IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL TANKS AND CISTERNS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Braby and Alfred Moore, both of the
Fitzroy Works, Euston Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL TANKS AND
CISTERNS."
Sealed the 80th January 1866, and dated the 4th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Braby and Alfred
Moore at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 4th December 1865.
We, FREDERICK BBABY and ALFRED MOORE, both of the Fitzroy Works,
Euston Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL TANKS
AND CISTERNS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has reference to the construction of tanks or cisterns of
corrugated sheet metal, such as iron, either galvanized, tinned, or painted, and
zinc, and consists in constructing such tanks or cisterns of a rectangular or
other angular form without its being necessary to make use of iron frame-
work at the angles, whereby considerable strength of structure is obtained at
a minimum cost.

page_text: For this purpose in constructing long shallow tanks or cisterns according to
our Invention we prefer to employ the corrugated iron or zinc in such a
manner that the corrugations run in a horizontal direction, and at the angles we
bend the same round with as sharp a curvature as it is possible to apply without
injuriously bulging out the corrugations. The joints of the sheets are so arranged
as to occur near to but not at the corners, and the sheets are joined together
either by rivetting or by soldering, or both by rivetting and soldering. The
corners are furthermore by preference strengthened by means of gusset pieces
rivetted or soldered to the upper edges of the sides, and if requisite the sides
may also be strengthened by fixing a rim of sheet metal, tubing, angle or T
iron to the upper edges thereof, and also by applying at intermediate points
of the length one or more bands of sheet metal, angle or T iron passing
underneath the bottom and up the opposite sides of the tank, and tied across
either at the top or at intermediate points of the height by suitable stays.
The bottom of such tank or cistern is fixed thereto either by rivetting or by
soldering, or by both, the edges of the plate forming the bottom being for
this purpose, by preference, turned up outside the lower edges of the sides.
When the tanks or cisterns are deep in comparison to their length, or are of
equal length and depth, we prefer to employ the corrugated sheet metal in
such a manner that the corrugations run in the direction of the depth, in which
case the corners are readily formed by simply increasing the curvature of one
of the corrugations, and we strengthen the corners either by gusset pieces as
before described, a rim of sheet or tubular metal, angle or T iron, being fixed,
along the upper edges for the same purpose, or we fix a rim all round the top
of the tank or cistern.
.
The bottom of the cistern may be fixed to the sides either by soldering
together the abutting edges, or a malleable angle iron rim, formed with cor-
rugations on one surface to fit the sides may be rivetted or soldered, or both
rivetted and soldered to the sides and bottom separately. If the tank or
cistern is of considerable depth, we strengthen it at one or more intermediate
points of its height by means of horizontal bands of sheet or tubular metal,
angle or T iron, passing right round the tank or cistern, and if requisite tied
across by means of suitable stays. In place of using sheet metal having the
ordinary corrugations we sometimes employ sheet metal that has deep cor-
rugations formed at certain intervals upon its surface, the intermediate portion
being left flat, which form is known as " Italian roofing " metal.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Braby and Alfred Moore in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
BRABY and ALFRED MOORE, both of the Fitzroy Works, Euston Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Frederick Braby and Alfred Moore, Her special licence that we,
the said Frederick Braby and Alfred Moore, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederick Braby and Alfred Moore,
our 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, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL TANKS AND CISTERNS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Frederick Braby and Alfred Moore, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or.
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Alfred Moore, on behalf of myself and the
said Frederick Braby, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say:-
I
Our Invention has reference to the construction of tanks or cisterns of
corrugated sheet metal, such as iron, either galvanized, tinned, or painted,
and zinc, and consists in constructing such tanks or cisterns of a rectangular
or other angular form, without its being necessary to make use of iron
framework at the angles, whereby considerable strength of structure is
obtained at a minimum cost. For this purpose, in constructing long shallow

