IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE BRUSHES OR CLEANERS to be as follows:-
Year: 1886

page_text: I, FERDINAND PERNER, of the firm of Perner Brothers of Elbeteinitz Bohemia in
the Empire of Austria Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE BRUSHES OR CLEANERS to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to brushes for cleaning the insides of tubes or tubular
objects. The said brushes are made by superposing a number of star-shaped discs
of flexible, elastic material. The said star-shaped discs or stars are filed, with
interposed rigid discs of smaller diameter, on a rod or spindle, where they are held
in position by suitable abutments, for instance, by screw-nuts. To increase the
elasticity of the points or prongs of the stars, these points are, by preference,
formed with curved undulations; and to prevent the sides of the tubes or tubular
objects from being damaged while being cleaned, the ends of the prongs are
rounded off.
In order that the whole circumference of a tubular object shall be cleaned by
the brush, the prongs of the stars are not arranged along generatrices of the body
of the brush, but along helical lines.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co,
For the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Tube Brushes or Cleaners.
I, FERDINAND PERNER of the firm of Perner Brothers of Elbeteinitz, Bohemia,
Austria, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to brushes which I term " Elastic Star Brushes" for
cleaning the insides of boiler and other tubes or tubular objects.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a brush embodying the said invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-section of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 show modifications of the details of construction.
-
A is a cylindrical rod provided with a thickened end d and a, a is a series of
star-shaped plates made of flexible material and fitted on said rod, washers b, b, b
being interposed between them, for the purpose of maintaining the star-shaped
plates at invariable distances from each other. The whole series of plates a and
washers b are clamped or held together, against the shoulder formed by the
thickened end d, by means of a nut c screwed upon one screw-threaded end of the
rod A. The unscrewing of the said nut c is prevented by a lock-nut c¹.
The washers b for keeping the star-shaped plates a at given distances from one
another, may be made of paper asbestos, hard india rubber or any other material
adapted for the special use to which the brush is to be applied.
The points or fingers of the star-shaped plates may be bent to various forms, so
that said points or fingers acquire the condition of springs, which bear with more
or less pressure against the sides of the tubes to be cleaned, according to the
nature of the dirt to be removed. As the material of which the star-shaped plates
are made can be varied and as the shape of the fingers can also be varied, as
stated in very numerous manners, possibility is afforded of providing brushes
suitable for any purpose. Figure 3 shows at a. and y two instances of differently
shaped points or fingers.
1
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In some cases, it will be advisable, in order to avoid damage to the sides of the
tubes being cleaned, to round off the ends of the said points or fingers as shown in
Figures 4.
In order that the whole circumference of a tubular object shall be cleaned by
the endwise movement of the brush, the fingers of all the star-shaped plates of a
brush are not arranged along generatrices of the cylindrical surface of the brush,
but along helical lines, or in any other suitable manner so that the fingers of
each plate more or less coincide with the spaces between the fingers of the
adjacent plates.
For protecting the flexible fingers from being damaged, dish-shaped discs f,f, of
somewhat less diameter than the star-shaped plates are placed at both ends of the
column of star-shaped plates and washers.
To the thickened end d of the rod A is fixed a conical cap k, this cap having for
its purpose (as in all brushes of this kind) to facilitate the introduction of the
brush into the tube and to prevent the brush from being injured in consequence of
its being pushed beyond the end of the tube..

page_text: .The screw-threaded end g, of the rod A, projecting beyond the nuts c, c¹ serves
for fixing the brush to an operating rod or handle.
Brushes of the class or kind described afford the following advantages, that
is to say:
1st. They will remove firmly adhering dirt and deposit, such for instance as are
formed in the tubes of boilers, and not only the loose soot, but the agglomerated
soot also.
2nd. They are far more durable then any known device serving the same
purpose.
3rd. They are easily repaired, it only being necessary to replace the damaged
star-shaped plates by new ones, or to repair them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
A brush for cleaning tubes or tubular objects comprising a number of star-shaped
plates having flexible points or fingers, the said star-shaped plates being secured
upon a rod so that the fingers of each plate more or less coincide with, or are
opposite to the fingers of the adjacent plates, substantially as set forth:
Dated this 20th day of Santambon Tees