Improvements in Receptacles or Tanks for the Storage of Compressed Air, Gas, and Volatile Liquids.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
Improvements in Receptacles or Tanks for the Storage of Compressed
Air, Gas, and Volatile Liquids.
I, WILLIAM TIMMIS, of Forbes Street in the City of Pittsburg, in the County
of Allegheny, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanic,
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 to improvements in tanks for the reception and storage of
air, gas or fluid under heavy pressure, the object of the same being to provide a
tank that will be tight and strong.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved storage tank, and Fig. 2
is a transverse sectional view.
In carrying out my invention I make use of two cylinders or casings A and B,
placed one within the other and of such relative size that a comparatively small
space is left between them which completely surrounds the inner casing.
The inner casing B is provided with lugs b which are formed integral therewith
or attached thereto in any suitable manner and are adapted to contact at suitable
points with the outer cylinder or casing A to properly position the inner cylinder
or casing within the same. The cylinders or casings are provided with heads
secured thereto in the usual manner, preferably by rivets, the edges of the metal
where they join being also connected by rivets.
C and D designate stay-rods which extend through both cylinders or casings.
After the cylinders have been placed one within the other the head of the outer
cylinder is secured in place and this head is provided with an opening around which
is riveted a plate having a corresponding opening. After the casings have been
assembled they are then placed in a furnace and heated to a very high temperature,
and when in this heated condition molten lead or equivalent soft metal is poured
through the opening in the head of the outer casing so as to completely fill the
space between the two casings. When the casings cool the walls thereof will
contract so as to fill up the pores of the metal and every opening or joint through
which leakage might otherwise take place.
It is a well-known fact that gases and air may be compressed to such an extent
that the ordinary storage tank made of sheet steel and joined with rivets is not
sufficiently tight to prevent leakage, and consequently with such tanks or
receptacles there is a constant diminishing of the pressure, and it is also known
that such tanks when they burst from excessive pressure break into many small
pieces which are liable to do great injury. With a storage tank constructed in
accordance with my invention the leakage is reduced to a minimum and the inner
and outer casings being intimately connected to each other by the soft metal are
able to withstand great pressure so that in case of an explosion there will be
a mere rupture analogous to that which takes place with a copper boiler,
thus greatly reducing the danger which accompanies the use of gas or air under
heavy pressure.
The tank though especially adapted to receive compressed air may be used
for many other purposes. And the inner and outer casings may be made of any
shape or configuration, that employed for steam boilers being the preferred form.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. A receptacle made up of inner and outer metallic casings placed one within
the other so as to leave a space between them, the space being filled by a metal of
greater density than the metal of which the casings are made.
2. As an improved article of manufacture, a tank or receptacle made up of two
metallic casings of different sizes one placed within the other to leave a space
between them, said space being filled with a ductile metal of greater density than
the metal of which the casings are made so as to completely surround the inner
casing and connect the same to the outer casing, substantially as shown and for the
purpose set forth.
3. A method of manufacturing metallic receptacles consisting in placing one
casing within another, heating the casings and while in a heated condition filling
the space between them with molten metal of a greater density than the metal of
which the casings are made, substantially as described.
Dated the 2nd dow of Anvil 1904
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.