IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS."
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Angelo James Sedley, of 210, Regent Street,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Angelo James Sedley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th September 1861.
I, ANGELO JAMES SEDLEY, of 210, Regent Street, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing bridges and
viaducts, and consists in combining, as hereafter explained, the principles of
construction employed in the formation of tubular and suspension bridges
and viaducts in such manner that the suspension shall form part of the
tubular construction. And in place of having recourse to the use of centerings
and the other means heretofore employed or resorted to in constructing
and raising tubular bridges and viaducts, part of my Invention consists in
constructing tubular bridges and viaducts on an embankment or raised way,
or on a suitable surface or way on the margin of the river or other water or
valley, across which a tubular bridge or viaduct is to be placed, preferring to
construct such raised or other way with suitable rails or frams, in order that

page_text: when the tubular bridge or viaduct has been constructed inland, it may with
greater facility be run out to the distance required, either to span the water
or valley, or to partly span it, in those cases where a bridge or viaduct is to be
in two parts to meet and be connected intermediate of the width of the water
or valley; and such bridge or viaduct, or the two sections thereof, having been
built inland, are then moved outwards to the extent desired, sufficient length
of the structure in each case remaining inland to counterbalance the part
projecting beyond the pier and it may here be stated that the part left inland;
need not in itself be of equal length or weight with the part projecting beyond
the pier, as the part inland may be weighted, or held down, or anchored to
the way or surface inland. In erecting a bridge or viaduct according to my
Invention, I construct roadways of two or other number of tubular girders,
by preference of rectangular section, and of a height and width according to
the circumstances of each case. These girders are connected together by
preference with cross hollow girders of rectangular sections; and from the
upper parts of the structures, where they come over and are supported by a
pier, suspending bars are employed, which descend in inclined directions
towards the bottom of the structure in either direction, that is, to the part of
the structure projecting from the pier, as well as to the part of the structure
inland; and such suspending bars have fixed to them the plating of which the
sides of the girders are constructed, and also the upright angle irons of the
structure to which also the side plating is rivetted; and in order that the sides
and other parts of the tubular girders where they rest on and are supported
by a pier, may be capable of bearing the strain consequent on the use of
suspension bars in the manner described, the parts of the structure which
come over a pier are suitably strengthened. By thus applying suspension bars
(which may be of any desired section) in the structure of tubular girders,
they will perform the office of the catenary suspending chains of suspension
bridges, whilst the upright angle irons and side plating will act as suspending
rods. In some cases several of such suspending bars may be employed,
the succeeding ones passing to a greater and a greater distance from the part
of the structure where it is supported on a pier, so that the first suspending
bar will descend from the upper part to the lower part of the structure more
quickly than the next and the next, and consequently their lower ends will
be more and more distant from the pier. When constructing a tubular
suspension bridge or viaduct in two parts on opposite sides of a river or other
water or valley, then where they meet or come together the two ends will
be suitably combined and fixed together, as well as the suspending bars before-
mentioned, where their construction is such as to require it. In order to

page_text: allow for expansion and contraction the ends are arranged to be supported
on rollers. It is not necessary here to describe the details of the construction
of the tubular girders more fully, and it only remains to be stated that the
roadway or roadways may be constructed either internally or above the tubular
girders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Angelo James Sedley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANGELO
JAMES SEDLEY, of 210, Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Angelo James Sedley, Her special licence that I, the said Angelo James
Sedley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Angelo James Sedley, my executors, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Angelo James Sédley, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands 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 Angelo James Sedley, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing bridges
and viaducts, and consists in combining, as hereafter explained, the principles
of construction employed in the formation of tubular and suspension bridges

