Improvements in the Manufacture of Rolled Sleepers and in Apparatus Used therein.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 10th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 14th Jan., 1887.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Rolled Sleepers and in
Apparatus Used therein.
I PETER KIRK of Bankfield Workington in the County of Cumberland Iron and
Steel Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to combined chairs and sleepers which are made of rolled
steel or iron and have the chairs formed from the substance of the sleeper and more
particularly to sleepers made in accordance with a former invention for which Letters
Patent number 785 of the year 1885 have been granted to me. When carrying my
said former invention into effect I cut or punch the sleeper at certain points so as
partly to isolate portions of the metal which are pressed out so as to project from the
sleeper and are shaped into rail holding clips or jaws and in order to make these clips
or jaws of a suitable strength without making the sleeper unduly heavy I roll the
sleeper with a thicker patch or band at the place where each rail is to be held or
extending the length of the sleeper. I do not however confine the application of my
present invention to this particular formation of sleeper. The object of my present
invention is to finish the said sleepers so that the chairs shall be of suitably uniform
shape and inclination and that a correctly uniform guage shall be maintained and
also my object is to effect this finishing quickly so that the sleeper shall be completed
before it becomes so cold as to require re-heating. To this end I employ a double
press which shall operate upon the two chairs simultaneously. The sleeper is placed
upon a suitably shaped bed or support which is either stationary or is fitted to slide
so as to move the sleeper into position below the dies. When fitted to move I prefer
to impart the movement by means of a hydraulic ram. The movement of the said
bed brings the chairs below two dies and at the same time brings the chairs within
the influence of two fixed shaping moulds or mandrils which are in each case made
of the form which will impart the required inner shape to the chair. I prefer also to
employ fixed outer cheeks which as the sleeper is moving into position press the jaws
of the chairs toward the said shaping moulds these cheeks being suitably tapered
or bell mouthed. When the sleeper is in position I move a shaping die toward
each chair so that the jaws of the chair are pressed between the die and the mould.
CD077

page_text: I prefer to actuate these dies by means of hydraulic rams which move in unison. I fix
the cylinders in which these rams work with their axes at such angles relative to each
other as that the chairs shall receive the necessary cant or inclination or I make the
cylinders adjustable so that the said inclination may be varied as required. The
surface of the bed is also inclined to the necessary extent. In practice I might
employ two sliding beds actuated by a cross head which would receive motion from
the hydraulic ram. I have mentioned that the bed or beds might be stationary. If
such an arrangement were adopted I should arrange for the aforesaid shaping moulds
to be moveable by hydraulic or other power so that they could be pushed into positions
within or between the jaws of the chairs prior to the movement of the dies. Sleepers
having wrought iron or steel chairs welded or otherwise clenched or secured to the
sleepers may be finished in accordance with my invention. I do not confine myself
to the simultaneous operation upon the two chairs of the sleeper as it might be
considered to be desirable for some reasons to finish each separately or to employ a
machine having only one set of finishing dies or sleepers having in each case only one
chair might be required.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Rolled Sleepers and in
Apparatus Used therein.
I PETER KIRK of Bankfield, Workington in the County of Cumberland Iron and
Steel Manufacturer 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 and accompanying drawings:
My Invention relates to combined chairs and sleepers which are made of rolled
steel or iron and have the chairs formed from the substance of the sleeper and more
particularly to sleepers made in accordance with a former invention for which Letters
Patent number 785 of the year 1885 have been granted to me.
When carrying my
said former invention into effect I cut or punch the sleeper at certain points so as
partly to isolate portions of the metal which portions are pressed out so as to project
from the sleeper and are shaped into rail-holding clips or jaws and in order to make
these clips or jaws of a suitable strength without making the sleeper unduly heavy I
roll the sleeper with a thicker patch or band at the place where each rail is to be held
or with a thicker band extending the length of the sleeper. I do not however confine
the application of my present invention to this particular formation of sleeper. The
object of my present invention is to finish the said sleepers so that the chairs shall be
of suitably uniform shape and inclination and that a correctly uniform guage shall be
maintained and also my object is to effect this finishing quickly so that the sleeper
shall be completed before it becomes so cold as to require re-heating. To this end I
employ a double press which shall operate upon the two chairs simultaneously.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying three sheets of Drawings which are made to a seale
of about one and one eighth inches to the foot. In the said Drawings Fig. 1 is a
Side Elevation of the machine which I have designed for use in the carrying into
effect of my invention. Fig. 2 which is partly in section is a Front Elevation of a
portion of the machine and illustrates the parts which operate upon one of the chairs
of a sleeper. The corresponding parts which operate upon the other chair do not
appear for want of space in the drawing but it will be understood that all the parts to
the right of the centre line A are duplicates of the parts which appear in the drawing
to the left of such line the only difference being that the necessary reversals are made
in the chair shaping parts and in the inclination of the axis of the hydraulic ram as
will be understood from what follows hereinafter. Fig. 3 represents a plan of the
machine with certain parts in section other parts not appearing for sake of clearness.
In the said Figs. a is a Foundation bed which is planed to receive two strong
standards and a hydraulic cylinder c. Each standard is provided with parallel
ribs which enter two planed slots d d so that each standard can be adjusted in position
nearer to or further from the centre line A according to the gauge of the sleepers
which are to be operated upon the standards when adjusted being firmly secured to
the bed by means of the bolts which appear in the drawings. Each standard is
formed with a strong projecting bracket in which are formed planed ways to

