IMPROVEMENTS IN AND MEANS FOR FASTENING THE TUBES OF SURFACE- CONDENSERS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington Street,
Strand, London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND MEANS FOR FASTENING THE TUBES OF SURFACE-
CONDENSERS." A communication from abroad by Charles Borrows White and
William Deacon, both of the City and County of San Francisco, in the State
of California, one of the United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Edward Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd October 1880.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND MEANS FOR
FASTENING THE TUBES OF SURFACE-CONDENSERS." A communication from abroad
by Charles Borrows White and William Deacon, both of the City and County of
San Francisco, in the State of California, one of the United States of America.
In the construction of surface-condensers for steam-engines numerous devices
have been in use for fastening the ends of the tubes in the heads of the condenser-
vessel. One of the methods heretofore employed was to solder a ring or wire
around the tube near one end, so as to form an enlargement that could be secured
between a shoulder in the head on one side and a gland or follower on the opposite
side. This fastener has caused a great deal of trouble by reason of the rings being
stripped off the tubes by the continual expansion and contraction to which the
tubes are subjected.
The Invention the subject of this Specification relates to this class of fastenings,
but instead of soldering a ring or wire around the tube to form the enlargement a
bead is formed in the tube itself, so as to produce a swell or enlargement directly
in its tube-material entirely surrounding the tube, with which a screw threaded
ring or thimble is combined, with its inner end beveled on its inside, and a packing.
This ring or enlargement then forms an integral part of the tube, which cannot be
pulled off without destroying the tube.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 shows the end of one of these
improved tubes, and the manner of securing it in the tube sheet, this latter
part being in section. Figure 2 is a detail view in section of the screw-threaded
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page_text: ferrule C, and a part of the tube-sheet B into which it fits. Figure 3 is a detail
view of an end of one of these condenser-tubes.
A is a section of a tube such as is used in the construction of surface-condensers,
and B is a portion of one of the heads of the condenser in section. The ends of
these tubes pass entirely through the heads of the condensing vessel and are packed
and secured by some convenient device.
In order to provide a suitable enlargement on the end of the pipe for staying it
in the head, I take each tube after it has been cut to the desired length and insert
a beading tool, such as is used by tinners for forming beads on pipes or tin material,
into the end of the tube, and compress it against the tube at the desired distanco
from the end. A few turns of this tool will then cause it to traverse around the
interior of the tube and press a narrow portion of the tube-material outward, so as
form a projecting bead, swell, or enlargement, E on the exterior of the tube. The
hole in the head of the condenser-vessel through which the tube is insorted, and in
which its end is secured, is made small enough at the inner part of the head to
prevent this swell, enlargement, or bead from passing through, while the outer
portion of the hole is considerably larger, so as to form an annular space
surrounding the outer end of the tube. This outer portion is tapped with internal
screw threads; suitable packing is then placed in this annular space around the
outer end of the tube, and a ring C, the exterior of which is tapped with screw
threads, is then passed over the end of the tube and screwed into the annular space,
so as to compress the packing against the outer side of the swell or enlargement
and make a tight joint between the head and ring. The inner end of this ring or
thimble is beveled upon its inside, as at F, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, the object of
which is to permit the ring, or rather that end thereof, to fit snugly and tightly
upon the bead, swell, or enlargement E of the tube, to serve directly to confine the
tube in place without the aid of the packing, as in the method heretofore adopted,
using a packing.
It will further be seen that by thus beveling the ring or thimble the packing
is compressed into the least possible space, and thus serves to render the joint
perfectly water, steam, or air tight. This forms a fastening that cannot give way
without pulling the tube to pieces, as the bead forms an integral part of the
tube.
Any suitable beading-machine can be used for forming the bead or projection,
but the operation is easily and quickly performed by the beading-machine above
alluded to.
What I claim as the Invention communicated to me, as aforesaid, and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-
The combination with the tube, having an external bead, swell, or enlargement,
and the head having an enlarged opening, of the screw-threaded. ring or thimble
with the inside of its inner end beveled, and the packing compressed around
the bead of the tube by the ring or thimble, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.