IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Dixon and Robert Clayton, both of Bradford,
in the County of York, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS"
Sealed the 26th December 1862, and dated the 16th October 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Dixon and Robert
Clayton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 16th October 1861.
We, JonN DIXON and ROBERT CLAYTON, both of Bradford, in the County
of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY WHEELS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists in certain improved modes of securing the tyres to
the felloes of railway wheels.
In performing our Invention we make a dovetailed recess at one side of the
tyre, fitting on a V-shaped projection on one side of the felloe, as heretofore
practiced. At the other side of the tyre is a groove, and another groove is
made in the felloe; an annular clip slightly dovetailed fits into these two
grooves, and when in its place the tyre and felloe are hammered up so as to
retain the clip; or instead of an annular clip segmental clips of any convenient
length may be employed, and in this case the grooves in the tyre and felloe
may be square in those parts into which the clips enter, and dovetailed in the

page_text: intermediate parts which are hammered up to retain them in their places; or
the segmental clips may fit into square grooves in the tyre and felloe, and be
secured therein by hammering up on to the dovetailed parts of the clips; or
the clip may fit in the groove in the tyre and under the rim of the felloe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Dixon and Robert Clayton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
DIXON and ROBERT CLAYTON, both of Bradford, in the County of York,
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Dixon and Robert Clayton, Her special license that we, the said John
Dixon and Robert Clayton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Dixon and Robert Clayton, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
WHEELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Dixon and Robert Clayton, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their bands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 we, the said John Dixon and Robert Clayton,
do bereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in certain improved modes of securing the tyres. to
the felloes of railway wheels.
In performing our Invention we make a dovetailed recess at one side of the

page_text: tyre fitting on a V-shaped projection on one side of the felloe, as heretofore
practised. At the other side of the tyre is a groove, and another groove is
made in the felloe; an annular clip or cramp slightly dovetailed fits into these
two grooves, and when in its place the tyre and felloe are hammered up so as
to retain the clip or cramp; or instead of an annular clip or cramp, seg-
mental clips or cramps of any convenient length may be employed, and in this
case the grooves in the tyre and felloe may be square in those parts into which
the clips or cramps enter, and dovetailed in the intermediate parts which are
hammered up to retain them in their places; or the segmental clips or cramps
may fit into square grooves in the tyre and felloc, and be secured therein by
hammering up on to the dovetailed parts; or the clip or cramp may fit in the
groove in the tyre and under the rim of the felloe.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation, we will proceed to describe the two accompanying Sheets of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a front view of a railway wheel, representing the
mode of securing the tyre to the felloe; Figure 2 is an edge view partly in
section of the same.
On Sheet 2, Figures 3 and 4 are sections illustrating the mode shewn in
Figures 1 and 2.
In
In these views, a is the tyre, and 6 the felloe which is formed in the usual
manner, or in the manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to us on the Sixteenth of March, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-nine, Number 655, by the segmental portion of the bar forming the
spokes c, as shewn in dots in Figure 1, or in any other approved manner.
the present instance we have shewn a dovetailed recess on one side of the
tyre fitting on a V-shaped projection 6' on one side of the felloe, but this mode
of securing one side of the tyre forms no part of our Invention. At the other
side of the tyre a groove is turned or rolled, and another similar groove is turned
in the felloe, within these grooves the cramp d fits; this cramp is slightly
dovetailed, and it is turned or rolled so as to fit easily the grooves in the tyre
and felloe. The cramp is either annular as shewn to the left hand side of
Figure 1, or it is cut into segments and divided at equal distances into any
convenient number. of parts as shewn, to the right-hand side of Figure 1.
When the cramp is annular it can be inserted welded in a whole ring, or put in
unwelded, and when it is in the said grooves, the tyre and felloe are hammered or
set up all the way round or at intervals, as shewn in the front view, Figure 1,
and in the sections Figures 2 and 4, so as to close the metal of the tyre
and felloe ou to the dovetailed .parts of the cramp; this hammering or setting

page_text: up the metal of the tyre and felloe is to retain the cramp or cramps in their
places, and to prevent them moving laterally when made in segments.
In Figure 5, we have shewn the V-shaped projections ¹, applied to the
same side of the tyre as the flange, and the cramp d at the other side; in
other respects this mode of securing the tyre is similar to that above
described.
In Figure 6, the lower part of the cramp d is shewn slightly bevelled and
fitting the under side of the felloe b, which is undercut to correspond. When
the segmental cramps are put on, they are hooked under the felloe and
then brought into the groove in the tyre, which is shewn open by the dotted
lines, and when they are in their places the tyre is hammered up, as before
described, so as to hold them securely in their places, but if the cramp is annular
it is square in the inside, as in Figure 8, and set up on the bevelled part of the
rim, as in Figure 6, all the way round or at intervals.
In Figure 7, we have shewn a tyre suitable for a driving wheel of a loco-
motive, which is secured to the felloe hy two sets of cramps or two annular
cramps d. This tyre is supposed to be shrunk on the felloe in the usual
manner, the centre part being provided with a shoulder fitting in a recess in
the felloc. The cramp at the left-hand side is shewn with the groove in the
felloe hammered up, and the groove in the tyre is shewn open, but is after-
wards closed as shewn at the right-hand side, on which side both the grooves
are shown hammered up.
Figure 8 represents a tyre similar to that shewn in Figure 7, but in this case
the cramps d'are-shewn-as-fitting under-the rim of the felloe and into the
groove in the tyre, which is hammered up to secure them as before
described.
Figure 9 represents the cramp d with the two outer edges slightly dove-
tailed, and the grooves in the tyre and felloe are turned of a corresponding
shape. The cramps d in this case may be in segments, and in order to get
them in their places it is necessary to cut away the bevilled edges in the
grooves in one or more places, to admit the dovetailed parts of the cramps,
which are then moved sideways to their places, and then slightly hammered up
to retain them, or the cramp may be in a whole ring, having the bevil parts
removed or cut off at intervals, and the bevilled edges of the grooves are also
cut away at intervals; the cramp is then inserted into the groove, and then
slipped round sideways and hammered up as before described; or the cramp d
may be made to fill the grooves in the tyre and felloe, as in Figure 10, and
rolled or cut at intervals to the shape of the dotted lines. The tyre and felloe
are set down on the bevelled parts as before described.

page_text: The object of our Invention is to secure the tyres to the felloes of railway
wheels without the aid of rivets, and to prevent the tyre from flying off or
escaping from the wheels in case of breakage. Our improved mode of securing
the tyres also affords greater facility in removing the tyre from the remainder
of the wheel for repairs or when otherwise necessary. In all cases the cramps
may be either heated or cold when put in their places, and the hammering
or setting up of the tyre and felloe may be performed cold or when in a
warm state.
Various other modifications might be given, but the modes above described
are sufficient to illustrate the peculiar character of our Invention.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention and described the manner
of carrying the same into operation, we declare that we claim as our
improvements in the construction of railway wheels, the annular or seg-
mental cramps d, and the modes of applying the same as shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Dixon and Robert Clayton,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourteenth day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two.
JOHN DIXON.
(L.S.)
ROBERT CLAYTON. (L.S.)
JOHN DIXON.
(L.S.)
ROBERT CLAYTON. (L.S.)