IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON CARRIAGE AND OTHER WHEELS AND PULLIES
Year: 1854

page_text: :
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 17th November 1854, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of 8, Sussex Place, Loughborough Road, Brixton, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON CARRIAGE AND OTHER
WHEELS AND PULLIES," (communicated to me from abroad,) 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 :-
This Invention has for its object peculiar means of raising up of a tread or
flange upon the outer periphery of a disk of wrought iron. I would, however,
remark, that various attempts have before been made for accomplishing a like
result. All these processes have, however, one similarity, which is, that they
have invariably endeavoured to shape a. flanged disk from a mass of metal or

page_text: blank of no greater diameter or smaller in diameter than the finished article.
In these endeavors, whether effected by stamps or dies or rollers, the metal
has been stretched on its outer periphery, and either become cracked or of
less density, thereby producing either an article unsightly, and one that mere
inspection determines is unfit for service, or one whose defects are hidden, but
which will not stand when submitted to its ordinary work. The present pro-
cess differs chiefly from all the others, for the reason it commences with a
blank larger in diameter than the finished. article, and that it is compressed
centripetally, by rollers or otherwise, squeezing it up, and, as blacksmiths term
it, upsetting the periphery until a flange is formed thereon. For the
purpose
of performing this operation, a machine is used which operates by squeezing
up the disk; and while this operation is progressing, the blank is either with-
drawn from the machine and heated repeatedly, or else a furnace is applied to
the machine, so that the heat-in-the blank is kept up while the process. of
forming the flange is progressing. The machinery for performing the In-
vention may be varied, but the arrangement preferred is as follows:-The
machine consists mainly, of a central shaft or mandril, supporting the heated
disk, and capable of revolution on its own axis of two shafts parallel thereto,
each carrying a swedging-up or compressing roller; and capable of motion
towards and from the central.mandril; and as a means of forming a neatly
finished tread or flange, there are added to the former parts two sets of
supporting and forming rollers, which apply themselves under the flange as it
is being formed, or against its edges; these latter rollers are capable of motion
in two directions, either perpendicular to the plane of the disk, or nearly so,
and to and from its centre. All these rollers are, so to speak, die rollers, and
a proper configuration of their peripheries will produce flanges of almost any
desired shape, whether for wheels or pullies, or for a partial wheel tread, upon
which an ordinary tyre may be shrunk.
In the Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the machine, partially in section,
certain parts being removed to show others more clearly; Figure 2 is a side
elevation, with certain parts broken away; Figure 3 is a section through the.
-machine, shewing a partially formed wheel and the carriages, and one set of
supporting and forming rollers, with the shafts, &c. for actuating said carriages;
Figure 4 is a view, in section, of the carriages of the other set of supporting
and forming rollers; Figure 5 is a view, partially in section, of one of the
centripetal compressing rollers, with its cog, moveable carriage, and other parts;.
Figure 6 is a view of the main mandril, with its pillow blocks and the fly
wheel and driving cog; and Figures 7, 8, and 9 are views of a finished wheel.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the Figures. In order to

page_text: constitute such a machine, I first provide a strong bed plate a, a, a, upon
which are assembled all parts of the machine. Between the upper and lower
parts of this plate is inserted in a proper pillow block a shaft b, supporting
(attached to it) a fly wheel b' and a cog wheel 6; two other shafts c², c², each
having keyed thereto cog wheels c'; c', in gear with b², are also supported in
pillow blocks. c, c. Upon the other upper part of the bed plates two strong
carriages d, d, are mounted, which are free to slide to and fro on appropriate
ways or shears; and on each carriage, by means of proper pillow blocks, is
secured a shaft d', d', carrying a roller d², d, and a cog wheel d³, d³; which
latter engage with c¹, c', and is' more or less deeply in gear, according to the
position of the carriage d, d, upon the bed plate a. These carriages have at
one end thereof sockets or nuts e, e, properly screwed, into which enter screws
ff, secured by proper collars in journals f, f, attached to the bed plate.
Each of these screws carries a cog,wheel, into which gear other wheels; the two
last of the series being keyed upon a shaft f², extending the whole length. öf
the machine, and provided with a hand wheel f; by turning this wheel, both
carriages may be caused either to advance or recede simultaneously: from.or
towards the centre of the machine. At or near the centre of the bed plate' is.
secured in pillow blocks g, g, a compound 'mandril g¹, g', free to revolve in said
blocks, and botli parts thereof having end play in the journals.. The ends of
each portion of this compound mandril where they meet are shaped as plainly
shewn in Figures 1.and 6, and it will be perceived that they together constitute
a species of clamp or vice. One end of said mandril has, through the agency.
of the screw a, limited degree of end play, so that blanks of varying thick-
ness may be properly entered in the machine, while the other end has attached.
to it a toggle, composed of the pieces g³ g,g, the last of which is attached to: a
pivot g', provided with a hand lever g; by turning this handle, the projecting
portion of the mandril may be drawn out of the socket-h; so that a blánk may
be introduced and quickly clamped between the flanges i, i, by means of. a.
back turn of the handle g
These are all parts of a machine absolutely needed for forming a flange upon
a metallic disk by pressure; but in order to give finish to the work; and prevent.
any buckling of the disk while under pressure, there are contrived certain other
machinery now to be described. Upon one of the carriages d, d, and in proper:
ways formed 'thereon j, j; I locate two other carriages or sliding blocks j', j',
which carry cach a roller k, k. These blocks have connected in nuts to each
of them a screw ', le. whose shafts are by collars' confined in journals ², l,
and are each furnished with a cog wheel,, into which gear.other: toothed'
wheels k, k, mounted on a common shaft provided with a hand wheel ko.

