Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Effecting the Electro- deposition of Zinc or other Metals, upon Tubes or other Circular or analogous Objects.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 10th May, 1897-Accepted, 10th July, 1897
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Effecting the Electro-
deposition of Zinc or other Metals, upon Tubes or other Circular
or analogous Objects.
We, THE COWPER-COLES GALVANIZING SYNDICATE LIMITED and SHERARD OSBORN
COWPER-COLES Engineer both of 39 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide means or apparatus, by which tubes or
other circular or analogous articles cen be very conveniently and economically coated
with an even and satisfactory coating of zinc or other metal by electro deposition.
We will explain this Invention as applied to the coating of a tube with zinc from
which its application to the coating of other articles with zinc or other metals will
also be understood. In a suitable receptacle, either consisting of a vat, or of a vessel
in the form of a long cylinder approximating to the tube, there is provided in suitable
bearings supports which can be rotated and which are shaped so that they will hold
the tube at each end. The holding devices may for example consist of cone-shaped
pieces with angular parts on their surfaces, so that when the said conical pieces.
are inserted in the tube ends they hold it by bearing only on a very small part
thereof but sufficiently to enable the tube to be rotated when the supports are rotated,
which may be done from any suitable motor by applying the power to a pulley on
the protruding end of the shafts of one of the supports. The anode for the interior
of the tube can be held by the same supports whilst that for the outside can consist
of a circular piece surrounding the tube to be coated the anodes and cathode being
suitably insulated from each other. The tube can be supported in a vat or vessel in
a vertical or inclined position the vat or vessel itself being either vertical or not, and
in the latter case, the support for the end of the tube at which power is applied may
be connected by a universal joint with the shaft carrying the pulley for the application
of motive power so that the said shaft can be situated horizontally. The electrolyte
may either be introduced and removed for revivification as required or it may be
revivified in the vat, or in the case of an inclined vessel, it may flow in at the bottom
and out at the top, to be revivified and be returned to the vessel continuously or
intermittently.
Dated this 8th day of August 1896.
с
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Effecting the Electro-
deposition of Zinc or other Metals, upon Tubes or other Circular
or analogous Objects.
We, THE COWPER-COLES GALVANIZING SYNDICATE LIMITED, and SHERARD OSBORN
COWPER-COLES, Engineer, both of 39 Victoria Street in the City of Westminster,
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is to
he performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide means, or apparatus, by which tubes, or
other circular, or analogous articles, can be very conveniently and economically coated
with an even and satisfactory coating of zinc, or other metal, by electro-deposition.
We will explain this invention as applied to the coating of a tube with zinc from
which its application to the coating of other articles with zinc; or tubes, or other
articles, with other metals, will also be understood.
In a suitable receptacle, either consisting of a vat, or of a vessel in the form of a
long cylinder, approximating to the tube in form, there is provided, in suitable
bearings, supports which can be rotated preferably at a high velocity and which are
shaped so that they will hold the tube at each end. The holding devices may, for
example, consist of cone-shaped pieces with angular parts on their surfaces, so that
when the said conical pieces are inserted in the tube ends they hold it by bearing
only on a very small part thereof, but sufficiently to cause the tube to be rotated
when the supports are rotated, which may be done from any suitable motor by
applying the power to a pulley on the protruding end of the shaft of one of the
supports. The anode for the interior of the tube can he held by the same supports
whilst the anode for the outside of the tube can consist of a circular piece surrounding
the tube to be coated, the anodes and cathode (the tube) being suitably insulated
from each other. An electro-depositing cell is thus constituted. The cell is either
vertical, or not, the tube can be supported in the cell in a vertical, or other position
to correspond. When the cell is in an inclined position and the driving shaft say in
a horizontal position the support for the end of the tube at which power is applied
may be connected by a universal joint with the motive power shaft. The electrolyte
may either be introduced and removed for revivification as required, or it may be
revivified in the cell, or, it may flow in at the bottom, and out at the top of the cell
to a tank to be revivified, and be returned to the cell continuously, or intermittently.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in sectional elevation a portion
of an apparatus constructed according to this invention for coating with zinc, or other
metal, the interior and exterior surfaces of tubular articles, and Figure 2 is a horizontal
section on the line 1-2, Figure 1. In these Figures we have shewn two cells but
one or any desired number can be used as desired. In Figure 1 the internal
arrangements of one cell are shewn in elevation and those of the other are shewn in
section.
