Improvements in the Manufacture of Pipes or Tubes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Pipes or Tubes.
I, FREDERICK JOSIAH CLINCH-JONES of 61, Goldington Road, Bedford,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of making pipes or tubes of sheet
copper, steel, or other metal, particularly pipes intended to resist high internal
pressures, and it consists in making the pipe of a spirally-coiled strip the edges
of which have been so flanged as in the act of coiling to cause the edges of.
adjacent convolutions to engage and form a spiral, folded, interlocking, lap-jointed
seam.
The flanging of the edges of the strip is performed by rollers and the outward
flange along one edge and the inward flange along the other edge are bent
slightly beyond the perpendicular to the plane of the strip so that after the
engagement of the flanges the act of coiling the strip will flatten down the flanges,
the bending of the strip to the spiral form being performed by passing it through
rollers and the flattening of the interlocked flanges being completed by the
pressure of one of the said rollers.
The pipe may also be made by spirally coiling a main strip of sheet metal
having outwardly flanged edges into tubular form and coiling upon the flanges a
relatively narrow capping strip with inwardly flanged edges, the flanged edges of
the two strips having been bent slightly beyond the perpendicular to the plane
of the strip, the diverging flanges of the main strip being embraced by the
converging flanges of the capping strip.
In coiling the two the flanges are somewhat flattened down and this is completed
by external pressure applied to the capping strip.
Dated this 1st day of March 1893.
F. J. CLINCH-JONES,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Pipes or Tubes.
I, FREDERICK JOSIAH CLINCH-JONES of 61, Goldington Road, Bedford,
Engineer, 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 a new method of making straight pipes or tubes of sheet
metal, and more particularly of copper intended to withstand high internal
pressures, and it consists in flanging the edges of a strip of sheet metal of uniform
width and coiling the strip spirally in such manner and under such conditions that
the flanged edges of adjacent convolutions shall be caused to engage with one
another (directly or through the medium-of a capping strip) and be simultaneously
flattened down so as to securely interlock and make a folded lap-joint capable of
withstanding very high pressures.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,

page_text: forming part of this Specification, which shew the various stages in the operation of
making a pipe or tube.
Figure 1 shews the preliminary operation of flanging the edges of the strip.
Figure 2 shews the intermediate operation by which the partially formed flanges
are brought to a position at right angles to the plane of the strip and the metal
within the flanges channelled.
Figure 3 shews the final flanging operation, by which the flanges are carried
past the perpendicular to the plane of the strip, so as to prepare them for being
finally closed down by the pressure rollers, after the oppositely flanged. edges have
been interlocked in the act of coiling the strip.
Figure 4 is an elevation of a machine for making a tube shewing the closing
together by pressure rollers of the interlocked flanged edges of the strip.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the same operation, shewing the feeding-in of
the strip and the interlocking of the edge of the straight portion with that of the
already spirally-coiled portion.
. Figure 6 is a section on a larger scale of the finished joint and pressure rollers.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the method of uniting the edges of the coiled strip by
means of a capping strip.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is the strip of sheet metal from which the pipe or tube is made. The first
stage of the flanging operation is to bend the parallel edges of the strip slightly in
opposite directions, as shewn in Figure 1, by passing each edge between a pair of
male and female rolls B B having an angular rib b and groove 6' of the form
shewn. In this operation the shoulder 6 of the lower roller B¹ serves as a fence
against which the edge of the strip is guided, so as to ensure the crease being
made uniformly at a distance from the edge of the strip equal to the intended
breadth of the flange. The strip is passed twice between these rollers, being
turned over between each pass so as to effect the Hanging of the two edges of the
strip in opposite directions with regard to the plane of the strip.
The strip is then similarly passed twice between the second pair of rolls C C¹,
Figure 2, having a rectangular groove cand rib c¹ between which the partially bent
edge of the strip is passed and by which it is brought to the channelled form shewn
in said figure. In this operation the crease 6 serves as the guide by which a
flange of uniform width is turned down at right angles to the plane of the
strip A.
The two edges of the strip having been similarly flanged and channelled, they
are passed between the rolls D D', Figure 3, having a V-groove d and a
semi-V rib d', as shewn, whereby the flanges care inclined inwards past the
perpendicular to the plane of the strip so as to facilitate the engagement of the
oppositely-flanged edges and their closing down and interlocking in the subsequent
operation of spirally coiling the strip.
This operation is performed by a pair of rolls E E', such as shewn in Figures 4, 5,
and 6, in which it will be seen that the outer roll E has a pair of circumferential
ribs e with a groove e¹ between in which the folding down of the interlocked
flanges and the closing of the joint is effected whilst the inner roll E' has a smooth
periphery, so that the joint when completed will project wholly from the outer surface
of the tube whilst the inner surface is plain. In commencing to coil the strip the end
portion is bent by hand to the intended circumference of the tube so that the
inwardly-projecting flange c³ is caused to overlap and engage with the outwardly
projecting flange of the other edge of the end portion of the strip which has been
already coiled.
The strip is fed to the rolls E in an upwardly inclined direction, as shewn in
Figures 4 and 5, so that its flange may be engaged with the flange of the portion
already coiled some little distance (say about one-eighth of the circumference of the
tube more or less) in advance of the point of nip of the rolls E E', the strip-being
bent to about the intended diameter of the tube, by the operator in the act of so
engaging the flanges.

