Improved Method of Connecting or Joining Tubes or other Hollow Structures of Metal.
Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Law Officer of the 27th day of January 1898.
Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Mar., 1897
ISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Connecting or Joining Tubes or other Hollow
Structures of Metal.
I, REGINALD MCKENNA, of 10, Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park, London, Member
of Parliament, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method or process for the connecting or
joining of metal tubes or other hollow structures of metal.
According to my invention I press together the actual surfaces to be connected
or joined by a pressure sufficient to effect the desired connecting or joining, and at
the same time, and by the same medium I subject the other portions of the tubes
or hollow structures of metal to the same pressure. I will describe the method of
connecting or joining tubes according to my invention in which the pressure is
applied by means of water or other suitable liquid in a closed vessel in connection
with an hydraulic pump, or other suitable appliance.
I take a vessel of any convenient size and with walls capable of bearing a pressure
suitable to the requirements hereafter stated. This vessel may be similar to what
is called a hydraulic cylinder. It must be fitted with a top which can be removed
at pleasure but which can be fitted on and fixed so as to constitute the whole a
watertight vessel capable of bearing the required water pressure. Into this vessel
I fit a pipe or pipes or vent or vents for the purpose of filling or emptying it with
water or other suitable liquid and I attach a hydraulic pump or other suitable
appliance. I may also attach a pressure gauge. To prepare two tubes which
I wish to connect or join together I take the larger of a circumference which will
just admit the smaller to be pushed into it. On the inside of the larger tube near
the end which is to be jointed I cut a few grooves or shallow spaces. The grooves
or spaces so cut may be continuous or separated, but they must not occupy the
whole of that part of the tube which is to be jointed. Both the ends of that part
of the outer tube which is to form the joint must be left smooth. In order to secure
that the points of contact between the two tubes.shall be watertight, if necessary
I cover those parts of the inner tube which are in direct contact with the smooth
parts of the outer tube with watertight cement or varnish and I then push the inner
tube into the outer tube to that depth which is required to form the joint. The
tubes are open so that water or other liquid can freely pass through them. The
tubes being now in the required position for jointing I place them in the watertight
vessel already described and I then firmly fix on the top of the vessel. I next fill
the vessel with water, or other suitable liquid. I then by the use of the hydraulic
pump, or other suitable appliance cause such pressure to be applied through the
water, or other liquid, within the vessel as is necessary to force the inner tube into

page_text: the interstices formed by the grooves or other, spaces already described as being
out into the inner surface of the outer tube.
I may according to my invention connect or join at the same time any number
of tubes which can be placed at once within the vessel.
Dated the 6th day of November 1896.
THEO. M KENNA,
17 & 18 Basinghall Street, London, Agent.
Improved Method of Connecting or Joining Tubes or other Hollow
Structures of Metal.
I, REGINALD MCKENNA, of 10, Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park, London, Member
of Parliament, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved method or process for the connecting or
joining of metal tubes or other hollow structures of metal.
According to my invention I press together the actual surfaces to be connected
or joined by a pressure sufficient to effect the desired connecting or joining and at
the same time and by the same medium I subject the other portions of the tubes
or pieces of metal to the same pressure I will describe the method of connecting or
joining tubes according to my invention in which the pressure is applied by means
of water or other suitable liquid in a closed vessel in connection with an hydraulic
pump or other suitable appliance.
According to the above method of carrying out my invention I take a vessel of
any convenient size and with walls capable of bearing a pressure suitable to the
requirements hereafter stated. This vessel may be similar to what is called a
hydraulic cylinder. It must be fitted with a top which can be removed at pleasure
but which can be fitted on and fixed so as to constitute the whole a watertight
vessel capable of bearing the required water pressure. Into this vessel I fit a pipe
or pipes or vent or vents for the purpose of filling or emptying it with water or
other suitable liquid and I attach a hydraulic pump or other suitable appliance.
I may also attach a pressure gauge.
