Making Glass Tanks or Boxes, and Appliances therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1890-Accepted, 26th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Making Glass Tanks or Boxes, and Appliances therefor.
JOHN ARMSTRONG Civil Engineer 11 Queen Victoria Street London, E.C. do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
-
The object of this invention is to construct tanks or boxes of glass to be used to
hold acids such as electric battery cells, or for other purposes, the object being to
make them from, rolled, plate, or sheet glass and finished on the sides and corners
square.
The process is as follows I construct a kiln or oven of either brick or iron or other
suitable material and heat it with either gas or fire into which I place a mould formed
into the shape of the tank or box to be formed. I then cut the glass into the
requisite sizes and shapes to form the tank or box, and place the glass or glasses upon
the mould which I then slide into the furnace or kiln. Where the fire or the gas
flame plays upon the glass and softening it, the sides are bent over into or upon the
mould (that is if the glass is in one piece if in several pieces the bending does not
take place) then the gas or fire flame is made to play upon the edges and corners of
the glass sheets and when at fusing point of heat an apparatus formed to the proper
shape is made to come down upon the under mould and by pressure the edges of
the glass are made to weld together, another instrument may also be used which
slides up and down to rub the edges of the glass together and thereby complete
any portion which may not have been properly welded, the mould is then reversed
and the box or tank is then removed into the annealing oven, the moulds and other
parts of the apparatus are made hollow to admit of cooling agents to keep them at the
proper temperature. I also put wirework into the apparatus before placing it upon
the glass when it descends, pressing it (the wirework) into the substance of the tank
or box.
1000
Dated this 1st day of May 1809.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Making Glass Tanks or Boxes, and Appliances therefor.
JOHN ARMSTRONG C.E. 11 Queen Victoria Street London, E.C 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
-
The object of this invention is to construct, tanks or boxes of glass to be used
to hold acids such as electric batteries or for other purposes, the object being to
make them from rolled, sheet or plate glass and finished on the sides and corners
square.
The process is as follows. I construct a kiln or oven of either brick or iron or
other suitable material and heat it with either gas or fire as shown at fig. 1 and 3,
into which I place a mould formed into the shape of the tank or box to be formed as
shown at fig. 2 This mould is made preferably of 11on, with upughts at the corners
and pieces laid across the uprights as (x. x.) which may be covered with asbestos and
a top piece (y) made in form of a tray with an iron bottom o merely with bands or
ribs across and covered with plaster of Paris, asbestos, or other imperishable material
soft enough to yield to the pressure of the glass The top tray is to prevent the top
sheet of glass loosing its shape in becoming hot during the operation Upon this
mould the plates of glass are fitted either in five sheets or in two or three sheets (if
the latter the sides are bent over with the heat, but preferably in five sheets, as the
heat required to bend over .the sheet is not thereby required and less danger of them.

page_text: loosing their shape in becoming too hot. The sheets of glass are hxed to the above
moulds by means of wedges, or clamps padded with plaster of Paris or asbestos as
shown at (w) fig 2
The
A ring (k) fig 2 is put round the mould beneath the under edge of the glass so
that after the glass box is finished the ring may be used for the purpose of lifting the
box from the mould upwards off the mould and thence into the annealing oven
wedges (w) in the meantime being loosed and drawn out from their sockets in the
base plate of the mould. The mould or moulds after they are fitted with the sheets,
are put upon the rails (e e) of the furnace upon which the mould slides, they being
formed as shown in fig 4, and serve to keep them in position and prevent their
capsizing during the operation of welding in the furnace The moulds are then
pushed forward on the rails through the tunnel (b, b,) until they reach the central
part or hearth (c) where apertures are provided to admit heated air or flames of gas
or fire as at (h, h, h, h) A working door is formed at each side of the furnace (and
one over the top). Through the side doors a hot flame or jet of gas is made to impinge
upon the angles or coiners of the sheets and superheat them to a welding heat after
which a tool is inserted to rub down the corners using pressure to effect a proper
junction of the plates, if necessary some fresh molten glass may be spread upon the
joint in order to make it stronger, and should wirework require to be placed on
the hoxes an apparatus containing it is brought down through the upper door
upon the mould which squeezes the wirework into the substance of the sheets of glass,
they being made botter for this purpose, or extra sheets may be added on the outside.
When these operations are completed the boxes may be removed from the moulds by
lifting the ing kk. or they may be removed into the annealing kiln (a, a,) upon the
moulds or separately or in lieu of a kiln, a long narrow bar may be formed with rails
so that the moulds may be slid down to effect the process of annealing
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. Making boxes or tanks of glass from sheet or plate glass, by welding the
corners or angles, with or without wire-work inserted, as herein shown or described.
Second. In a furnace for making boxes of glass by the process of welding the
joints, constructed as herein shown or described.
Third In a furnace for making boxes of glass by process of wel ing the joints,
the use of a gas jet or hot flame to impinge upon the joint to be elded as herein
shown or described
Fourth In the process of making boxes of glass as herein described, a tool used
with pressure or an apparatus to unite the two edges in conjunction of the glass tank
or box.
Fifth In a furnace for making boxes of glass as herein described, moulds made
and constructed as herein shown and for the purpose of forming boxes or tanks
as herein shown or described.
Sixth. In a furnace for the purpose of making glass tanks or boxes the use of
rails for sliding the moulds upon and formed as herein shown or described.
Seventh. The general plan and arrangement of the furnace and apparatus for the
purpose of forming glass tanks or boxes as herein shown described
Dated this 27th day of February 1890
JOHN ARMSTRONG.