page_text: By the revolution of the rolls E E' the work is carried through and the flanges are
flattened down and interlocked, as shewn in Figure 6, whereby a perfectly close
folded lap-joint is formed, the feeding-in of the flat strip and the bending of it to
the spiral tubular form by the rolls E E' being continuous and concurrent with the
union of the portion so fed in with the portion already coiled into tubular form.
The tube or pipe as it is formed may be supported by the edge of the already coiled
portion resting against a guide roller A on an adjustable supporting bracket; and
by the length of the pipe formed resting on a cradle formed by pairs of rollers k
which may be driven or loose and upon which the pipe would screw itself along as
it is formed.
The shafts of each pair of pressure rolls are geared together by spur gear F, as
illustrated in respect of the rolls E E¹, one of said shafts being driven by worm
gear G from a shaft H geared with a driving shaft I carrying a pulley provided
with treadle-operated clutch gear for connecting or disconnecting it with the
shaft I.
It is necessary, in making copper pipe, to anneal the strip after flanging and
before coiling it and making the joint between the rolls E E¹.
The joint is perfectly steam-tight, but, in order to prevent all liability of the
joint opening under high pressures, it may be brazed internally at y or externally
in the angle formed between the exterior fold and the adjacent portion of the
pipe, or both at x and y. In making pipes of mild steel intended to convey gases at
low pressure, the operation of brazing is, of course, unnecessary.
Instead of making the oppositely flanged edges of the strip interlock directly
together, as above described, both edges may be outwardly flanged, as shewn in
Figures 7 and 8, and united by a capping strip K brought to the sectional form
shewn in Figure 7 by drawing in dies. This capping strip K by its inclined
flanges k is made to embrace both the outward flanges c' of the main strip A and the
said flanges and kare flattened down and made to interlock by the pressure of the
rolls E E' in the act of coiling the main and capping strips together, the final form
of the joint being, represented in Figure 8.
In whichever of the above described ways the pipe be made the ends of the
length would be trimmed off true and united to end flanges, as usual in making
copper pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The herein described method of making straight tubes or pipes from a strip of
sheet metal, which consists in flanging the edges of the strip in opposite directions
by passing them between successive pairs of rollers (so as to bring the flanges to
such form as to adapt them to become interlocked and folded down by pressure
applied as described) and then coiling the strip spirally and at same time causing
the flanges of adjacent convolutions to become interlocked and flattened down, so
as to form a folded lap-joint by the pressure of a pair of rolls applied to the joint
in the act of coiling the strip, substantially as specified.
2. The herein described method of making straight pipes or tubes from a strip of
sheet metal, which consists in flanging the oppositely-curved edges in the same
direction and coiling the strip spirally and at same time coiling on the adjacent
flanges a capping strip having inwardly inclined flanges and flattening down the
flanges of the main and capping strips so as to cause them to be interlocked by the
pressure of a pair of rolls applied to the joint, substantially as specified.
3. A straight pipe or tube formed of a sheet metal flanged strip coiled spirally to
the form of a tube and the adjacent convolutions united by the direct interlocking
of their flanges or by the interlocking therewith of a flanged capping strip so as to
form a single or double folded lap-joint, substantially as specified.
4. A straight pipe or tube formed of a sheet copper strip flanged and coiled
spirally to the form of a tube and the adjacent convolutions united by their flanged

page_text: edges interlocking directly or through the medium of the flanged capping strip so as
to form a folded lap-joint and by brazing the inner or outer fold of the joint to the
adjacent convolution of the strip, substantially as specified.
Dated this 30th day of December 1893.
F. J. CLINCH-JONES,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.