Improvements in Insulators.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Insulators.
1, CHARLES VERNON BOYS of 11 Alexander Square S.W. in the County of Middlesex,
F.R.S. and demonstrator of Physics do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
I make insulators by melting quartz or materials that are very largely composed
of silica with the oxy-hydrogen or an equivalent hot burning flame or by the heat of
the electric arc or by heat generated in infusible conducting rods er plates such as
the carbons used for electric lighting and when it is in the plastic condition working
it into rods or pieces of any desired shape much as glass is worked. the treatment
being slightly modified on account of the high melting point of quartz. In melting
quartz in small quantities 1 bold it much as the glass blower holds glass in the
flamme; when I melt it in larger quantities I let it rest on a bed of clean sand or
broken quartz and I then heat it from above or by electricity passing through carbon
rods buried in the material. I preserve the quartz as far as possible from contact
with earthy materials. When melted I draw it or blow it into rods tubes or other
desired forins or roll it or work it in moulds.
Insulating supports made in this way are hardly affected by moisture in the air
or even by being dipped in water and so are especially valuable in the construction of
electro-static apparatus and in supporting wires and parts of electro dynamic apparatus
from which leakage currents are objectionable.
Dalih: 10.1
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Insulators.
I, CHARLES VERNON BOYS F.R.S. of 11 Alexander Square S.W. in the County of
Middlesex Professor of Physics 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:-
I make insulators by melting quartz, sand or materials that are largely composed
of silica with the oxyhydrogen or an equivalent hot burning flame or by the heat of
the electric are or by heat generated in infusible conducting rods or plates such as the
carbons used for electric lighting and when it is in the plastic condition working it
into rods or pieces of any desired shape much in the same way that glass is worked
the treatment being modified on account of the high melting point of quartz.
When I melt quartz in small quantities I hold it in the same way that the glass
blower holds glass in the flame in which pieces that have previously been melted are
easily joined together or drawn into rods or other forms or in which fragments of the
crystal may with a little trouble be melted and joined and drawn out. When I melt
quartz in larger quantities I let it rest on a bed of clean sand or broken quartz and to
prevent loss of heat by radiation I build over the bed an arch of pieces of quartz
that have previously been melted leaving holes for the entering and issuing gases
and for the purposes of manipulation. I sometimes make bricks for this purpose, hy
mixing clean sand with gelatinous silica in the proportions of about one volume of
jelly to two or three of sand but the exact proportion is not important, or in
addition to or instead of the gelatinous silica sometimes add some organic binding
material such as gum starch treacle &c. which ultimately burns away. I make the
bricks solid and compact by heating them to their softening point. To still further
increase the temperature I heat the gases in separate tubes and pass them in a heated.
[Price Ad

page_text: quartz
condition into the chamber forined as described or on to the surface of the
where they burn. In this way large cakes of silica may be melted. I am careful to
preserve the quartz as far as possible from earthy impurities. Large masses of
viscous or melted quartz which I prepare as described I draw into rods or mould by
rapidly squeezing between dies or rolls of metal of the desired form which are
preferably kept cool by a stream of water. In handling melted quartz. I only hold
it by rods of quartz previously drawn out.
In making pieces of a tubular form it is necessary to start with a quartz tube
because no other material can be used for the purpose. I therefore build up a tube
by winding a stick of quartz round and round upon itself in the flame until a
sufficiently long irregular tube has been formed. This I then heat and draw out
blowing at the same time as in working glass and so obtain the first tube. With
this I gather melted quartz in sufficient quantity to blow a bulb which is then drawn
out to form a new tube. These tubes and bulbs are of the greatest use in chemical
operations.
Insulating supports made as described are hardly affected by moisture in the air or
even by being dipped in water and so are especially valuable in the construction of
electro static apparatus and in supporting wires and parts of electro dynamic
apparatus from which leakage currents are objectionable. They also insulate well at
high temperatures.
The most convenient form of blow pipe that I have made use of consists of a large
number of fine tubes packed in one large tube. The narrow tubes are connected
with the supply of one gas, say hydrogen, and the spaces between are connected with
the other gas, say oxygen.
In smaller operations I prefer one or more "mixed jets" such as are used for the
lime light.
Though I have melted quartz by heat developed by electrical means I prefer the
oxy-hydrogen or oxy-coal gas flame as being more easily managed.
In all cases I protect the eyes by dark glasses.
L
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The making of rods tubes or pieces of other desired shape by melting quartz,
sand or other material that is largely composed of silica substantially as described.
2. Making insulators of quartz that has been melted or material largely composed of 3
silica.
Dated this 19th day of December 1940