264 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[AUGUST>^ 



dentcKl ends, so that they will interlock, and give support to each other, 

 and be prevented from getting out of one continuons line. Secondly, 

 improvcmrnls in machinery for makng tiles for draining. Thirdly, for 

 giving to machinery, for making tiles for draining, a locomotive progression, 

 fcy the act of working the machinery itself; so that the workman, standing 

 by the machine, may deliver the tiles, as they are made, on shelves, racks, 

 or surfaces, to dry. Fourthly, mprovemcnis in machinery for making 

 tiles for draining, by pressing the material through dies or orifices. Fifthly, 

 for making tubular tiles for draining, one within the other ; and. sixthly, in 

 manufacturing tiles for draining, by pressing peat into suitable forms, in or 

 jjpon moulds, or through moulding orifices. 



EAILWAT WHEELS AND CARRIAGE SPRINGS. 



John Bower Brown, of Sheffield, merchant and manufacturer, for " Im- 

 f<rovements in combining cast steel with iron, and in the cottstruction of carriage 

 springs."— Granted Oct. 10, 1844; Enrolled April 1845. 



This invention relates first to improvements in combining cast steel with 

 iron for railway tyre, and secondly to the construction of carriage springs. 

 The first improvement is for combining cast steel with iron for bars of rail- 

 ■Bay wheels, for this purpose the inventor takes a block of iron of such weight 

 together with the steel as » ill make the tire of a wheel — the iron is heated to 

 nearly the point of fusion and then placed in a cast-iron mould of sufficient 

 depth to receive the iron and steel combined, immediately the iron has been 

 put into the mould it is clamped and then the steel already melted in cruci- 

 bles is poured in, by this process the steel and iron is combined in one mass 

 it is then drawn cut into a bar and afterwards passed between grooved rollers 

 cf the form of the tyre ; by this combination the inventor says that railway 

 tyre will be of a superior character to the tyre made by welding steel to 

 iron. 



The second part of the invention relates to springs for carriages made up 

 cf a series of plates moving or sliding on each other. The improvements con- 

 sists in forming channels, grooves or recesses in the surfaces of the plates to 

 contain grease or other lubricating matter, which will gradually work out 

 from these grooves as the springs are used by the sliding action of the plates. 

 Ihese grooves or recesses are formed in the plates when they are rolled, and 

 ivhen they are put together to form a spring the lubricating material is placed 

 in the grooves or recess. Another part of the invention is for forming car- 

 riage springs of two widths of plates, instead of having all the plates of one 

 width— lor railway purposes, supposing the spring is to consist of plates 3 

 inclies w ide, the inventor uses other and narrower plates of 2 inches wide, and 

 in making up a spring he introduces a narrow plate between each two wide 

 plates, hence the spring will not have so much extent of rubbing surfaces 

 between the plates as w hen all are of one width. The claims are— first for the 

 mode of combining cast sleel with iron when manufacturing railway tyre; 

 secondly for constructing carriage springs by forming grooves or recesses in 

 the plates as herein described, and also by combining plates of different 

 widths. 



ALLOYS OF METALS. 

 Alexander Paekes, of Birmingham, Artist, for " Improi'emenis in the 

 ^lamtfaciurc of certain alloys or combinations of metals, and in depositing certain 

 5«e/a/s,— Granted October 29, 1845 ; Enrolled April, 1844. 



These improvements relate, first, to five different combinations or alloys of 

 metals, to produce white or pale-coloured alloy. 



The first alloy consists of foreign zinc, tin, iron and copper. For 100 lbs. 

 take 33i lb. "foreign zinc," 64 lbs. tin, 1| lb. iron, and 2J lbs. copper; or 

 50 lbs. foreiga zinc, 48 lbs. tin, 1 lb. iron, and 3 lbs. copper, or any interme- 

 diate proportion of zinc and copper. To combine these metals, the iron and 

 copper are first melted together in a crucible, in a casting furnace ; and while 

 in a fused state, the tin is added in such quantities at one time, that the iron 

 and copper shall not become solid ; the zinc is then added, and the whole 

 combined by stirring them together. The flux recommended is 1 part 

 lime, 1 part of Cumberland ore, and 3 parts of sal ammoniac by weight. The 

 alloy may be cast in sand or ingots for rolling. 



The second alloy consists of " foreign zinc," tin, and antimony, either with 

 or without arsenic. For 100 lbs. take 66 lbs. zinc, 32^ lbs. tin, 3-j lbs. anti- 

 mony ; or, 79j lbs. zinc, lOi lbs. tin, and 2| lbs. antimony, or any interme- 

 diate proporlion. The metals are melted in an iron or clay vessel, with the 

 ordinary black flux ; and when well combined, the alloy is cast into an ingot 

 or mould, when for sheets it is rolled 'cold. For sheathing of ships or vessels, 

 to the above quantities, from 8 to 16 ozs. of metal arsenic is added to the 

 100 lbs. of alloy. 



