Improvements in or relating to Securing the Heads of Casks, Drums, and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Securing the Heads of Casks, Drums,
and the like.
I, GEORGE POWELL, of 1, St. Johns Church Road, Homerton, in the County of
Middlesex, Cooper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the means employed for securing the head of a cask,
drum or similar vessel. This is now usually effected in the case of casks by
removing some of the hoops and allowing the staves to expand, or in the case of
drums by flanging the end or cover, placing it in or upon the drum and securing it
by rivets or the like.
In carrying out my invention I prefer to proceed as follows
-
I provide the cask, drum or other vessel with an annular recess or groove more
or less similar to the groove usually provided in casks, though the holding face of
the groove instead of being on the slant as is usual with casks may if desired be
perpendicular or nearly so to the axis of the cask. I form the cover or head of a
size to just pass the rim or holding face of this groove and upon the head
I provide a ring or band of any suitable material, say for example wrought iron.
A portion or segment of this band say about of it may be screwed or otherwise
rigidly secured to the head or in case of an irou head it may be a portion of the
same metal. The other 3rds or parts may be of about equal length jointed together
with what I may term a rule joint, but the bolt or pin upon which they turn
is fastened into the head and instead of a hole in the two parts to be joined
I provide a slot and instead of making an ordinary halved and butt joint I can if I
like make the whole joint on the slant like a scarf joint. Each of the movable
segments may be provided with an oblique slot through which passes a bolt
or equivalent secured in the head. I further prefer to employ two pawls or
detents one for each segment and to provide the inner periphery of the segment
with a suitable number say three notches into one of which the detent may fit as
required. This arrangement is convenient in case the cask should shrink or expand
with the weather, and it also facilitates the proper fixing of the head even should
the cask to which it be applied be not quite a proper fit. Also the head may have
one or more stops or fulcrum blocks each adapted to act as a fulcrum for a lever
whose free end would engage with a suitable recess or recesses in each of the
segments.
The operation is as follows:-
When the head is fixed the segments are forced outwards by the lever or other
suitable means so that they engage with the groove in the cask and pawls or
detents holding them out in that position; other means such as screw bolts or the
like may if preferred be employed for this purpose or the bolts in the slots may be
screwed home and thus fix the segments. In undoing the segments and freeing the
head a lever may be applied against one of the fulcrum blocks and engaged with
one of the segments so as to relieve the detent which can then be turned out of the
way, and the same with the other segments; the segments being freed the
pressure of the lever can be applied in the opposite direction so as to force
the segments inwards their free ends rising upon the fixed segment by reason
of these joints also being on an incline and when they are moved sufficiently far
inwards the head will be free and can be lifted out by means of a handle provided
for the purpose.

page_text: It will readily be understood that instead of the loose lever and fulcrum blocks a
suitable arrangement of toggle levers or the like may be employed or a cam or
eccentric ring with stops and slots would answer the same purpose.
Although I have described the two movable segments as jointed together it
would be sufficient if they merely touch provided suitable slots are formed to
accommodate holding bolts and the segments are cut away where necessary to
allow of their free movement. The segments need not overlap unless desired.
Dated this 28th day of August 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Securing the Heads of Casks, Drums,
and the like.
. I, GEORGE POWELL of 1 St. John's Church Road, Homerton, in the County of
Middlesex, Cooper, 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 :-
This invention relates to the means employed for securing the head of a cask,
drum or similar vessel. This is now usually effected in the case of casks by
removing some of the hoops and allowing the staves to expand, inserting the
head and replacing the hoops, or in the case of drums by flanging the end or
cover, placing it in or upon the drum and securing it by rivets or the like.
In carrying out my invention I prefer to proceed as follows :-
I provide the cask, drum, or other vessel, with an annular recess or groove more
or less similar to the groove usually provided in casks, though the holding face or
chime of the groove instead of being on the slant as is usual with casks may if
desired be perpendicular or nearly so to the axis of the cask. I form the cover or
head of a size to just pass the rim or chime of this groove and upon the head I
provide a ring or band of any suitable material, say for example, wrought iron.
