IMPROVEMENTS IN THE JOINTS OF EARTHENWARE PIPES AND IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING THE SAME.
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Unsworth McKie, of Carlisle, in the County of
Cumberland, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
JOINTS OF EARTHENWARE PIPES AND IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING THE
SAME.
»
Sealed the 25th January 1878, and dated the 20th October 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Unsworth MoKic at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October 1877.
HUGH UNSWORTH MCKIE, of Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland, Civil
Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE JOINTS OF EARTHENWARE PIPES AND
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING THE SAME."
IN
This Invention has for its object the rendering of the joints of earthenware pipes
perfectly tight and durable in a simplified and improved manner, and it consists
essentially in making the contact surfaces of the joints so as to fit each other
closely by grinding such surfaces on the otherwise finished pipes.
It is intended to grind the joint surfaces by means of emery wheels, but this
operation may also be effected by means of diamonds or in any other suitable way.
The improvement is applicable to most of the forms of pipe joints in use, but it
will generally be preferable to give a spherical, spheroidal, or conoidal form to the
joint surfaces to admit of the pipe lengths being slightly inclined to each other
where the line of piping is curved.
The concave and convex or faucet and spigot surfaces may be made respectively
on the opposite ends of each pipe length; or the pipe lengths may be made with
both ends convex or spigot-shaped, and be connected together by means of rings or
short lengths formed with double concave parts or faucets. When putting the
pipe lengths together the joint surfaces are, by preference, treated with a thin coat
of bituminous or other suitable cement.
In one arrangement of machinery for grinding the joint surfaces the pipe length

page_text: On one
is adjusted centrally between a pair of headstocks, which carry spindles in the same
axial line as the pipe length and made to rotate in any convenient way.
spindle there is fixed a disc, carrying blocks of consolidated emery, shaped to give
the desired concave surface to the faucet end of the pipe, such emery blocks being
adjustable in an outward direction to make up for wear. On the other spindle
disc carries enery blocks shaped to give the convex surface for the spigot end of
the pipe, and these emery blocks are adjustable towards the centre to make up for
wear.
a
The headstocks may have an oscillating or reciprocating motion imparted to
them, to equalise the action of the emery blocks and prevent the formation of
grooves.
In a second arrangement of the grinding machinery small emery wheels are used
and are placed eccentrically to the axial line of the pipe length, so as to act each
on only one part of the circumference of the pipe end at a time, whilst the pipe
length is turned slowly round to bring each part in succession under the action of
the emery wheel or wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hugh Unsworth McKie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
April 1878.
HUGH UNSWORTH MCKIE, of Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE JOINTS OF EARTHENWARE PIPES AND IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING THE SAME."
My said Invention has for its object the rendering of the joints of earthenware
pipes perfectly tight and durable in a simplified and improved manner, and it
consists essentially in making the contact surfaces of the joints so as to fit each
other closely by grinding such surfaces on the otherwise finished pipes.
I intend to grind the joint surfaces by means of emery wheels, but this operation
may also be effected by means of diamonds or in any other suitable way.
The improvement is applicable to most of the forms of pipe joints in use, but it
will generally be preferable to give a spherical, spheroidal, or conoidal forin to the
joint surfaces, to admit of the pipe lengths being slightly inclined to each other
where the line of piping is curved.
The concave and convex or faucet and spigot surfaces may be made respectively
on the opposite ends of each pipe length; or pipe lengths may be made with both
ends convex or spigot-shaped, and be connected together by means of rings or short
lengths formed with concave parts or faucets at both ends. When putting the
pipe lengths together the joint surfaces are, by preference, treated with a thin coat
of bituminous or other suitable cement.
On the accompanying two Sheets of explanatory Drawings there are delineated
modifications of machinery for grinding the joint surfaces of earthenware pipes by
means of emery wheels; but I by no means restrict myself to such machinery for

