CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF METAL PLATES TO BE USED THEREIN
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FAIRBAIRN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I did, by Petition, humbly represent unto Her present most
Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria that I had invented "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS, AND
IN THE PREPARATION OF METAL PLATES TO BE USED THEREIN," and Her said.
Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all acts and inventions which
may be for the public good, was graciously pleased, by Her Royal Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and.
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-two, in the sixth year of Her reign, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, to give and grant unto me, the said William Fairbairn;.
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I or they, by myself or themselves, or by my or their
deputies, servants, or agents, or such others as I or they should agree with,.
and no others, during the term of fourteen years from the date of the said.
Letters Patent, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my.
said Invention within that part of Her said Majesty's Dominion's called
England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in
such manner as to me, my exors, admors, and assigns shall seem meet,.
and as that I or they shall enjoy the whole profit and advantage arising by
reason of the said Invention during the said term of fourteen years, and for

page_text: that and Her said Majesty requires and strictly commands all Her subjects
whatsoever, within England, Wales, and Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid,
that they shall not, neither directly nor indirectly, make, use, or put in
practice, my said Invention or any part thereof, nor in anywise counterfeit,
imitate, or resemble the same, nor make any addition thereto or subtraction
therefrom, whereby to pretend himself or themselves to be the inventor or
inventors thereof: And whereas the said Letters Patent contain a proviso
obliging me, the said William Fairbairn, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 date of the said 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
William Fairbairn, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
consists in the construction of Metal Ships, Boats, and other Vessels, and in
the. Preparation of Plates to be used therein in manner following, that is
to say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS HEREUNTO. ANNEXED.
In Figure 1 a represents a section of a plate of metal which has been
rolled or forged perfectly plane on one side, and on the other side with two
broad marginal bands or ribs parallel to each other, these bands or ribs have.
to be pierced for the reception of rivets, as shown at b, b; Figure 2 repre-
sents a plan of such plate with the bands or ribs b, b, uppermost; and
Figure 3 a plan of such plate with the plane side uppermost. In Figures.
1 and 2 it will be seen that the two bands or ribs are opposite and parallel to.
each other on one side of the plate, but where the form of the vessel requires.
that the opposite bands or ribs on the side of a plate should not be parallel to
each other, but run in a curved or angular direction from each other, such
plates must be prepared accordingly. The metal I generally use and prefer for
my improvements in the construction of ships, boats, and other vessels, is malle-
able iron. After the rivet holes have been formed through the bands or ribs of
the plate they are countersunk on the plane side of the plate to admit of the
heads of the rivets being inserted and sunk therein, in order that as the plane
sides of the plates from the outside of the vessel the progress of the vessel in
its passage through the water shall not be impeded by any projection beyond its
general surface.
When the metal plates are ready for forming a ship, boat,

page_text: or other vessel, the side of one plate is not made to overlap the side of another
plate so as to bring the rivet holes over and in a line with each other, as is
ordinarily done, but that edge of the plate with the band or rib on it is placed
in contact with that edge of another plate on which the band or rib is, and in
the same plane with it, so that the rivet holes instead of being over and in a
line with each other, form two rows at some distance from each other. In
order to secure the thick sides of the plates firmly to each other a band, bar,
or rib of metal is used, such as is shown in Figure 4, where c is a section
and da plan. This flat band, bar, or rib d is at the fracture shown overlapping
two thick sides of two plates with two rows of rivet holes formed in it, the
one row corresponding with the holes in one of the thick sides of one of the
plates, and the other row corresponding with the holes in one of the thick
sides of the other of the plates. When the rivets have been passed through
the band, bar, or rib, and through the plates which it overlaps, and they are
securely driven up, so firm a union is thereby formed between the plates as to
make the joints water-tight, and in case of any blow or strain upon the ship,
boat, or other vessel, of sufficient force to burst or rend the metal asunder,
such hole or rent will be as difficult to form, where the thick edges of the
plates are united together, as in any intermediate parts of the plates; whereas
in metal ships, boats, or other vessels constructed on the old method, whenever
they meet with a blow or strain of sufficient force to make a hole or rent, such
hole or rent is generally formed in those parts of the plates which overlap each
other, and through which the rivets pass. When a ship, boat, or other vessel is
required to resist and to sustain great external pressure, the bar, band, or rib, by
which the thick edges of the plates are united, is formed with a strong pro-
jection at the back, as seen in section Figure 5 in Plan, overlapping parts of
two plates at the union of their, thick edges in Figure 6, and in section where
the thick edges of the two plates, and the plane side of the band, bar, or rib
are united by rivets, as shown in Figure 7. Where only slight external
pressure has to be resisted 1 use the band, bar, or rib c and d, shown in
Figure 4, to unite the thick edges of the plates, but where great external
pressure has to be resisted I use à band, bar, or rib, such as e, f, g, shown in
Figures 5, 6, and 7, to unite the thick edges of the plate.
Figure 8 is a representation of ten plates of metal, united at their thick
edges by the five vertical bands, bars, or ribs p, h, i, j, q, and united at the
thin edges of the plates by the horizontal short bands, bars, or ribs k, l, m, n, o,
by means of rivets passing through holes formed in the bands, bars, or ribs,
and through holes formed in the thin sides of the plates opposite to those in
the bands, bars, or ribs, which rivets are securely driven up so as firmly to

page_text: unite the plates and render the junction water-tight. p represents rivet
holes in the thin sides of two of the plates prior to the short horizontal band,
bar, or rib being placed over them. The short bands, bars, or ribs are made
similar in form to c, d, in Figure 4, or to e, f, in Figure 5, as the situations
they have to be placed in may require less strength or more. It will be
obvious to persons conversant with the construction of metal ships, boats, and
other vessels, that in some cases it will be advantageous to alter the direction
in which the thick edges of the plates are to be placed, in order that a greater
resistance may be obtained from the same materials by such altered arrange-
ments in different ships, boats, and other vessels, or parts of the same ship,
boat, and other vessel.
I
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
carry it into effect, I claim as my Invention the Construction of Metal
Ships, Boats, and other Vessels, and the Preparation of Plates to be used
therein, and the manner of uniting them by bands, bars, or ribs and rivets, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fairbairn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
W (L.S.) FAIRBAIRN.