IMPROVED MEANS FOR FITTING AND JOINING TOGETHER PIECES OF IRON FOR FOUNDATION PLATES, VOUSSOIRS OF IRON BRIDGES, SEGMENTS OF WHEELS, AND SUCH LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Hansen, of Gotha, in the Empire of
Germany, but at present of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of “IMPROVED
MEANS FOR FITTING AND JOINING TOGETHER PIECES OF IRON FOR FOUNDATION
PLATES, VOUSSOIRS OF IRON BRIDGES, SEGMENTS OF WHEELS, AND SUCH LIKE
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 4th November 1873, and dated the 19th May 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilhelm Hansen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th May 1873.
I, WILHELM HANSEN, of Gotha, in the Empire of Germany, but at
present of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR FITTING AND JOINING TOGETHER PIECES OF IRON FOR
FOUNDATION PLATES, VOUSSOIRS OF IRON BRIDGES, SEGMENTS OF WHEELS, AND SUCH
LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:
In joining together large pieces of iron it is usual to plane or other-
wise render straight and true the surfaces of the two parts that are to

page_text: be joined, in order that when they are bolted or keyed together they
may have a solid bearing on one another. This involves considerable
labour and expense, particularly when the surfaces to be rendered truc
are of large dimensions. The object of my Invention is to avoid this
labour and expense, which I effect by the following method of jointing
such pieces :-
I make the pieces to be joined so much shorter than usual that
when they are placed in the relative positions which they should
occupy when joined there shall be a space of several inches between
their adjacent ends. I then enclose these ends and the space between
in a mould of sand or loam or of iron, and I pour melted iron into the
same, so as to cast in the space a piece of metal which fits both pieces,
and which, when they are bolted or otherwise secured together forms a
fitting block on which both pieces truly bear.
By casting the pieces to be joined with holes or recesses in their
ends, or with projecting tongues which may be of dovetailed form, or
when wraught-iron pieces are to be joined, by drilling holes in their
ends, or forming projections thereon, the block cast in the space between
the pieces will have dowel pieces entering the said holes, or will embrace
the dovetailed or other projections so as to hold the parts firmly in position
and prevent any lateral unsteadiness.
When the surfaces to be joined are so large that the shrinkage of
the cast joining block would tend to produce misfit, the block instead
of being cast in one piece may be cast in several pieces, separated
either by the insertion of cores in the mould, or of pieces of flat or sheet
iron, so as to separate the block into parts, each of which can shrink
independently of the other, without any part having so large an amount
of shrinkage as to produce a misfit.
filed by the said Wilhelm Hansen in the Great Seal Patent Office 3
on the 18th November 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILHELM
HANSEN, of Gotha, in the Empire of Germany, but at present of No.
20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
3
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILHELM
HANSEN, of Gotha, in the Empire of Germany, but at present of No.
20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
31

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Wilhelm Hansen, Her special license
that I, the said Wilhelm Hansen, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Wilhelm Hansen, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter 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 "IMPROVED MEANS
FOR FITTING AND JOINING TOGETHER PIECES OF IRON FOR FOUNDATION PLATES,
VOUSSOIRS OF IRON BRIDGES, SEGMENTS OF WHEELS, AND SUCH LIKE PURPOSES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Wilhelm Hansen,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Wilhelm Hansen, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say:-
In joining together large pieces of iron it is usual to plane or other-
wise render straight and true the surfaces of the two parts that are to
be joined, in order that when they are bolted or keyed together they
may have a solid bearing on one another. This involves considerable
labour and expense, particularly when the surfaces to be rendered true
are of large dimensions. The object of my Invention is to avoid this
labour and expense, which I effect by the following method of jointing
such pieces:-
I make the pieces to be joined so much shorter than usual that
when they are placed in the relative positions which they should occupy
when joined there shall be a space between their adjacent ends. I enclose

page_text: these ends and the space between in a mould of sand or loam or
of iron, and I pour melted iron into the same so as to cast in the space
a piece of metal which fits both pieces, and which when they are
bolted or otherwise secured together forms a fitting block on which
both pieces truly bear.
By casting the pieces to be joined with holes or recesses in their ends,
or with projecting tongues which may be of dovetail form, or when
wrought-iron pieces are to be joined by drilling holes in their ends or
forming projections thereon, the block cast in the space between the
pieces will have dowel pieces entering the said holes, or will embrace 1
the dovetailed or other projections so as to hold the parts firmly in
position and prevent lateral unsteadiness.
When the surfaces to be joined are so large that the shrinkage of
the cast fitting block would tend to produce misfit, it may be cast in
several pieces separated either by the insertion of cores in the mould or
of pieces of sheet iron, so as to divide the block into parts, each of
which can shrink independently of the others, without any part having
so large an amount of shrinkage as to produce misfit.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 to 8 inclusive shew by end view and partial longitudinal 2
section various forms of fitting blocks applied according to my Invention
for the joining of girders, wheel segments, and other castings. It will
be seen that the parts to be joined are left a little short, so as to provide
between their ends a space into which the fitting block is cast. By
providing either recesses or projections on the ends of the pieces, the 2
fitting block when cast in its place has projections or recesses corre-
sponding thereto, which act as dowels to steady the whole jointing, and
prevent lateral shifting of the pieces.
Fig. 9 shews by end view and partial section, the segments of a
wheel boss joined in this manner.
And Fig. 10 shews the junction of two parts of a foundation casting.
Fig. 11 shews the junction of the girders or voussoirs of a cast-iron
bridge. In this case, as the girder or voussoir is generally of consider-
able depth the fitting block is divided by pieces of sheet iron a, a, and
b, b, into several parts, each of which can shrink independently. Such 3
division of the fitting block is to be used in any case where the surfaces

page_text: of the parts to be joined are large, otherwise the shrinkage of the fitting
block if cast in one piece would produce misfit.
Figs. 12 and 13 shew modes of joining the segments of wheels with
separate fitting blocks.
Dowels of forms other than those shewn in the Figures may be used,
and the space left for the fitting block may be varied from less than an
inch for joining small pieces to several inches for pieces of larger size.
It is to be understood that the pieces to be joined are secured together
in the ordinary way by bolts, cotters, or otherwise, and that the fitting
block is cast with cores through it, corresponding with the bolt or cotter
holes; thus the joined pieces can be separated when required.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I claim,—
First. The method of fitting for joining pieces of iron substantially as
herein described by making the pieces to be joined somewhat short, and
casting a fitting block in the space between them.
Second. The method of dowelling fitting blocks formed in the manner
above referred to, by providing recesses or projections on the faces of
the pieces to be joined, substantially as herein described, to prevent
lateral displacement of the pieces.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wilhelm Hansen, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.