Improvements in Metal Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water Cart Bodies, Cylinders, Corn-bins, and Dustbins, and in the Construction thereof.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 24th Aug., 1887
Complete Accepted, 21st Oct., 1887
Improvements in Metal Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water Cart Bodies,
Cylinders, Corn-bins, and Dustbins, and in the Construction
thereof.
I ROBERT CHARLES JAY of 41 Saint Luke's Road, Westbourne Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Barrister-at-Law do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is in the first place to reduce the cost of manufacture
and in the second place to produce greater strength and rigidity.
One part of my Invention consists in forming a rib or ribs in or upon such portion
of the plates or sheets employed in the construction of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs,
Water Cart Bodies, Cylinders, Corn Bins and Dustbins, as may be desirable in order
to strengthen them and in order to carry this out I rivet on ribs or strengthening
pieces in such manner as to divide the plate or plates into two or more parts or I make
the seams or joints in such portion of the plates as may be desirable and continue
one or both plates beyond the seam and bend the edge or edges inwards or outwards
as may be required so as to form a rib or ribs running parallel with the seam and
when it is necessary to employ stay-rods 1 carry them from one rib to the other or
the usual form of staging inay be employed either alone or together with the before-
mentioned method.
Another part of my Invention consists in bending over the top edge of the metal
sheets or platos forming the sides of open Cisterns, Troughs, Corn Bins, and Dust Bins
in such manner that they form a rim similar to the angle iron frame usually employed
and I join the corners of the aforesaid rim by lapping the joints and rivetting them
or by cutting and lapping the said joints so that they lock together and rivetting or
fixing them together.
A further part of my Invention consists in making the tops or bottoms of Tanks,
Cisterns, Troughs, Water Cart Bodies, Corn Bins, and Dust Bins in the form of a
tray and in order to carry this out I make a cut in each corner of the said top or
bottom plates and bend up the edges, lapping the corners, rivetting the laps, or fixing
them by bending over a portion of the plate which has been cut to shape for that
purpose and pressing in the points formed at the corners so as to take away, the
projection thereof.

page_text: Another part of my Invention consists in rivetting plates of metal, stamped or
wrought to the proper form, on the corners of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water Cart
Bodies, Corn Bins or Dust Bins where corner rivets are usually employed in such
manner as to make the said corners watertight and where the bottom or top plates are
bent up at the two ends only I place the said plates on the outside of the aforesaid
corners and fix them by means of rivets but when the bottoms or tops are turned up
all round I place one portion of the said corner plates outside the bottom or top plate
and the other part inside or beneath the side plate and rivet them on with the
necessary rivets.
A further part of my Invention consists in rivetting the seams or joints of sheets
or plates employed in the construction of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water Cart Bodies,
Cylinders, Corn Bins and Dust Bins or of such other parts as require to be rivetted
by means of rivets and washers and for this purpose 1 employ rivets with the under-
part of the head flat or slightly hollowed out and the point rounded off so that when
it is hammered down it will spread out more readily and fill up the hole in the washer
which may be formed in such manner as to have one side of the hole larger than the
other so as to provent the rivot drawing out and the aforesaid washers may be made
of steel or Iron and with the underside slightly hollow or flat and the upper side may
be either curved or rounded in a similar manner to the head of a rivet or it may be
flat. In some instances I employ cold rivets but in others I employ hot rivets and in
either case they may be hammered down or a head may be formed on them in the
usual manner after putting on the washer. I also in some cases employ a double row
of rivets either of the usual form or make or with washers as beforo-mentioned so
placed that one row takes the strain of the plate and the other holds down the edge
thereof and I prefer placing the said rivets alternately in one row and in the other
and the employment of a large head and washer enables me to place the rivets at a
wider pitch than usual thereby reducing the number of rivets and the large head and
washer bring the plates into closer contact and make a better joint.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming a square water-lute for Tanks or
Cisterns by bonding a strip of sheet metal into the form of a trough, cutting the
inner side thereof at that part where it is intended to make the corners in such manner
that when the aforesaid trough is bent round the said corners will lock together when
they may be fastened by rivets or other means.
A further part of my Invention consists in so cutting the sheets or plates of metal
employed in the manufacture of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Corn Bins and Dust Bins
that one or more sides or a portion thereof and a part or the whole of the bottom of
open Cisterns, Troughs, Corn Bins and Dust Bins are formed in one piece and in the
case of Hot Water or Close Tanks the tops and bottoms or a portion thereof and a
part or the whole of one or more sides are cut in one piece and the bottoms or a
portion thereof and a part or the whole of the sides are cut in another piece the upper
and lower portions being rivotted together.
