Improved Process for Renewing Old Steel Rails.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept.. 1894
Improved Process for Renewing Old Steel Rails.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM MCKENNA, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
of America, Railway Superintendent, 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:—
My invention relates to an improved method for renewing steel rails.
It is well known that the continuous use of steel rails results in wear, especially
at the ends thereof, and that the life of a steel rail is very considerably shortened
by the fact that the rail becomes worn and irregular in shape, especially at the end,
through the continuous striking of the rail by the wheels in passing over it.
It has been, and is now the practice by many large railroads to renew the rails,
or give them increased duration of use by sawing off the ends, after which the rails
are re-laid aud become serviceable for a further period of time.
By this process, however, the rail is correspondingly shortened, and new bolt
holes, in addition to the old ones, have to be drilled in the ends thereof to make
connections with the fish plates joining the rails. Moreover, by this process of
sawing off the ends merely, only the most pronounced irregularities are removed, as
other irregularities in the rail resulting from the shouldering of the metal out of
place, are still left.
It is the object of my invention to produce a renewed rail after removing the
ends, of the same length as, or longer than the rail originally was.
Another object of my invention is to produce a renewed rail of a quality superior
to that of the rail in its original condition.
Still another object is to roll out the old bolt holes and leave the renewed rail,
after the ends thereof have been removed, in condition to receive new bolt holes, the
same as a new rail.
Still another object is to straighten the old rail and to remove the inequalities
resulting from uneven wear on the surface thereof, or from the flowage of metal,
due to the impact of the wheels upon the rail, or other causes, thus producing a rail
with a surface as smooth and even as when new, and adapted to be used with new
rails of the same weight as the renewed rail.
My invention is intended to take advantage of the discovery I have made, which
is that when rails are taken from the track as being no longer serviceable, a very
Sinall proportion of the metal has been lost by attrition, but the rails have become
unserviceable owing to the displacement of the metal by the blows of the wheels in
passing over them. Therefore, in adapting these rails to further use it is only
necessary to replace the metal thus displaced and to reduce the cross section
slightly, keeping the rail of standard height, so that the renewed rail will be adapted
to be used interchangeably with original rails.
My invention consists, briefly, in the method of passing the rail it is desired to
renew, through rolls, which reduce the cross section, and, consequently, the weight
per foot of the rail, as little as possible in order to straighten out the irregularities
and to make up for any loss of metal by wear or other causes.
My invention consists further in the heating of the rail before the process of
rolling to a temperature which will permit the inanipulation thereof to secure the
desired end, but not sufficient to decarbonize the steel.
The heating of the rail is not, however, a necessary part of my invention, and I

page_text: do not desire to limit myself to a process in which the beating of the rail is
employed, as the same result may be accomplished by rolling the rails cold.
Referring to the accompanying drawings-
Fig. 1 shows the worn out rail, such as it is the object of my invention to treat by
my process.
Fig. 2 represents a rail as it appears lengthened by my process, and indicating
the points at which the ends of the rail are sawn off.
Fig. 3 represents the rolls through which the worn out rails are passed.
Fig. 4 represents the furnace which I preferably use.
The standard length of rail is 30 ft. Furnaces for heating the steel from
which the original rails are rolled are not in practice made so long. To apply the
right amount of heat uniformly, or nearly so, to the rail, as is necessary in my
process, when heating is used, a furnace of sufficient length to take in the 30 ft. rail
is required. The construction of this furnace, however, forms no part of my
present invention, and I do not, therefore, consider it necessary to further
describe it.
The degree of heat at which the steel is decarbonized is well known to those
skilled in the art, and 1 do not claim the heating to a degree not sufficient to
decarbonize, as my invention.
The rolls may be of the ordinary form. I have shown simply a three high
train. The heated rail, in the process which I prefer to employ, direct from the
furnaces, is presented to these rolls and is drawu through between the train.
Ordinarily the passing of the rail through one set of rolls is sufficient, and the rails
may pass through these rolls as many times as is necessary to reduce the rail to the
desired cross section. The cross section given to the metal in passing through the
rolls is determined by the shape of the rolls, and also by the number of passes. As
is well known, this process serves to improve the quality of the steel, and by
reducing a cross section to the right dimensions a rail of any desired length can be
produced.
The ends may be sawn off either prior or subsequent to the heating and rolling
steps in the process.
The steel rail a, usually 30 ft. in length, shows in Fig. 1 at bb the depressions
caused by the shock of the impact of the wheel thereon.
The furnace c of sufficient length and proper construction to satisfactorily receive
and heat the rail, is adapted to bring the rail to a temperature at which it will be
more readily acted upon by the rolls d d, but without bringing the rails to a
temperature where the carbon contained therein will be materially affected. After
passing through the rolls d d the rail assumes the increased length resulting from
its reduced cross section, and the ends e e thereof, if they have not already been
removed prior to the operation of heating and rolling, may be, and preferably are,
sawn off while the rail is still hot, thus producing a rail of the same length as before,
or longer if desired, and of superior quality, owing to the denser and closer structure
of the steel, which results from this working, but of reduced weight, owing to the
removal of the ends.
It is obvious that where there has been but little wear or loss of metal in the rail,
but where the irregularities in the bearing are due, as is generally the case, to
displacement of the metal, the process of my invention would not reduce the cross
section of the rail materially, but would redistribute the metal in the rail and remove
the inequalities, thus leaving the rail of the same height, practically, as it was
originally, and adapting it to be used again with rails of the same weight, as that of
the renewed rail. But where there has been excessive wear or loss of metal by
breaking or chipping from the head or flange, or where the rails are considerably
worn on one side, as at curves, for instance, the process of my invention would
result not only in straightening and redistributing the metal in the rail, but in such
reduction of cross section as would make up for the metal lost from the side and
head of the rail by wheel contact, or for the other reasons stated, and a renewed
rail would be produced of reduced cross section proportional to the metal lost.

page_text: The renewed rail being properly proportioned in all its parts and so formed by
manipulation to be of such pattern as to be interchangeable with rails of the
various standards in use by railway companies.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
clain is:
1. The process of adapting old steel rails to further use, which cousists in heating
the same to a temperature near to, but below, the point at which the carbon
contained therein would be materially affected, simultaneously straightening and
reducing the cross section thereof equably in all its parts, but keeping the rail of
the original height, and then sawing off the ends; whereby a rail of reduced cross
section, but of the same or greater length and the same height as the original rail
is produced.
2. The process of adapting old steel rails to further use for their original purpose,
which consists in heating the same to a temperature below a point at which the
carbon contained therein would be materially affected, straightening the rail and
reducing the cross section thereof sufficiently to remove the irregularities due to
wear or other cause, whereby a rail is produced of a standard height, with a reduced
cross section properly proportioned, and so formed as to be used interchangeably
with rails of standard pattern which are approximately of the same weight as that
of the renewed rail, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.