page_text: and viaducts in such manner that the suspension shall form part of the
tubular construction. And in place of having recourse to the use of centerings
and the other means heretofore employed or resorted to in constructing and
raising tubular bridges and viaducts, part of my Invention consists in
constructing tubular bridges and viaducts on an embankment or raised way,
or on a suitable surface or way on the margin of the river or other water or
valley, across which a tubular bridge or viaduct is to be placed, preferring to
construct such raised or other way with suitable rails or trams, in order that
when the tubular bridge or viaduct has been constructed inland, it may with
greater facility be run out to the distance required, either to span the water or
valley, or to partly span it, in those cases where a bridge or viaduct is to
be in two parts to meet and be connected intermediate of the width of the
water or valley; and such' bridge or viaduct, or the two sections thereof, having
been built inland, are then moved outwards to the extent desired, sufficient
length of the structure in each case remaining inland to counterbalance the
part projecting beyond the pier; and it may here be stated that the part left
inland need not in itself be of equal length or weight with the part projecting
beyond the pier, as the part inland may be weighted or held down or
anchored to the way or surface inland. In erecting a bridge or viaduct
according to my Invention, I construct roadways of two or other number
of tubular girders, by preference of rectangular section, and of a height and
width according to the circumstances of each case. These girders are con-
nected together. by preference with cross hollow girders of rectangular sections,
and from the upper parts of the structures where they come over and are
supported by a pier, suspending bars are employed, which descend in
inclined directions towards the bottom of the structure in either direction that
is, to the part of the structure projecting from the pier, as well as to the part
of the structure inland, and such suspending bars have fixed to them the
plating of which the sides of the girders are constructed, and also the upright
angle irons of the structure to which also the side plating is rivetted; and in
order that the sides and other parts of the tubular girders where they rest on
and are supported by a pier may be capable of bearing the strain consequent
on the use of suspension bars in the manner described, the parts of the
structure which come over a pier are suitably strengthened. By thus applying
suspension bars (which may be of any desired section) in the structure of
tubular girders, they will perform the office of the catenary suspending chains
of suspension bridges, whilst the upright angle irons and side plating will act
as suspending rods. In some cases several of such suspending bars may be
employed, the succeeding ones passing to a greater and a greater distance

page_text: from the part of the structure where it is supported on a pier or other support,
so that the first suspending bar will descend from the upper part to the lower
part of the structure more quickly than the next and the next, and consc-
quently their lower ends will be more and more distant from the pier. When
constructing a tubular suspension bridge or viaduct in two parts on opposite
sides of a river or other water or valley, then where they meet or come toge-
ther the two ends will be suitably combined and fixed together, as well as the
suspending bars before mentioned, where their construction is such as to require
it. In order to allow for expansion and contraction the ends are arranged to
be supported on rollers. It is not necessary here to describe the details of the
construction of the tubular girders more fully, and it only remains to be stated
that the roadway or roadways may be constructed either internally or above
the tubular girders.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of half of a bridge or viaduct constructed
according to my Invention, and Figures 2, 3, and 4, show three transverse
sections, taken respectively at the lines A, B, C, D, and E, F, in Figure 1.
In the arrangement shown in the Drawings the bridge or viaduct is supposed
to have been constructed in two halves, one on each side of the river or valley
over which the bridge or viaduct is intended to span, but it will be evident that
where necessary the whole width of a river or valley may be spanned over by
a bridge or viaduct made or erected on one side of such river or valley. In
the side view, Figure 1, the arrangement of suspension bars which I prefer is
shown at G, G, and any desired number of these bars may be employed. The
sections, Figures 2, 3, and 4, show the mode of constructing cellular girders,
which I prefer, but the same may be varied in form and number. In the
arrangement shewn, each of the cellular girders is composed of five cells
running longitudinally from end to end, but where desired more or less of such
upright longitudinal cells may be employed one on the other in producing a
girder; the several longitudinal cells, in addition to being connected
rivetting
the top and bottom plates of the cells to each other, may be further combined
by through bolts in the manner shown, which may be fixed by screws and nuts
or otherwise. The roadways may be made either on the lower or upper plat-
form of a bridge or viaduct, or on both. Where a bridge or viaduct is constructed
in two parts, the parts or ends where they come together in the centre are by
preference connected by means of a shoe or centrepiece, as shown, but the

page_text: manner in which the ends of the two parts are combined may be varied.
Although I prefer to use plates of iron rivetted together, and to angle iron in
constructing bridges and viaducts, yet steel or other materials may be employed
in place thereof or together therewith so long as the cellular construction of
the girders be combined with suspension in a similar manner to that before
described. A proper length of bridge or viaduct having been constructed on a
suitable surface on one side of a river or valley, it is to be moved outwards
therefrom, provision having been made for keeping the portion inland of
sufficient weight or otherwise to counterbalance the unsupported part,
which is projected over the river or other water or valley, and until such part
is supported either by two sections meeting intermediate of the span, or the
previously unsupported end receives support by coming on to a pier or on to
a support on the opposite side of the river or valley. It, is desirable when
thus constructing the section or the whole length of a bridge or viaduct on
one side of a river or valley, that the same should have wheels or rollers, and
be on a tram or railway, in order that the end of the bridge or viaduct may be
more readily moved outwards from the side on which it has been constructed
towards or to the other side.
In witness whereof, I, the said Angelo James Sedley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
ANGELO JAMES SEDLEY. (L.S.)