IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Norton Allen, of Hudson, New York, and Albert
Benton Pullman, of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, now both
of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS."
Sealed the 19th April 1876, and dated the 4th January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Norton Allen and
Albert Benton Pullman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 4th January 1876.
RICHARD NORTON ALLEN, of Hudson, New York, and ALBERT BENTON PULLMAN,
of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, now both of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS."
Our improvements relate to wheels for railway purposes, and their object is the
production of strong and durable wheels made in several parts or pieces, but
entirely of metal.
The manner of constructing these wheels according to our said Invention is
subject to various modifications in detail, but the following is what we consider the
most advantageous form, that is to say:-We make the boss or hub of cast iron, the
intermediate portion or body of the wheel of plates of iron or steel, and the tire
of steel or analogous metal. In some cases we unite the said plates to the boss or
hub by forming holes or slots in the portion of the said plates immediately in
contact with the boss, and forming the boss by casting the same within the central
portion of the said plates in such a manner that the said boss projects equally, or
nearly so, on both sides of the plates, and the metal flows through the said slots or
apertures, forming bars or bolts through the plates, whereby the latter are secured
without any possibility of slipping or turning around upon the boss or hub. We
do not however limit ourselves to this method of uniting the boss and plates, but
may use bolts, rivets, or other suitable means for this purpose.
We sometimes form the boss or hub in two parts, fitted together with the plates
between them, the said two parts and plates being secured together by bolts or
rivets.
We form the tire with a central or nearly central inner flange or rim, whose
inner periphery should be turned and well fitted to the exterior periphery of the
aforesaid plates; and we fit within the tire and to the sides of this inner flange or
rim rings or annular plates of iron or steel, which also overlap and fit closely to the

page_text: sides of the said plates. These rings have flanges properly formed to fit the inner
periphery of the tire, and extend outward from the inner central flange towards the
sides of the said tire. Through these plates and the said inner rim of the tire we
pass bolts or rivets, which fasten the said tire and rings securely together; and we
also pass bolts or rivets through the said rings and the aforesaid plates, thereby
securely uniting the said plates, the rings, and the tire, as though the whole formed
one solid body.
An important object of our Invention is the imparting to the wheel constructed
as above described the quality of elasticity, which is very advantageous in railway
wheels. Many contrivances have been suggested and adopted for rendering wheels
of this class elastic without impairing their strength and durability, but none of
them have been found satisfactory in practise; but in our wheels we obtain this
quality of elasticity without impairing the strength of the parts above described by
forming the intermediate portion of the aforesaid plates curved or corrugated, that
is to say, the sectional form of this portion of the wheel is convex or bulging on
each side, and between the plates at this portion of the wheel is a hollow space of
a nearly elliptical shape.
It will be obvious to any one familiar with the construction and working of
railway wheels that this formation will impart a useful amount of elasticity to the
wheel, without any counterbalancing disadvantages. The said central elastic
portion of the wheel may consist of one, two, or more plates properly fitted and
secured together; and we wish it distinctly understood that we do not in all cases
render our improved wheels elastic, as sometimes it is not considered necessary or
desirable that the wheels should possess the property of elasticity; we therefore
may make the aforesaid plates without any transverse curvature or convexity.
According to a modification of this Invention, instead of using a cast-iron boss
or hub united to the plates or body of the wheel as above described, we form the
said boss or hub and body of one piece of iron or steel, and secure upon the same a
tire with an inner flange or rim by the aid of the aforesaid metal rings. The outer
periphery of the said body and the inner periphery of the flange of the tire should
be turned and well fitted together, and we prefer that the tire should be shrunk
upon the said body.
Another modification of our Invention consists in forming the tire without the
said inner rim or flange, and forming in and around its sides channels or grooves,
and fitting into these channels or grooves circular flanges or projections formed on
the metal rings, whereby the tire is united to the body of the wheel. The said
rings are secured to the said body by bolts or rivets passed through them, as above
described. This form of tire may be used with the body of the wheel formed of
one or of two or more plates, or whether the said body is elastic or inelastic in its
formation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Richard Norton Allen and Albert Benton Pullman in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 14th June 1876.
RICHARD NORTON ALLEN, of Hudson, New York, and ALBERT BENTON PULLMAN,
of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, now both of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS."
Our improvements relate to wheels for railway purposes, and their object is the
production of strong and durable wheels made in several parts or pieces, but
entirely of metal.
