Improvements in Means or Apparatus Employed in Preparing and Maintaining Surfaces of Ice or Glaciaria.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 8th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 9th May., 1891
Improvements in Means or Apparatus Employed in Preparing and
Maintaining Surfaces of Ice or Glaciaria.
I WILLIAM WHITWORTH NIGHTINGALE of 184 Lord Street, Southport, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Glaciaria or surfaces of ice for use in skating or for other exercises produced and
maintained artificially have been successfully maintained by means of cooling means
caused to flow to and fro there below in series of flow and return pipes, but the cost
of these pipes, their repair, cleansing, connections and otherwise is a serious drawback
in practice and the object of my present invention is amongst other advantages to
secure greater economy in first cost and maintenance of such like apparatus.
In carrying out my invention I dispense wholly or mainly with the pipes crossing
the floor of the building below its ice to and from its centre or to and from the
supply and withdrawal trunks and in place of such pipes I employ a metal sheet or.
floor over the area of the building to be ice surfaced.
This metal sheet has sides or walls and lips or flanges besides such under
supporting means as may be necessary or desirable to support it in aid of, or the
absence of liquid support to it from brine or freezing liquid below. Within this
sheet or dish the water to be frozen into the ice floor is contained. Below is a
brine or freezing liquid space or spaces and around this space are enclosed channels.
or spaces closed at top say by conduits of brine or freezing medium delivering by
jets, or otherwise, into the channels which communicate with the underfloor spaces.
Preferably centrally of the floor underspace and drawing from it is a return channel
or conduit for conveying away the freezing medium, now deficient of sufficiently
low temperature from its operation on the floor, to be recooled. In its passage from
the floor underspace the freezing medium may be utilized as a cooling medium for an
air cooling apparatus or snow box, wherein air superabundantly loaded with moisture
and liable to produce mist or frost fog in the building is made by sudden cooling to
part with moisture and when so dried is returned to the building. The air may be
drawn in to the return air trunks for delivery to the snow box below the platform
which surrounds the ice floor and rests above the side channels and conduits and on
suitable concrete bedding, which also may form the material of the beds of the brine
space and channels. In some cases the brine return channel may be covered with a
perforated metal sheet in sections lying level with the brine space floor, and formed
in removable sections accessible from the return channel below. Or, the channel
may have the plates arranged to form several superposed channels perforated and
cut off by divisions from each other so as to be drawn upon and to draw the brine
uniformly over the surface of the underfloor space.
By keeping the brine or freezing liquid space well filled and the flow sufficiently
rapid a comparatively thin sheet of ice in the metal dish or sheet resting thereon
will give a beautiful, elastic, and buoyant surface for skaters and others to
exercise upon.
The arrangements may be varied to the form of the area whether rectangular
with side supply channels of freezing mixture nearest to the portions of ice surface
most deroded or used and central return channel. Or, with a circular or oval
chamber, circumferential supply channels and central return channel or channels,
communication between being by the space underfloor and over bed.
The metal sheet, or dish, may be of steel, iron or other suitable material of thin
substance rivetted and caulked or made liquid tight with the aid of a tar, pitch or

page_text: other water resisting paint or coating on the one side and a like coating to resist
brine or other freezing substance on the other.
An advantage attendant on a plane surface under the ice is that during such
times as the ice surface is not required, the plate or dish surface covered or not,
with wood felt or other carpet may be used for assemblies, concerts or other uses.
In some cases the side channels may simply overflow into the underspace of the
floor and therein flow to the central return channel, or vice versa the central
channels may cause flow to side or circumferential return channels.
Dated the 9th day of July 1890.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus Employed in Preparing and
Maintaining Surfaces of Ice or Glaciaria.
I WILLIAM WHITWORTH NIGHTINGALE of 184 Lord Street Southport, in the
County of Lancaster, 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:—
Glaciaria or surfaces of ice for use in skating or for other exercises produced and
maintained artificially have been successfully maintained by means of cooling means
caused to flow to and fro there below in series of flow and return pipes, but the cost
of these pipes, their repair, cleansing, connections and otherwise is a serious draw-
back in practice and the object of my present invention is amongst other advantages
to secure greater economy in first cost and maintenance of such like apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shews a portion of a sectional side view of the lower part of a hall
or chamber having its floor formed of ice produced and maintained by artificial
means.