The third alloy consists of forign zinc, copper, iron, and nickel, so pro- 

 rortioned to produce a white metal as a substitute for German silver, which 

 is effected by first combining the iron and nickel in_certain proportions, equal 



quantities are preferred; but it is essential that these tivo metals be first 

 combined, Kr.d then the cojiper; rnd then the zinc added, or the com- 

 bination of copper and zinc maybe added. For 1001b. take 45* of alloy 

 nickel and iron in equal proportions, 43^ lb. of copper, and lOi lbs. of zinc ; 

 or 3O7 lbs. alloy of nickel and iron in equal proportions, 46 lbs. copper, 

 and 261 5 lbs. zinc, or any intermediate proportion of the copper and zinc. 



The fourth alloy consists of nickel, silver, and copper, either alone or in 

 combination with zinc or other metals. The proportions will depend for what 

 the alloy is required ; either of the two following are useful, and little ox- 

 idized by the atmosphere— 601b. copper, 601b. nickel, and 201b. silver; or 

 60 lbs. copper, 10 lb. copper, 10 lb. silver, 'and 201b. zinc. The copper and 

 nickel are first melted together, with or without flux, a flux is preferred. 

 When the two metals are melted, the other are added toge.hcr or separately. 

 The alloy may be poured into ingots fur rolling, or cast into sand. 



The fifth alloy consists of nickel, iron, and copper. For 100 lb. take 25 lbs. 

 nickel, 25 lb. iron, 50 lb. copper ; or 15 lb. nickel, 25 lb. iron, and 60 lb. 

 copper. The iron and nickel is preferred to be melted together, first with 

 either of the fluxes before described, and then the copper added. This alloy 

 is stated to be a new conductor of heat. 



The other improvements relate to the depositing of metals, by employing 

 salts, or compound salts, of the metal rendered liquid by heat or fusion, 

 together or in connexion with electric currents. The salts found most advan- 

 tageous are iodides, chlorides, and phosphates, and generally those capable 

 of holding metals when in a fused state, and also salts in combination with 

 other salts, avoiding the use of those salts which will decompose the sails of 

 the melals employed, as for example ; iodides of gold and silver may be used 

 alone, or ccmbine:! v. ilh iodide of potassium or sodium, or with hyposul- 

 phites. The process found most preferable for silvering is the following : 

 6 lbs. of the clilori'Ie of silver is fused in a vessel; when fluid, a plate of 

 silver is suspended in it, in connexion with the negative pole of an electrical 

 apparatus, and the article tube silvered to the positive pole, where it will 

 soon become coated with silver, or 6 lbs, of the iodide of silver is fused as 

 above. If to this compound of silver it be desired to add other salts, the 

 iodide of potassium is preferred, in the proportion of 31b, to 10 lbs. thereof 

 to 61b. of the iodide of silver, and sometimes [one to two pounds of 

 tlie iodide of mercury or copper to 6 lbs. of the iodide of silver. For gilding 

 take 2O0Z. of iodide of gold, and 80 ozs. of either the iodide of potassium 

 or sodium, and adopt the same process as described for silvering. The pro- 

 cess applied to other metals is the same as for silvering, with the exception 

 of the salts to be employed, and is applicable, with the salts of platinum, 

 copper, or zinc. Tlie claim for this part of the invention is " for the deposi- 

 tion of metals, by electric currents from their salts when in a state of fusion, 

 and whether used separately or combined with other salts." 



CORRUGATED IRON ROOFS. 



John Spencer, Agent of the Phoenix Iron Works, West Bromwich, 

 Staffordshire, for ^^ Improvements in mamtfacluring or preparing plates of iron 

 or otlier metal for roofing and other purposes to ichich the same may be applica- 

 ble."— GranleiX 23rd Nov., 1844: Enrolled May, 1845.— fSfe Plate XX.J 



The improvements relate to the manufacturing corrugated sheets or plates 

 of metal with greater facility, and at less cost than th.^ present processes, by 

 passing the plates eilher warm or cold, between flutuil rollers, as shewn in 

 fig. 1, which is a section of a pair of fluted rollers ; and for the purpose of 

 giving the plates an arched form, they are passed between rollers, as shown 

 in fig. 2. a, a, are two plain rollers, and, b, a grooved roller ; these rollers 

 can be adjusted in the frame, c, and the groove in the roller, b, are made to 

 correspond with the corrugations m the plate. 



DISTILLATION OF TURPENTINE AND TAR. 



William Oxley English; of Hull, distiller, for " Improvements in the diS' 

 tilling of turpentine and tar and rectijijing volatile spirits and oils." — Granted 

 Nov. 25, 1844 ; Enrolled May, 1845. 



This invention consists in distilling turpentine and tar and rectifying the 

 spirits from turpentine and tar and other volatile spirits and essential oils at 

 a low temperature, by withdrawing the atmospheric pressure by an air pump 

 applied to the top of the retort, worm, or receiver. By this application the 

 spirit will flow over at a lower temperature than when distilled by the ordi- 

 nary plan. 



AXLE-TREES. 



George Milichap, of Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, for " Im- 

 provements in the construction of axle-trees."— Gi3.TAei November 25, 1841 ; 

 Enrolled May 1845.— f^e Plate XX.) 



The object of the invention is for the obtaining greater security in prevent- 

 ing wheels coming off aile-trees,;^aiid^consists in so applying screws to axle- 



