IMPROVEMENTS IN TOOLS OR APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING AND CUTTING TUBES AND METALLIC RINGS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE FOR WITHDRAWING FERULES PROM THE ENDS OF BOILER TUBES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomson, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TOOLS
OR APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING AND CUTTING TUBES AND METALLIC RINGS,
PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE FOR WITHDRAWING FERULES
PROM THE ENDS OF BOILER TUBES."
Sealed the 16th February 1869, and dated the 18th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th August 1868.
I, WILLIAM THOMSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TOOLS OR APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING AND CUTTING TUBES AND METALLIC
RINGS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE FOR WITHDRAWING FERULES
PROM THE ENDS OF BOILER TUBES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the expanding of tubes and metallic
rings, and it consists of an instrument composed of a body piece to
which expanding cones are fastened, their ends being held in dovetailed

page_text: slots in the face of the body, so that they may be free to move in a
radial direction to and from the central part of the expander. Through
the body of the expander a spindle passes, one end of which is provided
with taper grooves to receive the expanding cones; the other end of
the spindle is screwed, so that by tightening the nut thereon against
the body the inner tapered surfaces are drawn against the cones, which
are consequently forced out or against the inner side of the tube or
ring to be expanded, and when sufficiently tightened the expander is
rotated within the tube or ring, by which action it is expanded at all
points. In the instrument as arranged for cutting pieces or lengths
off a tube the conical expanding rollers are substituted by expanding
cutters fixed by a hinge or other joint to the body of the instrument;
these being acted upon by the expanding cone are powerfully forced
against the inner part of the tube or ring to be cut, and thereby effect
its separation. In place of forming the central part of the expander
with grooves to receive the expanding cones, a simple central cone may
be used without grooves.
In the second part of this Invention, which consists of a modification
of the preceding, and to be used for withdrawing ferules from boiler
tubes, the links for catching the inner end of the ferule are expanded
in manner similar to that used in the foregoing, and a bridge piece
passes over the central spindle, so that by tightening the nut against
the bridge piece which bears against the end of the tube or tube plate
the force applied withdraws the ferule.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Thomson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Thomson, Her special license that.

page_text: I, the said William Thomson, ny executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as I, the said William Thomson, my executors, adminis-
trators, or 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 TOOLS OR.
APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING AND CUTTING TUBES AND METALLIC RINGS, PART OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE FOR WITHDRAWING FERULES FROM THE ENDS.
OF BOILER TUBES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Thomson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Thomson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates, firstly, to the expanding of tubes and
metallic rings, and it consists of an instrument composed of a body
piece to which expanding cones are fastened, their ends being held in
dovetailed slots in the face of the body, so that they may be free.
to move in a radial direction to and from the central part of the
expander. Through the body of the expander a spindle passes, one
end of which is provided with taper grooves to receive the expanding.
cones; the other end of the spindle is screwed, so that by tightening the
nut thereon against the body the inner tapered surfaces are drawn
against the cones, which are consequently forced out or against the
inner side of the tube or ring to be expanded, and when sufficiently
tightened the expander is rotated within the ring or tube, by which
action it is expanded equally at all points. In the instrument as
arranged for cutting pieces or lengths off a tube the conical expanding
rollers are substituted by expanding cutters fixed by a hinge or other
joint to the body of the instrument; these being acted upon by the
expanding cone are powerfully forced against the inner part of the
tube or ring to be cut, and thereby effects its separation. In place.

page_text: of forming the central part of the expander with grooves to receive the
expanding cones a simple central cone may be used without grooves.
In the second part of this Invention, which consists of a modification
of the preceding and to be used for withdrawing ferules from boiler
tubes, the links for catching the inner end of the ferule are expanded
in manner similar to that used in the foregoing, and a bridge piece
passes over the central spindle, so that by tightening the nut against
the bridge picce which bears against the end of the tube or tube plate
the force applied withdraws the ferule.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood,
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had for the sake of more complete
elucidation to the letters and figures upon the explanatory Sheets of
Drawings which I have hereunto appended, that is to say :-
Figure 1 is a side clevation, showing one arrangement of tube
expanding apparatus; and Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
The apparatus consists of a hollow cylindrical body A, in one end
of which grooves are formed to receive the three expanding cones B,
as shown; these are formed at one end so as to fit into dovetail slots C,
Figure 2. cut in the face of the body A, which at that part is
formed of increased diameter, so as to admit of the cones B having
a sufficient amount of travel in a radial direction to and from the
centre. The expansion or radial movement of the cones B is effected
by a central cone D formed on one end of the spindle E, which passes
through the body A. The expanding cones B and the central cone D
are formed by preference with the same amount of taper proportional
to their lengths, and being situated in reverse positions, the side of
the cones B in contact with the tube F is thus brought parallel to
the axis of the central cone D, so that the figure generated by revolving
the apparatus is perfectly cylindrical. The spindle E is screwed as
shown, and fitted with a nut G, which is tightened against the body A
when the cone D is being drawn backwards to press out the cones B.
The mode of operating is as follows:-The end of the expander in
which the cones B are fitted is placed inside of the tube which is to
be expanded, and which may be supposed as represented at F. The
nut G is then screwed down with a spanner or wrench, so as to draw
back the cone D until the cones B are pressed tightly against the

