AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPA- RATUS FOR ASSEMBLING AND UNITING PIECES OF METAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ORDNANCE TUBES AND OTHER STRUCTURES COMPOSED OF UNITED METALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
· Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPA-
RATUS FOR ASSEMBLING AND UNITING PIECES OF METAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF ORDNANCE TUBES AND OTHER STRUCTURES COMPOSED OF UNITED METALS."
-A communication from abroad by William Ely Woodbridge, of
the City and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th March 1873, and dated the 6th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th December 1872.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING AND UNITING PIECES OF METAL FOR THE MANUPAC-
TURE OF ORDNANCE TUBES AND OTHER STRUCTURES COMPOSED OF UNITED METALS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a novel method of assembling the pieces of
steel or other metal employed in the fabrication of cannon or any other

page_text: structure, and of connecting them together so as to form the intended
article of great strength.
The essential features of the Invention are assembling the parts or
pieces of metal of which the article is to be composed and heating them to
the temperature requisite for uniting them by means of a more fusible 5
metal used as a solder, while they are protected by a surrounding case,
so that while thus protected a bath of molten metal may be applied to
cement the parts together.
The article to be produced is cooled from the interior while the
soldering or uniting in a bath of metal the component parts, as for 1
instance, guns or other tubes and hollow cylinders, is taking place.
The metals to be soldered (when at a high temperature) are liable to
oxidation, I therefore enclose them in a protecting case while being
heated to the proper temperature for soldering.
A pyrometer or other equivalent device must be adapted to the 1
apparatus for the purpose of indicating the attainment of the proper
temperature for the application of the soldering metal.
The access of air to the interior of the protecting case through the
opening in its bottom is prevented by means of a plug of metal, which
by its fusion will furnish the liquid required for constituting in con- 2
nection with a tube projecting into a cup or equivalent, a fluid valve
which will not obstruct the entrance of the soldering metal, but will
prevent the access of air. A different metal may be employed outside
the protecting case to counterbalance the pressure of the soldering metal
within.
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The heating chamber and connecting flues should be so constructed
that they will form a close and strongly supported receptacle for the
metal used in the process of soldering. Heat is to be introduced into a
heating chamber designed to be used as a bath for soldering. The heat
enters at the top and is carried down about the metal to be heated for 3
the purpose of causing the later cooling of the upper part after the
pouring of the soldering metal.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, 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 makė,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING AND UNITING
PIECES OF METAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ORDNANCE TUBES AND OTHER
STRUCTURES COMPOSED OF UNITED METALS,” being a communication to me
from abroad by William Ely Woodbridge, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and 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 Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
:-

page_text: This Invention relates to the method of assembling and uniting pieces
of metal for the construction of cannon and other tubes, cylinders, or
structures where the union is accomplished by the intervention of a
more fusible metal employed as a solder.
In order to explain the Invention I will describe the method preferred
for the construction of cannon, and I will afterward point out several
modifications and applications of the process.
The best metal to constitute the chief portion of a cannon is mild
steel, which is to be used in the form of square wire, having the corners
slightly truncated. This wire is to be wound on a steel tube somewhat
longer than the intended gun, and of which the diameter should be
enough larger than that of the intended bore to permit of its being
rebored and rifled if desired without danger of cutting into the wound
wire when finishing the gun. It is preferable that the end of the tube
corresponding to the breech of the gun should be closed, and it may be
reduced in diameter in the rear of what is to be the bottom of the bore
if the cannon is intended to be loaded at the muzzle. It will also be
well to provide the tube with a flange at each end as a convenience for
the attachment of the wires, and for securing them in place. A tube so
prepared is represented in section in the accompanying Drawing at
Fig. 1, the outline of the finished gun being indicated by the dotted