A2 is the top of a trough or vessel containing electrolyte to which vessel are fixed,
by insulated bolts and nuts a, tubes and cylinders A and bearings B for the lower
metal supports or holders C of the tubes to be coated. The holders C are insulated
from the vessel A2 by insulating material D such as vulcanite for example and from
the tubes or cylinders A by insulating material E. Each holder C is hollow, and the
interior thereof communicates by a passage c through the bearing B and through the
Each holder C consists of
top of the vessel A2 with the interior of the said vessel.
three parts c3 c c connected together by screws c² the lower part ca being of metal
and of conical shape corresponding to, and arranged to rotate in, a conical recess or
bearing surface in the bearing B. The central part c is of insulating material and

page_text: the upper part is of metal in the form of a ring with upwardly projecting V shaped
pieces having their thin edges outward and inclined towards the axis of the tube or
cylinder A. To the insulating portion of the holder C is screwed the lower end of
a tube G constituting the centre anode the said centre anode being perforated as
shewn at g for the passage therethrough of the electrolyte. On the upper part of the
centre anode G is fitted so as to slide thereon a holder H for the upper end of the
tube to be coated, the said holder consisting of two parts h' and A2 connected together
by screws h³ the upper part h¹ being of vulcanite or other suitable insulating material
and the lower part A, like the corresponding part of the lower holder C, consisting of
a ring with projecting V shaped pieces extending downwards in a direction inclined
towards the axis of the tube or cylinder A. The upper end of the centre anode or
tube G is closed and is squared on its exterior to receive a disc I carrying anti-
friction rollers the peripheries of which rollers bear against the interior surface of
the tube or cylinder A to maintain the anode G in proper position in the said cylinder.
The upper side of the disc I has a square boss or shank i on which is fixed, by a
nut 2 screwed onto the upper end of the anode G, a toothed wheel I2.with which is
arranged to gear a pinion, or worm, on a shaft driven from any suitable motive power
so as to impart rotation to the anode G and the parts carried thereby in the tube or
cylinder A. The upper end of the anode G is squared to fit a squared hole in the
boss so that the said anode is carried round with the other parts. The tube or
cylinder A is lined with the metal K, constituting the outer anode and is insulated
from the cathode by the insulating material E. The electrical connection for the
cathode is made with the bearing B at L and the electrical connection for the
anodes G and K is made at M. The tube N to be coated is supported between
the lower holder C and the upper holder H the said tube being held concentrically in
the tube or cylinder A by the inclined projections of the holders which enter
respectively the lower and upper ends of the tube N the projections on the upper
holder being forced into the upper end of the tube by a spring P interposed between
the upper side of the said holder and the underside of the disc I. The electrolyte
may be forced by any suitable means such as a pump through the interior of the inner
anode and through the perforations therein into the interior of the tube N thence
through the spaces between the inclined projections on the holders to the exterior
of the tube N and out from the cylinder A through the outlet a² whence it may be
conducted by a pipe back to the vessel A2 and so a circulation of the electrolyte can
be maintained for any desired period; the electrolyte is preferably circulated at a
high velocity.
By imparting rotation to the tube while subjected to the electrolytic action a
uniformly even coating of metal is deposited on the surfaces of the tube.
We do not restrict ourselves to the arrangement of apparatus hereinbefore described
and illustrated as it is obvious that variations may be made therein without departing
from the nature of this invention for instance the tubes or cylinders A may be
arranged in an inclined, or in a horizontal, position, instead of vertically and the
mechanism for rotating the tube or article to be coated may be arranged at the lower,
instead of at the upper, end. It will also be evident that if desired the inner anode
may be stationary and the article to be coated be rotated around it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. An apparatus for effecting the electro-deposition of zine, or other metal, upon
tubes, or other circular, or analogous hollow articles, the said apparatus consisting of
or comprising a vat, or vessel, containing the electrolyte, or through which the
electrolyte is caused to flow; bearings or supports for the article to be coated, an
anode situated inside the article to be coated; and an anode surrounding the
exterior of the article; and means for imparting to the supports and article held
thereby, a motion of rotation, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In apparatus for effecting the electro-deposition of zinc or other metal upon.

page_text: tubes or other circular or analogous objects, the combination of a vessel, of cylindrical
shape, approximating to the object to be coated and containing the electrolyte or
through which the electrolyte is caused to flow and lined with metal constituting an
anode; supports or holders for the object to be coated each support having V shaped
converging projections with their thin edges outwards to bear on the object to be
coated, an anode secured to one of the supports, and situated inside the object; a
support free to slide on the inner anode, and means for rotating the object in the
vessel substantially as herein before described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting apparatus for effecting
the electro-deposition of zinc or other metals upon tubes or other circular or analogous
objects, substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.