In another form in order to construct Hot Water or Close Tanks I bend one sheet
or plate to form two sides or a portion thereof and one end and I bend another sheet
or plate to form the top and bottom or a portion thereof and the other end and for
the formation of open Cisterns, Troughs, Corn Bins and Dust Bins I bend one
sheet or plate to form one end and the two sides or a portion thereof and I bend
another sheet or plate to form the other end and the bottom or a portion thereof.
In order to give the before-mentioned rib or ribs greater strength and resistance to
strain the outer or projecting edge or edges thereof may be bent over at an angle or
in a curve or circle to suit the requirements of the work and the aforesaid corner
pieces may be made of malleable cast iron.
When the sheets or plates are not sufficiently wide to form the aforesaid anglo frames
or rims for the top frames of cisterns from the same sheet I make the said frames out
of separate strips of metal and rivet them on in the usual manner.
7

page_text: Improvements in Metal Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water-cart Bodies,
Cylinders, Corn-bins, and Dust-bins, and in the Construction
thereof.
I ROBERT CHARLES JAY of 41, Saint Luke's Road, Westbourne Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My Invention relates to metal Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water-cart Bodies,
Cylinders, Corn-bins and Dust-bins and consists of various improvements therein
whereby a reduction in the cost of manufacture and greater strength and rigidity is
obtained.
One part of my Invention consists in forming a rib or ribs in or upon such portion
of the plates or sheets employed in the construction of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs,
Water-cart Bodies, Cylinders, Corn-bins and Dust-bins as may be desirable in order
to strengthen them and in order to carry this out I rivet on ribs or strengthening
pieces in such manner as to divide the plate or plates into two or more parts or I make
the soams or joints in such portion of the plates as may be desirable and continue one
or both plates beyond the seam and bend the edge or edges thereof inwards or out-
wards as may be required so as to form a rib or ribs running parallel with the seam
and when it is necessary to employ stay-rods I carry them from one rib to the other
or the usual form of staying inay be employed either alone or together with the
before-mentioned method.
Another part of my Invention consists in bending over the top edge of the metal
sheets or plates forming the sides of open Cisterns, Troughs, Corn-bins and Dust-bins
in such manner that they form a rim similar to the angle iron frame usually employed
and I join the corners of the aforesaid rim by lapping the joints and rivetting them
or by cutting and lapping the said joints so that they lock together and then rivetting
them or fixing them together. When a joint has to be made in the aforesaid rin
I strengthen the said joint by means of a joint or cover-plate and rivetting.
A further part of my Invention consists in making the tops or bottoms of Tanks,
Cisterns, Troughs, Water-cart Bodies, Corn-bins and Dust-bins in the form of a tray
and in order to carry this out I make a cut in each corner of the said top or bottom
plates and bend up the edges, lapping the corners, rivetting the laps or fixing or
holding them in some other suitable manner and pressing in the points formed at the
corners so as to take away the projection thereof.
Another part of my Invention consists in rivetting plates of metal stamped or
wrought to the proper form on the corners of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Cornbins
or Dust-bins where corner rivets are usually employed in such manner as to make the
corners watertight and in order to carry this out I form triangular pieces by cutting
plate or sheet metal into equal-sided squares and cutting them across from one angle to
the other I then make a cut in the right angle of the said triangular pieces dividing
the said right angle into two equal portions the length of the said ut varying with the
depth of the corner required but being generally equal to about one half of one of

page_text: •
the two equal sides of the aforesaid triangle I now bend up the two equal sides to a
depth equal to the aforesaid cut, bending the ears, formed by cutting the aforesaid
right angle, round, and lapping them over each other-Having now produced a
corner-piece having a point or corner 1 rivet or fix the aforesaid ears to the equal sides
or I hold them together, by means of a pin or a rod having a point and placed in
holes punched in the aforesaid ears and sides for that purpose, while I stamp or press
in the beforementioned point or corner, for which purpose I employ a top and bottom
die so formed that the aforesaid corner is pressed in leaving a central projection
surrounded by a circular groove, the said central projection being about level with a
circular ridge surrounding the aforesaid groove and where the bottom or top plates
are bent up at the two ends only I place the said plates on the outside of the corners
of the Tanks or Cisterns and fix them by means of rivets but when the bottoms or
tops are bent up all round I place one portion of the said corner-pieces outside the
bottom or top plate and the other part thereof inside or beneath the side plate and
rivet it on with the necessary rivets.