page_text: The wire and tube on which it is wound should be quite free from
oxide, and if any lubricator is employed in the work in such a way that
a portion of it is likely to remain upon them, it should be in preference,
a hydrocarbon wholly volatilizable by heat. The tube with the wire
upon it must be heated to nearly or quite the melting point of the metal
employed as a solder (which may with advantage consist of a bronze
composed of five parts of copper to one of tin), and in order to insure its
perfect adherence to the steel, the latter should be completely protected
from oxidation in the process of heating and the application of the fluid
metal. This is accomplished by enclosing it in an iron case which shall
remain air-tight during the heating (see Fig. 2). The case may very
properly be made of boiler iron, rivetted and calked, and should corre-
For
spond nearly in form and size to the mass it is designed to protect.
convenience of use it may he made in two parts screwed together on the
plane of its greatest diameter. It may also be advisable to form two
recesses corresponding to the desired position of the trunnions of the
gun, so that the metal which shall afterward enter them in the process
of soldering may serve for the construction of those parts of the gun.
It is desirable that the soldering metal shall enter the case at the
bottom so that the pressure on its inner and outer sides may be equalized,
and danger of rupture in the process avoided, and also that the mass of
wire shall be permeated without risk of including bubbles of gas or air.
To provide for this without admitting air a short tube (a, Fig. 2) is
made to project from its bottom or lower end into a shallow cup c, placed
beneath it. The tube is tightly closed with a plug of bronze before
heating, the metal of the plug forming, when melted into the cup, a fluid
valve which will prevent the entrance of air but will not obstruct the
entrance of the soldering metal. When in use the case stands upright,
the muzzle end of the tube being uppermost.
As a means of determining when in the process of heating the con-
tents of the case have attained the proper temperature the following
device is employed:-Pieces of bronze having about the same melting
point with that to be employed as a solder are enclosed within the tube
on which the wire is wound, one at or near the bottom, and another sup-
ported near the top. Upon these are made to stand two rods which
extend surrounded by a tube 6 through the top of the case, and also
through the brickwork cover of the chamber in which it is placed for
heating, so that they may become visible to the operator. A glass

page_text: progress of heat, or the insertion of pyrometers, but they should be
firmly closed before the introduction of melted metal into the chamber.
It is not necessary to describe the furnace employed in heating the
wire or pieces to be united, as it may be of the ordinary construction for
analogous purposes. It is desirable, however, that it should be capable
of furnishing the requisite heat without the passage of so much free
oxygen as to endanger the protecting case.
Neither is it necessary to
employ any particular form of melting furnace for the fusion of the
soldering metal; but it is desirable that it should be arranged for rapid
working and easy control, so that the metal may be supplied at the
precise time it shall be required, and it should be situated at such dis-
tance and elevation as shall be most convenient for the transfer of the
metal.
The operation may be conducted as follows:-The tube and wire
wound upon it to constitute the gun are enclosed in the protecting case
which, in its turn, is enclosed in the heating chamber A in which it is
supported centrally, and secured so that it may not float when sur-
rounded by liquid metal. The appliance before mentioned for indicating
the attainment of the required heat being properly adjusted, fire is
kindled in the heating furnace B, and continued until the descent of the
indicating rods denotes that the proper temperature has been reached.
The direct passage from the top of the heating chamber to the chimney
is now opened, and the bronze for soldering (having in the meantime
been melted in a separate furnace) is now run into the chamber through
the opening in its cover. It rises through the tube in the bottom of
the protecting case and interpenetrates, the wound wire filling its
interstices, and adhering everywhere to its surface. The access of the
heat being first to the upper part of the heated mass, and the heat at the
top being continued for a time by the establishment of a direct draught
from the furnace across the top of the heating chamber and the enclosed
case, the lower portions will be the first to cool, and any vacuity from
the contraction of the metal below will be prevented by the supply of
metal from above.
This result may be further promoted, and at the same time the
advantages of an "initial strain" on the outer portions of the 'metal
secured, by forcing down the tube of the gun a current of a cooling
fluid (air, steam, or water) in the manner well known to have been used