page_text: tube F. The expander is then rotated by a handle fitted on the
squared end of the spindle E, by which action the tube F is expanded.
The nut G is now turned backwards, and the cone D pushed inwards,
thus relieving the pressure from the cones B, and the apparatus is
removed from the tube. A pin H is fitted into the spindle E to
prevent the nut G being unscrewed too far.
Figure 3 is a side view, and Figure 4 a plan, showing a modification
of the apparatus. In this arrangement the part of the body A in which
the grooves are shown cut in Figures 1 and 2 to receive the expanding
cones B is dispensed with; the other parts of the apparatus are sub-
stantially the same as herein-before described in reference to Figures 1
and 2, and the mode of operating with the instrument is the same as in
the preceding modification, and therefore need not be here recapitulated.
Figure 5 is a side view of another modification of the expanding
apparatus, and Figure 6 is a plan of the same. In this modification
the cones B are situated in inclined grooves cut in the end of the central
spindle E, in place of employing a central circular cone frustrum as in
the preceding modification, and which at that part is formed of larger
diameter, the bottom of the grooves constitute inclined planes against
which the cones B rest, so that when the expander is placed within a tube
and the spindle withdrawn by turning the nut G, the inclined planes
push out the expanding cones B against the tube.
It is evident that the inclined planes in Figures 5 and 6 act in the
same manner as the central cone shown in the preceding Figures when
the spindle E is withdrawn, excepting that in this modification the
friction of the conic rollers against the bottom and sides of the slots
in the central spindle E prevents them from rotating.
Instead of cutting dovetail slots in the face of the body A for the
cones B to fit in a groove I may be cut round the face, as shown in
Figures 7 and 8, into which the cones B are placed, these are recessed
at the bottom, as shown at J, Figures 7 and 8, to receive an elastic band
or steel expanding ring K which keeps them against the central cone D
and prevents them falling out; the cones B are placed in and can be
removed from the apparatus by openings L, Figures 7 and 8, formed in
the rim M, or a moveable collar may be employed for that purpose as
shown at N, Figures 9 and 10.
Figure 1, Sheet 2, is a plan, and Figure 2 is a side view showing a
modification of the expanding apparatus which may be applied for

page_text: expanding railway wheel tyres. A represents the central cone, and B
the expanding cones; C is a railway wheel tyre, which rests upon a
plate D fitted with a boss E in which a nut F is placed to receive the
screw on the bottom of the central cone A. The tyre C is expanded by
screwing down the central cone A, thus at the same time pushing out
and rotating the cones B.
.
Another part of this Invention consists of an arrangement of apparatus
for cutting tubes. Figure 3 is a front view, and Figure 4 is a plan of
the apparatus. It consists of a screwed spindle A, at one end of which
an inclined plane B is formed. The cutting disc C is carried in a
bracket D having a groove formed in it, as shown, to fit the inclined
plane B on which it slides. The bracket D is connected by a hinged
link E to a collar F which slides on the spindle A.
The mode of operating with the apparatus is as follows:-The end
of the spindle which carries the cutting disc C is inserted into the tube
which is intended to be cut, as shown at Figure 4, in which G represents
the tube, the nut If is then screwed against the collar F, thus forcing
the bracket D up the inclined plane B until the cutting disc C presses
against one side of the tube and the segmental end of the spindle A
against the opposite side; the apparatus is then rotated by a wrench
placed on the squared end of the screw spindle, and the nut H gradually
screwed up to keep the cutting disc hard against the tube G until it
is cut through.
Figure 5 is a front view, and Figure 6 is a plan of an instrument
better adapted for cutting tubes of large diameter than that shown in
Figure 4. In this modification the instrument is fitted with antifriction
rollers H', so that it may be easier revolved when cutting. The other
parts of the apparatus are the same as herein-before described in
reference to Figures 3 and 4, Sheet 2.
Another part of this Invention consists of a modification of the pre-
ceeding apparatus for withdrawing ferules from boiler tubes. It consists
of a spindle A having a cone B formed at one end, a hollow cylinder C
fitted with a suitable number of tapered claws D is placed on the
cone B, so that by tightening the nut E against the bridge F the
cone B is drawn backwards, thus expanding the claws D so as to catch
against the inner edge of the ferule G, as shown, and by continuing to
tighten the nut E the ferule G is drawn out.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The arrangement and construction of tube and ring expanders
in which expanding cones are placed in a reverse position to a central
cone having a proportional amount of taper, by which means the whole
length of the sides of the expanding cones are brought to bear simul-
taneously against the sides of the ring or tube, as herein-before described
and shown on the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The method of expanding or pressing the cones against the
tube or ring by means of a nut placed on a central screwed spindle as
herein-before described and shown on the accompanying Drawing.
Third. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for cutting
metal tubes or rings in which the cutting tool is pressed against the
ring or tube by the tool holder being moved up an inclined plane, as
herein-before described and shown at Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, Sheet 2
of the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Fourth. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for with-
drawing ferules from boiler tubes by means of hooks or claws situated
inside of a cylinder and expanded by a central cone, as shown at Figure 7
Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings, and herein-before described, or
any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
WILLIAM THOMSON. (L.S.)