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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rrata to selure, 1 a J 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^ Complhnetits of The Association of Manufact of Chilled Car Wheels. urers t ^ ' $ Cast Iron Chilled Car Wheels 9 Mode of manufacture and relations they bear to economy in railway practice The Association of Manufacturers of Chilled Car Wheels lS(;5 'I lie following- jirficle luis hccii carcfullv piv- parcd by the Svvwfdvy of the Association of Man- uFactiirers of CIijII.mI Car Wlioels, at the rfM,uest of rhc Association at its last Animal Mcetino-, and liaving til.' endorscnKMit of the Kxcciitive Conmiit- t^ote that "when certa.ii kinds of gray cast iron are melted and poured against a metallic mould, that portion of the iron next to the mould becomes hard, white, crysfcalline and brittle, while the interior portion remains gray and more or less tough and fibrous. This conver- sion of the iron that comes in contact with the metallic mould, into the hard white variety, is called 'chilling,' and it is upon this principle that the manufacture of chilled car wheels depends. This property of chilling, which certain irons pos- sess, must have been known to iron founders at an early day, for we have evidence of the fact that parts of plows, faces of forge hammers, punches for punching holes in wagon tires, rolls for rolling IMMi 8 metal, and various other implements were chilled, long before the manufacture of car wheels." As the early mode of smelting iron ores was with charcoal, it follows undoubtedly that chilled castings and chilled car wheels were originally made exclusively from charcoal irons; and al- though later developments have demonstrated that, under certain conditions, coke or anthracite irons possess this property of chilling to a certain ex- tent, they have not come into sufficient prominence for us to consider them as important factors in this ])ranch of manufacture; so that to produce the best results we may consider the m^ of char- coal iron as indispensable. All irons do not ])os- sess the property of chilling, and many that do possess it are not well adapted for use because of characteristics which would render the wheels made from them unreliable. Noting, then, this peculiar property of chill- ing, it is obvious that the plates and hub of the wheel must be cast in a saiul mould, the result k 9 being that they are soft enough to be bored or machined, while the tread is so hard rhat the finest tempered file will not affect it. What, then, is this peculiar property of chilling ? The supposi- tion is that the chemical difference between the chilled portion of a v/heel and the plates or hub is simply in the proportion of combined and free or graphitic carbon, that of the chilled part being high in combined carbon, the free or graphitic having been changed to combined by the rapid cooling of the tread by reason of being cast against a metallic mould, technically called a chill. This rapid cooling of the tread of the wheel — the metallic mould in which it is cast being a good conductor of heat, whilst the sand mould against which the hub and plates are cast is a poor conductor — causes an undue strain upon the wheel, which must be relieved in some manner or the wheel would be unfit for service. The earliest form of wheel was of the ordin- 10 ary Hat spoke pattern, with the hub separated longitudinally in three places, thus relieving this strain, and preventing the arms or spokes breaking in cooling. The separation of the hub necessitated its being bandrd with a wrought iron band before the wheel was keyed on the axle. With the adoption of the form of pattern such as is used to-day, whether the Bush & Lob- # "► f 11 dell, Eddy, or At wood- Washburn, Double Plate, the Hollow or Solid Spoke or the Single Plate, came the necessity for some mode of slow cooling or annealing. Probably the first method prac- ticed was to take the wheels from the moulds in w^hich they were cast as soon as the iron w^as set, and cover them up in hot sand or ashes and allow them to remain several days until nearly cold. Another was to lay them on the floor and build a fire around the tread so as to bring the tempera- ture of the tread up to that of the hub and plates, and then allow them to cool slowly. To a certain extent both of these methods accomplished the desired results, and were probably sufficient for the requirements of the times in which they were practiced. The latest and probably the best plan is to place the wheels, as soon as they can be removed from the moulds, in tight pits lined with fire-brick or some other substance that will stand the heat, ten or more in each pit. The equilibrium of heat ! ■»""» **^mm 12 BuSir AND LOIJDELL DoL IJLE PlATE WhEEL. Atwood- Washburn Doubi.e Plate AVjieel. 4 Single Plate Wheel. 