AN IMPROVED METHOD OF JOINING OR SECURING THE JOINTS OF PIPES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Richardson, of No. 26, Great George Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF JOINING OR SECURING THE JOINTS OF
PIPES."
Sealed the 22nd September 1854, and dated the 20th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Richardson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
April 1854.
1, ROBERT RICHARDSON, of No. 26, Great George Street, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF JOINING OR SECURING THE JOINTS OP
PIPES" to be as follows:-
Whereas in laying cast or wrought iron pipes for the conveyance of water
gas, or other fluids, the joints are usually secured by means of lead, wooden
wedges, or other materials, or by bolting or screwing them together, some of
which methods are expensive and others imperfect: To remedy these objections,
it is proposed to connect the ends of the pipes together by means of cast-iron
joints cast upon them. To accomplish this, for securing a joint it is intended
to use a mould which shall encircle the ends of both of the pipes to be
connected together, and to pour the melted iron into it, so as to form a ring,
encircling the ends of both of the pipes, and holding them firmly together.
The rings of cast iron may also in some cases be cast within or partly within

page_text: the ends of the pipes. To effect or facilitate an effectual union of the melted
metal with the iron of the pipes, the iron may have borax, tin, or zinc applied
to it, or it may be cleaned with a file or an acid at those parts at which the
union may be. desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Richardson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
RICHARDSON, of No. 26, Great George Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Richardson, Her special licence that 1, the said Robert
Richardson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Robert Richardson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IM-
PROVED METHOD OF JOINING OR SECURING THE JOINTS OF PIPES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Richardson, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Richardson, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement>
that is to say :-
Whereas in laying cast or wrought iron pipes for the conveyance of water,
gas, or other fluids, the joints are usually secured by means of lead, wooden
wedges, or other materials, or by bolting or screwing them together, some of
which methods are expensive and others imperfect: To remedy the objections,

page_text: it is proposed to connect the ends of the pipes together by means of cast-iron
.joints cast upon them. To accomplish this, for securing a joint it is intended
to use a mould which shall encircle the ends of both the pipes to be connected
together, and to pour the melted iron into it, so as to form a ring, encircling
the ends of both of the pipes, and holding them firmly together. The rings of
cast iron may also in some cases be cast within or partly within the ends of
the pipes. To effect or facilitate an effectual union of the melted metal with
the iron of the pipes, the iron may have borax, tin, or zinc applied to it, or it
may be cleaned with a file or an acid at those parts at which the union may
be desired.
And in order more fully to explain the manner of performing my said Inven-
tion, I haveshewn in the accompanying Drawing various joints madeaccording
to my Invention, together with apparatus adapted to be used in making such
joints.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of two plain iron pipes A, A, the ends
of which are brought close together, and united by casting upon them a band
or hoop of cast iron C. As the cast iron ring contracts in cooling,.it firmly
embraces the two pipes, and forms a very strong joint.
k
Figure 2 is a side view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of similar
joints made upon pipes, having a beading at the ends. A, A, A, A, are the
pipes; C, C, are the cast-iron hoops or bands. The bands C, C, may be moulded
in sand from a pattern, as in the ordinary manner of casting iron; or a cast-
iron mould cr chill may be used; and I have shewn in Figures 9, 10, and 11,
a chill or mould adapted for casting the bands C, C, in Figure 2. Figure 9 is
an elevation or front view; Figure 10 is a transverse section; and Figure 11
is a plan of the mould. It is made in two pieces D and E, connected at the
bottom by a hinge F, and at the top by a link G, slipped over two pins or
handles H and I. K is an aperture or gate, for pouring in the melted iron;
another aperture & may be made to allow of the escape of the air. The two
pipes are placed close together, as shewn in Figure 2, and the link G is
removed from the mould, which is opened, and passed round the pipes, and
again closed and secured by slipping the link Gover the pins H, I, and tighten-
ing it by a blow or blows of a hammer; the mould thus fits the pipes, and
encloses the cavity of the form of the required band. The melted iron is then
poured in at the aperture or "gate" K. When the metal has solidified, the
link G is knocked off and the mould is opened and removed, and may then be
employed for making another joint; the portion of metal which fills the
"gate "K may be broken off after the metal has solidified. Two pins and a
link may be used instead of the hinge F, or the junctions of the two halves or

