Improved Sprinkling-apparatus for use in the Manufacture of Armour-plates, and in similar Operations.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by HAYWARD AUGUSTUS HARVEY, of 455, Main
Street, Orange, New Jersey, in the United States of America.]
Improved Sprinkling-apparatus for use in the Manufacture of
Armour-plates, and in similar Operations.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved sprinkling-apparatus for use in the manufacture
of armour-plates,and in similar operations.
Sprinkling-apparatus as hitherto usually constructed, possesses the serious defect
that the devices employed to deliver the water upon the article in a series of
jets, are so constructed that owing to fluid friction in the interior of the apparatus,
and to other causes, all the jets do not deliver the same quantities of fluid in a given
time, consequently different portions of the article operated upon are unequally
cooled and the operation results in inferior product. For example, the portion of
the sprinkler placed below the article which is to be cooled, to operate on the
underside thereof, has its action impeded by the return of cooling medium from the
said underside; moreover the accumulation of liquid above the exit openings of
the sprinkler in the way of the issuing jets, seriously interferes with their action.
The object of my said invention is to construct improved means whereby the top
and bottom surfaces of straight or curved and heated armour-plates, or other
heated articles, can be sprinkled with water or other cooling medium in such a
manner that the supply of cooling medium is equally distributed upon the surfaces
of the article, so that equal areas of either surface thereof receive equal quantities
of the cooling medium in equal periods of time.
Such means would be of particular value in the manufacture of decrementally-
hardened armour-plate in the process described in the Specification of Letters
Patent No. 16544, dated 29th September 1891.
According to my invention the armour plate or other article to be treated is
placed upon bars disposed at suitable distances apart and so supported that there
is a space below the bars, in which space I place a box or chamber. A similar box
or chamber is placed above the said bars. The said boxes or chambers are
provided with holes or nozzles so as to form sprinklers; their construction and
arrangement as hereinafter detailed are important features of my invention. The
interior of both boxes or chambers is in communication with a source whence the
cooling medium can be freely supplied thereto. I provide suitable means for
regulating the rate of supply of the cooling medium to the said interiors and upon
the upper surface of the lower box or chamber I provide a number of spouts or
nozzles. The cooling medium issues from the said lower box or chamber through
the spouts or nozzles, and passes up between the aforesaid bars into contact with
the article treated, and it is a very important feature of my invention that the said
spouts or nozzles project for such a distance above the surface of the box or
chamber, that any of the cooling medium which falls back from the said article is
received between the said nozzles or spouts, until it drains away, and is not able to
rest above the outlet orifices thereof, and consequently is prevented from impeding
the issue of fluid therefrom, or from varying the uniformity with which it is
necessary that it should be distributed upon the article treated. The box or
chamber placed above the upper surface of the article to be operated upon is
perforated with a number of small holes, from which the cooling medium falls and
8 very uniformly distributed over the upper surface of the said article.

page_text: The box or chamber situated above the article is preferably hung from a
counterbalanced crane, or is otherwise suitably arranged, so as to enable it-to-be-
very readily moved from over the bars which form supports for the articles treated.
It will offer no impediment to the handling of an article in placing it on or
removing it from the said bars.
Both the said boxes or chambers are so constructed that in either box or chamber
the force impelling the cooling medium through the nozzles or holes therein will be
the same at each said nozzle or hole, although the pressure in one box may of
course be different from that in the other. This equality of pressure at each
nozzle is a feature that cannot be secured where the nozzles or holes are supplied
from pipes, coiled or otherwise arranged so that the resistance to the flow of the
cooling medium therein varies in each part of the apparatus, as in the majority of
devices hitherto constructed.
For treating articles of curved or irregular shapes one or both of the boxes or
chambers may, if desired, be so shaped that the face thereof from which the cooling
medium issues corresponds with the shape of the part of the article upon which the
cooling jets therefrom are directed.
For instance, for the treatment of a curved armour-plate. the face of the box or
chamber can be shaped to coincide in cui vature with the curvature of the armour-
plate, and the nozzles or holes in the said face can, if desired, be so arranged that
each cooling jet impacts upon the plate a direction which is normal to the surface
thereof.
Tinted this moth 1.
Dmber 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Sprinkling-apparatus for use in the Manufacture of
Armour-plates, and in similar Operations.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
My invention relates to improved sprinkling or spraying apparatus for use in the
manufacture of armour-plates and in similar operations.
In sprinkling-apparatus for these purposes as hitherto usually constructed, the
devices employed to deliver the water upon the plate or other article in a series of
jets, are such that owing to fluid friction in the interior of the apparatus, and to other
causes, all the jets do not deliver the same quantities of fluid in a given time,
consequently different portions of the article operated upon are unequally cooled
and the operation results in an inferior product. Moreover, the portion of the
sprinkler arranged below the surface to be cooled, to operate on the underside
thereof, has its action impeded by the return of the cooling medium from the said
underside, and by the accumulation of liquid above the exit openings of the
sprinkler in the way of the issuing jets.
The object of my said invention is to provide improved means whereby the top
and bottom or opposite surfaces of straight or curved armour-plates, or other
heated metal articles, can be simultaneously sprinkled or sprayed with water or
other cooling medium, and in such a manner that the supply of cooling medium can
be freely and equally distributed upon either or both of the said surfaces so that
equal areas thereof receive equal quantities of the cooling medium in equal periods
of time.
46
My invention is very advantageously applicable in the manufacture of
decrementally-hardened Harvey" armour-plates such as those described in the
Specification of Letters Patent No. 16544 dated 29th September 1891.

