Improvements in or connected with Floors for Ice Skating Rinks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1895-Accepted, 7th Dec.. 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in or connected with Floors for Ice Skating Rinks.
We, WILLIAM BERNARD GODFREY and ALEXANDER MARCET, both of
23 St. Swithins Lane in the City of London Engineers, and JOHN STUART
ELLIS DE VESIAN and ALFRED HUGH TYLER, both of 5 Crown Court,
Cheapside, in the City of London, Engineers, 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 has for its object to improve the construction of floors for ice
skating rinks whereon the ice is formed of the same thickness or practically of the
same thickness throughout by reason of the passages through which the freezing
medium is passed being entirely beneath the surface on which the ice is formed,
and the object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the formation
of ice of the same or practically the same quality throughout the whole of the
surface is ensured and the floor is so constructed that it will withstand strains due
to the changes in temperature to which it is liable and so that any moisture which
may leak through is conducted away without being allowed to accumulate beneath
the floor or to drop into any cooling room or apartment which there may be
beneath the floor-and so that brine cannot leak into the ice forming the skating
floor.
We will describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing
wherein Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 2 a plan with part of the
upper surface removed of so much of a floor as is necessary to illustrate this
invention.
The surface A on which the ice is to be formed is flat or approximately flat and
beneath it are casings or shallow tanks B2 through which the freezing medium is
passed. These casings or shallow tanks B2 are arranged in series or lines extending
from side to side of the rink the casings or shallow tanks B² of each series being
in communication with each other by means of pipes 6 the first casing or tank B²
of each series being connected by a branch pipe e leading from a general supply
pipe C.
By means of valves on each of such branch pipes the quantity of
freezing medium supplied to each series of casings or shallow tanks B2 can be
regulated so that the ice at all parts of the floor can be maintained of the same
quality. The end casing or shallow tank B2 of each series communicates by a
branch pipe c with a general return pipe C2 by which the freezing medium is
returned to be re-cooled or restored to the condition in which it will exert its
freezing effect. The casings or shallow tanks B2 are preferably formed with
flanges by which they can be secured to beams e beneath; which securing may be
effected by placing two adjacent casings or shallow tanks B2 so that their flances
each partly overlap the beam e and then a plate overlapping these flanges can be
screwed or fastened down to the beam as shewn at 2 so that the flanges are
confined beneath the plate f and the joints are made watertight although this is
not essential as before flooding the whole floor with water to be frozen water may
be sprinkled lightly over all the joints in the floor and allowed to freeze so as to
seal up the joints before the flooding with water is done. The pipes 63 by which
the freezing medium passes from casing or tank to casing or tank are preferably
angled or bent as shewn in the plan so that their joints are not strained by
expansion and contraction and their inlet ends viz. those by which the freezing
medium enters to pass to the next casing or shallow tank are surrounded by a

page_text: short pipe or encircling projection d extending nearly to the top of the casing or
tank B2 so as to prevent air from being retained in the casings or tanks when the
freezing medium is admitted thereto. In the floor or surface on which the ice is
formed and above the ends of the communicating pipes are openings closed_by
suitable covers or plugs a by which access can be gained to the pipe joints. The
beams e on which the flanges of the casings or tanks B2 rest are made with
channels e² to remove any liquid due to leakage and this passes by side passages e³
into the spaces beneath the casings or tanks which spaces are lined with lead or the
like as at g and the surfaces incline in one or both directions to carry off the
moisture so that it will not leak through to any cooling room or apartment there
may be beneath or injure the charcoal cr other non-conducting packing which is
employed beneath the floor as shown at g².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. A skating rink or floor consisting of the combination with a flat surface upon
which ice of equal or practically equal thickness throughout can be formed of
series of casings or shallow tanks beneath with communicating pipes between the
casings or shallow tanks of each series and means for supplying freezing medium
to the said casings or shallow tanks and short pipes surrounding the entrance ends
of the said pipes to ensure air leaving the spaces or shallow tanks when the freezing
medium is admitted substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A skating rink or floor consisting of the combination with a flat surface upon
which ice of equal or practically equal thickness throughout can be formed of
casings or shallow tanks beneath and means for supplying freezing medium
thereto and inclined troughs or channels and passages leading thereto from the
joints in the floor or surface so that liquid due to leakage will pass away sub-
stantially as herein before described.
3. A skating rink or floor consisting of a flat surface upon which ice of equal or
practically equally thickness throughout can be formed and series of casings or
shallow tanks beneath and means for supplying cooling medium thereto aud
communicating pipes between the casings or shallow tanks of each series the
said pipes being angled or bent so as to allow of expansion and contraction and
being provided with short pipes surrounding their entrance ends and openings in
the floor closed by plugs or covers by which access to the ends of the pipes can be
obtained and a non-conducting material beneath and channels between the said
material and the surface on which the ice is formed the said channels conducting
away moisture due to leakage all substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 1st day of June 1895
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.