IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINTS OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Charles Pearce, of the Bowling Iron Works,
near Bradford, in the County of York, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINTS OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
<
IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINTS OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTI
Sealed the 13th July 1855, and dated the 20th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Charles Pearce at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th April 1855.
1, JOHN CHARLES PEARCE, of the Bowling Iron Works, near Bradford, in
the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING THE JOINTS OF PIPES AND OTHER
ARTICLES" to be as follows:-
My improvements in making joints consist in the use of rings or other
shaped packings made of corrugated metal or other material. These rings or
packings are placed between the flanges of the articles to be jointed, the
corrugations being first filled with cement or other plastic, yielding, or elastic
substance, and the flanges are then to be bolted together in the ordinary
manner. These packings are also suitable for pipes with nozzle joints, or other
joints of the same description.

page_text: My Invention also consists in making these improved packings by either
striking the material of which they are made into dies passing through rollers
or cast in moulds.
The object of my Invention is, that the corrugations may yield to suit
the joint; and to prevent the cement or other substance being displaced, the
corrugated packing rings may in some cases be used without wrapping or
filling the interstices with cement or other substance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Charles Pearce in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
19th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CHARLES PEARCE, of the Bowling Iron Works, near Bradford, in the County
of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Charles Pearce, Her special license that I, the said John
Charles Pearce, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Charles Pearce, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MAKING THE JOINTS OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Charles Pearce, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to bo
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Charles Pearce, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing,
that is to say:-

page_text: The nature of my Invention consists in the use of rings or other shaped
packings made of corrugated metal or other material for making steam, air,
gas, or water tight joints of pipes and other articles. I have in the said
Drawing given Figures for shewing how my Invention may be constructed,
the same letter of reference being used to denote the packing in all the
Figures.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a section through the joint of an
ordinary flanched pipe, in which the corrugated packing ring is marked A.
Fig. 2 shews another packing of the same description, applied to an ordinary
socket pipe, the socket being made a little taper, so that when the other pipe
is driven or forced into it the corrugated ring is compressed, so as to fit closely
against the surfaces of both pipes. Fig. 3 shews the joint of another socket
pipe, through the flange of which two or more bolts are employed for drawing
the ends of the pipes together. Fig. 4 shews the application of my improved
packing ring to the joint of a spigot and faucet pipe, such as those generally
preferred for heavy pump work. Fig. 5 is a section of another form of
packing ring, suitable for making the joint between the lid and valve box of a
steam engine, or for other purposes. It is evident that these rings may be
made of various forms to suit particular purposes.
The corrugations may be filled with any suitable cement, such as a com-
position of ground litharge, Paris white, red lead, fine iron borings, or other
ingredients. In some cases I propose to combine india-rubber, vulcanized
or otherwise prepared, with the metal ring, and in other cases gutta percha or
other suitable plastic, yielding, or elastic substance.
The corrugated packings may for some purposes be used without cement.
The rings for flat joints may be made in metal dies, similar to those shewn
in Fig. 6. A washer of metal or other suitable material is placed between the
upper and lower die, and on applying pressure to the upper die the corruga-
tions are produced. The rings for circular joints, such as those required for
the socket pipes, shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, and for other similar purposes, may
be formed in corrugated strips, and afterwards bent into a circle, with the ends
overlapping a little. The straight strips are applicable to many purposes, and
can be readily produced by means of grooved rollers; the flat circular joint
rings may also be produced by means of conical grooved rollers. The quality
and the thickness of the metal of which the packings are formed must depend
upon the dimensions of the packings and the use for which they are to be
employed. Iron, copper, tin, zinc, lead, or a mixture of some of these metals
may be employed, but I do not confine myself to these metals, as other metals,
or materials may be used. For some purposes I intend to cast the rings in

page_text: suitable moulds, so as to produce the required form. When the flanges of the
pipes or other articles to which my Invention is applied are tightened together,
the corrugations of the packings will yield to the surfaces to be jointed; at the
same time the corrugations form receptacles for the cement, which is protected
from the action of steam or other fluid in the pipes or other articles to be
jointed by the inner corrugation.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim as of my Invention, the appli-
cation and use of corrugated packings for making the joints of pipes and other
articles as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Charles Pearce, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
JOHN CHARLES PEARCE. (L.B.)