Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1886
Complete Left, 23rd Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 26th Apr., 1887
I, WILLIAM RICHARD MIDDLEMORE THOMSON, of Number Ninety-six Buchanan
Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention comprises certain improvements for the protecting of cast-iron and
such like metallic pipes, especially those with spigot and faucet ends, during their
shipment and transit, and enabling them to be easily moved about.
In the shipment and transit of these pipes from the works and country in which
they are manufactured to the place of their destination abroad, many breakages occur
especially of the weaker spigot ends, as they have to be lifted and thrown about, not
being able to be rolled, and as a consequence considerable loss from such breakages
has heretofore taken place.
The object of this invention is to avoid such breakages and loss, so that by the
adoption of these improvements, cast-iron and other metallic pipes can be conveyed
from place to place, with very much less risk of injury or breakage.
And the nature and novelty of the invention consist in securing a collar of lead, or
other equivalent soft or fusible metal or alloy, which would answer afterwards for
jointing the pipes, circumferentially round each length of cast-iron or other metallic
pipe, at or near the spigot or narrow end. This collar would either be cast on the
pipes, or formed separately, in which latter case it would be made just of sufficient
size to pass over the "bead" on spigot end and be secured in place by lapping it
under and over, or caulking it in the space between the pipe and eye of collar, with
spun yarn, oakum, or other jointing material, until firmly secured to the pipe.
By thus securing the soft metal collar round the narrow spigot end of pipe, all
blows or concussive strains in transit will fall on and be taken up by the soft metal,

page_text: instead of by the spigot end of the cast-iron pipe as heretofore, so that with ordinary
care no injury to or breakages of the pipes during shipment or transit will occur.
The outer diameter of the soft metal collar or ring would be made of the same
diameter as the faucet end of the pipe, and will serve to compensate for the difference
in diameter between the ordinary spigot and faucet ends, and will thus facilitate and
enable them to be easier rolled along the ground to the place where they are to be
used, instead of requiring to carry them about and throw them down. While the
lead or other soft or fusible metal or alloy of which the collar is made, would be made
about sufficient for each joint of pipes, and be sawn off or removed at the place of
destination, and be melted down and utilized to act as the material for forming the
final fluid-tight securing joints for these pipes; and the collars or rings would
preferably be painted the same colour as the pipes to prevent its being observed that
they were made of lead or valuable jointing material.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
. Improvements Connected with Metallic Pipes.
A Communication from abroad by CHARLES WILLIAM BARNETT, Penang, in the
Presidency of Bengal, India, Civil Engineer.
I, WILLIAM RICHARD MIDDLEMORE THOMSON of Number Ninety-six Buchanan
Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 in
writing, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
This invention comprises certain improvements for the protecting of cast iron and
such like metallic pipes, especially those with spigot and faucet ends, during their
loading, transit, shipment, discharge and delivery and enabling them to be easier
moved and rolled about than heretofore.
In the shipment and transit of these pipes, from the Works and Country in which
they are manufactured to the place of their destination at home or abroad, many
breakages occur almost entirely at the weaker or spigot ends and in consequence of
the different diameters of the spigot and faucet, ends they cannot be readily rolled any
distance, and thus are piled one on the top of the other, and these operations expose

