IMPROVEMENTS IN LIDS OR DOORS FOR GAS RETORTS AND OTHER LIKE APPARATUS to be as follows
Year: 1884

page_text: We WILLIAM HENRY WESTWOOD and EDWARD THOMAS WRIGHT both of Hope
Works Queen's Cross Dudley in the County of Worcester Boiler and Gas Holder
Manufacturers and Engineers do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIDS OR DOORS FOR GAS RETORTS AND OTHER LIKE
APPARATUS to be as follows:-
"
Our invention consists in constructing lids or doors for gas retorts and other like
apparatus such for example apparatus employed in distillatory processes in the
manner herein after described the object of our invention being to make the lid or
door elastic so that its edge will accommodate itself to the seat of the mouthpiece
of the retort or apparatus against which it is made to bear and thereby form a
tight joint without the use of luting or other packing.
We will describe our invention as applied to the lid or door of a gas retort
mouthpiece to the closing of which it is specially applicable.
We construct the lid or door of sheet steel or other hard and elastic metal and
alloy and of a dish or dome shape the said lid or door being so elastic that it will
accommodate itself to the surface with which it is in contact. The edge or rim of
the elastic lid or door is turned inwards nearly at right angles to the plane of the
lid or door The said turned in edge is faced so as to make it bear truly against
the seat of the mouthpiece.
Upon the convex or outer side of the dished or domed elastic lid or door we
place a shield or support of greater thickness of metal than that of the elastic lid
or door. This shield or support consists of a series of four or other number of arms
radiating from a central cup or socket the said arms extending near to the edge of
the lid or door and having the same or unequal lengths according to the size and
shape of the lid or door (which may be circular elliptical or other shape) with
which the shield or support is used. The said shield or support is only connected
to the lid by the outer extremities of its radiating arms the connection being
effected by means of pins or studs on the lid or cover taking into oblong slots
in the ends of the arms. The lid or door is fixed in its place by means of the

page_text: ordinary central fixing screw bearing upon the central cup of the shield or support
but other means of fixing the lid or door may be employed.
By the use of the shield or support described at the back or outer side of
the elastic lid or cover the said lid or cover is pressed forcibly to its seat while
the different parts of its turned in edge are free to accommodate themselves to the
shape of the seat of the mouthpiece. A tight joint between the lid or door and
seat of the mouthpiece is thus obtained without packing should the seat when fixed
be uneven or should it become distorted or warped by wear and tear expansion and
contraction and other causes.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lids or Doors for Gas Retorts and other like
Apparatus.
We WILLIAM HENRY WESTWOOD and EDWARD THOMAS WRIGHT both of Hope
Works, Queen's Cross Dudley in the County of Worcester Boiler and Gas Holder
Manufacturers and Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIDS OR DOORS FOR GAS RETORTS AND OTHER LIKE APPARATUS
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
Our invention consists in constructing lids or doors for gas retorts and other like
apparatus such for example apparatus employed in distallatory processes in the
manner hereinafter described, the object of our invention being to make the lid or
door elastic so that its edge will accommodate itself to the seat of the mouthpiece
of the retort or apparatus against which it is made to bear and thereby form a tight
joint without the use of luting or other packing.
We will describe our invention as applied to the lid or door of a gas retort
mouthpiece to the closing of which it is specially applicable.
We construct the lid or door of sheet steel or other hard and elastic metal or alloy
and of a dish or dome shape, the said lid or door being so elastic that it will
accommodate itself to the surface with which it is in contact. The edge or rim of
the elastic lid or door is turned inwards nearly at right angles to the plane of the
lid or door. The said turned in edge is faced so as to make it bear truly against
the seat of the mouthpiece.
Upon the convex or outer side of the dished or domed elastic lid or door we place
a shield or support of greater thickness of metal than that of the elastic lid or door.
This shield or support consists of a series of four or other number of arms radiating

