the preparing and spinning of cotton, flax, and other fibrous substances.-Sealed October 20, 1842.-(Six months.)

JAMES PALMER BUDD, of Ystalyfera Iron Works, Swansea, Merchant, for improvements in the manufacture of iron.-Sealed October 20, 1842.-(Six months.)

WILLIAM LONGMAID, of Plymouth, Accountant, for improvements in treating ores and other minerals, and in obtaining various products therefrom, certain parts of which improvements are applicable to the manufacture of alkali.-Sealed August 20, 1842.—(Six months.)

JAMES STATHAM, of West-street, Saint Giles, Venetian Lock-maker, for improvements in the construction of locks for Venetian blinds used in carriages.-Sealed October 20, 1842.—(Six months.)

GILBERT CLAUDE ALZARD, of Tichborne-street, Gentleman, for certain improvements in bread, biscuits, macaroni, vermicelli, and pastry, and the mode of making the same. Sealed October 22, 1842.-(Six months.)

GEORGE HAZELDINE, of Lant-street, Borough, Coachmanufacturer, for certain improvements in omnibuses.Sealed October 27, 1842.-(Six months.)

JAMES GARDNER, of Banbury, Oxon, Ironmonger, for improvements in cutting hay, straw, and other vegetable matters for the food of animals.-Sealed October 27, 1842.-(Six months.)

JOHN MULLINS, of Battersea, Surgeon, for improvements in making oxides of metals, in separating silver and other metals from their compounds with other metals, and in making white lead, sugar of lead, and other salts of lead, and salts of other metals.-Sealed October 27, 1842.-(Six Months.)

ROWLAND WILLIAMS, of Manchester, Fustian Shearer, for certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for raising, shearing, and finishing velvets or other piled goods by power.—Sealed October 27, 1842.—(Six months.)

Macintosh, Printer, Great New-street, London.

THE

REPERTORY

OF

PATENT INVENTIONS.

No. CVIII. NEW SERIES.-DECEMBER, 1842.

Specification of the Patent granted to JOHN OLIVER YORK, of Upper Coleshill-street, Eaton-square, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for Improvements in Railway Axles and Wheels.-Sealed December 21, 1841.

WITH AN ENGRAVING.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c., &c.— My invention relates, First, to a mode of making hollow axles for railway carriages.

Secondly, my invention relates to a mode of making wheels for railway carriages.

Thirdly, my invention relates to a mode of bending the tyre of railway wheels; and,

Fourthly, my invention relates to hardening the working surfaces of the wrought-iron tyre of railway wheels, in order to render them more durable. And in order that my invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me in carrying out my invention.

Description of the Drawings.

Fig. 1, represents an axle of a railway carriage conNo. CVIII.-VOL. XVIII.

G G

structed according to my invention, one end being in section.

Fig. 2, shows an end view or transverse section of two bent plates of iron, which being welded together, form a tube, a, a (see fig. 3), which represents one end of such tube, the other end being similar. On to this tube, at each end, is to be placed the two bent plates, b, b, and retained by a hoop, c. These bent plates, b, are to give strength to the necks or parts, d, d, of the axle, which are keyed into the wheels. At each end of the two bent plates, a, a, of which the axle is composed, there is a hoop, e, placed, as is shown at fig. 3. The parts, a, b, c, and e, being thus combined, are to be welded and forged into the figure or shape shown at fig. 1; and I perform such welding by hammering and using suitable hollow tools or swages, as is well understood by forgemen. The hoops, c, e, producing the parts, c', e', of the axle, and the additional bent plates, b, produce the greater substance of the axle, as is shown at d. And I would state that, when desired, I make the ends of the axles which turn in the bearings of cast steel.

I will now describe the second part of my invention, which relates to a mode of applying wood between the iron felloe and the tyre of railway wheels, and in such manner that the part of the wood which composes the ring being made wedge-shaped, or having inclined surfaces, they may by sliding against other inclined surfaces cause the diameter of the wood ring to be increased, and thus tighten the tyre.

Fig. 4, shows a wheel constructed according to this part of my invention.

Fig. 5, is a section.

Fig. 6, shows some of the parts on a larger scale, and in section.

Fig. 7, shows a transverse section of some of the parts on a similar scale to those in fig. 6. f,f, shows the spokes, nave, and felloe of the wheel, which may

be of cast or wrought-iron, and the construction and arrangement of spokes may be varied: this part of my invention relating only to the mode of applying wood between the felloe and tyre, and not to the construction of the iron parts of the wheels. g, g, is the railway tyre.

I would remark, that there is a groove formed in the interior of the tyre of the width of the wood ring, and a similar groove is formed in the periphery of the felloe. Within these grooves the wood ring is securely held, as is shown in the section, fig. 7. h, h, are some of the portions of the wood ring between the felloe and the tyre and i, i, are the other portions of the ring of wood; and it will be seen that each portion of wood, h, and i, has inclined surfaces, so that when moved the ring or circle they form will be enlarged in diameter. j, j, are plates of iron let into the ends of the blocks of wood, i, there being female screws formed through such plates, and which screws have a right and left hand thread, so that when the screw is turned in one direction, the wedges or inclined surfaces of wood are forced to move. In the centre of the screw is a collar, a, which has holes in its periphery for the purpose of inserting a pin, for moving the screw, and thus to expand the wooden ring. The screw is prevented from movement when the wheel is in use, by a pin, b, being either screwed through the felloe or merely passed through a hole in the felloe, and held in its place by a split cotter or key, as is shown in figures 6, 7, or the parts of the wood ring of the wheel may be separated, and the ring expanded by other means. The portions of the wood ring, h, h, are secured to the felloe and to the tyre by means of the screw-bolts, as is shown. In putting the parts of this wheel together, the ring of wood is to be placed round the felloe, and then the tyre is to be placed thereon without heating the same. The parts, i, i, of the wood ring are then to be caused to move from each other by the screws or by other suitable means,

which will enlarge the diameter of the wood ring, and thus securely hold the tyre, and the screw-bolts, k, will retain the parts, h, from moving during the expanding of the wood ring.

I would remark, that in place of having the parts of the wood ring for a wheel with inclined surfaces, such as I have described above, the wood ring may have inclined surfaces formed on the inner edges, as is shown at figures 8 and 9; and the side plates, k, k, being drawn together, and having other inclined surfaces, will cause the wood ring of the wheel to expand, and thus securely hold the tyre. The wheel, figures 8 and 9, is shown to consist of two side plates, k, k, the nature of which is clearly shown in the drawing, such plates being combined together by means of the screws and nuts, l, l; the ring of wood, m, being in several pieces, and having inclined surfaces resting within the inclined groove or channel formed by the inclined surfaces at the outer circumference of each of the side plates, k; hence, when those plates are drawn closer together, the wood, m, will be caused to expand in consequence of the inclined surfaces, k', k', forcing the wood ring outwards. In all cases I prefer to have a groove in the interior of the tyre to receive the wood ring, as is shown in the figures now under description, as well as in those before described; at the same time I would remark, that such groove is not absolutely necessary. I would remark in respect to this part of my invention, that I do not confine myself to the precise form of the parts of the wood ring, so long as such parts are wedgeshaped or have inclined surfaces, which being moved in respect to other inclined surfaces, will cause the wood ring to be expanded, so as by enlarging the diameter of the wood ring to hold the tyre; for it will be evident that such means of constructing wood rings of parts may be varied, and yet retain the peculiar property of expanding the diameter of the ring, by having inclined surfaces, as explained.