A further part of my Invention consists in rivetting the seams or joints of the
sheets or plates employed in the construction of Tanks, Cisterns, Troughs, Water-cart
Bodies, Corn-bins and Dust-bins or of such other parts as require to be rivetted by
means of rivets and washers and for this purpose I employ rivets with the under part
of the head flat or hollowed out and the point rounded off so that when it is hammered
down it will spread out more readily and fill up the hole in the washer which may be
formed in such manner as to have one side of the hole larger so as to provent the
rivet drawing out and the aforesaid washers may be made of steel or Iron with the
underside hollow or flat and the upper side may be either curved or rounded off in a
similar manner to the head of a rivet or it may be flat-In some cases I employ cold
rivets but in others I employ hot rivets and in either case they may be hammered
down or a head may be formed on them in the usual manner after putting on the
washer The employment of a large head and washer enables me to place the rivets
at a wider pitch than usual thereby reducing the number of rivets employed and the
large head and washer bring the plates into closer contact and make a better joint.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming a square water-lute for man-
holes by bending a strip of sheet metal into the form of a trough cutting the inner
side thereof at that part where it is intended to make the corners in such manner that
when the aforesaid trough is bent round to form the square the said corners will lock
together when they may be fastened by rivets or other means.
In order to give the beforementioned ribs greater strength and resistance to strain
the projecting edge or edges thereof may be bent over at an angle or in a curve or
circle to suit the requirements of the work and the beforementioned corner pieces
may be made of malleable cast iron.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed more
particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the annexed Sheet
of Drawings.
Figure 1. of the accompanying Drawings represents a section of two sheets or
plates of metal a b joined together at c by means of rivetting and showing the manner
in which the plate a is bent to form a strengthening rib d.
Figure 2. is another modification showing a double rib de formed in a similar
manner.
Figures 3. and 4. illustrate further modifications of the rib d shown in Figure 1-
having the outer edge or edges bent over so as to form a flange or flanges in order
to strengthen the edge of the aforesaid rib or ribs and to enable it or them to withstand
a greater strain.
Figures 5. 6. 7 and 8 show further modifications of the aforesaid strengthening rib
or ribs.
It is obvious that the rib shown in Figure 1. may be made out of a strip of sheet
metal bent in the form of a right angle and rivetted on the side of a plate to strengthen
it either by means of independent rivets or by means of the rivets employed in forming
the seams and the various other sections shown in Figures 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7 and 8 may

page_text: be formed in a similar manner and rivetted on to the plate by means of the projecting
flange.
In the foregoing Figures similar letters denote similar parts.
Figure 9. represents a section of one of the sheets or plates of metal forming the
sides of cisterns and similar articles bent over at 9 and again at h in the form of an
angle iron so as to take the place of the frame usually employed to strengthen the rim
or edge of the aforesaid cisterns.
Figure 10. is a section of a modification of Figure 9. showing the sheet or plate of
metal bent at a right angle at g and bent over again at h thereby forming a frame
round the cistern or other similar article.
Figure 11. is a section showing a further modification of Figures 9 and 10.
Figure 12. represents a corner or angle of the aforesaid frames the parts whereof
are further illustrated and described in Figure 13.
Figure 13. the line y represents the rim or edge of the cistorn, i the corner or bend,
ij the part of the sheet or plate that is bent over at right angles to the sides l', kk the
portion that is bent down as shown in Figures 9. 10 and 11.
In order to form the corner I cut the plate from 1 to i and also from m to n so that
when are bent down the portions ml and 1 m will project and when the plate is
bent round at the point i so as to form the corner of the frame of the cistern the said
projecting portions m 1 and 1 m will one pass over and the other under the portions jį
thereby locking the corner together and to facilitate their coming together I bond
down one of the parts m l or I'm which is to pass underneath j and bend it up again
when the angle is formed after which I secure the whole by means of rivets placed in
the holos o p.
In Figures 9. 10. 11. 12 and 13. similar letters denote similar parts.
