IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY WHEEL TYRES. AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Owen, of Rotherham, in the County of York,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF RAILWAY WHEEL TYRES. AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 30th November 1858, and dated the 3rd June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Owen at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
June 1858.
I, ROBERT OWEN, of Rotherham, in the County of York, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY WHEEL TYRES. AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in an improved method of manu-
facturing tyres of cast steel as hereafter described. I cast an ingot of steel in
a cast-iron mould, or a mould made of other suitable material, provided with a
core formed partly of loam, clay, sand, or any other suitable material affixed
to a piece of sheet iron or other material. After this ingot leaves the mould,
it is heated in a fire or furnace (the core being previously taken out). After
removal from the furnace it is hammered, the anvil and hammer being suitably
formed with grooves for the flanges, after which, by a mandril, wedge, or any
other suitable means, the opening left by the core, which has become closed by.
the hammering process but not welded, is again opened, and the two halves of
the tyre are forced outwards until they attain the form of a hoop, after which
the hoop may be hammered and then rolled, or it may be rolled without being
hammered, and thus completed. A part of the ingot is left longer than
necessary, this is for the purpose of the light, spongy, or honeycomb material

page_text: being cut off during the hammering process, when the part intended to form
the tyre will be perfectly sound. This part of the Invention is for casting an
ingot in such form and manner, and with a longitudinal slit that it can be
hammered or rolled previous to its being opened out into a hoop.
The second part of my Invention consists in rolling the tyres for railway
wheels to an uniform inside and outside diameter by the simultaneous action
of inside and outside rolls, whereby they are rendered true. and boring or
turning becomes unnecessary. In the employment of more than one outside
and inside roll made to act simultaneously or otherwise upon the tyres of
railway wheels, and in imparting motion to both inside and outside rolls
simultaneously at one operation. In the annexed Drawings I shew at
Figure 1 in sectional elevation, and at Figure 2 in plau, the machinery I
employ for carrying this part of my Invention into effect. A, A, are outside
rails which are moved to or from the centre by screws, worm wheels, cones,
wedges, or any other convenient arrangement; B, B,are the inside rolls which
are moved to or from the centre by the action of the coue C, but they may be
otherwise moved. The coue may be forced down by a screw nut C¹, which
will cause the frames D which carry the rolls B to move outwards. When
the screw nut is turned the contrary way, the spring E will force up the cone
C, and as the cone is coupled to the sliding frames D by the double T-headed
bolts F, F, F. the frames and consequently the rolls B will be moved towards
the centre. Gis a bolt with a T-head, as shown separately at A. Hand H'
are spindles or shafts, the former carrying the outside and the latter the inside
rolls; H is the main shaft on which is keyed the pinion I, which pinion
drives three shafts, the two H and H only being shewn in the sectional
elevation. It will be seen that the bolt G is not carried round with the shaft
H; J is the face plate, which is a fixture; Kis the tyre. It may not be found
necessary to drive all the inside rolls, but possibly only one, and it may be
necessary to drive all the outside rolls or only one or two of them, and perhaps
driving one of either inside or outside may be found sufficient to carry the
tyre through one pair, and thus move round the others by friction.

page_text: Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, thei
said Robert Owen, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Owen, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Owen, 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 RAILWAY WHEEL TYRES. AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Owen, 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 Seai Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately afte: the date of the said Letters Patent.
the
NOW KNOW YE that I, the said Robert Owen, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
The first part of my Invention consists in an improved method of manu-
facturing tyres of cast steel, as hereafter described. I cast an ingot of steel
inacast-iron mould, or a mould made of other suitable material, provided with
a core formed partly of loam, clay, saud, or any other suitable material, affixed
to a piece of sheet iron or other material. After this ingot leaves the mould
it is heated in a fire or furnace (the core being previously taken out). After
removal from the furnace it is hammered, the anvil and hammer being suitably
formed with grooves for the flanges, after which by a mandril, wedge, or any
other suitable incans, the opening left by the core which has become closed by
the hammering process, but not welded, is again opened, and the two halves
of the tyre are forced outwards until they attain the forin of a hoop, after
which the hoop may be haminered and then rolled, or it may be rolled
without being bammered, and thus completed. A part of the ingot is left
longer than necessary, this is for the purpose of the light, spongy, or honey-
comb material being cut off during the hammering process, when the part
intended to form the tyre will be perfectly sound.
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed I have illustrated the best

