IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gay Newton Alleyne, of Butterley Iron Works,
Alfreton, in the County of Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS."
Sealed the 25th November 1859, and dated the 9th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gay Newton
Alleyne at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th September 1859.
I, JOHN GAY NEWTON ALLEYNE, of Butterley Iron Works, Alfreton, in the
County of Derby, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON BEAMS," to be as
follows:-
In manufacturing wrought-iron beams of large dimensions considerable
difficulties and defects are experienced. Thus, they are frequently built up of
flat plates united by angle irons and rivets, but this mode of manufacture is
expensive and involves a good deal of manual labour, and the metal is
weakened by the rivet holes.
Another plan consists in welding together two similar or dissimilar bars or
pieces of iron of T form or L form, or with beads at their edges, or of other
suitable form, their edges being heated to the welding temperature by means
of a small blast furnace or cupola on each side. The edges of the iron are,
however, liable to be burned or injured by this process.
By the present Invention I weld the two bars together with the intervention

page_text: of an intermediate bar or glut piece of H form, or having two grooves,
which receive the edges of the two bars and protect them from excessive
oxidation during the process. The two sides of this intermediate bar may be
hammered down quite flat if desired, so so to reduce the joint to the same
thickness as the rest of the bar, or the joint may be left somewhat thicker if
preferred. Three or more bars may be united by two or more of the H
formed bars if desired. Thus beams for bridges, or for the decks or ribs of
ships, or other purposes, may be made of a T-shaped bar, or an L-shaped or
other suitablo bar united to one edge of a plain flat bar, whose other edge is
united to another T-shaped bar, or to a bar with a single flange, or with a
bead along one or both sides of its edge, one of the H-formed intermediate
bars being welded in at each junction. Instead of the H-formed bar, I
sometimes use a flat bar of greater width than the thickness of the beam, so
that when hammered or compressed it is squeezed into a somewhat similar
form. Or a T-shaped bar may be used, and the edge of the straight part or
web hammered up or compressed in a siinilar manner. I heat the parts to be
welded by passing them successively between two small blast furnaces or
cupolas, or by heating the whole length of the joint or the whole length of the
beam by means of one or more furnaces constructed of suitable form, or by
inserting the whole beam into a furnace of suitable dimensions; and I weld
them by hammering on the top or sides, or both, or by pressure applied by
rollers or otherwise, or by both or all of such means. In welding bars together,
when the edges are heated by the small cupolas, as herein-before mentioned,
I use a clip and a wedge, or screw, or similar means to hold the two bars
together at some distance from the point which is being welded. The expan-
sion of the edges of the bars tends to make them curve away from each other,
but the clip causes this expansion to force the edges together at the part which
is being welded
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Gay Newton Alleyne in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I, JOHN
GAY NEWTON ALLEYNE, of Butterley Iron Works, Alfreton, in the County of
Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year of. our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, Her special licence that I, the said
John Gay Newton Alleyne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, 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 vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
WROUGHT-IRON BEAMB," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Gay Newton Alleyne, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 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 John Gay Newton Alleyne, 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, that is to say :-
In manufacturing wrought-iron beams of large dimensions considerable
difficulties and defects are experienced. Thus, they are frequently built up of
flat plates united by angle irons and rivets, but this mode of manufacture is
expensive and involves a good deal of manual labor, and the metal is
weakened by the rivet holes.
Another plan consists in welding together two similar or dissimilar bars or
picces of iron of T-form, or L-form, or with beads at their edges, or of other
suitable form, their edges being heated. to the welding temperature by means
of a small blast furnace or cupola on each side. The edges of the iron are,
however, liable to be burned or injured by this process..
By the present Invention I weld the two bars together, with the intervention
of an intermediate bar or "glut piece" of H-form, or having two grooves which
receive the edges of the two bars and protect them from excessive oxidation
during the process. The two sides of this intermediate bar may be hammered
down quite flat, if desired, so as to reduce the joint to the same thickness as
the rest of the bar, or the joint may be left somewhat thicker, if preferred.
Three or more bars may be united by two or more of the H-formed bars, if
desired. Thus beams for bridges or for the decks or ribs of ships or other

