IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE JOINTS FOR IRON OR STEEL PLATES EMPLOYED 'IN SHIP-BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHERE WATER-TIGHT JOINTS ARE REQUIRED
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hohling Mills, of Norfolk Cottage, Wellington
Road, Bromley, in the County of Middlesex, Marine Superintendent,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE JOINTS FOR IRON
OR STEEL PLATES EMPLOYED 'IN SHIP-BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHERE
WATER-TIGHT JOINTS ARE REQUIRED."
Sealed the 7th June 1864, and dated the 31st March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hohling Mills
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st March 1864.
I, HENRY HOHLING MILLS, of Norfolk Cottage, Wellington Road, Bromley,
in the County of Middlesex, Marine Superintendent, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE JOINTS.
FOR IRON OR STEEL PLATES EMPLOYED IN SHIP-BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHERE
WATER-TIGHT JOINTS ARE REQUIRED," to be as follows:
My Invention has for its object to construct the joints for connecting iron
or steel plates together in such a manner that such joints shall be perfectly.
steam and water tight.
The Invention is particularly applicable for building iron ships, and as in:
such constructions there are horizontal lap joints, and alsó vertical butt joints;
the two kinds of joints will require a somewhat different mode of treatmenta
For the longitudinal or horizontal joints, which are usually lap joints, I form

page_text: in those parts of the faces of the plates which lap a groove, so that when the
grooves of the two plates are brought into coincidence there will be a hollow
space left between the plates and parallel with the two lines of rivets. This
space is filled with gasket, india-rubber, marine glue, or other waterproof
material, so that when the rivetting is completed a perfectly water-tight joint
will be produced. For vertical or butt joints I make a groove, recess, or
indentation down the centre of the covering plate, so that when this covering
plate is placed over the butt joint there will be a recess or space immediately
above the joint and under. the covering plate. This recess or space is filled
with india-rubber composition, marine glue, or other suitable waterproof pre-
paration which is capable of being poured in when hot, and will solidify on
cooling. Molten metal, such as lead, may also be employed for the purpose,
and when the covering plate is well rivetted on a perfectly water-tight joint
will be produced. If desired, the butt edges of the plates may be slightly
bevilled off so as to leave an angular space between their upper edges. The
rivetting operation will drive the waterproof substance or soft metal into this
space and will form a perfectly water-tight joint.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Hohling Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
HOHLING MILLS, of Norfolk Cottage, Wellington Road, Bromley, in the
County of Middlesex, Marine Superintendent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Hohling Mills, Her special license that I, the said Henry Hohling
Mills, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Hohling Mills, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN. CONSTRUCTING THE JOINTS FOR IRON OR STEEL PLATES EMPLOYED IN
SHIP-BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES WHERE WATER-TIGHT JOINTS ARE REQUIRED,'

page_text: upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry: Hohling Mills,
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 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 Henry Hobling Mills, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,.
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
-
My Invention has for its object to construct the joints for connecting iron.
or steel plates together in such a manner that such joints shall be perfectly,
steam and water tight.
The Invention is particularly applicable for building iron ships, and as in.
such constructions there are horizontal lap. joints, and also vertical butt joints,
the two kinds of joints will require a somewhat different mode of treatment...
. In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn several views of my improved
mode of constructing both horizontal and vertical joints.
".
Fig. 1 is an elevation of parts of three plates as seen from the inside of the
vessel, and shewing both the longitudinal and horizontal. joints; Fig. 2 is a
horizontal section shewing the mode of forming the vertical joint..
i
For the longitudinal or horizontal joints, which are usually lap joints, I.
form in those parts of the faces of the two plates A and B which overlap or
are brought into surface contact with one another a groove, as at a, Fig. 1, so
that when the grooves of the two plates A and B are brought into coincidence
there will be a hollow space, as at A, left between the plates and parallel with
the two lines of rivets; this space a may be made either rectangular, as in
Fig. 1, or circular, as at Figures 3 and 4, hereafter more particularly referred
to. The space a is filled with gasket, india-rubber, marine glue, or other water-
proof material, so that when the rivetting of the two plates A and B together
is completed a perfectly water-tight joint will be produced. For vertical
or butt joints I make a groove, recess, or indentation 6 down the centre of
the covering plate C, which is shewn detached at Figures 5 and 6, of which
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the back of the plate, and. Fig. 6 a view of the inside
face shewing the indentation or groove.b. When this covering plate is placed.
over the butt joint, as seen at Figures 1 and 2, there will be a recess or space 6.
immediately above the joint and under the covering plate, and this recess or
space is to be filled with india-rubber, composition, gasket, marine glue,

page_text: engineer's or other cements, or other suitable waterproof preparation or com-
position which is capable of being poured in and will subsequently solidify.
Molten metal, such as lead, may also be employed for the purpose, and when
the covering plate C is well rivetted on to the plates A and B a perfectly water-
tight joint will be produced.
Fig. 4 is an inside view of several ship's plates rivetted together; Fig. 5 is
a sectional view of the same. The principal difference between this arrange-
ment and that shewn at Figures 1 and 2 is, that in the latter the lower edges
project over the plates below, but in Figures 4 and 5 the plates are arranged in
alternate rows, in which the edge of one row of plates lies outside the others,
both above and below, so that the covering plate C for the vertical joints lies
snugly between the projecting plates. The horizontal groove a is also made
circular instead of rectangular, as in Figures 1 and 2. The groove b, or inden-
tation in the covering plate C, may be made in various ways, as seen at
Figures 7, 8, 9. In Fig. 7 the groove 6 consists of a simple indentation made
in the plate while being rolled, or, if preferred, it may be made subsequently,
the plate being the same thickness throughout. In Fig. 8 the plate is rolled
with an external projecting rib for the purpose of increasing the strength of
the plate, and the groove b may be subsequently cut out by a planing machine.
Fig. 9 is a modification of the same.
Another modification is shewn at Fig. 10, in which the edges of the plates
may be slightly bevilled off so as to leave an angular space between their
upper edges. The operation of rivetting on the covering plate C will drive
the waterproof substance or soft metal into this angular space, and will thereby
form a perfectly water-tight joint.
Figures 11, 12, and 18 represent a modification of the above, in which
vertical and horizontal butt joints are employed, and the adjoining edges of all
the plates are bevilled off so as to leave a space, as in the former instance, to
receive the waterproof composition; but in Figures 11, 12, and 13 the covering
plate is quite flat, and bas neither external rib nor internal groove. Figures 14,
15, 16 are similar views of a butt joint in which the edges of the plates are
not bevilled off, but the space for receiving the waterproof material is produced
by cutting a groove on the inside face of the covering plate C.
Having now described my Invention of " Improvements in Constructing
the Joints for Iron or Steel Plates employed in Ship-building and other
Purposes where Water-tight Joints are required," and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, forming spaces immediately above the
junctions of contiguous plates for the purpose of receiving some waterproof

page_text: composition which, when the covering plates are rivetted in their place, will
form a water-tight joint, as herein set forth.
In witness. whereof, I, the said Henry Hohling Mills, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
.
66, Chancery Lane.
HENRY H. MILLS. (L.S.)