IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING JOINTS FOR PIPES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the thirteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my exors,
adors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING JOINTS FOR PIPES," being
a communication from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the

page_text: date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say:-
This Invention of improvements in coupling joints for pipes, as communi-
cated to me by my foreign correspondent, consists in enveloping the abutting
. ends of two pipes with a belt or tube of some soft substance, and forcing over
this belt a tube of some harder substance, which will compress the belt of soft
substance against the pipes, and thereby form a strong water or air-tight
fastening.
In the Drawing forming part of this my Specification, Fig. 1 represents a
side elevation of the adjacent portions of two pipes fastened in the manner
described; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the same; and Fig. 3
is another longitudinal section, shewing a modification in the form of the
abutting ends of the pipes.
A, A¹, represent the adjoining extremities of two pipes abutting against
each other, and surrounded by a short tube of lead a, a, which is kept in
position by a ring shoulder 6, cast on to one of the pipes A. The leaden
tube should have a conical exterior, and the outer surface of the extremities
of each pipe should be grooved, as represented in the Drawings. B is an
outer tube (made in this example of cast iron), having a conical interior,
corresponding with the exterior of the inner or soft tube; it is also provided
with a flange c, c, which, when the tube is applied to the pipes A, A¹, will
abut against the opposite end of the tube a to that which is in contact with the
shoulder 6 of the pipe A. The exterior of the tube or band a should be
somewhat larger than the interior of the iron tube B, so that when the
latter is forced over the former it will compress the yielding tube or band
into all the indentations on the surface of the pipes, while the yielding
material is prevented from being squeezed out by the ring shoulder bon
the pipe, and the corresponding one c on the outer tube.
I have thus far described the inner sleeve as being made of lead and the
outer one as made of cast iron, these substances having been found fully to
answer; but it is obvious that other substances possessing the same pro-
perties may be substituted in the place of these two without affecting the
principle of the Invention.

page_text: I have likewise described the outer tube as having a conical interior; but
when the belt or inner tube is very 'soft and plastic the outer tube may have
a cylindrical interior fitting closely upon the shoulder b, while the flange c
will fit closely to the exterior of the pipe, so that when the sleeve is forced
over the belt, the latter will be compressed between the flange c and shoulder b
with the requisite force to bring it into close contact with the pipes and form a
tight and firm joint.
The projecting shoulder 6 on the pipe may be dispensed with, and the soft
belt be prevented from squeezing out at that end of the sleeve by a temporary
stop or gripe, which may be removed from the pipe as soon as the connection
is made and used in like manner for fastening the next joint.
In order to make the joint more perfect, in some cases I cast a flange upon
the extremity of each pipe, as shewn in Fig. 3; and this belt may, if necessary,
be turned smooth before the pipes are laid.
The advantages of this improved coupling joint for pipes are, first, its
cheapness, which adapts it to all descriptions of pipe; second, in lead joints,
it not only obviates the loss of time and trouble in running melted lead into
the joint and the after process of caulking, but actually makes a better joint;
third, the facility with which a damaged pipe can be replaced, or a branch
introduced in a line of pipes already laid, as the iron tube has merely to be forced
backward and the lead or other yielding material removed, when a new pipe
or a branch can be quickly coupled to the line of pipes, and the joints rendered
as perfect as those first made; and, fourth, it affords greater facilities for
laying pipes under water, as the joints can be easily and quickly made in
such situations.
Having now described the Invention of improvements in coupling joints for
pipes, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it to be
understood that, under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim the con-
structing of coupling joints, by enveloping the abutting ends of pipes in a belt
or tube of lead or other suitable yielding substance so as to cover the seam or
junction, and then forcing over this belt a tube of some harder or unyielding
substance, whereby the yielding substance will be compressed between the
pipes and the outer tube, and a secure joint will be obtained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
(L.s.) A. V. NEWTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Alfred Vincent Newton came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.