IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY WHEELS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morrison, of Bowling, in the County of
Dumbarton, North Britain, Engineer; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY WHEELS."
Sealed the 13th April 1854, and dated the 18th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morrison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
February 1854.
I, WILLIAM MORRISON, of Bowling, in the County of Dumbarton, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY WHEELS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the formation of cast iron railway wheels, each in
one solid piece, with a concentrically corrugated disc instead of spokes. The
disc, rim or tyre, and the nave or boss are all cast in one piece, either with a
chill for the tyre or not. The corrugations, which may be of various transverse
sections; and either simply undulating or angular or composite, are concentric
with the wheel's nave, and are formed in the plane of the wheels motion, or at
right angles to the axle. This system of construction ensures the obtainment
of a sound wheel, running smoothly and easily when at work.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Morrison in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MORRISON, of Bowling, in the County of Dumbarton, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Morrison, Her special license that I, the said William Morrison,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Morrison, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
RAILWAY WHEELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Wil-
liam Morrison, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Scal Patent Office. within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Morrison, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the formation of cast iron railway wheels, each
in one solid piece, with a concentrically corrugated disc or body portion instead
of spokes. The disc, the rim or tyre, and the nave or boss are all cast in one
piece, either with a chill for the tyre or not. The corrugations, which may be
of various transverse sections, and either simply undulating or angular or
composite, are concentric. with the wheel's nave, and are formed in the plane
of the wheels motion, or at right angles to the axle. This system. of construc-
tion ensures the obtainment of a sound wheel, running smoothly and easily
when at work.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall

page_text: now proceed to describe the Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
attached.
Figure 1 on my Sheet of Drawings is a face view or side elevation of one
form of my improved wheel, wherein the corrugations are regular and symme-
trical, being made up or formed in transverse section of two semicircles
combined, as more particularly delineated in the transverse sectional view,
Figure 2, shewing the wheel upon its axle A. In this modification of my
improved wheel, the nave or boss B is cast plain or with but a slight orna-
mental moulding or bead upon it, the internal portion C being cored out or
formed with an annular cavity, so as to render the absolute sectional thickness
of the wheel more uniform and at the same time save metal, whilst at the same
time an extended and effective bearing upon the axle is secured.. 'The solid'
dise portion D of the wheel is cast in one piece, both with the boss B and' the
rim or tyre part E. This disc portion is of solid metal, of greater or less thick-
ness, according to the diameter of the wheel or the peculiar class of work for
which it is intended. The two semicircular corrugations F, G, are blended.
into each other, to form a uniformly and symmetrically curved face, presenting
a handsome appearance when the wheel is in use. By the adoption of. this
shape of wheel disc, several advantages are secured, as well in the primary cost
of production of the wheel as in the ease of action and the durability of the
wheel in running. The pattern is of simple form, and it is capable of being
moulded with very great facility, as it leaves the sand easily, whilst it furnishes
a good impression of its contour. Again in cooling, the undulatory or wave-
like form of the corrugations allows each portion of the disc to work freely and
regularly, so that all distortion and contractile injury is avoided. The corru-:
gations or concentric bends may be of various dimensions or pitches, and two
or more pitches may be combined in one disc, with an effect similar or approxi-
mating to that derived from the special form which I have herein-before
represented. Or instead of curvilinear corrugations, the departure from the
pure plane of the disc, may, in the form of a zigzag, or in other terms, it may
be angularly corrugated, or such angular corrugation or divergence may be
combined with curvilinear, forms, producing what I may term a differential
corrugation. But I prefer to form the disc in the manner which I have herein-
before delineated and described, as being simpler in form, more easily made
and arranged, and producing a far superior effect in practical working. And
although I have herein-before referred to the disc as being perfectly solid
throughout, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to such
solidity of form, as in some instances it may be preferable to lighten the wheel
by casting or otherwise producing holes or spaces in the disc; and these spaces

page_text: or apertures may be either such as to cause the disc to have the appearance of
a fair solidity, merely varied by perforations, or the spaces may be so far
enlarged as to bring the disc to a spoke-like form, the spaces in this latter
case being so extensive as to bear a large proportion to the disc area.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the
principles or main features of my Invention. But what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of railway wheels as
herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of constructing railway wheels with concentri-
cally corrugated or divergent discs or central portions.
Third, the application and use in railway wheels of dises or central portions,
concentrically corrugated or concentrically divergent at a right angle to the
wheel's plane.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morrison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
WILLIAM MORRISON. (L.S.)