9 13 Hollow JSpoke Wheel. ■;i 4 Solid Spoke Wheel. iVMW 14 between the tread and plates and litib, whicli has been destroyed ])y the rapid cooling of the tread by reason of the chilling process, is then restored, either by the development of latent heat, which occurs wdien so many hot wheels are confined in tight pits, to an extent sr.lllcient to equalize the temperature of the different parts of the wheel ; or by passing a current of cold air through the hubs of the wheels, which nipidly reduces the temperature of the centre of tlie wheel until it ap- proximates that of the tread ; or by having the pits heated before the wheels are placed therein, and then by the application of additional heat rapidly raising the temperature of the tread until it approximates that of the plates and hub. The wheels are allowed to remain in the pits several days and are not removed until all tendency to fracture from strain has been removed. From this hasty resume of the mode of manu- facture, it is obvious that to insure a thoroughly safe and reliable wheel, great care must be taken in the i> # 4 15 selection and manipulation of the material used, as well as in the treatment of the wheel after it is cast ; indeed, so well is this known, that the manufacture of chilled car-wheels is considered as entirely separate from ordinary foundry practice, and is carried on in establishments especially adapted to the work. The efficiency of cast-iron chilled wheels depends upon their strength and wearing qualities. If the specifications and physical tests formulated by expert mechanical engineers and adopted by the most prom- inent railroads of the country—and which are now much more severe and exacting than those first formulated— can be taken as the maximum required to meet the conditions of the increase in speed and weight of equipment of the present time, then ihe limit of strength of cast-iron wheels has not been reached, as they are successfully met by all reputable manufacturers ; and as long as charcoal irons can be produced approximating 35,000 to 40,000 pounds tensile strength per square inch, it is not likely that the limit of strength will be exhausted until the '.^1 r 16 speed and weight of equipment is increased beyond anything now contemplated. Assuming, then, that cast-iron chilled wheels meet all the requirements of the physical test and specifications as to strength and depth and character of chill, we have yet to consider their wearing qualities. We have seen that the chilling process has trans- formed the iron in the tread of the wheel from a soft, dark-colored metal with a semi-fibrous fracture, into a metal white in color, hard in character, and with a crystalline fracture. If a proper mixture is used, this chilled iron is harder than any steel that can be safely used in a tire, and consequently, under favor- able conditions of service, should give excellent mileage results, — instances being numerous where a mileage of 200,000, in some cases 300,000 miles has been obtained from 80- and 33-in'ch chilled wheels. These results cannot, however, be produced with the use of inferior irons, and they are not one of the con- ditions resulting from this era of extreme low prices. \^ ♦ f f 17 The separation of the iron in the tread of a wheel into crystals by this peculiar process called chilling, should indicate that although it provided a wearing surface of extreme hardness, yet under cer- tain conditions of service its peculiar cryslalline structure would render it liable to defects not appli- cable to a metal of the structure of wrought-iron or steel. Such defects as are incident to improper manu- facture, and for which the manufacturers are un- doubtedly liable, we will not here refer to. We wish, however, to call attention to such defects as are inci- dent to the service, and to impress upon railroad officials the importance of guarding against them as much as possible. Probably more serious defects occur in cast-iron wheels from the excessive use of the brake than from all the other causes combined. Excessive heat will destroy the life of the " chill." If by any process it is continued to a " red heat " point, it eventually transforms the crystalline structure back into the mmmf 18 semi-fibrous. The application of the brakes, when severe enough to slide the wheel any considerable length of time, results in the heating of the tread at that particular point to such a temperature that a separation of the crystals composing the chill occurs, as can be noticed by fine fire cracks on the surface ; fur- ther service results in a disintegration and shattering out of these crystals. As a result, shelled-out spots occur ; such spots being readily distinguished by their ragged, cuppy appearance, and the absence of a high point in the center (like the defect termed a blotch, for which the manufacturer is generally held liable), tread of the wheel is broken through these spots, the chill will be found to be dis- colored by the heat to a deep violet color, which discoloration can be produced in no other way. That this peculiarity was not thoroughly under stood by many railway officials is evident, as, until lately, in