IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLS." A com-
munication from abroad by Thomas S. Cook, of Cleveland, Ohio, United
States of America, Merchant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by Herbert John Haddan at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th March 1881.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
"IMPROVEMENTS
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer.
IN ROLLS." A communication from abroad by Thomas S. Cook, of Cleveland,
Ohio, United States of America, Merchant.
The Invention relates to rolls for rolling car axles, metal rods, or round bars of
any kind, and consists in two rolls placed opposite each other, preferably in a
horizontal direction, for forming the body of the axle, and two rolls placed opposite
each other, preferably in a vertical direction, collars from which extend to and
bear upon the ends of the axle in such manner as to roll the journals, as will be
hereinafter more fully described.
It will be apparent upon an examination and understanding of this Invention
that it is not necessarily limited in its application to the manufacture of car axles.
I shall for the sake of convenience describe it as suitable for such application,
although I desire it understood that my device, without any modification in its
principle of construction and operation (merely requiring a suitable shaping or
conformation of the bearing or operating faces of rolls) may be adapted not only
to the use already pointed out; but it may be equally operative when applied to
shaping and finishing bars of various fashions, as well also as finishing and
straightening an ordinary round bar of uniform diameter.
In the Drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view of a machine embodying this
Invention; Figure 2, an end view of the same; Figure 3, a horizontal section by
a plane containing the axes of the main rolls B; Figure 4, a section by a vertical
plane, containing the axes of the two smaller rolls.
A represents a frame work of any suitable construction; B, the two rolls which
shape the body of the axle. They are bulged along their central portion, as shown,
D

page_text: in order to roll the central portion of the axle thin and taper the same from the
central portion outward toward the two ends; C are the rolls for forming the
journals, and which serve at the same time to hold the bar that is being rolled
firmly to its position between the main rolls B.
One or both of the rolls B are housed in adjustable boxes B', and may be given
a motion to and from each other by means of suitable mechanism, as, for instance,
by set screws B², which may be connected with any suitable gears for feeding them
forward and backward at the desired time and speed.
So also one of the rollers C may be housed in like manner in adjustable boxes C',
and be capable of adjustment in or out by any suitable mechanism C2;
D represents suitable gearing, whereby the power is applied to turn the rolls B both
in the same direction; E is the axle in its position between the rolls as it would
appear at the end of the operation.
The operation of this device is substantially as follows :-
A bar of suitable length and diameter is taken; preferably the diameter should
be somewhat less than the diameter of the collars at the end of the axle upon
either side of the journal, and somewhat greater than the diameter of the axle at
its middle point, so that in the operation of the rolls the metal displaced from the
centre of the axle may supply sufficient metal for the enlargement of the bar
adjacent to the journal boxes.
The rolls B being separated sufficiently, and the upper roll C sufficiently raised
to admit the bar, it is introduced endwise in a direction parallel with the axes
of the rolls until it is in its proper place, resting upon the collars C³ of the lower
roller.
.
The upper roll C is then brought down until it rests upon the bar, so as to hold
it snugly against any up or down movement between the rolls B. The rolls B are
then fed toward each other until they begin to act upon the bar, and the rapidity
of their action upon the bar will be dependent upon the rapidity with which they
are fed toward each other.
When the central portion of the bar shall have been properly shaped the upper
roll C may be fed downward until it shall have rolled to proper size the journals
and the small collars at the extremities of the axle, the journals being shown at e
and the collars at e¹.
Instead of simply permitting the upper roll C to rest upon the bar while the
rolls B are operating, the said rolls Cmay be fed toward each other, in which event
the collars C³ on the rollers C act as stops, which would limit the longitudinal
displacement of metal and require the bar to swell between the journals and
adjacent thereto until it conforms to the surface of the rolls B.
It will be observed that in each of these rolls its surface is concentric with its
axis; also that the collars C³ shear across the ends of the rolls B, so that they
make a perfect shoulder between the journals and the adjacent central portion of
the axle.
By providing the rolls C with collars and providing the rolls B with corre-
sponding recesses it is apparent that the collars C³ may be brought in beyond the
outer surfaces of the rolls B, so as to bear against the axle that is being rolled.
So also it is apparent that the Invention is not limited solely to the rolling of car
axles, but the device is equally well adapted for the rolling of any bar into a bar
of another form, having a concentric surface of varying diameter; for instance, a
shaft might be rolled with several journals intermediate of its length, for which
purpose it would require simply that there should be a collar C³ and a corre-
sponding recess in the roll B for each said journal, in order that the collars might
extend in beyond the outer surface of the rolls B and bear upon the axle, shaft,
or other article that is being rolled.
I have already in an incidental manner mentioned the frame A and gearing D.
It will be observed that this gearing consists of three cog-wheels, two of which are
located well above the upper surface of the base A¹ of the frame A, while the
central gear wheel D' has the axis of its shaft about on a level, or substantially

page_text: on a level with the upper surface of the base A¹ of the frame A, and that the said
base A' is slotted or cut away in such a manner as to admit the lower half of the
said gear wheel D¹.
It will further be observed that the base A¹ of the frame A is made sufficiently
thick to lift the gear wheel D¹ up from any foundation upon which the rolls rest.
This construction enables me to make the vertical frame work A shorter than
it could be made were the gear wheel D³ journalled well above the base A¹. This
shortening of the vertical frame manifestly increases the strength and rigidity of
the general structure, and the rolls will have a more steady and even motion than
would be obtained if the standards or upright portion of the frame A were longer
than shown in the Drawings.
What I claim is,-
1st. The mechanism for rolling railway car axles, consisting of two rolls B geared
to run in the same direction, their surfaces conforming to the central portion of the
car axle; and in connection therewith two rolls C located opposite the space
between the first rolls and adapted to roll the journals, the said rolls B and C
provided with adjusting mechanism for feeding them toward the bar that is being
rolled, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2nd. The combination with the rolls B, B, of the rolls C, C, the said rolls C being
provided with collars C³ made to extend across the ends of the rollers C, and
bearing upon the axle to hold the same in position, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
3rd. Apparatus for changing the surface of a bar of metal into another form,
in which its external surface shall be concentric with the axis of the bar but shall
vary in diameter; said apparatus consisting of two parallel rolls adapted to be
brought against the bar, between which rolls the bar may be inserted longi-
tudinally of the axis, and a second set of rolls located opposite the space between
the first, and adapted likewise to be brought against the bar by being collared
in beyond the outer surface of the first set, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set
my hand and
AL