page_text: segments of the mould may be made by bolts or collars, or in any convenient
manner, and the mould may be divided into three or more segments, if preferred.
The jointshewn in Figure 1, and the other joints herein-after described, may be
cast in a similar manner by the aid of chills or metal moulds, and the form of
the interior of the mould is in each case made to correspond to the required
form of the cast-iron band or joint.
Figure 3 shows how the ordinary spigot and faucet or socket pipes may be
connected. The socket ends of two pipes A, A, are brought together, and a
band C of cast iron is cast upon them. The spigot ends of the pipes are
connected, as shewn in Figure 2 or Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a section of the ends of two pipes A, A, united in a similar
manner by a band C. This arrangement is the same as that shewn in Figure
2, excepting that the ends of the pipes are of a sloping or dovetail form, in
lieu of having a round beading.
Figure 5 is a section of another arrangement similar to Figure 2, excepting
that the pipes A, A, have small flanges or collars a, a, at each end of the
band C.
Figure 6 is a section of two pipes A, A, having small flanges at their ends,
which are embraced by the band C. An annular groove may be formed in
these flanges, and filled with loam or other suitable material, so as to prevent
the melted iron from passing between the flanges into the interior of the pipes;
by employing loam or other suitable material, the metal may be prevented from
passing into the pipes even when they are not quite in a straight line, which
affords facilities in some situations, as, for example, in laying water pipes down
a curved street.
Figure 7 is a section of two pipes A and B, united by a cast-iron band C
cast upon them, as in all the other arrangements shewn in the Drawing. The
pipe B hasa conical or spherical end, which enters a conical or spherical socket
on the pipe A. This arrangement also admits of the pipes being placed out
of the straight line. The melted metal enters the space between the two
pipes, and is prevented from passing through into the pipes, either by the
contact of the extremity of the pipe B with the socket, or by a packing of
sand or other suitable material, or by other suitable means.
Figure 8 is a section of two pipes A, A, connected by a cast-iron band C
cast upon them. In this arrangement the band is made to surround the ends
of the pipes, in such a manner as to form at once an external and internal
band. The outer part of the band is formed by a sand mould or by a metal
mould, as in the other arrangements herein-before described. The inner
part of the band is formed by a core of sand or loam, or by means of a

page_text: collapsible metallic core or chill, shewn on a larger scale in Figures 12,
16, and 14. Figure 12 is an end view; Figure 13 is a side view or eleva-
tion, and Figure 14 is a section of the same. L, L, are two segmental
pieces of iron, forming with two iron wedges M, M, a cylindrical block or
core, of the same diameter as the interior of the pipe for which it is intended.
The pieces L, L, M, M, are each attached by a rod N to a tube O. One of
the rods N is fixed to the tube O, and the other three are jointed to it. Pis
a rod passing through the tube O, and carrying a wedge R, which is fitted into
grooves in the backs of the wedges M, M. By pushing the rod P forward,
the wedge R is forced between the wedges M, M, which are thus driven
outwards, and force out the segments L, L, so as to form the circular block,
as shewn in the Figures. By pulling back the rod P, the wedge R is with-
drawn, and the wedges M, being thus relieved, the block collapses sufficiently
to enable it to be easily introduced or withdrawn from the pipes. The rod P
and tube O are made rather longer than the length of each of the pipes to be
joined. The block or core is introduced into its place in the pipes A, A, in
Figure S, in a collapsed state, and is then expanded. The outer mould having
been applied, the melted iron is poured in, and the band C is thus formed;
The outer mould is removed,and the block or core is collapsed and drawn out.
the collapsible core may also be used to prevent any danger of the melted
metal running through into the pipes in some of the other arrangements,
herein-before described. Other constructions of cores may be employed. Thus
a hoop of thin sheet iron may be introduced into the pipes at the joint, and
removed after casting the band, or allowed to remain permanently.
Figure 15 is a section of such an arrangement. A, A, are the pipes, which
may be made with a slight recess or socket at the ends, to receive the" sheet
iron hoops S. C is the cast-iron band, as before.
Figure 16 is a section of another arrangement, in which the pipe A is made
with a spherical socket, and the pipe B is made with a beading. Cis the band
of cast iron cast round the joint. This arrangement also admits of the pipes
being placed out of the straight line.
Figure 17 is a section of another arrangement adapted for connecting the
ordinary socket pipes. A, A, are the pipes, and C is the band of cast iron cast
upon or round them. The annular space between the spigot end of one pipe
and the socket of the other may be wholly or partially filled with sand or any
suitable material to act as a stop for the melted iron, and thus render a smaller
quantity of melted iron sufficient for making the joint. When necessary, the
ends of the pipes may be cleaned with a file or with muriatic or other suitable
acid, and when a very effectual union is required, the pipes may be previously

page_text: coated with tin or zinc, and borax or sulphur or common salt or other fluxes
or cleansing materials may be employed. The cast iron may be melted in a
portablecupola, which may be carried from place to place, as required. When
a considerable length of pipes is jointed, as above described, and is exposed to
alterations of temperature, an ordinary socket joint made with lead may be
introduced at intervals, if necessary, to allowofexpansion and contraction, orany
other joint capable of allowing for the expansion and contraction may be used.
In some cases it may be found advantageous or convenient first to joint together
two or more pipes, as herein-before described, and then to unite such double
or compound lengths of pipe with each other, by lead joints or other ordinary
joints, or by my improved joints, herein-before described. A certain portion of
the joints may thus be made at the manufactory, and the compound lengths
may be proved, and there will then be fewer joints to be made when laying the
pipes, and consequently less chance of leaky or defective joints:
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise forms and proportions of joints shewn in the accom-
panying Drawing, as the same may be varied; but what I claim is, the joining
or securing the joints of cast or wrought iron pipes, by means of cast-iron
bands or joints cast upon or about them, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Richardson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this, Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
ROBT RICHARDSON. (L.B.)