Improvements in Skating Rinks with Natural Ioe.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Skating Rinks with Natural Ioe.
I, THOMAS BELL LIGHTFOOT, of No. 35 Queen Victoria Street in the City
of London, Engineer, 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 has for its object the construction of ice skating rinks in a simple
and cheap manner, doing away with the use of metal pipes or closed metal boxes
or cells for the circulation of the cold brine, as heretofore employed, the brine
being, in the improved construction, made to flow through channels formed on the
one hand by shallow partitions formed on the bottom of an open tank, and on the
other hand by a shallow metal tank or tray which is placed upon the said partitions
and which contains water, so that ou causing brine to flow through the channels
thus formed beneath the metal tank the water in. the latter will be frozen.
In constructing a rink according to this invention a shallow insulated tank of
brickwork or concrete is built in or on the ground, and the surface thereof is
divided into any number of channels, either by building shallow partition walls of
concrete or brickwork thereon, or by simply laying wood strips upon it. Upon
such partitions is then placed a shallow metal tank or tray, so that beneath the
latter are formed passages which communicate at each end with a channel cominon
to all. One of these channels communicates with a supply of brine coming from
a refrigerating machine of any suitable known construction while the other channel
communicates with the return flow of the said machine. In the case of a
rectangular rink, the said supply and discharge channels may be conveniently
formed by stopping the partitions short at a certain distance from the end walls of
the concrete or brickwork tank, at each end.
Thus on causing cold brine to flow into the supply channel, it will flow
simultaneously through all the channels between the partitions, on its way to the
discbarge channel.
When the tank is of circular or similar form, the partitions may be made to
radiate from the centre to the periphery, the channel for the supply of brine being
made to communicate with the central ends of the radial channels, while a circular
channel is provided at the periphery into which brine is discharged.
On the accompanying drawings are shewn by way of example, two forms of my
improved construction of skating rink. Figure 1 shews a plan. Figure 2 a cross
section on line X X Figure 1, and Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged part cross and
longitudinal sections on lines Y Y and Z Z, of a rectangular form of skating
rink.
On the floor of a shallow tank of brickwork or other material A are laid or
formed a number of parallel shallow partitions B B, which stop short a certain
distance from each end, so as to form transverse channels C Cat those points
which communicate with the channels D D formed between the partitions B.
Upon the latter is placed a shallow metal tank or tray E, also extending over the
end channel C C, so as to enclose the whole of these channels. Cold brine is
made to flow into the channel C from a pipe F, and passes thence through all the
channels D in contact with the underside of the tray E so as to freeze a layer of
water contained therein. From the channels D the brine flows into the channel C',
from which it is discharged through a pipe F.
In order to insure a uniform flow of the brine through all the channels D, the

page_text: communication between these and the supply channel C is more or less restricted
in proximity to the brine inlet, this being effected either by graduated weirs Gas
shewn at Figure 3 or by effecting the commuuication by means of adjustable slides
or valves.
Figure 5 shews a plan and Figure 6 a cross section of a circular form of skating
rink.
In this case, the partitions BB radiate from the centre of the tank A, where
the cold brine is made to enter the central space C from the pipe F, and to flow
through all the radial passages D D beneath the tray E into the peripheral
channel C. There it overflows into an outer circular channel C2, from which it is
discharged through one or more pipes F. Instead of admitting the brine at the
centre of the rink, it may be admitted to the peripheral passage, and flow off
through the central passage.
. It will be obvious that the skating rink might be made of any other desired
configuration, such as polygonal, elliptical &c.
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. Constructing skating rinks of a tauk, the floor of which is divided into a
series of channels by shallow partitions, upon which is placed a shallow metal tank
or tray containing water, so that on circulating cold brine through the channels
formed by the tray and the partitions the water in the former will be frozen,
substantially as described.
2. In.a skating rink, the combination of a tank A, partitions B formed or laid
on the floor of the tank, a sballow metal tank or tray E laid upon the partitions B,
so as to form channels D beneath the tray E, a channel or space C supplied with
cold brine which is made to flow thence through the channels D, and a channel' C¹
into which the brine flows from, the channels D, substantially as described with
reference to the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of January 1896.
ABEL & IMRAI,
Agents for the Applicant.