A NEW MODE OF CONSTRUCTING AND CONNECTING PIPES OR TUBES FOR GAS, WATER, OR STEAM PURPOSES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Smith and Thomas Phillips, of Snow Hill, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "A NEW MODE OF CONSTRUCTING
AND CONNECTING PIPES OR TUBES FOR GAS, WATER, OR STEAM PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Smith and Thomas.
Phillips at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Peti-
tion, on the 26th August 1854.
We, WILLIAM SMITH and THOMAS PHILLIPS, of Snow Hill, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " A NEW
MODE OF CONSTRUCTING AND CONNECTING PIPES OR TUBES FOR GAS, WATER, OR
STEAM PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of casting or forming at the ends of each length of
pipe or tube a narrow rim, the outer edges of which are bevelled, so that when
one length of pipe or tube is placed in connection with another, the two
bevelled edges thus brought together at the juncture of the pipes form a ring
or groove, for the purpose hereafter mentioned. Over the juncture above
named a socket, formed in two parts, is fitted; in the interior of this socket
there is a groove, to receive the rims of the pipes.
.The groove formed by the bevelled edges and the space in the groove of the
socket are now filled with lead, cement, hemp, or other material, for the

page_text: purpose of producing an air-tight joint; the two parts of the socket are then
screwed together by screw bolts, passing through flanges on each part of the
socket. When it is required to form a curve in several lengths of pipe, the
faces or surfaces which meet are so constructed as to be capable of being
adjusted to form the bend or curve required, instead of constructing the pipe
with a bend.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Smith and. Thomas Phillips in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
SMITH and THOMAS PHILLIPS, of Snow Hill, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth-day-of Angust, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Smith and Thomas Phillips, Her special licence that we,
tho said William Smith and Thomas Phillips, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as wo, the said William Smith and Thomas
Phillips, 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 "A NEW MODE OF
CONSTRUCTING AND CONNECTING PIPES OR TUBES FOR GAB, WATER, OR STEAM
PURPOSES, upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Smith and Thomas Phillips, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said William Smith and Thomas Phillips,
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, that is to say:-

page_text: Our Invention consists of casting or otherwise forming at the ends of each
length of pipe or tube a narrow rim, the outer edges of which are bevilled, so
that when one length of pipe or tube is placed in connection with another, the
two bevilled edges thus brought together at the juncture of the pipes form a
ring or groove, for the purpose hereafter mentioned.
Over the juncture above named a socket, formed in two parts, is fitted. In
the interior of this socket there is a groove to receive the rims of the pipes.
The groove formed by the bevilled edges and the space in the groove of the
socket are now filled with lead, cement, hemp, or other material, for the
purpose of producing an air-tight joint. The two parts of the socket are then
screwed together by screw bolts, passing through flanges on each part of the
socket. When it is required to form a curve in several lengths of pipe, the
faces or surfaces which meet are so constructed as to be capable of being
adjusted to form the bend or curve required, instead of constructing the pipe
with a bend.
We would, however, have it understood we are aware that heretofore it has
been proposed, when connecting together lengths of flanged pipes, to substitute
for the screws and nuts ordinarily employed to draw and retain together such
flanged pipes, to form each flange with one inclined surface, or to apply to cach
of such flanges a separate ring, formed with an inclined surface, and to effect
the drawing together of those flanges, by means of bands or collars, formed with
corresponding inclined surfaces, the inclined surfaces of the collars being made
to act upon the inclined surfaces of the flanges, or of the rings acting on the
flanges. But in such case the surfaces brought together of the two flanges
forming the ends of adjoining pipes were altogether parallel to each other, as
when screws and nuts are used, and the packing was formed in the ordinary
way out of sheet material with like parallel surfaces, and was held only by the
compression of such parallel surfaces; it thereby had no internal support or
other support to prevent it from slipping inwards or otherwise out of its correct
position; and it was found that the packing so applied, being deprived of the
support given when screws and nuts are used, was continually shifting its
position; that it often shifted into and stopped the passage through the pipe or
tube, and from being covered from view by the means employed to draw the
two flanges together, the shifting of position of such packing could not be seen,
and was too often not discovered until at the completion of the piping a stop-
page therein was found to exist, hence resulted considerable inconvenience and
delay; and, to the best of our belief, such mode of obtaining connections to
pipes and tubes has been found practically useless, and we mention it simply
to explain that our Invention does not consist in forming pipes and tubes so as

page_text: to be connected together by means of inclined surfaces acting upon other
inclined surfaces when separately considered; but our Invention relates to
forming the ends of pipes or tubes (having inclined surfaces capable of being
acted upon by a suitable collar or socket to hold such pipes or tubes together),
so that when the ends of two such adjoining pipes or tubes are brought in
contact, a channel or ring or groove may be produced around the connected
parts, to receive and give internal support to the packing applied, and whereby
the packing so applied will be compressed and retained in position by the
connecting collars or sockets used.
But that the nature of our said Invention may be fully understood, we will
proceed to describe the Drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a sectional view, and Figure 2 an external view, of one end
of a pipe formed according to our Invention; Figure 8 shows a sectional view,
and Figure 4 an external view, of the ends of two pipes similarly-formed-and
connected together. a, a, are the rims, which, according to our Invention, are
not only inclined towards a' but also towards a³, so that, when the ends of two
pipes similarly formed are brought in contact, an angular space, ring, or groove
6 will be produced, suitable to receive and support packing, which we apply by
winding tow, hemp, or other suitable matters; or, in place of such matters, lead
or other suitable cement may be employed. Figures 5 to 8 show several views
of a socket piece c, with inclined surfaces c', corresponding with the inclined
surfaces a, a', on the ends of the pipes, and by acting on which the surfaces c'
tend to draw the parts together. Each half of the socket c is formed with
cars c³, to receive screws c³, by which they may be drawn together.
In connecting together the ends of pipes according to our Invention, we
proceed by first bringing in contact the ends of two pipes or tubes; we then
apply the hemp or other suitable packing or cement in the angular space b,
formed by the inclined surfaces a, a'; we then apply the two parts of a cap or
socket c, and by the pressure produced by bringing the two parts of such cap
or socket together, the packing will be first compressed around the inclined
parts a, a, a; and then, by the parts c' acting on the inclined surfaces a, a', of
the pipes, the two pipes will be drawn together, and a closely packed and secure
joint will be obtained.
Figures 9 to 18 show a modification of our Invention. In this case the
inclined surfaces project from the pipe or tube, but in other respects the parts
are similarly arranged and used, and we have contented ourselves with applying
similar letters to like parts.

page_text: In place of forming the ends of each pipe or tube in planes at right angles
to a central line through thel ength of such pipe or tube, we form them at an
angle, as shown by the Diagrams, Figures 11, 14, and 15, by which, in putting
several lengths together, we are enabled either to continue such several lengths
in a straight line, or in curves or bends, corresponding with the curves or bends
of the street or other way where the pipes or tubes are being laid. The con-
tinuance in a straight line or a divergence therefrom being effected by the
position of the pipe or tube next to be connected in relation to the preceding,
by which the angular end of one pipe may make up for the angularity of that
preceding, and thus maintain the straight course, or by turning the pipe or tube
partly round, a divergence from the straight line will be more or less obtained,
and thus we are enabled in great measure to dispense with the use of curved
or bent pipes.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, we would have it under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details shown and described,
so long as the peculiar character of our Invention as explained be retained.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Smith and Thomas Phillips,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES,
78, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agent.
WILLIAM SMITH. (L.S.)
THOMAS PHILLIPS. (L.s.)