Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Wheels for Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Wheels for Railway
and other Vehicles.
I, JAMES AUBREY FACER Hammerman, of Wayne Street below Manheim Street,
Germantown-Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 has reference to the manufacture of steel wheels and consists of certain
improvements, all of which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown
in the accompanying drawings which form part thereof.
Heretofore it has been customary to manufacture car wheels by two processes, one
of which consists in first casting the wheel approximately the shape of the finished
article and thus subjecting the castings to a rolling action in a inachine especially
adapted to the purpose; and the other of which consists in casting the center of iron
or steel and fitting thereto a steel tire which is forged into shape from a solid bloom
by a proper manipulation under a steam hammer and rolls. These processes have
many objections, principally expense or cost of manufacture, and in the case of the first
mentioned process, a lack of homogeneity and solidity of the cast metal in the finished
wheel.
The object of my invention is to make a car wheel from a solid ingot or bloom of
steel by forging the ingot or bloom under heavy steam hammers having dies of suitable
shapes, into the requisite forms. The result of my process is to produce a forged
steel wheel the metal of which is compact and homogeneous, and formed with a
hardened surface due to the forging process.
In carrying out my invention, I first heat a bloom or steel ingot to the required
degree and then place it under a steam hammer having dies of the proper shape to
first flatten out the bloom into a disc of sufficient diameter to forni the wheel. When
this is done, the disc, in its still heated condition, is set on edge and rounded up
and at the same time the flange or treading part of the wheel is finished in rough.
This latter result is produced by subjecting the bloom to a hammering operation and
at the same time rotating the bloom upon the anvil die and about a horizontal axis.
When the bloom is shaped as above, it is placed flat upon the anvil die and a punch
is used to form the axle holes, the hammer die being employed to drive the punch into
the metal. The punch bloom or rough wheel thus formed is placed in a suitably
shaped anvil die and a correspondingly shaped or mated hammer die is brought down
forging the bloom into the finished wheel. This process may be carried or with one
heating of the bloom or if desired two heatings may be employed-the second heating
being resorted to prior to the last forging operation.
In practice it is desirable to perform the flattening, rounding up and flanging and
punching operations on one hammer, and the finishing forging operation on a second
hammer or with another pair of dies, or the rounding up and flanging operation may
be performed on the dies in which the last forging operation takes place. In the
drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a steam hammer for carrying out the first operations
of my improved process.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of another steam hammer for carrying out the latter
operation or operations of my process.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the anvil and bammer dies of the hammer shown in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a similar view of the anvil and hammer die of the hammer shown in
Fig. 2, and:
Fig. 5 is a general view of the various shapes given to the bloom showing the results
of the various steps in the process.

page_text: The anvil die B of the hammer A is formed with a flat surface band also with a
supporting laterally projecting part E (preferably curved) and having a groove e
corresponding to the section of the flange of the wheel. These parts Ee are arranged
in the front part of the body of the anvil die and at a considerably lower elevation
than the upper space so that the front vertical surface L will act as a support
for the loom during the flanging operation. This anvil die is also provided with a
lateral support F having a groove for the flange of the wheel. A pin G is
detachably secured to the lower part of the anvil die and acts as a support for
holding the bloom in a vertical position while being turned. C is the hammer die
and is formed with a flat face e corresponding in size with the surface of the
anvil die, and preferably having its center coincident with the center of the surface b.
It is also provided with a projection D₁ on its front part having the under curved
surface D and groove d corresponding with the curved surface E and groove e of
the anvil die. This projection D may be of any length. The surface D is raised
slightly above the surface c, and likewise the projection F is lowered below the
surface so that the surfaces cb may be used to good effect in working down
the bloom (Fig. 5) during the flattening process to bring it to the form shown
in 2 (Fig. 5). The curvature of the surfaces E D may be dispensed with if
desired as while they have a tendency to center the wheel blank yet they cannot
correspond to the curvatures of wheels of various diameters.
In these dies for hammer A surfaces e bare made long and narrow, and the
parts E and D are arranged on the middle of the dies and as closely to the center
line of the piston rod of the hammer as possible to reduce the leverage as far as
possible and thereby prevent undue strain upon the dies and hammer.
The dies BC of the hammer A¹ of Fig. 2 are shown as having the same
parts D E F &c. upon the front parts but if used on the other dies C they would
not be necessary on these dies. These dies B C have large surfaces in which are
formed respectively the recesses and die shapes I and J which when brought together
form the exact shape by the space enclosed of the finished wheel (see Fig. 5).