page_text: effecting the operation, which constitutes the essential feature of my Invention, as
various modifications may be readily devised for that purpose.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a longitudinal section
showing a form of earthenware pipe, which can be accurately made in a simple and
economical manner. Comparatively long lengths of spigot-ended pipes A, B, are
connected by shorter lengths C, D, with faucet ends. At A and C the spigot and
faucet are shown in the form in which they are burned, whilst at B and D they
are shown with the spherical joint surfaces, as afterwards formed by grinding
according to my Invention, and as fitted together.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section, showing a slightly modified form of the faucets;
and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section showing the form when each pipe length is
made, with a spigot at one end and a faucet at the other.
Figure 4 is a plan of a machine for simultaneously grinding the joint surfaces
at opposite ends of a double faucet pipe length C, D; Figures 5 and 6 are respec-
tively an elevation and a transverse vertical section, corresponding to Figure 4.
The pipe length C, D, is carried by a cylindrical holder 1, which is fitted to turn
in two annular bearings 2, formed with a bottom plate 3 a headstock mounted
on a table or bearing guide 4. The headstock 2, 3, is movable inwards and outwards
upon the bearing guide 4 by means of a screw spindle 5, to facilitate the setting
and removal of the pipe lengths. The pipe length C, D, is truly centered in its
holder 1 by means of blocks adjusted by radial screws 6 tapped through the holder;
and the holder has fixed or formed on it a ring of spur teeth 7, by means of which
it and the pipe length C, D, carried by it are turned slowly round during the
grinding operation in order to present the different parts successively to the
grinding wheels. When the holder 1 is in its inner position the spur teeth 7 on
it gear with a pinion 8 on a horizontal shaft 9, which has also on it a pulley 10 for
a driving belt. The bearing guide 4 is a lateral projection from a long bench or
bed frame 11, 12, on each end of which there is a slide or carriage 13, 14, capable
of longitudinal adjustment by means of screw spindles 15, 16. On each slide or
carriage 13, 14, there is mounted a swivelling table 17, 18, carrying a transversely
adjustable headstock 19, 20. Each headstock 19, 20, carries in bearings a spindle
21, 22, having on it a pulley 23, 24, for a driving belt, and on its inner end an
emery wheel 25, 26, for grinding the faucet joint surfaces of the pipe length C, D.
Each of the swivelling tables 17, 18, is made with a vertical cylindrical trunk
27, 28, fitted to turn in a socket 29, 30, formed upon the carriage or slide 13, 14,
and on the lower end of each trunk 27, 28, there is fixed a lever 31, 32, which is
connected by a rod 33, 34, to a crank or eccentric pin on the bottom end of a
shaft 35, 36, driven by bevil wheels 37, 38, from the shaft 9, herein-before mentioned
as giving a turning motion to the pipe holder 1. With these arrangements, whilst
the emery wheels 25, 26, are rotating rapidly the pipe length C, D, is turned slowly
round, and at the same time the spindles 21, 22, carrying the emery wheels are
moved slowly backwards and forwards through a horizontal angle, and in this way
the formation of a true spherical or spheroidal joint surface is insured.
The various adjustments with which the machine is provided, as herein-before
described, admit of its operating on pipe lengths of all varieties of lengths and
diameter within the range for which the machine is designed.
Figures 7 and 8 are views of a modification of emery wheel, which may be used
when the spindle of such wheel is kept in the axis of the pipe length and has no
horizontal angular_movement. The consolidated emnery is in this case in the form
of separate blocks E, which do not occupy the entire circumference. These blocks
are held between two discs 39, 40, on the spindle, thin rubber or other packing
material being interposed between the blocks and the discs; and as they wear, the
bolts which cause the discs 39, 40, to grip the blocks can be loosened, the blocks be
drawn out a little, and the blocks be tightened up again.
Figures 9 and 10, on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings, are respectively a
plan and an elevation of a modification of grinding machinery, differing somewhat

page_text: from that shown on Sheet 1, and herein-before described, and designed for grinding
the external or spigot joint surfaces on a double spigot pipe length B, A.
Many parts are substantially the same as in the first modification. and as the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts, wherever they
are repeated, it is unnecessary to repeat the description of such parts.
In this second modification, which is adapted for longer pipes, there are two
holders 1, 1, which are turned slowly by pinions 8, 8, on the shaft 9 behind. These
holders are not made to move laterally for setting or removing the pipe lengths,
but the swivelling tables 13, 14, which carry the emery wheel spindles 21, 22, at
the ends, are arranged so that they can be moved sufficiently to one side to allow
of the pipe lengths B, A, being put in and removed longitudinally.
When using diamonds for forming the finished joint surfaces on earthenware
pipes they may be applied by means of a slide rest like an ordinary lathe tool, the
pipe being made to rotate as in a lathe; or a number of diamonds may be fixed on
the circumference of a pulley, by preference at successive points of a helical line
thereon, such pulley being made to operate like emery wheels in machinery like
that herein-before described and shown on the accompanying Drawings.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to novel and original, and
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
1. The forming of the joint surfaces of earthenware pipes by grinding them after
the pipes are burned or otherwise finished, as herein-before described.
2. The arranging or combining together of the parts of machinery for grinding
the joint surfaces of earthenware pipes, substantially in the manner herein-before
described, with reference to Figures 4, 5, 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
3. The arranging or combining together of the parts of machinery for grinding
the joint surface of earthenware pipes, substantially in the manner herein-before
described, with reference to Figures 9, 10, of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Unsworth McKie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.