A portion or segment of this band say about of it may be screwed or otherwise
rigidly secured to the head or in case of an iron head it may be a portion of the
same metal. The other two-thirds or parts may be of about equal length jointed
together with what I may term a rule joint, but the bolt or pin upon which they
turn is fastened into the head and instead of a hole in the two parts to be joined I
provide a slot and instead of making an ordinary halved and butt joint I can if
I like make the whole joint on the slant like a scarf joint. Each of the movable
segments may be provided with one or more oblique slots through which pass bolts.
or equivalent secured in the head. I further prefer to employ two pawls or
detents one for each segment, and to provide the inner periphery of the segment
with a suitable number of, say three, notches into one of which the detent may fit
as required. This arrangement is convenient in case the cask should shrink or
expand with the weather, and it also facilitates the proper fixing of the head even
should the cask to which it be applied be not quite a proper fit. Also the head
may have one or more stops or fulcrum blocks each adapted to act as a fulcrum
for a lever whose free end would engage with a suitable recess or recesses in each
of the segments.
The operation is as follows:-
When the head is fixed, the segments are forced outwards by the lever or other.
suitable means, so that they engage with the groove in the cask, and pawls or.
detents holding them out in that position; other means such as screw-bolts or the
like, may,
preferred, be employed for this purpose or the bolts in the slots may
be screwed home and thus fix the segments. In undoing the segments and freeing

page_text: Lurned out
with one of the segments so as to relieve the detent which can then be
of the way, and the same with the other segments; the segments being freed, the
pressure of the lever can be applied in the opposite direction so as to force the
segments inwards, their free ends rising upon the fixed segment by reason of these
joints also being on an incline, and when they are moved sufficiently far inwards
the head will be free and can be lifted out by means of a handle provided for the
purpose.
It will readily be understood that instead of the loose lever and fulcrum blocks
a suitable arrangement of toggle levers or the like may be employed, or a cam or
eccentric ring with stops and slots would answer the same purpose.
Although I have described the two movable segments as jointed together it would
be sufficient if they merely touch provided suitable slots are formed to accommodate
holding bolts and the segments are cut away where necessary to allow of their free
movement. The segments need not overlap unless desired.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a view showing the end of a cask fitted with this device,
Figure 2 shows a section of a portion of a cask with the head and fittings
in full
and
Figure 3 an alternative form of a portion of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2,
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modification.
Like letters represent like parts in all figures.
of
A is the cask head which may be fitted with a handle A¹ for convenience in
handling it. B is the fixed portion or segment of the iron or other ring secured in
any convenient manner, say by screws or bolts B', to the head A. Care movable
segments of the ring, of which B is the fixed segment, jointed together at C¹ by a
suitable joint, preferably in the form of a rule-joint, but instead of a round hole
and pin fixed in the joint a slot C2 passing through both parts C is employed,
through which passes a bolt or pin D secured in the head A. The two parts
the joint C may be halved together and butted at C³ like an ordinary rule-joint,
but I prefer to make the two portions overlap at an angle like a scarf joint, as shown
at C in Figure 2, and also in Figure 1, where a portion of the cask stave
is shown broken away to exhibit this feature. Such a joint is preferable as
the whole fitting is necessarily of a rough character, and the joint can be more
easily made and roughly fitted in this manner. The segments C need not
however be jointed together at all, but may be each adjustably secured to the cask
head A by a screw, bolt or equivalent D passing through a slot C' as shown in
Figure 3.
Each segment C has one or more oblique slots E through each of which extends
a bolt or pin F secured in the cask head and having a head or nut F' so that the
segment C cannot slip off. At the point of meeting of the segments C and B
I prefer to bevel both portions again like scarf joints as shown at C³ and B'
Figure 1, so that when the ring is collapsed the ends of the segments C may rise up
upon the segment B; the same result may be secured by leaving the space between
the segments C and B so as to allow of the former moving up when the ring is
collapsed.
Each segment C is provided with a suitable number of notches or ratchet teeth G
with which engage pawls or detents H pivotted upon bolts or screws 1 to the cask-
head A. The object of this arrangement is to retain the segments C in their
expanded condition so as to hold the cask-head firmly in the cask.