many instances they claimed that this was a defect for which manufacturers were liable. The sliding of chilled wheels results not only in I * * 19 P f 1 the disintegration and shattering out of the chill, but, by expanding the tread, in cracked plates and brackets, and other defects whic!. necessitate the re- moval of the wheel. If the application of the brake could be more carefully regulated, the life and safety of the wheel would be increased one hundred per cent., and many thousand dollars saved to those who use them. Whilst the efficiency of chilled wheels may in a measure depend upon the shape and form of the pat- tern from which they are made, it is not the purpose of this article to enumerate and describe the dif/erent patterns of wheels used, although it might be interes- ting to know that between the years 1849 and 1860 there were no less than eighty-eight patents granted (how many refused is not known) for alleged improve- ments in the form of patterns of cast-iron wheels. The original double plate wheel, as invented by the late George G. Lobdell in 1838, and the modification of it later into the Atwood-Washburn pattern, and the hollow and solid spoke wheel, practically remain 20 the patterns in use to-day ; and it is worthy of note that manufacturers of steel tired wheels in their pat- terns have followed very clcsely the same shape or design. From the fact that cast-iron chiHed wheels are universfally used on the railroads of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba and South America under engines and tenders, passenger and freight cars, running on frst express trains as well as heavy freight trains, and on roads of heavy grades and sharp curves, under all conditions of service and ex- posed to the greatest extremes of temperature, is it not positive proof that they possess as many elements of safety as any other kind of wheel ? Any exception to this would only be in individual cases and not in general results. The object and aim of the manufacturers of cast- iron chilled wheels have been to meet every ro^f?^ft^ ; ^ ■ '*"*'} msKet^-. TK-^-imm 24 tion was effected at a meeting held at Minneapolis, Minn., June 16th, 1887, at which the Hon. W. H. Barnum vas elected President, J. H. Bass, Vice- President, W. W. Lobdell, Secretary, N. P. Bowler, Treasurer ; with an Executive Committee consisting of W. W. Snow, John R. Whitney, K S. Bouton, F. J. Hecker and E. B. Tippett. It was the province of these gentlemen to confer with the Master Me- chanics and Master Car Builders Association on the subject of mileage and physical test, and upon a re- quest from our Association the two Railwav Associa- tions appointed a special conference committee to meet with our committee and formulate, as far as practicable, specifications for a uniform guarantee and physical test. The joint Committee met at Baffalo, N. Y., May 30ih, 1888. the railroad interest being represented by such able men as Messrs. Lauder, Kirby, and Stevens. They were in session all day, and every point bearing on the subject was thoroughly discussed; the result was the unanimous adoption of the following, which 1 i 25 4 < was recommended to each organization for their adoption and approval " A JOINT meeting of the conference committees of the American Railway Master Mechanics and the Master Car Builders Associations, and the Executive Committee of the Association of Manufacturers of Chilled Car Wheels, was held at the Genesee House, Buffalo, New York, at 10.30 A.M., May 30th, 1888. The following mem- bers were present : Messrs. Lauder, Kirby, and Stev- ens, of the railroad committees, and Messrs. Barnum, Bowler, Hecker, Lobdell, Snow, and Whitney, of the wheel-makers association. On motion, Mr. W. H. Barnum was called to the chair, and Mr. Lobdell acted as secretary. On motion, the specifications for chilled cast-iron wheels, as recommended by the Executive Committee of the wheel-makers association, were taken up for consideration. After a full discussion of the same,— each article being acted on separately, the following was, on motion, adopted, and was recommended by I li 26 the joint committee to the associations named above for their consideration and adoption. Specifications for Cast-Iron Wheels. 1. The chills in which the wheels of any one wheel maker are cast shall be of equal diameters, and the same chill must not vary at different points more than one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, 2. There shall not be a variation of more than one-half inch in the circumference of any given num- ber of wheels of the same nominal diameter, furnished by any one maker, and the same wheel must not vary more than one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. The body of the wheel must be smooth and free from slag or blow-holes. The tread must be free from deep and irregular wrinkles, slag, chill cracks, and sweat or beads in the throat which are one-eighth of an inch or over in diameter, or which occur in clusters of more than six inches in length. 