page_text: purposes may be made of a T-shaped bar, or an L-shaped, or other suitable
bar united to one edge of a plain flat bar, whose other edge is united to
another T-shaped bar, or to a bar with a single flange, or with a bead along
one or both sides of its edge, one of the H-formed intermediate bars being
welded in at each junction. Instead of the H-formed bar, I sometimes use a
flat bar of greater width than the thickness of the beam, so that when
hammered or compressed it is squeezed into a somewhat similar form. Or a
T-shaped bar may be used, and the edge of the straight part or web hammered
up or compressed in a similar manner. I heat the parts to be welded by
passing them successively between two small blast furnaces or cupolas, or by
heating the whole length of the joint or the whole length of the beam by means
of one or more furnaces constructed of suitable form, or by inserting the whole
beam into a furnace of suitable dimensions; and I weld them by hammering
on the top or sides or both, or by pressure applied by rollers or otherwise, or
by both or all of such means. In welding bars together when the edges are
heated by the small cupolas, as herein-before mentioned, I use a clip and a
wedge, or screw, or similar means, to hold the two bars together at some
distance from the point which is being welded. The expansion of the edges
of the bars tends to make them curve away from each other, but the clip
causes this expansion to force the edges together at the part which is being
welded.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a section of one form of "glut,"
adapted for the purposes of my Invention. Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3
is a side view of the same. The "glut" is an iron bar, rolled with two opposite
grooves so as to resemble the letter H. Figure 4 is a section of an iron bar
of a form resembling the letter T; two of these bars are placed together, with
the glut between them, as shown in section in Figure 5. Figure 6 is a side
view or elevation of the same, with the ends of the bars broken away to show
their relative position more clearly. The junction of the bars and the glut
are now heated to a welding heat and united by hammering or by pressure, or
both, so as to bring the whole to the sectional form shown in Figure 7; or
the junction may be hammered or pressed down to the same thickness as the
bars, so as to present the sectional form shown in Figure 8, thus producing a
beam consisting of a web with a flange on each side of each of its edges.
The operation of heating and welding the bars may be performed in various
ways. Thus, the bars may be bound together with a few iron rods bent
round them at intervals, and the whole may be placed in a furnace and heated
to a welding heat, and then drawn out and passed between two or more rolls,
which compress the glut and form the weld. The small iron rods or clips

page_text: may be knocked or cut off as the beam passes through the rolls; these rolls
may be two plain cylindrical or slightly hollowed rolls of a width rather
greater than that to which the glut is capable of spreading in the operation.
The beam may be guided by a guide box or frame, or by two other plain rolls
with their axes at right angles to the first pair. These second rolls may not
only guide the beam, but may also serve to force the two T-shaped bars into
the glut, and thus assist in perfecting the weld. Or, a single pair of rolls,
may be used, with grooves of the form of the finished beam. The whole
beam may be heated at once, or a portion of its length may be heated and
welded, and then another portion may be treated in the same manner. Thus,
I employ a reverberatory furnace of sufficient width or length to receive the
whole or a portion of the beam, or I employ two reverberatory furnaces, or a
furnace with fires on each side, and I insert the beam in this furnace or
furnaces, and when it is at a welding heat, I draw it out and pass it between.
a pair of rolls having grooves of the form of the finished beam. When only
a portion of the beam is heated and welded at once, the rolls may be stopped
and reversed or separated a little when the heated part has passed through.
When, however, the whole length of the beam is heated at once, it is passed
at once through the rolls, and the beam is thus completed at one operation.
I prefer to arrange the furnace so that the parts of the beam which are not
about to be welded may be to some extent shielded from the direct action of
the flame. Thus, in welding such a beam as that shown in Figures 5 and 6,
the lower flange may enter a recess in the sole or floor of the furnace, and
some loose fire-clay tiles may be laid on the top flange, so as to protect it
somewhat from the direct action of the flame. In lieu of heating the whole
beam, the central part or junction may be heated by means of two small
cupola furnaces, the flames from which are directed on the junction, when
the beam is placed between them. In this case, the heat is chiefly confined
to the glut, and the edges of the two T-shaped bars, which bars being thus
expanded at the edge have a tendency to curvo away from each other, as
shewn in elevation in Figure 9. After welding together the ends of the bars,
the remaining parts are welded together successively (after being heated) by
attaching a lever to one of the T bars and forcibly pressing it upon the other
bar and the glut, while the glut is hammered on each side to perfect the weld.
Instead of applying the lever in this manner, it is sufficient to place a clip
round the bars in advance of the part to be welded, as shown at A in Figures
10 and 11. Figure 10 is a side view and Figure 11 is an end view. The
clip may have a screw for adjusting it. The bars being thus prevented from
curving away from each other, a similar effect is produced as if they were