page_text: receive a sliding bed piece e which is suitably shaped to sustain the part of the sleeper
upon which the chair is formed against the pressure of the chair shaping die. In
Figs. 1 and 2 a sleeper is indicated by f. A cross head g. fixed upon the piston rod of
a piston which is fitted to work within the hydraulic cylinder e connects together the two
beds e e which slide upon parts of the two standards. In the example each end of the
said cross head passes through a slot formed in the bed e. To strong side checks
which project from the upper part of each standard is firmly bolted a hydraulic
cylinder in which is fitted to slide a ram which is provided at its lower end with
a chair shaping die k. The said ram is formed with a collar which acts as an
annular piston whereby the ram can be raised by admitting the water pressure into
the annular space between the said collar and the packed gland in which the ram
slides. The said ram is moved downward by admitting water pressure to the upper
end of the cylinder whereby the shaping die can be pressed downward with great
force. To the front of each standard is secured a shaping or inner moulding mandril
which is shaped to impart the desired form to one of the two chairs upon the sleeper.
Each standard also carries a pair of cheeks m m which are shaped on their inner and
opposed sides to press inward the jaws of the chair toward the mandril 7. In Fig. 1
these checks appear on the standard which is to the left hand but are left out of the
drawing in the case of the right hand standard. In the example the said cheeks form
parts of a double bracket m' which is bolted to the standard but if prepared the said
cheeks may be in separate parts bolted to the said bracket or to a suitable part so that
they can be changed without having to change the bracket. The operation of the
machine is as follows. A sleeper to be operated upon having the jaws to form the
two chairs roughly raised up from the sleeper, and made to approximate to the finished
form is placed upon the beds ee which have been pushed outward from below the
dies to receive the sleeper. Water pressure is then admitted to the front of the
piston in the cylinder so that the two beds carrying the sleeper are drawn inward
toward the standards. As this movement takes place the jaws upon the sleeper pass
between the cheeks which are splayed outwardly or bell-mouthed as seen in Fig. 3
and the said jaws by contact with the said cheeks are pressed inward toward the
shaping mandril and are thus brought nearer to their intended form. When the
said jaws have been brought into position below the dies k. carried by the two rams i
the said dies are brought down simultaneously by admitting water above the said
rams and the said jaws become forcibly pressed between the dies and the mandrils
and are thereby moulded to their finished forms. It will be seen that the axis of the
ram in Fig. 2 is inclined from the perpendicular and it has been stated that the axis
of the corresponding ram which does not appear in the drawings is correspondingly
inclined in the reverse direction. This inclination is made suitable to the amount of
cant which the finished chairs must have and the faces of the beds e are correspondingly
inclined to suit the same cant. I may so mount the cylinders as that the amount
of inclination of their axes may be adjustable. The two chairs having been pressed
as aforesaid the water pressure is shut off from the upper part of each cylinder and
admitted below the collars to raise the rams and the water pressure is then
admitted behind the piston in the cylinder e whereby the beds ee are moved outwardly
toward the front of the machine and carry forward the sleeper which may then be
lifted off and a fresh sleeper may be placed upon the beds and the operations be
repeated. Suitable valves are provided whereby the admission of water to and from
the cylinders and ii is controlled. If preferred the cylinder & may be dispensed
with and the beds ee be stationary. In such a case I should arrange for the shaping
mandrils to be movable and to be pushed forward into position between the jaws of
the chairs by hydraulic power or by suitable means prior to the descent of the dies k.
I do not confine myself to the use of the hydraulic piston in the cylinder e to move
the beds e e as racks and pinions or other gearing or screws might be employed but I
consider hydraulic power to be the most convenient and suitable and also I do not
confine myself to the use of the hydraulic rams i į for operating the pressing dies kk
although I consider such means to be very suitable. A single bed might take the
places of the two beds ee which support the sleeper. I do not confine myself to the

page_text: simultaneous operation of the two dies upon the sleeper as it might be considered
to be desirable for some reasons to finish each chair separately. The cheeks m might
be dispensed with if not considered to be necessary. Sleepers having wrought iron
or steel chairs welded or otherwise clenched or secured to the sleepers may be finished
by means of apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. A single
machine might be constructed in accordance with my invention that is to say a
machine adapted to operate upon sleepers formed with a single chair such machine
having only one ram i die k and shaping mandril l.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
(1) The combination of parts constituting the machine for pressing and shaping the
chairs of rolled sleepers substantially as set forth and indicated hereinbefore and in
and by the accompanying drawings.
(2) A pressing machine for shaping the chairs or rail holding jaws of rolled
sleepers having two hydraulic rams carrying pressing dies which act in concert with
shaping mandrils to shape the said chairs simultaneously the parts being arranged to
impart the required cant to the finished chairs substantially as set forth and indicated.
(3) In a machine for shaping by pressure the chairs of rolled sleepers outer shaping
dies forcibly pressed upon the outer sides of the jaws of the chairs and forcing them
against inner shaping mandrils which have been brought into position by the movement
of the sleeper or of the mandrils substantially as set forth and indicated.
(4) In a machine for shaping by pressure the chair upon a rolled sleeper an inner
shaping mandril brought into position between the jaws of the partly formed chair by
the movement of the sleeper or of the mandril and an outer shaping die which is
forced upon the said jaws and presses them into contact with the inner mandril
substantially as set forth and indicated.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.