IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER HOSE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaac Blue Harris, of Castle Mills, Fountain-
bridge, Edinburgh, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER HOSE."
Sealed the 28th July 1871, and dated the 29th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Blue Harris at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th April 1871.
I, ISAAC BLUE HARRIS, of Castle Mills, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER HOSE," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate more particularly to that description of
hose called suction hose as heretofore manufactured of india-rubber or
india-rubber compounds in combination with cotton, flax, linen, canvas,
or cloth, and consist in protecting more effectually and more easily than
heretofore the spiral metallic wire or spiral metallic hoops or loose
rings employed in keeping the flexible canvas and india-rubber materials
of such hose or tubes distended against atmospheric or other external

page_text: pressure. These wires or hoops or rings have hitherto been made of
copper, brass, or galvanized iron, or other metallic substance, and have
either been exposed to the action of the fluid or material conveyed
through the hose, or embedded between the external and internal
surfaces thereof. But the process of cementation of the several layers
of rubber and canvas employed in the manufacture of this embedded
hose has been accomplished by a rolling pressure applied externally
thereto, and resisted by an internal rigid pipe or mandril filling and
forming the bore of the hose while in the process of manufacture, and
the spaces between the spirals of such wires, hoops, or rings have been
filled with a compound of india-rubber forming the medium for the
cementation or adhesion of the outside to the inside coverings of the
wires, hoops, or rings. Or the outside coverings have been pressed
inward between said spirals or rings so as to come in contact with the
inside coverings or tubes,-and-thus effect the cementation of the outer
and inner coverings without the use of such filling. Instead of this
-process-I-form the outside coverings and apply them outside of the
wires, hoops, or rings-first, and--press them inwards so as to effect-the-
cementation thereof as heretofore, and afterwards introduce the inside
covering of the metallic spirals or rings. This inside covering I form
of a plastic or yielding rubber tube, and inside of this tube I apply
hydraulic or gaseous or steam pressure, by which said tube is forced
outwards against the wires, hoops, or rings, and also against the surface
of their immediate outside covering, thus at once not only covering said
metallic portions very perfectly, but also forcing said inside covering
between the spirals or rings into close contact with the outside covering,
and thus effecting a more perfect cementation of the two between the
wires, hoops, or rings than could be effected by applying a rolling
pressure outside the hose as heretofore. I am thus enabled to very
thoroughly cover and protect the metallic portions of such hose and
prevent them from ordinary or induced oxidation or corrosion, and also
to prevent the tendency to displacement of said metallic portions from
bending the hose when in use, while I obtain a hose the materials of
which are more thoroughly and solidly cemented or combined than
heretofore. The hose thus constructed are vulcanized by the ordinary
well-known methods.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Isaac Blue Harris in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
BLUE HARRIS, of Castle Mills, Fountain Bridge, Edinburgh, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Isaac Blue Harris, Her special
licence that I, the said Isaac Blue Harris, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Isaac Blue Harris, my execu-
tors, 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 MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER HOSE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Isaac Blue Harris, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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 Isaac Blue Harris, 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 Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
This Invention relates to that description of hose called suction hose
heretofore manufactured of india-rubber or' india-rubber compounds in
combination with cotton, flax, linen, canvas, or cloth, and consists in
protecting more effectually and more easily than heretofore the spiral