Fig. 2 is an end section taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and for convenience of the
drawing having portions of the floor broken away. In order the better to illustrate
some of the details this figure is drawn to a scale double the size of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view to the like scale of Fig. 1 of a portion of the floor level of
the hall with parts broken away for convenience of the drawing.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 shew respectively a longitudinal section a transverse section and
a plan of a portion of the container for the frozen water forming the floor exercised
upon and illustrating the dependent flanges preferably employed in order to aid in
the uniforin distribution of the currents of refrigerating liquid employed to
artificially maintain the frozen surface.
In carrying out my invention I dispense wholly or mainly with the pipes such as
are shewn and described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me dated
the 7th day of August 1885 number 9437, crossing the floor of the building below
its ice body to and from its centre or to and from the supply and withdrawal trunks,
and in place of such pipes I employ a metal sheet or floor a of area sufficient to
cover that portion of the building to be surfaced with ice. This metal sheet a
as is more particularly shown in detail Figs. 4, 5 and 6 has sides or walls a¹ hercin
shown as rising vertically from the horizontal floor and having lips or flanges a*
projecting horizontally from the top of these vertical walls and besides this floor has
such under-supporting means as may be necessary or desirable to support it in aid
of or in the absence of the floating or liquid support afforded to it by the brine or
freezing liquid below. Such supporting means is here shewn, see Fig. 4, as being
afforded by the downwardly projecting Hange a² placed at convenient intervals and

page_text: running transversely of the length of the floor between the side and middle trunks.
Within this sheet or dish formed by the floor a and its walls a', the water to be
frozen into an ice floor is contained. Below in the space b is formed a brine or
freezing liquid circulating chamber or chambers and around this space are enclosed
channels or spaces c closed at top say by conduits d adapted to convey brine or
freezing medium and delivering the same by jets or otherwise conveniently
distributing the same into the channels o which communicate with the under floor
spaces. By the present arrangement the liquid overflowing the wall b'. Preferably
centrally of the floor underspace, and drawing off liquid from it, is a return channel
or conduit for drawing off and conveying away the freezing medium which having
heat from the water to be frozen is now deficient of sufficiently low temperaturo to
maintain its operation on the floor and is therefore conveyed away to be re-cooled.
In its passage from the floor underspace & the freezing medium may be utilized as
a cooling medium for an air-cooling apparatus or snow box as e wherein air super-
abundantly loaded with moisture and which would be liable to produce a mist or
frost fog in the building is made by sudden cooling to part with moisture and when
so dried is returned to the building as now well understood in the management of
glaciaria.
The air may be drawn into the return air trunks f for delivery to the snow box e
below the platform / which for convenience of those not actually exercising on the
ice surface may conveniently be arranged to surround the ice floor and rest upon
suitable supports above the side channels or conduits and on suitable say concrete
bedding coated with a waterproof coating frost resistent which substance may also
form the material of the beds of the brine space and channels.
According to the present arrangement the brine passes from the main trunk b
by branches to brine tanks & in which it circulates and then passes off by other
channels 6 to a delivery channel & by which it is conveyed to the refrigerators.
The damp air from the hall or chamber is drawn into the air trunks through
perforations therein and thence the air so drawn passes into and through the pipes f
arranged within the brine tank and thence they pass into the air-box e where it
there deposits moisture in a congealed state or snow. The now driel air passes
away under the influence of a pump or fan or like means through other trunks not
shown because of substantially known construction to apertures which form inlets
into the upper part of the hall or chamber whence the air distributes itself over the
enclosed area.
In some cases the brine return channel & may be covered over with
a perforated metal cover 6' in sections the whole lying level with the brine space
floor such cover being formed in removable sections accessible from the return
channel below (see Fig. 2). Or the channel inay have the plates arranged to form
several superposed channels perforated and cut off by divisions from each other so
as to be drawn upon for and to draw the brine uniformly over the surface of the
under floor space.
