AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF WELDING BRASS OR OTHER ALLOY OF COPPER UPON IRON OR STEEL, APPLICABLE TO THE CON- STRUCTION OF JOURNAL BOXES OR AXLE BEARINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND MACHINERY
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lakc, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF WELDING BRASS OR
OTHER ALLOY OF COPPER UPON IRON OR STEEL, APPLICABLE TO THE CON-
STRUCTION OF JOURNAL BOXES OR AXLE BEARINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
AND MACHINERY."-A communication from abroad by George Rodney
Mencely, of West Troy, New York, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 6th July 1872, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
5
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS OF WELDING BRASS OR OTHER ALLOY OF COPPER UPON IRON OR STEEL,
APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF JOURNAL BOXES OR AXLE BEARINGS FOR
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND MACHINERY," and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that
it has been communicated to me from abroad by George Rodney
Meneely, of West Troy, New York, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement:
The first part of this Invention relates to a process of welding brass,
bronze, or alloy of copper, upon cast or wrought iron or steel.
I am aware that heretofore pieces of iron, steel, and other metals have
been united by the interposition of brass or other copper alloy, but it
has been accomplished by highly heating the iron to which it was
desired to weld the brass or other alloy. This process in actual practice
is attended with much inconvenience, and it is the design of my
Invention to obviate the difficulty and provide a ready and practical
process by which the desired object may be accomplished, and at the
same time a much better weld obtained.
The surface of iron or steel to which it is desired to weld the brass,
bronze, or gun metal, is prepared by simply thoroughly cleansing the
same on a grindstone or otherwise. It is then placed in a proper mould
or flask, the brass or bronze is then, after being heated to a high tem-
perature known as "milk white," poured into the flask and upon the
surface of the iron or steel to which it is desired to weld the brass or
bronze. A much larger quantity of this heated brass or bronze is
poured over the surface of the iron or steel than is required to fill the
mould. This continued pouring heats the surface of the iron, renders
it very porous, and allows the particles of the iron and bronze to become
firmly and permanently united.
The surplus quantity of brass, bronze, or other copper alloy is allowed
an form the flock on mould through nranor snizes constructed for

page_text: that purpose. The proper quantity of heated bronze metal to be poured
over the iron or steel surface will of course depend in a great degree
upon the area of the surface on which it is desired to weld the bronze
or other copper alloy. In practice I have found that about three times
the quantity necessary to fill the mould is preferable; I do not wish to
confine myself to any definite proportion, but the quantity thus poured
over the surface of the iron or steel should be sufficient to thoroughly
heat and soften the said surface, so that when the desired quantity of
molten bronze or other copper alloy is left upon the iron or steel surface,
the particles of the iron and bronze will intermingle and unite and after
becoming cool will be firmly united and welded together; in this
process it is unnecessary to heat the iron or steel before placing it in
the flask or mould, as the continued pouring of the highly heated copper
alloy over the surface of the iron or steel to which it is desired to weld
the alloy accomplishes the same purpose with greater certainty and
results in a much better and firmer weld.
The second part of the said Invention consists in the production or
manufacture of journal boxes or axle bearings by the above described
process, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is
a perspective view of a railway carriage box or axle or journal bearing;
and Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same.
Hitherto axle boxes or bearings have been made entirely of a com-
position of copper, tin, or other copper alloy, approximating bell metal;
these boxes generally weigh from six to ten pounds cach. It is desirable
to have these boxes or bearings as hard as possible to resist the wear due
to the constant friction to which they are exposed; but as now con-
structed and owing to the weight sustained by them and their liability
to break, it is impossible or at least undesirable to make them as hard
as the use they are put to would naturally require.
The object of this Invention is to obviate these difficulties and furnish
a box or bearing which, while being from thirty to forty per cent.
cheaper than those now employed, will allow of the use of harder metal
at the bearing point, and hence increase its durability, and also furnish
a bearing not liable to crack or break in a manner to destroy its useful-
ness. This part of my Invention consists in constructing a box or
bearing of an outer jacket of wrought or cast iron or steel, malleable
cast iron, or "Bessemer" steel, enveloping and protecting a brass,

page_text: bronze, or bell-metal bearing, the said outer jacket being firmly welded
to the bronze-metal bearing, and the whole being constructed and
operating in the manner and for the purposes herein-after described.
I design to construct about five-sevenths of my improved box or
bearing of wrought iron, cast iron, or steel, malleable cast iron, or
"Bessemer" steel. The part I so construct is the outside portion of the
box or that part not coming in direct contact with the axle. This outer
jacket A may be cast or rolled from the pig in the usual manner, and
sawn into pieces of the desired length. Any desired form or shape may
be used according to the requirements of the bearing sought to be made,
and in railway carriage boxes one side of this jacket A should be grooved
or recessed to a sufficient depth to allow the bronze or other metal
bearing B to be welded thereto, and yet when completed form the
segment of a circle to conform to the shape of the axle in connection
with which it is to be used.
The bronze metal bearing B may be of any thickness suitable for the
purpose, and I securely weld the same in the groove or inner side of the
wrought or cast iron or steel jacket or body of the box A, by means of
any process that may be deemed best adapted for that purpose, prefer-
ring however the process herein described, this process being simply the
continued pouring of the bronze metal in a highly heated state over the
wrought or cast iron or steel surface, the said surface is thoroughly
cleaned preparatory thereto until the fibres of the iron or steel and
bronze metal uniting form a perfect weld. When the desired quantity
of such bronze or brass is by means of a proper mould united to and
with such wrought or cast iron or steel jacket A, this bearing of brass,
bronze, or bell metal, should be thicker at the centre of the jacket A,
where the principal weight and consequently most friction would occur,
than at the sides where there would be comparatively little wear. By
the use of this wrought or cast iron or steel jacket A enveloping
and surrounding the bronze or other metal bearing B, and firmly
welded thereto, I am enabled to use a much harder alloy for the direct
bearing for the reason, that even should it by reason of its brittleness
break or crack it can do no harm, for the wrought or cast iron or steel
jacket A will remain firm, and being securely welded to and enveloping
the bearing it cannot get out of place, but will wear equally as well
as if entirely whole. When. the bronze metal bearing B has become
worn out or so worn that it is desirable to replace it with a new one, the

page_text: old box or bearing can be utilized or made into a new one by simply
heating it to a high temperature and then knocking out what remains of
the old brass bearing B, and welding to it by the process before described
a new bearing of hard metal. The wrought or cast iron or steel jacket A,
upon which there is but little if any wear, would obviously answer for
the main portion of many boxes or bearings considered as a whole, and
would stand many renewals of bronze or hard metal bearings.
By the means above described I am enabled to construct a railway
carriage axle box or bearing, which while being much cheaper than
those now employed, possesses many advantages that would recommend
it for general use.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim, the process, substantially
as described, of uniting or welding brass, bronze, gun metal, or other
alloy of copper to the surface of iron or steel.
Also an axle bearing for railway carriages and machinery, and for
other like purposes composed of a wrought or cast iron, or steel or cast
malleable iron, or "Bessemer" steel jacket A, and an inner bearing
surface of brass, bronze, or other hard metal B, when the two aro
solidly united by casting the latter upon the former, substantially as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my band and scal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
CHAS. J. GOOCH.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)