page_text: arrangement of machinery with which I am acquainied for carrying this firs
part of my Invention into effect. Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the
ingot mould, and Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same through the
line 1, 2, of Figure 1. The parts C colored in Indian ink shew the ingot
mould in two parts, and the parts coloured blue and marked D, shew the steel
ingot in its first stage of manufacture in the two-part mould, the parts of which
two-part mould are retained by hoops, bolts, keys, or any other convenient
means. The parts marked E in both Figures shew a core formed partly of
loam, clay, sand, or any other suitable material, and partly of sheet iron or
other suitable material. After the ingot is removed from the two-part mould,
it is heated in a suitable fire or furnace, the core E being previously removed.
It is then hammered by a steam or other hammer, the anvil and hammer
being suitably formed with grooves for the flanges (or it may be rolled by
suitably formed rollers), after which, by a mandril, wedge, or any other suit-
able means, the opening left by the core E, which becomes closed by the
hammering or rolling process, but not welded, is opened, and the two halves
of the tyre are forced outwards until they attain the forin of a hoop, after
which the hoop may be hammered and then rolled, or it may be rolled
without being hammered, and thus completed.
It may be remarked that steel when cast is generally brittle, and that it
requires to be worked upon by hammering or rolling, in order to develope
tenacity. The advantages gained by this method of casting are freedom from
piping or honeycomb from its perpendicular position, and the rendering of its
form suitable for the hammering or ordinary rolling process. It will be
observed that the end is left longer than necessary; this is for the purpose
of allowing the light spongy or honeycombed material, which is found more
or less in steel casting, to be cut off after the hammering or rolling process,
thus leaving the tyre sound. The Invention is not confined to casting in
the precise manner shewn; any other convenient method of casting may
be employed, provided the ingot be subsequently closed by hammering or
rolling and afterwards opened out into a hoop. This method is applicable
to all descriptions of wheel and other tyres.
The second part of my Invention consists in rolling the tyres for railway
wheels to an uniform inside and outside diameter by the simultaneous action
of inside and outside rolls, whereby they are rendered true, and boring o
turning becomes unnecessary; in the employment of more than one outside
and one inside roll made to act simultaneously or otherwise upon the tyres o
railway wheels, and in imparting motion to both inside and outside rolls
simultaneously at one operation.

page_text: Figure 3, Sheet 1, is a sectional elevation of the best arrangement of
machinery with which I am acquainted for carrying this second part of my
Invention into effect, and Figure 4, Sheet 2, is a plan of the said arrange-
ment, Figure 3 is taken through the line 1,2, of Figure 4. The small detached
Figures illustrative of details on both Sheets of the Drawings need no further
description than that written above them. A, A, A. are outside rollers which
are moved to and from the centre by screws or circular inclined planes B, B, B,
which are bolted to the movable ring C, which ring has affixed to it a toothed
segment D, working into a worm or screw E, which is keyed or otherwise
secured on one end of the shaft F; on the other end of the shaft is keyed a
toothed bevil wheel G, which works into a second toothed bevil wheel H,
which is keyed to one end of the shaft I, working in the two bearings, J, J.
at the other end of the shaft I a pulley K is keyed on, which receives motion
in the usual way by a belt, which motion is communicated to the worm E and
rack D. through the medium of the shaft and bevil toothed wheels, thus
Causing the ring C to move in the direction indicated by the three arrows
(Figure 4), carrying with it the circular inclined plaues B, B, B, thus
causing the frames L, L, L, to move towards the centre. By throwing out of
gear the bevil toothed wheel G, and throwing into gear the bevil toothed wheel
M, by the action of the clutch box N, the ring C will be caused to move the
reverse way, and bring back the frames L, L. L. O is a hand wheel, which
may be used to convey motion instead of the pulley K; the ring C is supported
by friction rollers b, b. P, P. P, are inside rollers moved to and from the
centre by the action of the cone Q, which cone is forced down by the screw
nut R; this operation will cause the frames S, S, S, carrying the rollers
P, P, P, to move outwards. When the screw nut is turned the contrary way
the spring T will force up the cone and as the cone is coupled to the
sliding frames S, S, S, by the T-headed bolts U, U, U, the frames S. S, S,
and consequently the rollers P. P, P, will be drawn inwards. Vand Viare
spindles or shafts, the former carrying the outside and the latter the inside
rollers; W is the main shaft revolving in the footstep 4, on which is keyed
the pinion W, and which pinion drives (by connection with pinions W, WI)
six shafts, the two V and V being the only ones shewn in the sectional
Drawing. It will be seen that the bolt X (shewn also in transverse section
U) is not carried round by the shaft W; Y is the face plate which is a fixture
supported by three girders a, a, a, only one of which is shewn in section; Z is
the tyre to be rolled. The shafts V and VI work in the movable footsteps c, c,
on the frame d, which is secured to the bracket e by the bolts f, f, in such
manner as to allow of its being carried to and from the centre by means of the

page_text: rack J.
and the pinion g'. The machine is driven by the usual means,
being a fast pulley and a loose one. is a spur pinion gearing into a
spur wheel on the shaft m, upon which shaft is keyed a bevel pinion »,
gearing into a bevil wheel o, keyed fast on shaft the shaft W.
I have not always found it necessary to drive all the inside rolls, but some;
times only one, and again, it is in some cases desirable to drive all the out-
side rolls, and sometimes only one or two of them. Driving one of either
inside or outside is sometimes found sufficient to carry the tyre through.
and thus give motion to the others by friction. The great novelty in this
part of the Invention is the rolling of the tyre to one uniform inside and
outside diameter by the simultaneous action of inside and outside rolls, and
also by these means rolling the tyre perfectly true, so that turning or boreing
inside or outside is rendered unnecessary.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I clain,---
First, the method of manufacturing tyres by casting an ingot of steel
with a longitudinal slit, hammering or rolling the said ingot, then opening,
it out into a hoop, and finally hammered, or rolled, or both, into a finished
tyre as herein-before described.
Secondly, rolling tyres for railway wheels to an uniform inside and out-
side diameter by the simultaneous action of inside and outside rolls; also
the employment of more than one outside and one inside roll made to act
simultaneously or otherwise upon the tyre; and the method of imparting
motion to both inside and outside rolls simultaneously at one operation, all
as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the several arrangements and combinations of machinery herein-
before described for carrying the first and second parts of my Invention
into effect.
In witness wherof, I, the said Robert Owen, have hereunto set iny
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight.
.
ROBERT OWEN. (L.S.)