IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF STEEL TIRES FOR RAILWAY WHEELS."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis William Webb, of Crewe, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF STEEL TIRES FOR RAILWAY WHEELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Webb.at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1865.
I, FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STEEL TIRES POR RAILWAY WHEELS," to be as follows:-
In carrying out my improvements I cast the steel in a mould of peculiar
form, the lower side of which is formed by a plate upon which I rest or secure
the mould box, which is of such shape in its interior as to form a casting
resembling a solid railway wheel with a part attached representing the axle at
the outside of the wheel which is placed in a vertical position in relation to
the plate forming the bottom of the mould. That part of the mould box
forming the upper side of the tire as it is cast is coned from the part forming
the periphery of the tire to the vertical "stalk" representing the axle, which
cone form of the mould allows a free escape for the air or gases when casting,
and gives the casting an additional thickness to allow for the consolidation of:

page_text: the metal in the subsequent process. That part of the mould representing
the axle extends above the body of the tire, so as to give a sufficient "head
of metal when poured into the mould to make the casting as sound and uniform
as possible. The "stalk" not only allows "head" in casting, but forms the
part where the shrinkage of the metal will occur, called "piping," but as
this "stalk" is only made use of to facilitate the process of manufacture, and
is subsequently removed, that portion of the casting intended to form the tire
is as sound as a casting can be made of steel. The casting thus made is next
heated sufficiently, and to the stalk a handle may be secured, by which the
intended tire can be manipulated, the edge or periphery of which is brought
between swages of suitable form acting by pressure or percussion so as to
consolidate the metal. The casting is then placed upon a flat block or a
swage of suitable shape having a hole in its centre to receive the stalk, and is
consolidated by another flat surface or swage of suitable form acting upon its
upper side by pressure or percussion; then a punch is brought upon the centre
of the casting and forced through it by pressure or percussion, driving out
that part of the metal to which the stalk is attached, or the stalk may be
turned or bored out and the tire completed in the usual manner,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis William Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Francis William Webb, Her special license that I, the said
Francis William Webb, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Francis William Webb, my executors, administrators,
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 yend, within the United Kingdom

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL TIRES FOR RAILWAY
WHEELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis William
Webb, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particu-
larly 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis William Webb, 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
following statement, and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
:-
In carrying out my improvements I cast the steel in a mould of peculiar
shape and arrangement, the lower side of the mould being formed by a plate upon
which I rest or secure the mould box, which is of such shape in its interior
as to form a casting resembling a solid railway wheel with a part attached
to one side representing the axle at the outside of the wheel which is placed
in a vertical position in relation to the plate forming the bottom of the mould..
That part of the mould box forming the upper side of the tire as it is cast is
coned from the part forming the periphery of the tire to the vertical stalk
representing the axle, which cone form of the mould allows a free escape for
the air or gases when casting, and gives the casting an additional thickness to
allow for the consolidation of the metal in the subsequent process. That
part of the mould representing the axle extends above the body of the tire so
as to give a sufficient head to the molten metal when poured into the mould
to make the casting as sound and uniform as possible. The stalk not only
allows "head" in casting, but forms the part where the "shrinkage" of the
metal will occur, called "piping," but as this stalk need only be made use of
to facilitate the process of manufacture, and is subsequently removed, that
portion of the casting intended to form the tire is as sound as a casting can
be made of steel. The casting thus made is next heated sufficiently, and to
its stalk a handle may be secured, by which the intended tire can be manipu-
lated, the edge or periphery of which is brought between swages of suitable
form acting by pressure or percussion so as to consolidate the metal. The
casting is then placed upon a flat block or a swage of suitable shape having a
hole in its centre to receive the stalk, and is consolidated by another flat
surface or swage of suitable form acting upon its upper side by pressure or
percussion; then a punch is brought upon the centre of the casting and forced

page_text: through it by pressure or percussion, driving out that part of the metal to
which the stalk is attached, or the stalk may be turned or bored out and the
tire completed in the usual manner.
The Figures upon the accompanying Sheet of Drawings will illustrate the
manner of carrying out my Invention.
:
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation; and Figure 2 a plan view of the mould
in which the casting for the tire is made.
.:
It consists of a base plate (a), and cover or mould box (6), which rests
upon the base plate (a), being kept central by the projections (a¹) upon the
plate; bare handles for lifting the cover or mould box. A piece of fire-
brick (a) is let into the base plate (a), as shown, to protect it against the
action of the falling molten metal when it is first poured into the mould. When
the mould is to be used it is coated with a lampblack wash, and is heated to
prevent a too severe chill of the molten steel when it enters the mould.
The mould shown by Figure 1 will form a casting with a flange, but
Figure 3 shows the section of a mould for casting a blank tire without
flange, the casting being of such form as to be easily formed or rolled in the
subsequent process into a tire of any required section; Figure 4 is a section
where c represent the upper and lower swages of a steam or other hammer or
press for swageing and consolidating the edges of the tire casting (d) when
beated, the tire casting being manipulated in the swages (c) by a handle (f)
attached to the stalk (d) of the casting by hoops (f¹), as shewn.
Figure 5 illustrates the mode in which the steel tire castings (d) may be con-
solidated upon the edge by that arrangement known as "Ramsbottom's Patent
duplex steam hammer," where two rams or hammers (a) moving horizontally
upon wheels (¹) to and from each other act upon the article placed between
them; care swages, one carried by each ram; (d), the tire casting with its
stalk (d) inserted in a holder (f), this holder being placed upon a table
arranged to turn upon an axis so that the tire casting may be partly rotated
after each blow. When the edges of the tire casting are consolidated, it is
then (after being sufficiently heated) placed upon a block 9, as shown in
Figure 6, and is flattened into the form shown therein by a hammer or by
pressure; then a punch (9¹) is brought over it, and this forces some of the
metal from the centre towards the circumference, further consolidating the
metal and the continued advance of the punch finally drives out the stalk (d').
The hole thus formed through the tire casting is further enlarged, the metal
being thereby further consolidated by a series of taper punches, or by being
forged or swaged on a "beck anvil" till the hole is large enough and ready

page_text: to be acted upon (as shown in Fig. 7 a section) by the rolling mill in which
the tire is to be rolled to the diameter and section required.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention and the
mode of carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention in the
manufacture of steel tires,-
Firstly, the casting of the blank tires or ingots with a stalk (d), substantially
in the manner herein-before explained and illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly, I claim the system or mode of punching or pressing the stalk
out of the casting, as herein-before explained and illustrated by the Drawings.
Thirdly, I claim in the manufacture of steel tires, the combined system or
mode of casting, consolidating, and preparing blanks or hoops ready to be
operated upon by the tire rolling mill, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis William Webb, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB. (LS.)