to allow the tyre to pass over them; and I
have flanges or lips rolled on their outer sides, so that one is made to fit into a
corresponding groove in the tyre of the wheel, and the other is cramped or
held by a suitably-formed segment of metal fitting into a dovetailed groove
or channel, in a similar manner to that previously described; and I construct
either solid or hollow axles for railway wheels of three or more longitudinal
pieces of malleable iron, rolled either with corresponding ribs, tongues, and
grooves, or corrugations, so that when combined and welded together they form
the body of the axle. In making hollow axles, I form the edges alternately
with tongues and ribs and grooves, so that they may fit each other; or I form
each edge of the pieces of metal of which I compose the axle with grooves, so
that tongues or suitably-shaped pieces of rolled iron or steel may be introduced
between them for the purpose of holding, binding, and cramping them
together, and by this means I obtain greater facility and security in welding
them altogether; and in some cases I form hollow axles of segmental longi-
tudinal pieces of malleable iron, rolled either with tongues or wedge-shaped
projections and grooves, to suit corresponding grooves and tongues or projec-
tions formed in longitudinal bars of iron, so as to cramp and unite the outer
edges of each pair of longitudinal segmental pieces before mentioned, and by
connecting each pair of longitudinal segments by similar cramped longitudinal

page_text: pieces, the whole body of the axle is firmly held together for welding, as
before described. The longitudinal cramping pieces or bars have indents or
recesses rolled on their outer angles, and there are projecting ribs rolled on
the extreme or outer angles of the longitudinal segments, and these are either
hammered or rolled down into such indents or recesses, and by this means
they are held in their position, and the entire mass of the segmental pieces
which form the axle are firmly combined, and the whole being afterwards
welded, the axle is formed. In some cases I make the cramping pieces
before described of steel, and insert them in their required position in the
manner before described, and I do this for the purpose of giving greater
strength and elasticity to the axles, and the better to preserve them from
fracture or damage; and I make solid axles in a similar manner with longi-
tudinal segmental pieces formed so as to converge to the centre, or nearly so,
and when they do not converge entirely to the centre, in some cases I make
them solid by properly inserting and welding a longitudinal core of steel in
the centre, and I also form solid or hollow axles with a number of rolled
segments of iron, which are placed together and heated and twisted, and
afterwards again heated to a welding heat and welded; a solid or hollow iron
or steel core may be placed in the centre either before or after twisting,
segments when welded and twisted may be welded together, and when cold
placed within a heated iron tube shrunk on, or the whole may be welded, or
partly so; and in some cases the segments after being twisted may be
surrounded by one or more series of segments properly formed and twisted in
the opposite direction, or placed longitudinally, and the whole may be after-
wards heated and welded together. Hollow axles so made may have a hollow
core inserted in the centre, and solid axles so formed may have a solid core
inserted in the centre. The segments may be rolled with tongues and grooves,
and prepared for the insertion of cramping bars, as before described, and the
whole twisted and welded together.
or the
My improvements in the construction of railway wheels and axles are shewn
in Figs. 46 to 58 inclusive; and I may mention that 46 have for the conve-
nience of other arrangements been used as the first Figures of reference
herein.
Figure 46 is an elevation of part of a wrought-iron wheel, having part of
the washer C removed to shew how the rivets B are passed through the
recesses or grooves, which are formed near the ends of the spokes B' and the
washers C, C, on both sides. The spokes A are formed in the usual manner,
and the wrought-iron washers or collars C, C, which form the outer sides of
the nave have drilled or punched and countersunk holes to admit the rivets

page_text: >
B, B, to pass through them, as in Fig. 48. The spokes A, A, being properly
prepared and cramped together in position, the washers or collars C, C, are
applied, and the rivets B, B, introduced, and the whole well rivetted together,
after which the nave is to be welded up solidly.
Fig. 47 is an illustration of a part of the rim D, D, and shews my improved
method of welding it up. 1 shews the ends of the segmental parts of the
rim, which are forged and prepared to form the rim D, sawn or split up and
expanded to receive the pieces a, a, which are to be inserted into the openings
thus formed. The pieces a, a, may project a little beyond the outer and inner
surfaces of the rim D, D, and the parts being brought to a welding heat, the
whole are to be welded up solidly together, as shewn at 2. 3 is a further
illustration thereof; and 4 shews by the dotted lines the junction of the various
parts forming the weld.
The rims D; D, may also have the dovetail or other weld pieces inserted
through the width or depth of the rim, as shown at 5, 5, and 51, 5¹, Fig. 46,
and one or more pieces a or a' may be inserted in each weld, and the forms of
these pieces can be variously modified as required.
Fig. 48 is a section of Fig. 46, and the same letters refer to the same parts
in both.
Figs. 49, 50, 51, and 52 are modifications of my improvements in tyres to
prevent them escaping from the wheels in case of fracture. Fig. 49 is a
section of tyre E, shewing it bored out and grooved at c, to receive the wheel
rim D, with its dovetailed flange or rib c¹. The tyre is grooved and formed
at c, as shewn by the dotted lines, to allow the dovetailed flange or projection c¹
to enter it, and the lip marked 3 is afterwards hammered and set down to
impinge on and retain c in its position.
D, Fig. 49, has a groove shewn by the dotted lines turned all round as deep
as the circular segment tongues f, and a corresponding groove, but only about
half its depth, is to be turned in the tyre E, and after the wheel rim D is
properly inserted into the tyre, the tongue f is pushed outwards into the groove
in the tyre by means of the screws g, and these circular tongues f may extend
all round the rim D, or they may be in detached pieces pressed as before into
corresponding slots or grooves in the tyres, which may be formed in rolling the
tyres, or be sawn out by means of circular cutters, thus leaving the tyre solid
between the inserted retaining pieces; and such arrangements of grooves may
also be applied to my improvements for securing tyres on wooden wheels, as
shewn in Figs. 51 and 52.
Fig. 50 is a modification of Fig. 49, shewing the tyre E dovetailed into the