page_text: metallic wire or spiral metallic hoops or loose rings employed in keeping
the flexible canvas and india-rubber materials of such hose or tubes
distended against atmospheric or other external pressure. These wires or
hoops or rings have hitherto been made of copper, brass, or galvanized iron,
or other metallic substance, and have either been exposed to the action t
of the fluid or material conveyed through the hose, or have been coated
with a waterproof material before being applied to the hose. The process
of cementation of the several layers of rubber and canvas employed in the
manufacture of this hose has been accomplished by a rolling pressure
applied externally thereto, and resisted by an internal rigid pipe or 1
mandril filling and forming the bore of the hose while in the process of
manufacture, and the spaces between the spirals of such wires, hoops, or
rings have been filled with a compound of india-rubber forming the
-medium for the cementation or adhesion of the outside to the inside
coverings of the wires, hoops, or rings. Or-the-outside coverings have
been pressed inwards between said-spirals_or_rings so as to come in
contact with the same, and thus-effect_the_comentation of the several
parts. Instead of this process I form the outside-coverings and apply
them outside of the bare or uncoated wires, hoops, or rings first and
press them inwards so as to effect the cementation thereof as heretofore,
and I afterwards introduce an inside covering for the metallic spirals or
rings. This inside covering I form of a plastic or yielding rubber tube,
and inside of this tube when introduced into the hose I apply hydraulic
or gaseous or steam pressure. By this means the inner tube is forced
outwards against the wires, hoops, or rings, and also against the surface
of their immediate outside covering, thus at once not only are the
metallic portions very perfectly covered, but the inside lining is also
forced between the coils or the rings into close contact with the outside
covering, and a more perfect cementation of the two between the wires,
hoops, or rings is secured than could be effected by applying a rolling
pressure outside the hose as heretofore. By thus thoroughly covering
the metallic portions of such hose I effectually protect them from
ordinary or induced oxidation or corrosion and also remove the tendency
to displacement of said metallic portions while the hose is in use.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood I subjoin a
Sheet of illustrative Drawings comprising three longitudinal sectional
figures of hose pipe made according to my Invention. In all of these
Figures A represents the outside layer of rubber, and B the canvas or

page_text: cloth layer or layers, which together form the main body of the hose and
constitute an external covering for the metallic coils or rings C, C; D is
an inner tube forming the inside lining for the same.
In Fig. 1, C, C, represents a spiral of wire embedded in the hose for
the purpose of keeping the same distended; this office is shewn as
performed in Fig. 2 by a spiral of hoop iron C, C, and in Fig. 3, C, O,
represent two of a series of metal rings embedded in the hose and
serving like the spiral cords to keep the flexible portions of the hose
distended against outside pressure.
The outside covering I apply first to these spirals or rings and mani,
pulate the same in the ordinary manner or as when making discharge
hose, and I afterwards draw in by any convenient means the tube to
form the inside covering of the spirals or rings. I then wrap the
outside of the hose with cloth having sufficient strength to resist the
inside pressure to be employed in forcing outwards the inside rubber
tube or lining of the hose, and also to resist the greater pressure employed
internally during vulcanization. I next introduce inside at one or both
ends of this tube a metal or other tube, by which I convey water, steam,
air, or gas under pressure inside of the rubber tube, and when the hose
is filled therewith the flexible yielding and plastic inside tube will be
forced close against the wires, hoops, or rings, and also between them
and close against their outside covering (which is by preference coated
with india-rubber). Thus the two coverings will be firmly and very
effectually cemented together, while the wires, hoops, or rings are at the
same time completely covered by the inside covering or rubber tube. The
end of a filling tube is shewn at E in Fig. 3. A plug or a similar tube is
of course introduced at the other end in order to obtain pressure on the
water, steam, air, or gas admitted to the hose. I sometimes remove the
filling tubes and vulcanize the hose thus made in the ordinary way, but I
prefer to introduce inside of the hose a quantity of water, which when
converted into steam by the heat employed externally to the hose while
being vulcanized will produce a greater pressure inside the hose than
the pressure of the steam outside. The excess of pressure need not be
greater than a few pounds per square inch, for this will be sufficient to
keep the inside firmly pressed while soft against the outside covering of
the tube, which outside covering is provided as already mentioned with a
temporary wrapper of cloth, one object of which is to resist the excess of
internal pressure just mentioned while the hose is being vulcanized. Of

page_text: course after the introduction of the water just mentioned it will be
necessary in order to get the excess of pressure to plug up the ends of
the hose while in the vulcanizing chamber. If desired I employ a
flexible elastic tube of india-rubber as the vehicle for the water, steam,
air, or gas, and expand it against the inside covering of the hose, thereby
forcing it against and between the wires, hoops, or rings for the like
object by the direct application of the gas or fluid. I sometimes employ
hydraulic, steam, air, or gaseous pressure outside the hose in order to
accomplish the more thorough cementation of the outside and inside
coverings. To do this I introduce the hose inside of a pipe and surround
the hose with water, steam, air, or gas, and apply pressure thereto by
any convenient means.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in the Manufacture of India-rubber Hose," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the 1
above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, manufacturing suction hose
in the manner and for the purpose above described.