An Improved Pipe or Conduit for Fermented or Corrosive Liquids.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Pipe or Conduit for Fermented or Corrosive Liquids.
We, EDWIN ROBERTS and HUGH ROBERT DIXSON, both of 75, King William
Street, Adelaide, in the Province of South Australia, Engineer and Manufacturer,
respectively, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
Our invention relates to an improved pipe or conduit for fermented or corrosive
liquids, and is particularly applicable to the requirements of publicans or victuallers
when drawing fermented liquor from casks or barrels.
Hitherto it has usually been customary to resort to the use of lead or pewter pipes
for conduit purposes in conveying liquor from the cask or barrel to the beer-engine
or pump, but it is found in practice that certain chemicals contained in the liquor
cause corrosion when in contact with such pipes, thereby deteriorating the quality
of the liquor. To avoid this difficulty, glass tubes have been introduced, but these
require costly couplings, and the inflexible nature of the fittings results in frequent
breakages of the glass. The special object of our invention is to overcome these
several difficulties by providing a pipe or conduit which shall be constructed in
such a manner as to allow great flexibility on account of its specially designed
joints, and shall at the same time be proof against the corrosive action of the liquid.
In order to achieve this object, we manufacture our pipe or conduit mainly
from close-grained hard wood, and preferably of the same class of wood used by
coopers in the manufacture of casks or barrels, and by means of peculiarly formed
ends arranged somewhat on the knuckle joint principle and combined with india-
rubber ferrules we attain the requisite amount of flexibility to render our pipe or
conduit suitable for the purposes above set forth.
That our invention may be clearly understood, we will now proceed to describe
the same in detail by aid of the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which
Fig. 1 and Fig. 1 are general elevations of appliance, showing front and side
views.
Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views of portions thereof.
Similar letters of reference are used to denote similar or corresponding parts
wherever they occur in the drawings.
In this respect A is the beer engine or pump, B is a cask or barrel from which
it is intended that the liquor shall be drawn. C is a rounded wooden rod, through
the centre of which a hole C is drilled or turned so as to constitute a pipe. One
end of the pipe thus formed terminates in a rounded projection C2, the radius of
the rounded part being exactly equal to one half of the external diameter of the
pipe. The opposite end of the pipe is correspondingly recessed at C³ with a similar
radius, the extreme edges of the recessed ends being preferably slightly chamfered
as illustrated, so as to reduce the liability of splintering the material. E is a
close fitting ferrule of indiarubber, and is stretched over and round the junction of
adjacent pipe ends so as to hold them together. The pipe is slightly grooved or
reduced near its ends and at suitable intervals, and in the recess so formed (but

page_text: not shown in drawings) a hoop of thin metal or several strands of fine wire are
bound round the pipe so as to reduce the liability of splitting.
-The uppermost length of pipe (which is intended to be coupled to the tail-end
of the beer engine or pump) terminates in a flange F as shown in Fig. 2 of the
drawings. G is a screw-threaded union, preferably manufactured of metal, and
arranged in such a manner that when attached to the tail-end of the beer engine
or pump it can be screwed thereto so as to draw the flange F closely towards the
said tail-end, an indiarubber or leather washer H being introduced in order to
form an airtight joint, as will be well understood on reference to Fig. 2 of the
drawings. When it is necessary to conduct the pipe round corners and angular
places, an elbow is provided, and is constructed upon the same general principles
as the main pipe. Such an elbow is illustrated at J, and on reference to the
enlarged view of same in Fig. 3 it will be seen that the ends of the elbow are
respectively convex and concave, whilst an ample amount of wood is left at the
junction or corner J¹, so as to give strength to the formation. In Fig. 1^ a
tee-piece is shown at K, and is constructed on similar principles to the elbow J,
as will be well understood. In order to provide for increased flexibility or move.
ment of the joint, a short length of pipe (such as L) is inserted between concave
ends. Such piece of pipe is preferably about two inches in length, and is held in
position by an elongated rubber ferrule which completely encases the short length
and also engages the ends of the adjacent lengths, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the
drawings.
The lower end of the pipe or conduit passes through a bung or stopper M, is
inserted in the barrel and terminates in a strainer of ordinary well known design.
When it is desired to join several lengths of tube together so as to form the
improved pipe or conduit, the projecting and recessed ends of each of a number
of pipes are placed in juxtaposition and the indiarubber ferrule E is placed over
the joints. If the ferrule is of good material and new, one half of it is stretched
over the convex end, the loose part is rolled back upon itself, as will be under-
stood on reference to Fig. 3, the concave end is then placed against the convex
end and the rubber ferrule is unrolled round the concave end in such a manner
as to hold the lengths closely together. If the rubber has become deteriorated or
stretched, wire or thin metal binding may be resorted to as a means for more
securely holding the joint in position. It will be readily understood that the
adjacent ends of the pipes being respectively projected and recessed with the same
radius the tube may be twisted or bent within certain limits without allowing the
escape of the liquid, the faces of the joints being always in close contact with each
other, whilst the rubber ferrule not only serves as a means for keeping the joint
in position, but also acts as a medium for preventing leakage of air. In certain
classes of wood it is desirable that a coating of varnish or other adhesive mixture
should be applied to the pipe to prevent suction of air through the pores of the
wood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. An improved pipe or conduit consisting of a series of close grained wooden
tubes (such as C), each tube having a convex and a concave end of equal radius,
the adjacent ends of each length of tubing being circumferentially enclosed within
flexible ferrules (such as E), all substantially as described, and as illustrated, as a
combination of parts.
2. In an improved pipe or conduit as above claimed, an intermediate tube
(such as L), the said tube being completely encased within and in combination with
a flexible ferrule, said ferrule also engaging adjacent ends of tubes C, substantially.
as described, and as illustrated.
3.-in an improved pipe or conduit consisting of a series of close grained wooden

page_text: tubes, as above claimed, an upper tube (such as C), one end of which is provided
with a flange (such as F), the opposite end being rounded to make close joint with
an adjacent tube end, substantially as described and as illustrated.
4. In combination with the improved pipe or conduit consisting of the parts
above claimed, a screw-threaded union (such as G), and a washer (such as H), sub-
stantially as described and illustrated.
5. In combination with the improved pipe or conduit above claimed, a knee
or elbow (such as J) and a tee-piece (such as K), having convex and concave ends,
substantially as described and illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.
6. The herein specified pipe or conduit, consisting of the portions above claimed,
constructed and arranged substantially as described and as illustrated, as and
for the purposes set forth, as a combination of parts.
T
11 11
faham 1808
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.