page_text: rim D, which has the inner portion of the rim 3 closed down, the tyre being
further secured in its place by a series of screws e, as shewn.
Fig. 53 shews half elevations of two kinds of wooden wheels; the part
No. 1 having the wooden portion K, K, formed with radiating joints, and the
part marked No. 2, formed with. spokes L, L, and felloes M, M, as shown.
Figs. 51 and 52 shew the application of the tyres. E, E, to wheels.made either
way, and secured by means of the clip hoops F, F, and dovetailed clips G, G.
The clip hoops F, F, are forged into rings, and turned up, as shewn in the
Figures referred to, and may either have rectangular clips, as shewn at n, n,
or be dovetailed; they may also be formed with inner flanges to encircle the
wooden periphery, as shown by the dotted lines P, P; and the said flanges
may meet or nearly meet each other at Q, and the hoops F, F, with or without
the flanges P, P, are to be firmly and permanently secured to the wheels by
bolts or rivets H, H. The tyres E are to be bored out, grooved at n', ', and
prepared for the dovetail clips G, G, as shewu.
As to my improvements relating to the construction of railway axles;
Fig. 54 is a section of axle, composed of three longitudinal pieces a, a, b, c,
of wrought iron, rolled with ribs or tongues to fit each other, and to be welded,
hammered, or rolled together to form a solid axle. The middle or central
portion a, a, may be varied, and rolled into two portions marked 1 and 2,
leaving the central space D between them, as shown by the dotted lines 4¹;
and the pieces b and c may be rolled to have the ribs or tongues marked 4,
as shewn by the dotted lines to fit at 4 and 4¹ between the pieces marked 1
and 2, to leave a square space.D in the centre of the axle. Those longitu-
dinal sections are put together, and are to be welded, hammered, or rolled,
and formed into a hollow axle. Those sections may be further modified and
arranged, if found desirable..
Fig. 55 is a section of a hollow axle, composed of three longitudinal pieces
d, d, d', d', and e, of wrought iron, rolled with ribs, grooves, and tongues to fit
each other, and when piled together so as to leave the hollow space, marked 5,
in the centre, are to be welded, hammered, or rolled, and formed into an axle. A
tongue may be inserted into grooves rolled for that purpose in d, d, and d', d',
or the tongue may be rolled on one of those sections, and a groove be rolled
in the other to receive it; and by a modification a hollow axle may be formed
by rolling four longitudinal bars of iron into the section, shown at e in same
Figure, and when placed together, four angular pieces, as shown by the dotted
lines at 8, 8, to be introduced longitudinally, and all welded, hammered, or
rolled, and formed into an axle.

page_text: Fig. 56 is a section of a hollow axle composed of three longitudinal pieces
g, g¹, and h; it will be seen that g, g', are similar in section, and rolled to admit
the diamond-shaped longitudinal bar between their edges, and also rolled
with grooves and tongues to fit the sectional form of the longitudinal piece h.
These pieces when put together are to be welded, hammered, or rolled and
formed into an axle; and by another modification g and g' may be rolled, as
shewn by the dotted lines 1, 2, 3, that another longitudinal bar of iron of
similar section to h may be used, and when all are put together, they are to
be welded, hammered, or rolled, and formed into an axle..
Fig. 57 is a section of a hollow axle formed of twelve longitudinal bars
a, a, b, b, of iron or steel, rolled with grooves and ribs to fit each other. The
six bars a, a, a, have the outer ribs at c to extend beyond the surface of the
cramping bars b, b, b, so that those parts may be rolled or hammered down to
up the space at the outer angles of b, as shewn at 3; and by this means
the cramping bars are confined and held in their places, and when all the
pieces a, a, and b, b, are put together they are welded, hammered, or rolled
and forined into an axle; this axle may be modified to consist of any convenient
or desirable number of bars a and b.
fill
Fig. 58 is a section of an axle, formed with longitudinal bars c, c, having
grooves or indents rolled in their radial surfaces for the admission of the longi-
tudinal bars d, d, of iron or steel. The pieces c, c, may be rolled to admit.
bars of a circular or other form. When all the pieces composing the axle
are put together they are welded, hammered, or rolled and formed into an
axle, and this axle may also be modified to consist of any convenient or
desirable number of bars c and d.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be or may be performed, I wish it to be distinctly understood that
I desire only to claim the particular arrangements in combination for the pur-
poses aforesaid, as herein-before described, and not to claim any of the parts
as taken separately; and that I accordingly claim,-
First, the means of securing the washers and spokes together by bolts or
rivets; and also the means of uniting the segmental portions of the rims of
railway wheels, as respectively shown in Figures 46, 47, and 48, and as herein-
before described.
Second, the means of securing the tyres of railway wheels to the rims by
dovetailed or other projections, with corresponding grooves or recesses in
combination with screws, and by the other means herein-before described.
Third, the means of forming railway wheels partly of wood and partly of

page_text: iron in such way, that the iron hoops or rims being permanently fixed,
and forming outer portions of the body of the wheel, may receive and hold the
tyres, in the manner herein-before described.
Fourth, the means of constructing railway axles either solid or hollow, as
herein-before described.
And, fifth, there may be many modifications of my said improvements in the
construction of railway wheels and axles; and I claim the right to make all
such modifications accordingly, so long as they be not a departure from the
nature of my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Beattie, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-
named Joseph Beattie, in the presence of
H. WICKENS,
"Patent" Solicitor,
JOSEPH BEATTIE. (L.S.)
4, Tokenhouse Yard, Bank,
London.