Improvements in the Fastening of Tubes, such as Steam Boiler Tubes, in their Tube Plates.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1889-Accepted, 22nd June, 1889
COME LI DI DO
Improvements in the Fastening of Tubes, such as Steam Boiler
Tubes, in their Tube Plates.
We WILLIAM JOHN MARSHALL Boiler Maker and JAMES FORD Tailor both of
Newcastle in the Colony of New South Wales 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 :-
This invention relates specially to the fastening of the Tubes of Steam Boilers in
the Tube Plates, although it may be used in the fastening of any kind of Tubes
in their holding plates whether Water or Gas tight joints are required, and it has
been devised in order to dispense with the use of a ferrule in the fastening of such
tubes in the plates and in order to provide means of making a very tight and holding
joint. By it each Tube is converted into a kind of stay and will hold the tube plates
perfectly rigid under all circumstances.
These improvements in the fastening of Tubes such as Steam Boiler Tubes in
their Tube plates consist first in the peculiar boring of the hole or orifice in the
Tube plate through which the Tube has to be passed and in the expanding of the
Tube when in its place in front of, behind, and within the orifice so that the metal
of the Tube will have close contact with the metal of the orifice and fill up all
interstices.
In horing the Tube Plate instead of making the sides of the hole quite parallel
at about midway of the thickness of the plate a groove or indentation of any
approved shape is cut or recessed therein. Now when the Tube is inserted wo take
an expanding tool which may be of any known form such as divided rings through
which a taper mandril is driven, or may be a series of revolving wheels which are
forced apart by a taper mandril or by other means. This expanding tool expands
the tube where required say on the inside of the plate and also expands it within the
tube plate so that the whole of the groove or indentation before referred to as made
in the Tube Plate boring will be filled up with the metal of the tube.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood we will now describe the
same with reference to the drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tube
fastened in its plate by means of a taper mandril as ordinarily while Figure 2 is a
perspective sectional view of a plate bored with a central groove, or indentation in the
orifice and Figure 3 is a similar view of a tube fastened in the plate according to this
invention. Figure 4 is a side view of a tool for cutting the groove or indentation
in the bored tube holes and Figure 5 is reverse plan of same. Figure 6 is a side
view of an expanding tool and Figure 7 reverse plan of same.
D is the groove
A is the tube plate. B the tube. C the ordinary taper mandril.
or indentation in the bore. E is a grooved expansion of the tube in the orifice
and E a similar expansion just inside the tube plate. These two expansions firmly
fasten the tube in the plate endways and make a practically perfect joint between
the tube and the plate.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise manner in which the tube plate with
the grooved orifices is prepared nor to the precise manner in which the tube with
its grooved expansion is so expanded but we have specially constructed the tools
shewn in Figures 4 to 7. F is a tool box. F cutting bits. F2 cap. F³ face plate
or washer. F square end. F screwed taper mandril. In operation this tool is
placed within the bored hole of the tube plate with the face plate or washer F³ to
the face of the plate and the mandril screwed down until the bits F take a
cut (during the revolution of the whole tool by means of a ratchet upon square
end F) into the metal. The tool is turned round and the feeding of the bits kept
up until the groove D (see Figures 2 and 3) is deep enough. The expander consists
of two or more divided pieces forming a circular whole held together by an elastic

page_text: ring and having a taper mandril passed through them. On the expanding part
are two ribs or rings G and G' when the expander is placed within the tube in its
place in the tube plate the mandril is driven in until the expansions E and E
(Figures 2 and 3) are sufficiently deep enough to form the required joint.
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 :-
First. The peculiar boring of the orifice in the tulie plate with a groove or
circular indentation and the expansion of the tube into and to fill up such groove
or indentation substantially as herein described and explained.
Second. The peculiar expansion of the tube within the orifice of the tube plate
and close to said plate outside of the orifice substantially as herein described and
explained.
The combination and arrangement together to form a tight joint of a tube plate and
tube in the manner substantially as herein described and explained and illustrated in
Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings.
Fourth. The peculiar construction of grooving or indenting tool and the peculiar
construction of expanding tool having ribs or rings upon it substantially as and for
the purpose and as herein described and explained and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5
and Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings.
Dated this Twenty eighth day of February One thousand eight hundred and