page_text: by the late General Rodman in cooling large castings. In this way the
steel wire and tube will have been firmly united so as to form when
cooled a single solid piece. The gun may be completed by boring,
turning, and the usual operations.
I do not intend to confine myself to any particular form of wire or any
particular metal or metals in the construction of cannon, but I claim the
right to use such metals (whether simple or compound) as may suit the
particular purpose in view in any form, whether of wire or otherwise,
and in any known arrangement that may be available for joining in the
manner proposed, for example, wires may be wound upon a solid bar
or mandril which may either remain or be afterward withdrawn; tubes
or rings placed successively over an inner tube and rings applied to each
other so as to constitute a tube, and this whether constituting entire guns
or parts of guns.
I also intend, when circumstances may render it desirable, to modify
the process of union by omitting the arrangement described for indicating
the time when the proper heat shall have been attained, either with or
without the substitution of one of the pyrometers now used or known, as
it will be sufficient for some purposes to judge of the temperature by
inspection.
case.
I also intend in some instances in which it may be desirable for the
sake of economy to use a metal different from that employed in soldering
to counterbalance by its outside pressure that of the metal within the
When this is done the soldering metal will most conveniently be
made to enter the upper part of the protecting case, and an entrance for
the fluid metal may be made at the place where it will be most con-
venient, but it should of course be kept closed until about the time of
pouring, and a desirable precaution against the oxidation of the enclosed
metal to some slight extent will be found in fitting to the opening just
mentioned a tube lined with charcoal, so as to deprive any air (that
might enter) of its oxidizing power. It will also be a proper precaution
to enclose within the protecting case a small quantity of charcoal or fine
iron wire, placed in what may be expected to be its hottest part, in order
to deprive the air naturally enclosed or possibly finding access through
some imperfect joint of its free oxygen.
When the depth of the soldering metal employed will readily admit of
it I use a protecting case made of such thickness and strength that it will

page_text: be able unsupported to resist the internal pressure to which it may be
subjected when in use. In some instances to support the case the space.
between it and the walls surrounding it are after it has been brought to
the proper temperature filled in with sand or gravel or any other
substance having like mechanical action, and also any material which
may be found suitable for the construction of the case may be used in
place of iron.
I propose not only to unite distinct pieces by the method herein
described, but also the separate turns of helices composed of a single
piece and the overlapping or contiguous parts of pieces of any form
which it is required to bring into union.
I also propose to apply the method and means herein described with or
without either of the several modifications stated, to the fabrication of
tubes and any other structures to which they may be adapted, without
regard to the uses for which they may be intended.
Although the employment of a flux instead of the herein-described
method of protection for the metals to be united is generally objectionable
on account of the unavoidable inclusion of small but numerous portions
of vitrefied flux and oxide, I propose in instances where this defect may
be disregarded to dispense with the protecting case, and substitute any of
the fluxes in use, the heating supply of soldering metal and cooling
being conducted substantially as herein first described.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I would observe that I do not claim
the broad principle of assembling the pieces of steel or other metal
employed in the fabrication of cannon or any other structure; but I do
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First. The combined operations of assembling the parts in either of
the modes herein set forth, and heating them to the required temperature
and then uniting them by means of a more fusible metal used as a
solder, while they are protected by a surrounding case, so that while
thus protected a bath of molten metal may be applied to cement the
parts together.
Second. I claim the combination of the process of cooling from the
interior with that of soldering or uniting in a bath of metal the compo-
nent parts of guns or other tubes and hollow cylinders for the purpose
herein mentioned.

page_text: Third. I claim enclosing the metals to be soldered (at a temperature
which renders them liable to oxidation) in a protecting case while being
heated to the proper temperature as and for the purpose herein set
forth.
Fourth. I claim the device herein described for indicating the attain-
ment of the proper temperature for the application of the soldering
metal.
Fifth. I claim the method herein described for preventing the access
of air to the interior of the protecting case through the opening in its
bottom by means of a plug of metal which shall by its fusion furnish:
the liquid required for constituting (in connection with the tube
projecting into a cup or equivalent, as described) a fluid valve, which
will not obstruct the entrance of the soldering metal, but will prevent
the access of air.
Sixth. I claim the employment of a different metal outside the 1
protecting case to counterbalance the pressure of the soldering metal
within, as set forth.
Seventh. I claim the construction of the heating chamber and
connecting flues, as herein set forth, so as to constitute a close and
strongly supported receptacle for the metal used in the process of 2
soldering.
Eighth. I claim the introduction of heat into the heating chamber at
the top, and carrying it down about the metal to be heated, as herein
described, for the purpose of causing the later cooling of the upper part
after the pouring of the soldering metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set. my hand and scal, the Sixth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
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