Figure 14. is a plan showing the bottom plato of a cistern and the method of setting it
out and cutting the corners so as to enable the said bottom to be turned up all round. I
divide the corners of the plate into two equal parts by making cuts from the points of the
square to the points of the dotted square and I turn up the two sides 99 along the dotted
lines and bend the ears rrrr round at right angles to the said sides q2 and 1 then turn
up the sides s s along the dotted lines and bend the ears tttt at right angles to the
sides ss on the outside of the sides qq. Having brought the top edges of the ears rrrr
and tttt level with the top edges of the sides 99 and ss I hold the outer ears tttt to
the sides qq by means of a rod or pin placed in holes made or punched through the
said ears tttt and the sides 9 q and I stamp or press in the corners rt by means of a
top and bottom die a section whereof is shown in Figures 15. and 16. thereby
producing a corner the section whereof is a counterpart of the aforesaid dies.
Figures 15. and 16. are sections of a top and bottom die for stamping or pressing
in the aforesaid corners-The top die u has a central hollow w surrounded by a ridge
and the bottom die has a central point or projection y corresponding with the
hollow w in the top die and the point or projection y is surrounded by a groove z
corresponding with the ridge on the top die the groove z being surrounded by a
ridge or shoulder 1.-When a corner which has been prepared as described in
Figure 14., being similar to a cone, is placed on the bottom die v resting on the
shoulder 1. with the point of the cone in the hollow w of the top die u, the top die
being depressed forces the point of the cone in and on to the point or projection y of
the die at the same time forming the circular groove z as shown in Figure 17.
0
Figure 17 represents a section of one of the aforesaid corners which may be formed
on the bottom plates of cisterns or other similar work or the corners may be made
separately and rivetted on in the place of the usual corner-rivets. The dotted line
shows the pointed corner before it has been pressed in, y the point after the com-
pression has taken place, z the groove surrounding the said point, I a ridge surrounding
the said groove and 2 a part of the plate of the cistern or in the case of separate
corner-pieces that part of the corner-piece that would be rivetted to the side of the
cistern.
Figures 18 and 19 are sections of washers having the under surfaces hollow so that
the edges thereof press on or cut into the plates or sheets of metal pressing them

page_text: firmly together at the points furthest from the centres of the aforesaid washers. In
forming the before-mentioned washers I find the most convenient method is to take
a flat circular metal washer having a hole of the necessary diameter in the centre, and
press it up in the centre so as to form a hollow and the centre hole will then open
out in the form of a countersink but if the countersink is not required the central hole
may be punched out after the washer has been dished or hollowed.
Figures 20 and 21 are elevations of the washer shown in Figures 18 and 19.
Figure 22 is a section of a rivet hollowed out under the head so as to form a cutting
edge and in order to throw the pressure as far from the centre of the said head as
possible so as to ensure the plates being more firmly pressed together.
Figure 23 is a section of a rivet having the point rounded off thereby enabling
the said point to be spread out more easily and with a smaller number of blows.
In making a water-lute for manholes or tops of cisterns I cut and bend sheet metal
into the form of a trough and form the corners by making cuts as shown in Figure 13
illustrating the method of forming the corners of the frames of cisterns when
the said frames are made out of the same sheets as the sides but in forming a
water-lute the frame would be reversed so as to form the trough the strips of metal
employed being only sufficiently wide to produce the said trough and leaving a
margin for setting off and rivetting to the top plate of the cistern when required and
in some cases I rivet the said trough to the sides or top of the cistern by means
of rivets placed through the sides or bottom of the aforesaid trough. The cover of the
cistern may be fitted in the usual way with an angle iron frame rivetted on so, aš to
form a lip to drop into the aforesaid trough or a frame of sheet metal may be employed
in the place of the angle iron frame.
In carrying out my Invention any good quality of metal capable of bending
without cracking or breaking may be employed but I prefer soft steel especially when
it is desired to press in the corners as described and illustrated in Figures 14. 15:16.
and 17.
The corner as described and illustrated in Figure 17. may be employed in all cases
where it is possible to form the corner into a point or cone as described and illustrated
in Figure 14. so as to enable it to be pressed in.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is =
Firstly. The formation of ribs in conjunction with rivetted seams substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Secondly. The formation of a sheet metal frame by bending over the sheets forming
the sides substantially as hereinbefore described.
Thirdly. The formation of the corners of frames by locking them together substantially
as herein before described.
Fourthly. The formation of a tray having the corners stamped or pressed in
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fifthly. The formation of corner-pieces stamped or pressed in substantially as
herein before described.
Sixthly. The employment of rivets and washers having the undersurfaces hollowed
out substantially as herein before described.
Seventhly. The employment of rivets having the points rounded off substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Eighthly. The formation of a water-lute having the corners locked together
substantially as hereinbefore described.