page_text: from a central cup or socket the said arms extending near to the edge of the lid or
door and having the same or unequal lengths according to the size and shape of the
lid or door (which may be circular, elliptical or other shape) with which the shield
or support is used. The said shield or support is only connected to the lid by the
outer extremities of its radiating arms the connection being effected by means of pins
or studs on the lid or cover taking into oblong slots in the ends of the arms.
lid or door is fixed in its place by means of the ordinary central fixing screw
bearing upon the central cup of the shield or support, but other means of fixing the
lid or door may be employed.
The
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation and Figure 2
in front elevation a circular lid or door applied to the mouth of a gas retort the
said lid or door being constructed according to our invention; Figure 3 represents
a portion of the same in section; Figure 4 represents a section of an elastic lid
constructed according to our invention in which the turned in edge or rim is
corrugated; Figure 5 represents an elliptical elastic lid or door constructed according
to our invention and Figure 6 represents in section and Figure 7 in front elevation
a nearly semi-circular double plated elastic lid or door constructed according to our
invention; Figure 8 represents in section a portion of the lid and mouth piece
represented in Figures 1, 2 and 3 drawn to a larger scale; Figure 9 represents in
section a portion of the lid and mouthpiece represented in Figure 4 drawn to a
larger scale; Figure 10 represents in section a portion of the lid and mouthpiece
represented in Figures 6 and 7 drawn to a larger scale; Figure 11 represents in
section a double plated lid or door without a filling material at its turned in edge.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings; a is the mouth piece of the retort and b is the elastic lid or door
having a dish or dome shape; 62 is the turned in edge or rim of the elastic lid or
door. The said turned in edge may either be plain as represented in Figures 1, 2, 3
and 8 or corrugated so as to stiffen the said edge as represented in Figures 4 and 9.
The said elastic lid or door b, 62 is made of steel, phosphor bronze, iron or other
hard and elastic metal or alloy; c c is the strong shield or support placed upon the
outer or convex side of the dished or domed elastic lid or cover b, b'. The said
shield or support consists of a series of four (or other number of) radiating arms
connected to the central cup or socket c. The outer ends or extremities of the
radiating arms of the shield or support are connected to the elastic lid or
cover b, 63 by the pins and oblong slots at d, d so that the said lid or cover has a
little play upon the said shield or support. It is only at the extremities of the
radiating arins of the shield or support that the elastic lid or cover is connected to
the said shield or support. The shield or support c, c carries snugs e, e to which
the latch or jointed cross bar f is connected as represented and working through the
said latch or cross bar fis the central fixing screw g taking upon the central cup
or middle c² of the shield or support c, c for fixing the lid or cover in its place.
By the use of the shield or support acted upon by the central screw g (or an
excentric or its equivalent) the turned in edge 62 of the elastic lid or door b, b' is
pressed forcibly upon the seat a of the mouthpiece while the different parts of the
said turned in edge are free to accommodate or adjust themselves to the shape of
the seat of the mouthpiece. A tight joint between the lid or door and seat of tho
mouthpiece may thus be obtained should the seat when fixed be uneven or should it
become distorted or warped by wear and tear, expansion and contraction and other
causes.
The elastic lid or door may be made of one plate or of two or more elastic plates.
In Figures 6, 7, 10 and 11 we have represented an elastic lid or door made of two
plates rivetted together, the turned in edges of the two plates being so shaped as to
leave a space between them which space may be filled with a packing of asbestos
or other indestructible material, such as dry loam or dry clay in powder, as
represented in Figures 6 and 10. Or the packing or filling material may be
dispensed with in which case the space between the turned in edges of the two
plates is reduced as represented in Figure 11.

page_text: Our improved lid or door may be readily adapted to existing mouthpieces at
little cost.
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
we claim as our invention of "Improvements in lids or doors for gas retorts and 5
for other like apparatus'
"
Making the lid or door clastic so that its edge will accommodate or adjust itself
to the seat of the mouthpiece of the retort or apparatus against which it is made
to bear and thereby form a tight joint, the said elastic lid or door being used with
or without a packing at its edge and constructed and acting substantially as 1
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.