page_text: By turning the latter, these rolls are caused to approach and recede from each
other simultaneously, and it will be perceived that the face of cach of them
bears when desired upon the sides of the flange as it is formed.
Two other carriages m, m, are mounted upon the main bed plate, cach
supporting in journals m', m', m', rollers m³, m², m², said rollers being capable
of end play, and having screws m³, m³, cog wheels m³, m*, m³, m³, and shaft m®,
with hand wheel m³, arranged substantially as shewn in Drawings, whereby
said rollers m, m2, may have imparted to them a reciprocating motion in the
direction of their own axes. The carriages m, m, are further provided with
screws n, n, toothed wheels n', n', screws taking or engaging therewith n², n²;
and shafts n³, with hand wheel n', whereby said carriages may be moved along
the bed plate in the direction of the plane of the blank.
The rollers m, m2, shaped substantially as shewn, may thereby be made to
bear against the disc, and against the inner part of the rim or flange, or either
of them, and I intend usually to incline the axes of the rollers m², m², as
shewn in the Drawings, that is to say, with their outer ends further from the
central mandril than their inner ends are, whereby only a small portion of
the surface o, o, of said rollers m², m³, shall touch the surface of the blank.
In order to make a flange or tread upon a disc of malleable metal, according
to the principles of the Invention, I first determine upon the size of the flange
and the diameter of the finished article. I then procure a disc of wrought
iron, or other suitable metal, whose diameter is so much greater than that of
the finished article that there shall be therein just substance enough to consti-
tute the flange or tread in addition to the interior, which remains in the finished
article of the same thickness, or nearly so, as it was in the original blank.
In this blank I punch or drill a hole at the centre thereof, and large enough
to contain the projecting piece of the compound mandril; I then separate
the portions of the mandril, run the carriages d, d, outwards, as also the
carriages m, m, and the sliding blocks j¹, j; I then heat the blank, if of iron,
and introduce it over the mandril, clamp it fast between the flanges thereof by
means of the handle gs, and by means of any competent machinery impart
-revolution_to_the_main_shaft,_and_thereby_to_the_centripetal "compressing
rollers. These roller carriages are then caused to advance until the rollers
touch the blank, which then commences to revolve, and as it revolves the
rollers are caused to approach nearer and nearer, upsetting the flange or tread
out of the thin body of the blank. As this operation progresses, the supporting
and finishing rollers are brought up to their work at such times as necessity
dictates, and the whole progresses until the flange is formed, or the blank
becomes chilled; it is then taken out and reheated, again inserted, and the

page_text: former described operations repeated with alternate reheatings until the article
is completed.
I sometimes intend by means of blast pipes conveying heated air or gases,
or by means of properly arranged furnaces, to keep up the heat of the blank
while under treatment; I also intend to shape all the rollers according to the
shape of flange needed, and in some instances to apply in succession rollers of
various contour, much on the same principle that grooves of diverse shapes.
are successively employed in rolling iron,, said rollers being applied in the
carriages now represented, or in other similar carriages, arranged around
the periphery of the blank. In all cases the last-used rollers will be the
intaglio of the desired finished shape; and if I desire to make a carriage wheel
complete, the last pair of rollers will be shaped as one of the rollers now used
in making carriage wheel tyres.
I also intend to employ, if desired, any ordinary methods of constructing
or moving carriages, or giving end play to shafts, or of confining a disc
on a mandril, in place of the ordinary methods herein represented. I also
intend sometimes to impart positive rotary motion to the mandril and
blank, and to permit it to revolve the rollers by friction, and at other times
to revolve positively both rollers and blank at different velocities of their
peripheries, or at the same velocities; and I intend, further, at times, in order
to make a finished carriage wheel, to form a small flange only on the blank,
and then to shrink thereon a tyre, thereby making a wheel such as is shewn
in Figures 7, 8, and 9.
It being obvious that these and other similar changes come within the limit
and scope of the Invention, which depends upon the process of forming or
upsetting flanges by centripetal pressure upon blanks of ductile metal, and not
upon the precise kind of machinery employed for that purpose.
When naves or hubs are needed, I form them in any known manner, and
fix them to the wheel in any known way; but I sometimes intend to form
them either wholly or partially by compressing the inner part of the circular
aperture at the centre of the blank outwards by means of an expanding
rotating excentric, or an expanding mandril, or by means of a small roller
revolving on the end of an arm attached to a shaft, such arm being capable of
lengthening during the process.
And I hereby disclaim all the parts of the machine described as taken
separately as of the Invention, the Invention depending on the use of
machinery to produce flanges by upsetting the periphery of a disc.
Having thus described the process, and a convenient machine with which
it may be practised, I claim the process herein described of forming a flange

page_text: upon a circular disc by means of compressing the same centripetally,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein specified...
I claim also the supporting of both the disc itself and the flange while being
formed, or either of them, and the shaping of the edges and inner parts of the
flange, substantially as herein described, in connection with the process of
forming the flange by centripetal compression.
And I claim these operations, whether performed upon heated or upon cold
blanks, and whether said blanks be kept heated, as herein described, or be
withdrawn and reheated, as occasion may require.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield; have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
. GEO. T.. BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)
FREDERICK GEORGE KIRCHNER,
2,. New Court, St. Swithin's Lane,
London.