Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1898
Complete Connifinction Loft Ath Ane 1000
Accented and luna
1800
I, WALTER JONES, trading as Jones and Attwood, of Titan Works, Amblecote,
in the County of Stafford, near Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, Engineer
and Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improved means for coupling or joining to-
gether plain cylindrical ends of two pipes.
Plain cylindrical-ended pipes have obviously many advantages over the ordinary
forms of pipe. In the case of cast metal pipes, the omission of the flanges enables
the pipes to be packed in much less bulk than when the pipes are made with
Hanges; and in the case of wrought metal pipes, the weakening effect of forming
screw-threads around their ends is avoided. It is frequently desired, also, to join
together the two plain cylindrical ends of pipes which have been cut short. Methods
have been devised of coupling together plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, which
have answered well for comparatively low pressures, but have not been so well
adapted for high pressures, owing to the tendency in such cases of the pipes to
creep or slide through the joints.
The special problem to be solved by the present invention has been to devise
a joint for coupling together plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, by which both
the pipes should be firmly gripped by the joint and prevented from creeping or
sliding therethrough, thus adapting the joint for high pressures.
In carrying out the above object, according to this invention, loose collars which,
respectively, surround the ends of the pipes to be joined, are drawn tightly over
wedges which are thus caused to firmly grip the pipes. A. sleeve or ferrule around
the pipes covers the division between them, and packings of rubber or other suit-
abla material are used between the ends of the sleeve and the ends of the wedges
and are supported by the wedges. The packings are surrounded by sockets, or a
socket, formed with the collars or one of the collars, aforesaid. The collars are
tightened over the wedges to cause them to grip the pipes, by means of bolts which
pass through ears of the collars and draw the collars towards one another as they
are tightened. The tightening up of the bolts, also, causes the packings to be.com-
pressed and the joints thus made fluid tight.
The wedges are conveniently formed as split rings, the metal of which is tapered
or wedge-shaped as seen in transverse section, and the portions of the collars which
encircle these rings are tapered inside to correspond to the tapered shape of the
rings. As the collars, therefore, are tightened up over the rings, the latter are
closed in tightly around and grip the pipes.
The wedges may consist each simply of a coil of wire, and the collars be tapered
to cause them, as they are drawn together, to tighten themselves over the coils,
as the circular shape of the wire causes it to act in the manner of a wedge. In
this case, a sheet metal washer is placed against the inner side of the ring to receive
the thrust of the corresponding packing. Usually, however, when a ring of wire

page_text: is used as a wedge, one or more rings will need to be interposed between such
ring and the washer, as the tapered portion of the collar will, as the collar is
tightened up, extend beyond the forward face or side of the ring.
It is not essential that the parts which are intended to grip the pipes shall them-
selves be wedges, as they may be split rings made of metal of rectangular section.
The tapered portions of the collars will, in such case, also, close up the rings
tightly around the pipes, as the collars are drawn towards one another.
11
DAIL
T
1000
I, WALTER JONES, trading as Jones and Attwood, of Titan Works, Amblecote,
in the County of Stafford, near Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, Engineer
and Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what man-
ner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement;-
Pipes with plain cylindrical ends, that is to say, ends which have no flanges or
other projections formed thereon or any screw thread formed therearound, have
obviously many advantages over the ordinary forms of pipe. In the case, for
instance, of cast metal pipes, the absence of flanges or other projections enables
the pipes to be packed in much less bulk than flanged pipes; and in the case of
wrought metal pipes the avoidance of screw threads around their ends materially
increases the strength of the pipes, and indeed permits of lighter metal being used
in their construction, for a given diameter and pressure, than would otherwise be
the case.
When pipes, of which two plain cylindrical ends are coupled together, are under
high pressure, there is a tendency for the ends to creep or slide through the joint;
and this invention has for its object to devise a joint for coupling together plain
cylindrical ends of two pipes, by which both pipes shall be firmly gripped by the
joint and prevented from creeping or sliding therethrough, thus adapting the joint
for high pressures.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I will describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawings, of which, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sec-
tion through a joint between the plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, the section
being taken on line x x of Figure 2, but shewing the parts cut through as if in one
plane. Figure 2 is a section taken on line y y of Figure 1. Figures 3, 4 and 5
are corresponding views to Figure 1, but shew modifications of the invention; and
Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper side of one end or half of the
joint shewn by Figure 5.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, A. A are the plain cylindrical ends of the
pipes, which are coupled together. B is a short sleeve which is just a loose fit
around the ends of the pipes, and covers the division between them, and extends
preferably about an equal distance on each side of the division. C C are ring
wedges which surround the ends of the pipes, respectively; in positions which
leave a space. between the forward end of each ring and an end of the sleeve B;
and packing rings D D of rubber or other suitable material are inserted between
the ring wedges C and the ends of the sleeve. The ring wedges C are each, as seen
in side elevation, of the shape of the frustrum of a cone, the end of larger diameter
being against the corresponding packing ring D; and such ring wedges are each