The manner of constructing these wheels according to our said Invention is
subject to various modifications in detail, as will be fully understood by referring
to the accompanying Drawings, wherein we have shown what we consider the most
advantageous forms of the said Invention.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front or outside elevation of a wheel constructed according to our
Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4, Figures 5 and 6, and Figures 7 and 8 are similar views, shewing
modifications of the said Invention.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
a is the boss or hub; 6 is the tire; c, c, are metal discs or plates forming the
intermediate portion or body of the wheel; d, d, are rings or annular plates for
securing the tire b to the body c
In the wheel shewn in Figures 1 and 2 we make the boss or hub a of cast iron,
the intermediate portion or body c of discs or plates of iron or steel, and the tire b
of steel or analogous metal. In this wheel we unite the said plates c to the boss
or hub a by forming holes or slots in the portion o¹ of the said plates immediately
in contact with the boss, and form the boss a by casting the same within the hole
or aperture in the central portion of the said plates in such a manner that the
boss a projects equally or nearly so on both sides of the plates, and the metal
flows through the said slots or holes, forming bars or bolts e through the plates,
whereby the latter are secured without any possibility of slipping or turning
round upon the boss or hub.. We do not hower limit ourselves to this method
of uniting the boss and plates, but may use bolts or rivets f, as shewn in Figures 7
and 8, or other suitable means for this purpose.
We sometimes form the boss or hub, as shown in the last-mentioned Figures, in
two parts a¹, a², fitted together with the plates c between them, the two parts a¹, a²,
and plates c being secured together by the said bolts or rivets, as shewn.
}
We form- the tire with a central or nearly central inner flange or rim b¹, whose
inner periphery should be turned and well fitted to the exterior periphery of the
'aforesaid plates c; and we fit within the tire and to the sides of this inner flange
or rim rings or annular plates d of iron or steel, which overlap and fit closely to
the sides of the said plates. These rings have flanges properly formed to fit the
inner periphery of the tire, and extend outward from the inner central flange towards
the sides of the said tire. Through these plates and the inner rim of the tire
we pass bolts or rivets g, which fasten the said tire and rings securely together;
and we also pass bolts or rivets h through the said rings and the aforesaid plates,
thereby securely uniting the said plates, the rings, and the tire, as though the
whole formed one solid body.
In a modification of our Invention we impart to the wheel constructed as above
described the quality of elasticity, which is very advantageous in railway wheels.
Many contrivances have been suggeted and adopted for rendering wheels of this
class elastic without impairing their strength and durability, but none of these
wheels have been found satisfactory in practice; in our wheels we obtain this quality
of elasticity without impairing the strength of the parts above described by
forming the intermediate portion of the aforesaid plates c curved or corrugated, as
shewn in Figures 2, 4, and 8, that is to say, the sectional form of these portions of
the wheel is convex or bulging on each side, and between the plates at this portion
of the wheel is a hollow space of a nearly elliptical shape.
It will be obvious to any one familiar with the construction and working of
railway wheels that this formation will impart a useful amount of elasticity to the
wheel without any counterbalancing disadvantages. The said central elastic portion
of the wheel may consist of one, two, or more plates properly fitted and secured
together, and we wish it distinctly understood that we do not in all cases render
our improved wheels elastic, as sometimes it is not considered necessary or desirable
that the wheels should possess the property of elasticity; we therefore may make
the aforesaid plates without any transverse curvature or convexity, as shewn in
Figures 5 and 6.
According to the modification of this Invention illustrated in Figures 5 and 6,
instead of using a cast-iron boss or hub united to the plates or body of the wheel,

page_text: as above described, we form the said boss or hub a and body o of one piece of iron
or steel, and secure upon the same a tire b, with an inner flange or rim 61 by
the aid of the aforesaid metal rings d. The outer periphery of the said body and
the inner periphery of the flange of the tire should be turned and well fitted
together, and we prefer that the tire should be shrunk or pressed upon the said
body.
Another modification of our Invention, shewn in Figures 3 and 4, consists in
forming the tire b without the said inner rim or flange, and forming in and around
its sides channels or grooves 63, and fitting into these channels or grooves circular
flanges or projections d¹ formed on the metal rings d, whereby the tire b is united
to the body c of the wheel. The rings d are secured to the body c by bolts or
rivets passed through them, as above described. This form of tire may be used
with the body of the wheel formed of one or of two or more plates, or whether the
said body is elastic or inelastic in its formation. i, i, are rivets or bolts, whereby
the plates of the body c are secured together before uniting them to the boss and
tire.
Having thus fully described our said Invention, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, we wish it understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise form and dimensions of the parts of the
wheel shewn in the Drawings, but may modify the same as desired, so long as the
essential features of our Invention as above specified are retained, and we further
wish it understood that we claim a wheel with a body or intermediate portion con-
structed of a metal disc or discs, either rigid or elastic, and to which the tire is united
by the rings or annular plates formed, fitted, and secured to the said disc or discs
and tire, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Norton Allen and Albert Benton
Pullman, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witnesses,
H. S. ROBERTS.
E. PUTNAM.
RICHARD NORTON ALLEN. (L.S.)
ALBERT BENTON PULLMAN. (LS.)