IMPROVEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF TUBES TO BE ATTACHED TO BOILER PLATES, OR TO BE USED FOR OTHER SUCH PURPOSES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Beckett Johnson, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF TUBES TO BE ATTACHED TO BOILER PLATES, OR
TO BE USED FOR OTHER SUCH PURPOSES."
Sealed the 29th August 1854, and dated the 9th March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Beckett Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1854.
I, WILLIAM BECKETT JOHNSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF TUBES TO BE ATTACHED TO BOILER PLATES,
OR TO BE USED FOR OTHER SUCH PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to a method of obtaining a thickened end or ends
to tubes, whereby they may with greater security be attached to boiler plates
or other apparatus to which metal tubular passages are required to be fixed.
To effect this, I take a tube manufactured by any ordinary method, and com-
press it at the end or ends so as to force a certain length into a smaller
longitudinal space, the consequence of which will be the desired increase of
thickness. This result may be obtained by various mechanical arrangements.
I will, however, point out a method I adopt. The tube to be operated upon is
placed upon a short mandril, and clasped on its exterior periphery by the closing
of a pair of dies; such dies, however, towards the end of the tube are pro-

page_text: vided with a part of larger interior diameter, so as to constitute a space or
mould for the intended thickened end. The dies having been thus closed, so
as to hold the tube firmly, a punch mounted upon the mandril is caused to
advance and squeeze the end of the tube into the cavity of the dies, and thus
the operation will have been effected. After which, the parting of the dies
will allow the tube to be withdrawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Beckett Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BECKETT JOHNSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS "Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Beckett Johnson, Her especial license that I, the' said William
Beckett Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Beckett Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF TUBES TO BE ATTACHED TO BOILER
PLATES, OR TO BE USED FOR OTHER SUCH PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Beckett Johnson, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and.
to cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Beckett Johnson, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My improvements relate to a method of obtaining a thickened end or ends,
to tubes, whereby they may with greater security be attached to boiler plates

page_text: or other apparatus to which metal tubular passages are required to be fixed.
To effect this, I take a tube manufactured by any ordinary method, and com-
press it at the end or ends, so as to force a certain length into a smaller
longitudinal space, the consequence of which will be the desired increase of
thickness. This result may be obtained by various mechanical arrangements.
I will, however, point out a method I adopt, and describe the same by
reference to a Sheet of Drawing accompanying this my Specification. . Figure 1.
is a longitudinal section of the machine, complete; Figures 2, 3, and 4 are'
detached views of parts thereof; and Figure 5, a sectional view of part of a tube
treated according to my Invention. Upon a strong cast-iron frame a are formed
upright parts, one of which is shewn at b; the other being at the opposite side,
and removed, in order to shew the parts in section. Upon these uprights are
formed or adapted V guides c, one to each standard, being made adjustible by
set screws and within them is situate a sliding piece e, capable of being
forced downward by a cam f, and carried upward by an excentric 9, situate
within a sling formed upon the top of the sliding. piece e. The cam f and
excentric g are both upon a shaft.h, receiving rotatory motion by the wheels i, j,
the latter of which is driven from the main shaft k by means of a pinion l.
The sliding piece e extends downwards to the dotted line m, and is of semi-
circular interior form, so as to extend around one-half of the tube represented
at n, under operation; the other half of the tube is in like manner surrounded
by a bottom die o, fixed to the stationary framework a, and both are chambered
out at p, 'so as to form a cavity corresponding in figure to the intended
thickened end of the tube. Upon the framework a is mounted a guide 7,
within which is situate a sliding piece r, caused to move to and fro by the
action of a crank formed upon the shaft 8. The sliding piece r,' shewn
detached at Figure 4, is continued by circular parts t, u, of two diameters,
which are split in the direction of their length, so as to enable the part u to be
expanded or contracted as regards its diameter. Upon the guide q are formed
two projecting pieces v, v, carrying a cottar pin w, which passes through a
rod x, situate within a circular recess formed in the parts u, t, as seen in section
at Figure 3. The rod x is slightly conical, being of larger diameter at its out-
ward end, and will, therefore, at that part keep the split portion u expanded.
At one end of the machine are two projecting parts, one of which is shewn at y,
and between them is a cross piece 2, capable of being turned over on a centre
pin, so as to leave the space between the two parts yiopen. The operation of
the machine is as follows:-According to the position shewn in the Drawing,
the end of the tube previously heated is about to be compressed into the

page_text: recess p, for which purpose the slider will be caused to advance by the crank s,
and will carry forward the part t, during which movement the split mandril u,
Jy sliding upon the conical rod x, will become expanded, and form an interior
support for the tube. The die e, previously to this, will have been forced down
by the cam f, a dead run upon the periphery of which will retain it in that
position, and, while forming the die for the intended thickened end, will serve
to prevent a longitudinal motion of the tube; but this may further be secured
by the cross piece, the standards of which should be adjustable for different
lengths of tube. The heated end having been forced into the dies p, p, by the
advance of the part t, so as to have assumed the form represented at Figure 5,
a smaller diameter of the cam f will allow the top die e to be raised by the action
of the excentric g; at the same time the crank s will withdraw the mandril u,
and cause it to slide back along the fixed rod x, and as it passes on to a smaller
diameter thereof will contract, by reason of its split construction, so as to leave
the tube free from interior pressure and enable it to be withdrawn; in order
to do which, the cross bar z is turned over upon its centre, thereby leaving the
space between the uprights y free. The split mandril u, by now occupying
a position upon a smaller diameter of the rod a, and being, therefore,
of slightly less diameter than the tubes under operation, will enable the
heated end of another to be applied and operated upon, as above described. As
the rod a does not partake of the sliding motion of the mandril u, t, the latter
is hollowed out at i for a sufficient distance for its reception, and a horizontal
slit is also formed in it for the cottar w. I have in the above description
supposed the thickened end to be formed at one operation, but would observe,
that it may in some instances be desirable to effect it by repeated compressing
operations in dies of gradually increasing dimensions, or by successive com-
pressions in the same dies.. I would also remark, that although I have shewn
and described a particular arrangement and construction of machinery for
effecting the object of my Invention, I do not limit myself thereto, for it will
be evident to all competent persons that various methods may be adopted; as
an instance, I would remark, that I contemplate using the direct action of
steam for pressing or "jumping up" the ends of the tubes. In reference to
the purposes to which my improved tubes may be employed, I would remark,
that they will be found of advantage in all cases where such articles have to be
united to plates, as in steam boilers, refrigerating or heating apparatus, &c.;
also, where tubes have to be joined to each other with or without intervening
sockets, as gas pipes, steam or air pipes, for instance.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood

page_text: that I claim, as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
and as applied to the purposes above set forth, the formation of a thickened
end or ends to tubes by pressing or "jumping up" a portion of their length.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beckett Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
W. B. JOHNSON. (L.S.)