To prepare two tubes which I wish to conr ect or join together I take the larger
of a circumference which will just admit the smaller to be pushed into it. On
the inside of the larger tube near the end which is to be jointed I cut a few grooves
or shallow spaces. The grooves or spaces so cut may be continuous or separated
but they must not occupy the whole of that part of the tube which is to be jointed.
Both the ends of that part of the outer tube which is to form the joint must be
left smooth. In order to secure that the points of contact between the two tubes
shall be watertight, if necessary I cover those parts of the inner or outer tubes
which are in smooth direct contact as aforesaid with watertight cement or varnish
india rubber or other suitable medium and I then push the inner tube into the
outer tube to that depth which is required to form the joint or the watertight con-
nection may be made by tinning the surfaces. The tubes are open so that water
or other liquid can freely pass through them. The tubes being now in the required
position for jointing I place them in the watertight vessel already described and I
then firmly fix on the top of the vessel. I next fill the vessel with water or other
suitable liquid. I then by the use of the hydraulic pump or other suitable appliance
cause such pressure to be applied through the water or other liquid within the
vessel as is necessary to force the inner tube into the interstices formed by the

page_text: threads or other spaces already described as being cut into the inner surface of the
outer tube.
I may according to my invention connect or join at the same time any number
of tubes which can be placed at once within the vessel.
To make my meaning more clear I refer to the accompanying drawings and
illustrate a vessel in which the pressure may be applied and various forms of tubes
to be operated upon but the vessel may be of any shape suitable to contain any
number of the parts to be joined at the same time and other structures may be
joined by my process.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a vessel of convenient size to hold any number of
tubes to be joined. A is a moveable top. B is the vent or pipe through which
hydraulic pressure can be applied to the fluid in the vessel by any suitable pump.
Figs. 2, 3, & 4 show sections of tubes prepared for joining the ends being open
so that water can pass freely through the tubes having various methods of grooves
or cuts therein. C is the larger tube in the inside of which may be cut the grooves
or spaces as at E in Figs. 2 3 & 4. At F in Figs. 2 & 3 the tubes are smooth and
tight fitting and capable of being made watertight at these points. To do so I can
tin the surface or apply shellac or any known cement or india rubber attached by
cement made for example by soaking pulverised shellac in strong ammonia to about
ten times its weight which when left to stand produces a fluid which can be applied
to rubber which can be fixed to the joints at F. On the evaporation of the ammonia
a hard impermeable joint is made.
Fig. 5 Sheet 2 shows several tubes and brackets such as form a bicycle frame
ready to be jointed by one operation an end or ends being open so that water can
freely pass into or through the tubes and brackets.
Fig. 6 Sheet 2 shews a sectional plan view of a vessel similar to that in Fig. 1
in which tubes as in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 are placed ready for jointing by one opera-
tion but any number of tubes or combination of tubes may be placed in the vessel
and can be operated on at the same time the fluid with which the said vessel is
filled surrounding and passing freely in or through them. The vessel is closed by
the lid A being secured and hydraulic pressure is applied through the vent or
pipe B to the requisite pressure and the joint or joints are
made as already
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed I wish it to be under-
stood that I am aware that it has previously been proposed in making tubular
joints by direct hydraulic pressure to place the end of one tube within the end of
the other and press portions of the former into grooves or recesses of the latter and
I am aware of Crowdens Specifications No. 22721 of 1895 and No. 7158 of 1896,
and I make no claim to anything described and claimed therein but I declare that
what I claim is:-
The herein described process of connecting tubes or other hollow structures of
metal by leaving hollows between the contiguous surfaces of the parts to be con-
nected, immersing such tubes or structures in fluid contained in a vessel in such
a manner that the fluid is continuous from one side of the exposed surfaces of the
tubes or structures to the other and subjecting them to the direct action of a
hydraulic pressure acting on the exposed' surfaces of the tubes or structures simul-
taneously as described.
75
1000
THEO. MCKENNA,
17 & 18 Basinghall Street, London, E.C., Agent.