page_text: them to such shocks and blows that considerable loss from breakage has heretofore
taken place.
The object of this invention is to avoid such breakages and loss so that by the
adoption of these improvements cast iron and other metallic pipes can be conveyed from
place to place with very much less risk of injury or breakage than now takes place.
The nature and novelty of the invention consist in securing a ring or collar a of
lead or other equivalent soft or fusible metal or alloy, (which would answer afterwards
for jointing the faucet ends of the pipes), circumferentially round each of the cast iron
or other metallic pipes A at or near the spigot or smaller end A¹.
This collar a is either cast on the pipes; or formed separately, in which latter case
it would be made just of sufficient size to pass over the "bead 'A' at the spigot end,
and be secured in place by lapping it under and over or caulking it in the space a¹,
between the pipe A, and eye of the collar a, with spun yarn, oakum or other jointing.
material until firmly secured to the pipe.
By thus securing this soft metal collar a, round the spigot end A¹, of the pipe A, all
blows or concussions in handling or transit will fall on and be taken up by the soft
metal ring a, instead of the weak spigot end as heretofore, so that with ordinary care
no injury to or breakages of the pipes during shipment or transit will occur.
The outer diameter of the soft metal collar or ring would be made approximately to
the same diameter as that of the faucet end A³, of the pipe A, and would compensate for
the difference in diameter between the ordinary spigot and faucet end and thus enable
them to be easier rolled on one side or into the position required.
While the lead or other fusible metal or alloy of which the collar a, is made would
be just sufficient for making each faucet joint at C₁ of the pipe A, and be sawn off or
removed at the place of destination, and melted down and utilized. to act as the
material for forming the final fluid-tight joints for these pipes; the collars or rings a
would be preferably painted the same color as the pipes to prevent its being observed
that they were made of lead or other valuable jointing material.
And in order that the said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood, there is hereunto appended
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows a sectional elevation of the spigot end A¹, with a flat strengthening
bead of an ordinary form of a medium sized cast iron water pipe A; and Figure 2, is
a cross end section of the same pipe A, both showing one of my improved protection
lead rings a, as applied thereto, and one mode of casting it on the pipe by a simple
form of portable hard wood or iron mould made in three parts B, B', B. While
Figure 3, is a sectional elevation of the other or faucet end A2 of the same pipe A,
corresponding to Figure 1, with the spigot end A", of another pipe A, inserted to
show the mode of forming an ordinary lead joint therein, and the space required to
be filled up by the lead after caulking in sufficient hemp yarn or other soft material-
at C, to prevent the lead running into the pipe past the spigot end bead A¹, in casting
the joint in the space C³.
Figure 4, shows a sectional elevation of the spigot and faucet ends of a large size of
cast-iron pipe A, with the body of the pipe broken away, and showing my improved
protecting ring a, as cast on the spigot end A', and lettered all to correspond to
Figures 1 to 3. Figure 5 shows a sectional elevation of the spigot and faucet ends of
a small sized water pipe A, with round bead A', on spigot end, and my new protecting
lead ring a, cast on it, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. While Figure 6, is a sectional
elevation of the spigot end of a pipe A, to a larger scale than shown in Figure 5, with
my improved ring a shown as first cast and then driven over the bead A', and secured
by packing within the eye on the inside of the bead, which prevents it from coming
off. And Figure 7, is an end view of the ring a before being forced on the spigot end
of the pipe A.
°

page_text: Referring to Figures 1 to 5, of these Drawings, in which the lead ring a, is shown
as cast on the pipe A, this might be effected by one simple arrangement of mould in
three parts B, B1, B2, shown in section in Figure 1, and dotted in in Figure 2. The
one part B, would be made solid, and turned out with a groove at b, to fit the end. of
the pipe and its bead or projection A¹; while the other two parts B and B², of the
mould would be turned to fit the pipe on the inside of the bead, and split in the centre,
and both so hinged at 63, to the solid ends of the mould B, so as to fold close down and
fit the pipe and the inside of the mould piece B, and be secured thereto all fluid-tight
by a soft joint and groove at 61; and all secured together by four sliding bolts &, or
other equivalent fitted in slots in the solid end B, and in slots in the edges of the parts
B1 and B, so as to grip them tight, when so folded down. A groove would be turned
out of the two parts B and B of the mould the exact shape of the lead ring a, desired
to be cast in it, as shown particularly in Figure 1, and a gate would be formed at 62,
in the upper parts B1, B3, of the mould for pouring in the lead or other soft metál
employed to form the ring. After so casting the ring a, the two back parts, of the
mould would be opened up and removed, and the gate at 72, cutaway, leaving the ring a
intact, cast close up to the bead A', at the spigot end A, and the shrinkage of the
lead in casting, would secure the ring a perfectly tight to the pipe.
Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the rings a could be first cast separately in ordinary
sand or other moulds, as shown at Figure 7, and then driven tight on over the bead A¹
as seen in Figure 6; and the driving of the rings a tight on in this way from the
end, would make the inner edges of the rings contract inward at their eye over the
end bead A¹ and this contraction might be further increased by hammering down an
edge a¹ formed on the ring a so that when this part of the eye was filled up with
oakum, or other material or lead run into it, as shown at a³, it would be impossible for
the rings a to come off the pipe in shipment or transit. When the rings are cast
separate, as described in reference to Figure 6, instead of caulking oakum into their
eyes to secure them to the pipe, the rings could be slipped on and afterwards
compressed in dies, with powerful presses, so as to secure them on to the pipe very
quickly, and with little labour or expense. These rings a would thus protect the
spigot end of tho pipe A until they reached their destination where the rings could be
sawn or cut off, and melted for forming the joints at C¹.
Although lead rings have been principally mentioned throughout the specification
it is to be understood that lead alloyed with tin or Bismuth or zinc, might be used to
give greater hardness when this is desired, or alloys of any two or more of these or
other easily fusible metals might be employed, and which could be easily melted and
cast on to the pipes, and subsequently used for making the faucet joints.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The casting or otherwise fixing rings or collars of lead or other soft fusible
metal or alloy on the spigot or non-flanged end of cast-iron or other metallic pipes,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The construction of rings or collars of lead or other soft fusible metal or
alloy, and their application and use on the spigot or non-flanged ends of pipes for
their protection in shipment or transit, substantially as herein described, in reference
to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.