By keeping the brine or freezing liquid space adequately well filled and the flow
sufficiently rapid a comparatively thin sheet of ice such as indicated by the lines o
in the drawings in the metal dish or sheet resting thereon will suffice to give a
beautiful elastic and buoyant surface for skaters and others to exercise upon.
The arrangements herein before shewn and described may be varied and adapted
to the particular form of the area available for the purpose, whether rectangular
with side supply channels of renovating freezing mixture nearest to the portions of
ice surface most deroded or used and a central return channel or channels or with a
circular or oval chamber circumferential supply channels and central supply
channel or channels communication between, being by the space & under floor and
over bed.
The metal sheet or dish shewn in Figs. 4 5 & 6 may be of steel iron or other
suitable material of thin substance, therein shewn as consisting of an upper angle
iron lip and part wall a bolted or rivetted and caulked to the lower angle iron part
wall a and Hoor support, to which are rivetted and caulked the floor plates a³.
aare Tirons which cross from side to side and are rivetted to the angle iron a

page_text: and form supports to the floor plates which are rivetted thereto. To the lower
flange of these Tirons and to the angle irons a' are rivetted the dependent division
plates at which plates when resting on the base & form floor supports; the liquid
tightness of the whole may be secured by tar, pitch or other water resistent coating
on the ice side and a corresponding coating adapted to resist brine or the other
freezing substance adopted on the other side of the plate.
The under fins a' may be formed, as shewn, attached to and lifting with the
vessel a or they may as regards some of them be so attached and as to others
interspaced therewith they may be attached to or supported vertically from the
floor base or half or part flanges may rest on dwarf walls or the like end may be
attained by equivalent means any ice ground off the floor by skaters or other
extraneous matter or liquid may be scooped over the side walls or an inclined
shoot may be formed at a part or parts of the ice vessel's sides, up which and over
the walls such matters may be delivered.
An advantage attendant on employing a plane supporting surface under the ice
according to my present invention is that during such time or seasons as the ice
surface may not be required the plate or dish surface that at other times supports
the ice may be used either covered or not with wood, felt, carpet, tan or other
covering for assemblies, concerts or other uses.
In some cases the side conduits d may deliver or the channels c may simply
overflow into the under space 6 of the floor and therein flow to the central return
chamber as indicated by Fig. 2ª or vice versa the central channels may cause flow
to the side or circumferential return channels. m are the outer walls.
The adaptation of the fins or plates a to the undersides of the ice containing
vessel a has not only the advantage of equalizing the lateral flow of the freezing
liquid but these fins form vertical supports and are useful as such both during
construction and when the floor is not floating on the freezing liquid by making
them say 16 inches in vertical depth ample room is afforded for access of workmen.
And such a depth of freezing liquid as that just indicated gives a large body
not liable to sudden variations of temperatures either by rise of external temperature
or from crowded surface of the ice.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The arrangement or combination of parts of means or apparatus employed in
preparing and maintaining surfaces of ice for glaciaria so as to dispense wholly or
mainly with pipes crossing below the ice surface between supply and withdrawal
mains for refrigerating liquid substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
set forth.
2. In apparatus for preparing and maintaining surfaces of ice for glaciaria a dish
or containing surface for the ice resting or floating wholly, or mainly, on the
refrigerating liquid below constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.
3. The construction and arrangement of parts of the ice containing dish adapted
more or less to float on the brine or refrigerating liquid circulating beneath it
substantially as described and shewn in respect of Figs. 4, 5, & 6.
4. The construction and arrangement of ice containing dish or vessel in com-
bination with the under fins or flange plates to direct flow of refrigerant and
strengthen or strengthen and support the ice vessel substantially as set forth.
5. The general arrangements and combination of parts of means or apparatus for
preparing and maintaining surfaces of ice for glaciaria as set forth.
Deted the Q1'
Ր
"11001
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.