page_text: allowed to curve and were afterwards brought back by the aforesaid lever.
Figure 12 is a section of a T-shaped or double flanged bar with a glut placed
between it and another bar having a bead or projection at each side of its
lower edge. These bars, when welded together, will form a beam suitable
for the deck beams of ships, and other purposes. Figure 18 is a section
of a single flanged bar and a single beaded bar, with the intermediate
glut. Figure 14 is a section of two single flanged bars or angle irons with
the intermediate glut. Figure 15 is a section of two double flanged bars
united to a flat bar by two gluts. Beams of great depth may thus be con-
structed by uniting three or more bars by two or more gluts. The form of
the glut admits of several variations, although in ordinary cases I consider
that a form similar to the double-headed or H shape, shown in Figure 1, will
be preferable. Thus Figure 16 is a section of a glut of T shape or single
headed. Figure 17 is a section of two double flanged bars with this glut
placed between them. Figure 18 is a section of the same, with the glut
partially hammered down or compressed in the process of welding; and
Figure 19 is a section of the finished beam; or the beam may be finished to a
uniform thickness as in Figure 8. Figure 20 shews a form of glut with one
complete head and one half head, being intermediate between the forms shown
in Figures 1 and 16. Figures 21 and 22 are sections of gluts with two half
heads, and Figure 23 is a section of a glut without any head, being a plain
flat bar. Figure 24 is a section of two double flanged bars with a plain glut
like Figure 23 placed between them. Figure 25 is a section of the same
with the glut partially flattened down on each side by the commencement of
the welding operation. Figure 26 is a section of the finished beam, or it may
be finished to a uniform thickness like Figure 8. Figure 27 is a section of a
glut with round heads, and Figure 28 is a section of the same, with two angle
iron bars ready for welding. Figure 29 is a section of a similar glut, but with
only one head. Figures 30, 31, 32, and 33, are sections of other forms of
glut. Although in most cases the double-headed glut may be found the most
convenient and advantageous, there are some cases in which some of the other
forms are useful or preferable. Thus, if two bars of unequal thickness are to
be united, a glut of the form shown in Figure 22 may be employed, as shewn
in Figure 34, or a glut may be made with grooves of different widths.
Figure 85 is a section of a beam showing another application of a similar glut.
The flanges of this beam are rolled of the form shown in Figure 36, and are
united to a plain flat bar by two gluts of a form similar to that shewn in
Figure 22. Figure 37 is a section of an L-shaped bar or angle iron united to
one edge of a plain flat bar, whose other edge is united to a double flauged or

page_text: T-shaped bar, with the intervention of two gluts of forms similar to those
shewn in Figures 20 and 21. In lieu of a T iron and an iron, two Tirons
or two L irons may be applied to the plain bar in a similar manner. Figure 38
is a section shewing one L or angle iron, and one half bead united to a plain
flat bar by two gluts of similar form to that shewn in Figure 20. Figure 39 is
a section shewing four angle irons united to a plain flat bar by four similar
gluts. Figure 40 is a section shewing two angle irons united to one edge of a
flat bar by two similar gluts, while the other edge of the flat bar is united to a
beaded bar by a glut of the form shewn in Figure 1. It will be obvious that
various other combinations of angle iron, and T-shaped iron, and beaded iron
bars with each other, or with plain flat bars may be made with the aid of the
gluts, and that additional angle irons may be welded by means of gluts to the
vertical web if required, but the forms shown in the Drawing are sufficient to
explain the nature of the Invention.
I have found it advantageous to make the glut of a quality of iron which is
more fusible or more easily welded than the iron of which the other bars are
made. The glut to a great extent protects the edges of the other bars from
being oxidized or burned. It is itself partially burned or oxidized, but still
furnishes metal enough to make a good junction.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
generally the manufacture of wrought iron beams by welding together two or
more bars by the aid of two small cupola furnaces, nor do I claim the mode
of pressing the bars together by a lever or by clips, as herein-before described,
but what I claim is, the manufacture of wrought iron beams consisting of a
web with a flange or flanges, or a bead or beads, or a projection or projections
at one or both sides of one or both of its edges by welding together two or
more wrought-iron bars with the intervention of one or more of the small bars
of iron, which I have herein-before denominated a "glut" "or gluts," in
manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gay Newton Alleyne, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of
Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixte
J. G. N. ALLEYNE. (L.S.)