page_text: split through one side, as shewn at a Figure 2 and by broken lines Figure 1, thus
permitting of their being closed in sufficiently to cause them to grip around the
pipes. Collars E E are formed to fit around the ring wedges C, being formed
tapering inside to correspond with the tapering shape of the wedges. These collars
are formed with lugs e through which are passed bolts F, and by means of these
bolts the collars are drawn towards one another, with the result that they are
tightened up over the ring wedges C, thereby causing such wedges to firmly grip
around the pipes, and the packings D are tightly compressed between the inner
ends of the wedges C and the ends of the sleeve B.
To prevent the packings D unduly expanding outwards, the collars E are con-
tinued sufficiently inwards or towards one another to cover, and preferably extend
some little distance beyond, the packings D.
The ring wedges C, being gripped tightly around the pipes, securely prevent
them creeping or sliding through the joint.
Referring now to Figure 3, which shews a modification of the coupling, the
rings C have an exterior shape which is cylindrical, and the collars E are tapered
inside as in the coupling shewn in Figures 1 and 2. In this modification the
drawing of the collars towards one another causes them to tighten over the hinder
ends of the rings C with the same result as when the collars are tightened over
the ring wedges above described.
Referring now to Figure 4, which illustrates a further modification of the in-
vention, the rings C are formed taper as in the coupling shewn by Figures 1 and 2,
and the collars E are not formed taper inside but are each formed with a shoulder b
which, as the collars are drawn towards one another, is tightened around the cor-
responding ring, causing such ring to grip the pipe.
Referring finally to Figures 5 and 6, which illustrate a still further modifica-
tion of the invention, C represents a coil of wire which is placed around the end
of each pipe. The collars E are tapered inside, and as they are drawn towards one
another tighten themselves over their respective coils C and cause such coils to grip
firmly around the pipes. are washers interposed between the packings D and
coils C, and it is convenient to interpose between each such washer and the cor-
responding coil C, a further coil or coils f, as some inconvenience in construction
will be found if the coils C come immediately behind the washers d.
In the instances in which the collars C are shewn with tapered interior surfaces,
the tapered portion of each surface needs to extend only along such part of the
interior of a collar as can come against the outer surface of the corresponding ring
or coil, and the remaining portion of the interior of each collar may be parallel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a coupling for the plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, a sleeve surround-
ing the division between the pipes, compressible rings around the pipes, packings
between the ends of the sleeve and the said rings, collars surrounding such rings
and adapted to tightly compress the same around the pipes as they are drawn
towards one another, substantially as described.
2. In a coupling for the plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, a sleeve surround-
ing the division between the pipes, compressible rings around the pipes, packings
between the ends of the sleeve and the said rings, said packings being each en-
circled by a guard, collars surrounding such rings and adapted to tightly com-
press the same around the pipes as they are drawn towards one another, substan-
tially as described.
3. In a coupling for the plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, a sleeve surrounding
the division between the pipes, compressible rings around the pipes, packings
between the ends of the sleeve and the said rings, collars surrounding such rings
and adapted to tightly compress the same around the pipes as they are drawn to-

page_text: wards one another, said collars being formed also with guards which encircle the
packings, substantially as described.
4. In a coupling for the plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, a sleeve surrounding
the division between the pipes, compressible rings around the pipes, packings
between the ends of the sleeve and the said rings, collars surrounding such rings,
tapering surfaces at the parts where interior faces of the collars touch the outer
faces or peripheries of the rings, and means by which the collars may be drawn
towards one another, and the rings thereby tightly compressed around the pipes,
substantially as described.
5. In a coupling for the plain cylindrical ends of two pipes, a sleeve surround-
ing the division between the pipes, compressible rings around the pipes, packings
between the ends of the sleeve and the said rings, said packings being each en-
circled by a guard collars surrounding such rings, tapering surfaces at the parts
where interior faces of the collars touch the outer faces or peripheries of the rings,
and means by which the collars may be drawn towards one another, and the rings
thereby tightly compressed around the pipes, substantially as described.
6. Pipe couplings for the plain cylindrical ends of pipes constructed in the man-
ner described and shewn (by way of example, according to several modifications
thereof) by the drawings herewith.
Dated this 1st day of April 1899
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.