IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STOPPING LEAKS IN BOILER TUBES AND OTHER TUBES OR PIPES.
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the
Com-
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th October 1882.
municated to him from abroad by William Franklyn Thompson of San
Francisco in the County of San Francisco and State of California, United
States of America.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
STOPPING LEAKS IN BOILER TUBES AND OTHER TUBES OR PIPES.' [Communicated
to him from abroad by William Franklyn Thompson of San Francisco in the
County of San Francisco and State of California, United States of America]
The object of this Invention is to provide for readily and conveniently stopping
the leaks in the tubes of boilers or other pipes by means that will not materially
interfere with the draft of the tube by reducing the area, nor diminish the heating
surface of the tube to any appreciable extent. For this purpose I make use of a
short tube or ferrule which is provided with a wedge for its expansion diametrically,
and for applying and extending the ferrule I provide a lever which is connected
to a screw rod and used with a yoke for forcing the wedge end wise of the ferrule
and extending the same after it has been put in place within the tube.
The ferrule is split or formed at one side with a longitudinal slot and the edges
of this slot are tongued and grooved to fit the tongued and grooved edges of
the tapering key or wedge that is inserted in the slot. The appliances for inserting
the ferrule and forcing the wedge to its place consist of the lever which is pivoted
by a pin to the screw rod and a yoke formed with a tube, the arms of the yoke being
of a length for freely entering the boiler tube and taking upon the ends of the
ferrule. The outer end of the rod which is screwthreaded receives a nut, and this
nut is provided with two short arms for convenience in working. The larger end
of the wedge is formed with a groove or recess for receiving one end of the lever,
the bottom of the groove forming a shoulder against which the end of the lever
takes.
In order to stop the leak in a boiler tube the ferrule is inserted to a position
where it will cover the rupture in the tube. Suitable cementing material is placed

page_text: upon the outside of the ferrule previous to its insortion, to ensure a tight joint, and
for that purpose putty, or where the heat is not excessive, rubber, may be
employed. The rod having the lever at its end is then inserted until the lever passes
the inner end of the ferrule, and it is then drawn out until one end of the lever takes
against the inner end of the ferrule at one side, and the otlier end takes into the
groove of the wedge, the arms of the yoke at the same time taking upon the outer
end of the ferrule. Then, by turning the nut, the rod is drawn endwise of the
wedgo, thus forcing it into the slot of the ferrule, so that the latter is expanded
tightly against the inner side of the boiler tube. If desired the ferrule may be put
in place between the yoke and the lever before it is inserted, and the rod then used
as a means for inserting and placing the ferrule before the wedge is tightened.
After the ferrule has been expanded, the nut is to be loosened, and the lever being
heavier at one end than the other, will turn endwise so that the rod, lever, and
yoke can be removed. The ferrule is formed at its ends with a small bead to
prevent the putty or cement from being forced out when the ferrule is expanded.
The ferrule is to be made of thin sheet metal, and consequently when put in
place,.
,,will not materially affect the heating surface of the tube nor decrease the
area to an extent sufficient to interfere with the draft. It being usual to clean
boiler tubes by means of a steam jet instead of a scraper, the ferrule when put in
place will not interfere with such cleaning but will be kept clean as well as the
tube. In order that the ferrule may be readily removed, the wedge is made some-
what longer so that when pushed to its place its smaller end will project beyond tho
outer end of the ferrule, and to remove the ferrule the projecting end of the wedge
will be tapped by means of a bar, thus causing the wedge to back out and allowing
the ferrule to spring back to its original size so that it becomes loose from the
putty or joint and can be pushed through or hauled out by means of a hooked bar.