3. The wheels broken must show clean, gray iron in the plates; the depth of pure white iron must 3 27 not exceed seven-eighths of an inch or be less than three-eighths of an inch in the middle of the tread, nnd shall not be less than three-sixteenths of an inch in the throat. The depth of the white iron shall not vary more than one-fourth of an inch around the tread on the rail line in the same wheel. 4. For each hundred wheels which pass inspec- tion and are ready for shipment, one representative wheel shall be taken at random, and subjected to the following test : The wheel shall be placed flange downward on an anvil block weighing not less than seventeen hun- dred (1,700) pounds, set on rubble masonry at least two feet deep, and having three supports not more than five inches wide for the wheel to rest upon. It shall be struck centrally on the hub by a weight of one hundred and forty (140) pounds, falling from a height of twelve (12) feet. Should this wheel stand five (5) blows without breaking into two or more pieces, the hundred wheels shall be accepted. Or, wheels must be of such strength that 550 to 28 575 pound wheels shall require twenty (20) blows, and 575 to 600 pound wheels shall require thirty (30) blows of a hundred (100) pound drop falling seven (7) feet on the plate close to the rim to break a piece out, — the wheel resting upon a cast-iron plate weighing not less than one thousand (1,000) pounds. 5. Should in either case the test wheel break into two or more pieces with less than the required number of blov/js, then a second wheel shall be taken from the same lot and similarly tested. If the second wheel stands the test, it shall be optional with the inspector whether he shall test a third wheel or not. If he does not so elect, — or if he does, and the third wheel stands the test, the hundred wheels shall be accepted. The above tests shall apply to standard weight wheels from 26 inches to 42 inches diameter, used on standard guage roads. 6. Wheels shall not vary from the specified weight more than two per cent. ' 29 7. The flange shall not vary in the same wheel more than three-thirty-seconds of an inch from its mean thickness. 8. The single plate part of a 33-inch wheel, known as the Washburn pattern, shall not be less than five-eighths of an inch in thickness in a wheel weighing from 550 co 575 pounds, and not less than three-fourths of an inch in thickness in a wheel weighing from 575 to 600 pounds. Guarantee. Unfits f nd^ntur^t made this 18 by and between of the first part, and - day of party -, party of the second part, n)ttne$$ct(t - l.—The party of the first part hereby agrees to furnish to the party of the second part, free on board cars at , chilled cast-iron wheels, inches in diameter, under the following conditions : 2.— The party of the second part hereby agrees to pay to the party of the first part dollars 30 for each wheel furnished, and to keep an accurate record of the mileage made by the wheels pk.ced in service under cars in passenger equipment and under locomotives and tenders, and an accurate record of the number of months of service of the wheels placed in service under cars in freight equipment. 3. — The party of the second part hereby agrees that when any wheel furnished under this contract is scrapped, to furnish to the party of the first part a statement which will show 1. — The wheel number. 2. — The service in which the wheel ran. 3. — The amount of service in months or miles. 4. — The cause of failure. 5. — A charge against the party of the first part of fifty-fiv^ per cent, of the price of the wheel when mentioned above. 6. — A credit to the party of the first part of cents per 1,000 miles for 36'' passenger equipment, 31 A credit to the party of the first part of cents per 1,000 miles for 33'' passenger equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of cents per 1,000 miles for 30'' passenger equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of • cents per 1,000 miles for 36" locomotive and tender equipment. A credit to the party of the first part of ■ cents per 1,000 miles for 33'' locomotive and tender equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of ■ cents per 1,000 miles for 30" locomotive and tender equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of ■ cents per 1,000 miles for 28" locomotive and tender equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of cents per 1,000 miles for 26 locomotive and tender equipment. // ..•«o^»«MMmMi 82 A credit to the party of the first part of cents per month for 36'' freight equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of cents per month for 33" freight equipment, A credit to the party of the first part of cents per month for 30" freight equipment. Except in the case of wheels made flat by sliding, or removal for sharp flanges or other unfair treatment, which have not made sufficient service to balance the charge against the party of the first part as above ; in such case a service credit shall be made which shall bal- ance the charge. 