page_text: tanks or cisterns according to our Invention, we prefer to employ the
corrugated iron or zinc in such a manner that the corrugations run in a
horizontal direction, and at the angles we bend the same round with as sharp
a curvature as it is possible to apply without injuriously bulging out the
corrugations. The joints of the sheets are so arranged as to occur near to
but not at the corners, and the sheets are joined together either by rivetting
or soldering, or both by rivetting and soldering. The corners are. further-
more by preference strengthened by means of gusset pieces rivetted or
soldered to the upper edges of the sides, and if requisite the sides may also
be strengthened by fixing a rim of sheet metal tubing, angle, or T-iron to
the upper edges thereof, and also by applying at intermediato points of the
length, one or more bands of sheet metal, angle or T iron, passing under-
neath the bottom and up the opposite sides of the tank, and tied across either
at the top or at intermediate points of the height by suitable stays. The
bottom of such tank or cistern is fixed thereto either by rivetting or by
soldering, or by both, the edges of the plate forming the bottom being for
this purpose by preference turned up outside the lower edges of the sides.
When the tanks or cisterns are deep in comparison to their length, or are
of equal length and depth; we prefer to employ the corrugated sheet metal
in such a manner that the corrugations run in the direction of the depth, in
which case the corners are readily formed by simply increasing the curvature
of one of the corrugations, and we strengthen the corners either by gusset
pieces as before described, a' rim of sheet or tubular metal, angle or T iron
being fixed along the upper edges for the same purpose, or we fix a rim all
round the top of the tank or cistern. The bottom of the cistern may be
fixed to the sides by soldering together the abutting edges, or a malleable
angle iron rim formed with corrugations on one surface to fit the sides may
be rivetted or soldered, or both rivetted and soldered to the sides and
bottom separately. If the tank or cistern is of considerable depth we
strengthen it at one or more intermediate points of its height by means of
horizontal bands of sheet or tubular metal, angle or T-iron passing right
round the tank or cistern, and if requisite tied across by means of suitable
stays. In place of using sheet metal having the ordinary corrugations, we
sometimes employ sheet metal that has deep corrugations formed at certain
intervals upon its surface, the intermediate portion being left flat, which form
is known as "Italian roofing" metal.
Figures 1 to 3 on the accompanying Drawing show the construction of one
arrangement of our improved tanks or cisterns. Figure 1 shows a side
elevation; Figure 2 shows a plan; and Figure 3 shows a transverse section

page_text: Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of the Figures.
In this arrangement the tank being long in proportion to its depth the
corrugations of the plates A, A, forming the sides of the same are made to
run in a horizontal direction. At the angles the plates are bent round with
as sharp a curvature as the corrugations will allow of without bulging, and
the plates are rivetted or soldered, or both rivetted and soldered together, either
at a, a, a little distance beyond the angles, for the convenience of manu-"
facturing the angle pieces. separately, so as to be kept in stock, or the sides
of the tank may be formed of two pieces joined together at a', a', in the
middle of the length. The edges of the bottom B of the tank are turned
up all round at b, b, outside the sides A, A, and are either rivetted or
soldered, or both rivetted and soldered thereto. The upper edges of the
tank are stiffened by bending over the edges of the plate A, and rivetting or
soldering thereto either lengths of tube C as shown, or lengths of angle or
T-iron may be used, the angles of the tank being stiffened by means of
gusset pieces D rivetted or soldered to the edges of the plates A. Or in
place of these, the tubing, or angle or T iron C may be made as a complete
flange, passing all round the upper edge of the tank. If the tank is of too
great a length for the corrugated sides to bear the pressure without support,
we apply one or more iron bands E of flat, angle, T, or tubular metal,
passing underneath the bottom and up the sides, and tied across the top by
means of bolts F.
Figures 4 to 6 show another mode of constructing our improved tanks.
Figure 4 shows an elevation.; Figure 5. shows a plan, and Figure 6 shows a
transverse. section of the same. In this arrangement, the depth of the tank
being greater in proportion to its length, the corrugations of the sides are
made to run vertically, instead of horizontally as in the previous arrangement,
and the angles are in this case readily formed by increasing the curvature of
the corrugations at that point, as shown. The bottom B is in this case fixed
to the sides by means of a malleable cast-iron flange G, of angle iron rivetted
thereto, the one side of such flange being formed to fit the corrugations of
the sides, as shown, or the sides may be simply soldered to the bottom. A
similar malleable cast-iron flange G¹ may also be fixed to the upper edge of
the tank to strengthen the same; or a similar arrangement to that described
with reference to Figures 1 to 3 may be employed. In order to strengthen
the corrugated metal when the pressure is too great for the sides to withstand
unaided, bands E of flat, angle, T, or tubular metal may be secured at one or
more points of the height of the tank, and drawn tight by bolts F. If required

page_text: also gusset pieces may be secured in the corners by soldering at intermediate
points of the height in order further to strengthen the same.
Figure 7 shows an elevation, and Figure 8 shows a sectional plan of a tank
or cistern, the sides of which are formed with deep corrugations a, a, some
distance apart, as in Italian roofing. The tank may otherwise be constructed
in a similar manner to those already described.
It will be evident that the form of corrugations known as "step corru-
gations," may also be employed in constructing tanks according to our
Invention.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which it is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we are aware it
has already been proposed to construct tanks or cisterns of corrugated metal
with a framework of metal to which the corrugated sheet metal was attached,
and we therefore in no way claim such a mode of construction, nor do we
claim the use of a flange of malleable cast iron, with the sides formed to fit
the corrugated metal, as we are aware that this has also been proposed before,
but what we claim is; constructing tanks and cisterns of corrugated sheet
metal without the necessary employment of framework at the angles, the
corrugated metal being simply bent round at those parts, and either strength-
ened or not by means of gusset pieces or other appliances, substantially as
herein-before described with reference to the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Moore, have, hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.