A recess J, the ends J' of which may with advantage be undercut, is provided in
each segment C and a fulcrum block K is secured in a suitable position upon the
head A.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 4 the two segments C are pivotted to the
cask head A by the screws C or equivalent and are provided with preferably
curved guiding slots E and headed pins or screws F F¹. The two segments C
are

page_text: connected together by means of a right and left handed screwed rod M M¹ of
which the portion M¹ is square or of other convenient form to enable it to be
turned by means of a spanner or equivalent; the screwed ends M of rod M M¹
engage with nuts N pivotted as at N¹ to the segments C. The rod M Mis
retained in a central position by means of a pin, staple or equivalent ( fixed to the
cask-head and engaging with a groove in the rod M M', or the two segments C may
be adjustably connected together in any other convenient manner.
The operation of the devices shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is as follows:-
Supposing the head to be fixed in the cask as indicated in Fig. 1, the end of any
suitable lever, say a prizing-bar or other suitable iron rod or equivalent, is
inserted in the recess J and a purchase being obtained upon the appropriate fulcrum
block K, the segment C expanded sufficiently to allow the pawl H to be removed
from the notch & in which it has been inserted; the segment C is then relieved
from pressure and can be moved as required. A similar operation is conducted with
the second segment C or the releasing of the first segment would probably sufficiently
slacken the second to allow of the pawl H being turned back. The segments being
released are pulled inwards towards the centre of the cask-head (to facilitate which
any suitable handles, knobs, or. holes may be provided upon or in the segments) the
ends C³ mounting the ends 132 of the fixed segment B, the fitting between the bolt
heads F¹ and the segments C being sufficiently loose to allow of this. The diameter
of the cask-head is sufficiently small to allow it to freely pass into or out of a groove L
in the end of the cask so that, when the ring has been collapsed by the inward
movement of the segments C, the cask-head can be withdrawn from the cask, the fixed
segment, whose periphery is shaped to the diameter of the groove L, extending only
for about one-third of the whole circle being easily withdrawn with the head.
To replace the head it is placed into the groove L, the segment B fitting therein;
then the prizing-bar or lever is placed against the fulcrum-block K with its end in the
recess J of one of the segments C which is forced out and the pawl H engaged with
its appropriate notch G and a similar operation conducted with reference to the
second segment C, the head being then securely fastened in the cask.
The two segments C shown in Figure 4 are moved outwards for engaging with
the groove L or inwards for disengaging therewith by means of the screwed
rod M M' as will be well understood without further description.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a cask- or drum-head of an expansible ring comprising
a fixed segment B whose periphery is shaped to fit the annular groove L in the
cask or drum end and two collapsible segments such as C slot-jointed together as
at C and having oblique slots such as E substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination with a cask- or drum-head of an expansible ring comprising
a fixed segment B whose periphery is shaped to fit the annular groove L in the cask
or drum end and two collapsible segments such as C connected to the cask head by
means of slots and bolts screws or the like such as C D E F slot-jointed together
as at C and having oblique slots such as E substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a cask- or drum-head-securing-device the combination with a movable
segment such as C of a pawl such as H pivotted upon the head and adapted to
engage with the segment substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
4. In a cask- or drum-head-securing-device the combination with a movable
segment such as C and recess such as J of a fulcrum block secured upon the head
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
5. In a cask- or drum-head-securing-device the combination with two movable

page_text: segments such as C of two pivotted nuts such as N N' and a right and left handed
screwed rod such as M M' substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
6. In a cask- or drum-head-securing-device the combination with a fixed segment
such as B of collapsible segments such as C whose ends when collapsed are adapted
to rise up over the ends of B substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
7. In a cask- or drum-head-securing-device the combination with the head of
a ring consisting of one fixed segment and two collapsible segments substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
8. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete cask- or
drum-head-securing-apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
9. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete cask- or
drum-head-securing-apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 4
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of December 1895.
GEO. POWELL.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.