4.— The party of the first part hereby agrees on presentation of the statement above men- tioned, to pay to the party of the second piirt any balance due from lack of sufficient service on the part 33 of the wheels (with above exceptions) to balance the charge ; and the party of the second part hercoy agrees to pay to the party of the first part any bal- ance due as shown by the aforesaid statement,— settle- ments to be made quarterly. It is, however, under- stood and agreed that no credit shall be allowed for excess of mileage for time service on freight wheels beyond the time guaranteed. 5.— The party of the second part hereby agrees to hold subject to the inspection of the party of the first part, for a period of thirty days after the said statement has been rendered, any wheels (with above exceptions) which have not earned for themselves a credit equal to the amount charged against them. 6.— It is understood that the basis for settlement shall be as follows : 36 inch passenger wheels . 70,000 miles. 33 inch passenger wheels . 60,000 miles. 36 inch engine and tender wheels ....... 60,000 miles. 34 33 inch engine and tender wheels 50,000 miles. 80 inch engine and tender wheels 45,000 miles. 26 and 28 inch engine and tender wheels .... 40,000 miles. Refrigerator, through line and cattle cars .... 24 months. All other freight cars . . 48 months. On motion the meeting adjourned. < riethod of Computing Cost of Wheel Service. In adjusting the price at which a scrap wheel should be charged back to the maker, either for the purpose of charging the short mileage or crediting the excess over the guarantee, it is understood that forty-five per cent, of the price at which the wheel is sold would represent its value as old material, and fifty-five per cent, would represent the actual cost to the railroad company. \ i i 35 Now suppose, for illustration, that a 83-inch passenger car wheel, weighing from 550 to 560 pounds, and guaranteed for 60,000 miles service, is sold for Sll. When that wheel is scrapped, 55 per cent, of its first cost, or $6.05, is charged back to the maker. As an offset to this charge, the maker re- ceives a credit for the service that the wheel has per- formed. On the foregoing basis of price, the rate of credit is ascertained by dividing S6.05, the actual cost of the wh?el to the railroad company, by 60,- 000, the guaranteed mileage,— making 10.083 cents per 1,000 miles of service ; at this rate, if the wheel made but 50,000 miles, the maker's credit would he 50 times 10.083 cents, or $5.04. As the wheel cost the railroad company $6.05, according to the terms of the contract the maker would have to pay the dif- ference between $6.05 and $5.04, the amount of ser- vice performed, or $1.01. Any excess of mileage that the railroad company had to pay the wheel maker would be computed on the same basis." wnni 36 At the time these specifications were formulated, 1.00 was considered a fair price for a 33 inch pas- senger car wheel, guaranteed for 00,000 miles. It is not an arbitrary price, but is used only to illustrate the method. The actual price paid for the new wheel would, of course, be used in ascertaining the cost per thou- sand miles, and the amount to be charged for de- ficient mileage. The specification of this joint Conference Com- mittee was immediately endorsed and accepted by the Association of Manufacturers of Chilled Car Wheels, and at the annual meeting of the American Railway Master Mechanics Association, held at Thousand Islands, June 19th, 1888, they were adopted without any change whatever, except in the order of arrange- ment of the several clauses. The Master Car Builders Association did not take final action on them until their annual meeting held at Saratoga, N. Y., June 25th, 1889, when they were adopted in the main, with but slight changes. < w 87 The Associalioii lias irasoii to extend its coii- gnitiilatioiis t(, railroad omdals as well as to its own members, on tl.e result of its labors in this direction. There is nuich .n.)re iinilornn'ty in the matter of giiar- iintvo and physical test, and the acceptance by the several associations of the recomnKMidation of the joint (bn.mitteehas .iriven a basis upon which the replace- ment of defective wheels can be and has been equit- ably adjusted, and is conclusive evidence that whilst railroad officials have the right to expect that the mileage guarantee of wheels shall be made good, they are willing t,) admit that manufacturers are entitled to compeusaiion for mal(M-ial fiifuished, and in mat- ters <,f replacement are disposed to allow <'redit for actual mileage made. This is all that manufacturers can ask for, and justiiies them in their expectation that the <-ouHdeuc(> and courtesy which have been ex- tend(M| t(, them by railroad officials through numy years of business interconrs(> in the past, will be con tinned in the future, KK^^^^^^f m •y-«-» I itr-iiMMifiifr w^mwammmstm^-i' I ARTHUR K. TAYLOR A CO., PRINTERS, WILMINGTON, DEL.