The die B' has its recessed portion 1 formed with a removable central pin which
fits in the hole in the bloom and retains the shape of the hole when the bloom is
subjected to the finishing treatment in these dies B₁ C'.
Owing to the large diameter of the wheels and the consequent area of the die
surfaces, it is evident that the parts D and E could not be brought close enough
to the center line of the dies to prevent excessive strain with heavy hammering,
hence the reason for performing the flanging and rounding up operations on the
dies BC. But these parts on the hammer A¹ may be effectively used for the purpose
of cleaning the blank and removing from it all scales, ashes and dirt which may
have collected thereon; either from the reheating of the blank (if two heats are
employed) or from any other cause, as these scales &c. might interfere with the
perfectness of the forging operation if they are not removed before the blank is placed
in the die I. For this cleaning process heavy hammering is obviously not necessary,
a few light taps being sufficient to knock off the scales &c., so that no injurious
strain would be exerted upon the hammer when used for this purpose.
It is obvious
however that this operation might be performed upon the hammer A. The process
will now be readily understood. The bloom 1 (Fig. 5) is heated and then subjected
to the flattening process between the surfaces bc of the dies B C of the hammer A
until it is reduced to the thickness indicated at 2 (Fig. 5). This bloom is then placed
against the face I of the anvil die B and rests upon the surface e and over the
groove e. The hammer die C is now brought down and by the hammering operation
and turning of the bloom the flange is formed upon the bloom bringing it to the shape
shown in 3 (Fig. 5). During this treatment it is forged between the surfaces D d Ee
and obtains the proper shape corresponding to these surfaces in cross section. The
hole K is now punched after the flanging operation, or it may be drilled subsequently
therein. The wheel will then have the shape shown in 4 (Fig. 5). The blank is
now rounded up, and is approximately of the diameter desired, being however a little
smaller. This blank (still in its heated condition) is placed in the recess 1 of the

page_text: die B¹ of the hammer A' and is forged between the dies B¹ C¹ into the finished shape
desired and as shown in 5 (Fig. 5).
If desired prior to this last operation the bloom may be reheated to make the metal
moro ductile and more ready to flow under the pressure of the dies; and the blank
may be placed in an upright position against the surface L of the anvil die and tapped
or lightly struck a few times by the projection D' to remove the scales or dirt that
may have collected thereon from this reheating or otherwise before it is placed in the
recess 1. Wheels made in this manner are suitable for cars, pilot trucks of locomotives,
crane work and all purposes where heavy duty is required coupled with strength. It
is apparent that the dies B₁ C for finishing the wheel may be operated by an hydraulic
press in place of a steam hammer if desired.
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
claim is :-
1st. The herein described process of making forged wheels which consists in first
subjecting an ingot or bloom in a heated condition to forging operations to reduce it
to approximately the proper thickness, then placing it between dies in an upright
position or in a position parallel to the line of action of said dies and subjecting it to
forging operations between said dies turning it under them and rounding it np
approximately the shape of the finished wheel and finally subjecting it to pressure
between finishing dies forging its entire surface into the finished form.
2nd. The herein described process of making forged wheels which consists in first
subjecting an ingot or bloom in a heated condition to forging operations to reduce it
to approximately the proper thickness, then placing it between dies in an upright
position or in a position parallel to the line of action of said dies and subjecting it to
forging operations between said dies turning it under then and rounding it up into
approximately the shape of the finished wheel, simultaneously forming the Hange
upon the bloom while in said upright position by the forging operation and finally
subjecting it to pressure between finishing dies forging its entire surface into the
finished form.
3rd. The herein described process of making forged wheels which consists in first
subjecting an ingot or bloom in a heated condition to forging operations to reduce it
to approximately the proper thickness, then placing it between dies in an upright
position or in a position parallel to the line of action of the dies and subjecting it to
forging operations between said dies turning it under them and rounding it up into
approximately the shape of the finished wheel simultaneously forming the flange upon
the bloom in said upright position by the forging operation then punching the axle
hole through its center and finally subjecting it to pressure between finishing dies
forging its entire surface into the finished form.
4th. The herein described process of making forged wheels, which consists in first
flattening a heated bloom to approximately the proper thickness, then placing the
bloom on end and rounding it up and forming the flange by turning it in under
forging dies, then reheating rounded and flanged bloom, then placing it on end and
tapping it slightly to remove scales and dirt and finally subjecting the bloom so shaped
to finishing dies forging the bloom into its finished shape.
1000
JAMES AUBREY FACER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.