Improved Rolling Mill for Rolling Steel Railway Axles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1898'
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1898-Accepted, 19th Nov., 1898
Improved Rolling Mill for Rolling Steel Railway Axles.
I, WILLIAM LEES, 2, Earle Street, Manchester Road, Ashton-under-Lyne,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The circumfrential rolling of steel railway axles by the arrangement of two rolls
and adjustable guides the whole driven by proper gearing.
A suitable round billet cut from a rolled steel bar is heated and placed between the
rolls in motion so that the billet revolves by the pressure of the rolls. The steel bar
or billet is circumfrentially rolled to the required shape and dimensions of a railway
carriage or waggon axle. The rolls being turned to produce, by suitable adjustment,
the desired dimensions.
The billet or axle being held in its place between the rolls by adjustable guides.
I, WILLIAM LEES, of 2, Earle Street, Manchester Road; Ashton-under-Lyne,
Engineer, 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 :—
The circumfrential rolling of steel railway axles by the arrangement of two rolls
and adjustable guides, working in suitable housings, the whole driven by proper
gearing.
A suitable round billet or bar is heated and placed between the rolls which are in
motion, each rotating in the direction which causes the billet to revolve by the
friction produced by the suitably adjusted pressure of the rolls, and is thus circum-
frentially rolled to the required shape and dimensions of a railway axle, the rolls
being turned as required, the billet or axle being held in its place between the two
idas

page_text: G 2. Top guard plate.
G 3. Bottom or lower guard plate.
H. Trough or receiving plate.
K. Arrangement of pinions driving from centre pinion.
5
The mill is arranged for two sets of rolls one set to rough out the other to finish, same
heat, the roughing rolls will do for almost all railway axles, one set of finishing rolls
will finish axles of all diamaters of the particular form to which the rolls may be
turned. Suitable pressure to be placed on rolls, the arrangement shown on Fig. 1 1
and Fig. 2 is for hydraulic pressure which will also raise the top roll.
.
The guides G which keep the billet or axle A in the centre of the rolls, the guides
run loose on the spindle or shaft which stretches across the front of the rolls and is
secured in the boxes or nuts working on the right and left hand screws D placed each
side the rolls in bearings against the housings as shown on Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.
The right and left hand screws are driven by an arrangement of bevel gearing
controled by the hand wheel B as shown, the workman bringing the required pressure
to bear against the revolving billet or axle A as required.
·
The revolving guides G bear against that part where the wheels will eventually be
secured, or the largest diameter of the axle.
The bevel gearing is protected by the guard plates G 2 and G 3 the billet will be
placed on the top plate and pushed forward over the guides which are run back as
shown G 1.
Upon turning the hand wheel B the guides close in on the billet place it in centre
between the rolls and hold same, following on each side the gradual reduction in
diamater as the billet or axle revolves, thus there are four guides, two on each side in
line with each other.
The construction of the guides prevent retarding friction on the axle, all that is
necessary is to keep the guides just in contact with the axle or billet, the right and
left hand screws in front and rear of rolls prevent any backward movement and
therefore the billet or axle will always be maintained at or about or just in centre
between the two rolls.
When the axle is reduced to the required diameter by the chocks or top bearings
coming in contact with the adjustable stop blocks F, a few turns of the hand wheel B
removes the guides and the axle finished or roughed out as the case may be, drops in
the trough H or other arranged recepticle.
The guides can be cooled by a jet of water after each or several axles have been
rolled, as may be required.
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
1. 1. The circumfrential rolling of steel railway axles by the arrangement of two
rolls and adjustable guides, working in suitable housings the whole driven by proper
gearing.
Dated this 16th day of June 1898.