page_text: In order that my said invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section showing one form of the said sprinkling-
apparatus operating upon a flat armour-plate.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line xx of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a transverse section illustrating my improved sprinkling-apparatus
operating upon a curved armour-plate.
With reference first to Figures 1 and 2, B is the armour plate, G G are bars
upon which the armour plate rests. The said bars are disposed at suitable distances
apart, and so supported, by brickwork or otherwise, that there is a space below
them. I is a box or chamber placed in the said space. A similar box or chamber H
is placed above the said bars. The said boxes or cha nbers are provided with
holes or nozzles to form sprinklers. The interior of both boxes or chambers is so
arranged that the flow of cooling medium to every part thereof is unimpeded.
Each chamber is in communication by pipes J with a source whence water or other
cooling medium can be freely supplied thereto. To keep the plate to the desired
slope or curvature during the operation of cooling it by the use of the sprinkling
or spraying apparatus, provide valves or other suitable means for regulating
independently the rate of supply of the cooling medium to the upper and lower
chambers, so as to control the contraction of the part of the plate upon which the
cooling medium impinges. Upon the upper surfaces of the lower box or chamber
I provide a number of spouts or nozzles I'. The cooling medium issues from the
said box or chamber through the said spouts or nozzles and passes up between the
aforesaid bars G into contact with the underside of the plate B.
It is a very
important feature of my invention that the said spouts or nozzles I¹ project such a
distance above the surface of the box or chamber I or above the highest level at
which the liquid might lie, that any of the water or other cooling medium which
impinges on and falls back from the surface of the plate is immediately drained
away, so that it does not accumulate above the top of the chamber or rise to the
outlet orifices thereof, and consequently is prevented from impeding the issue of
fluid therefrom or from varying the uniformity with which it is necessary that such
fluid should be distributed upon the surface against which it is directed.
The box or chamber H placed above the upper surface of the plate or other
metal article to be operated upon, is perforated with a number of small holes H',
from which the cooling medium falls and is very uniformly distributed over the
said surface. It is of great importance in the manufacture of an armour-plate
that no time should be lost in handling either the plate or the apparatus employed
to operate thereon.
Therefore the said box or chamber H should be suspended from a counter-
balanced crane K so that it can be very readily moved over or away from the bars
which form supports for the plates or other metal articles, or it can be otherwise
suitably arranged so that it will offer no impediment to the handling of a plate or
the like in placing it on or removing it from the said bars.
Each of the said boxes or chambers is so constructed that the force impelling the
cooling medium through the nozzles or holes therein will be the same at each
nozzle or hole, although the pressure in one box may of course, in certain cases, be
different from that in the other. This equality of pressure at each nozzle is a
feature that it is difficult to secure where the nozzles or holes are supplied from
pipes, so coiled or otherwise arranged that the resistance to the flow of the cooling
medium therein varies in each part of the apparatus, as in sprinkling or spraying
apparatus hitherto constructed.
The apparatus shewn in Figures 1 and 2 may also be used for treating either
flat or curved or other surfaces, but for treating articles of curved or irregular
shapes, I prefer that one or both of the boxes or chambers should be so shaped
that the face thereof from which the cooling medium issues corresponds with the
shape of the part of the plate or other article upon which the cooling jets are
directed.

page_text: For instance in Figure 3, B³ is a curved armour plate supported on bars G, the
apparatus being-similar to that illustrated-in Figures 2 and 3 except that the face
of the box or chamber H is curved to coincide with the curvature of the armour
plate, and the holes H¹ in the said face are arranged so that each cooling jet
impacts upon the plate in a direction which is normal to the surface thereof.
Although the lower box I in this. figure, is shewn straight, it is obvious that
I may as aforesaid employ in substitution therefor, a box curved to conform to the
curvature of the underside of the plate B³. Moreover I may modify my improved
apparatus so that in some instances the metal articles can be placed vertically or
at any desired inclination to be sprinkled or sprayed therein.
in
In some cases where sprinkling devices are employed, it is thought necessary,
order to obtain uniform chilling of the surface operated upon, to have the jets of
water supplied under great pressure, say from 50 to 100 lbs. or more to the square
inch. But with my improved sprinkling apparatus, I do not need such high
pressure. In the actual operation of my improved sprinkling apparatus the fluid
pressure is very slight, say from 1 to 5 lbs. or thereabouts to the square inch. This
is obviously a very important advantage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A sprinkling or spraying apparatus with apertures or nozzles arranged to
simultaneously sprinkle the opposite sides of a plate or other metal article for
the purpose specified.
2. The provision of regulating devices for the independent control of the flow of
fluid from the upper and lower or opposite parts or members of the said apparatus,
for the purposes specified.
3. In a sprinkling or spraying apparatus a series of spouts or nozzles fixed in the
top of a box or chamber or otherwise suitably arranged in connection with a source
or supply of fluid, and with their delivery apertures in such a position that they
cannot be choked or obstructed by the fluid falling back from the surface of the
plate or other article, as above set forth.
4. The improved sprinkling or spraying apparatus substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or to Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings for the purposes specified.
ՊՈԼ
a
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.