IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON AND STEEL TUBULAR TELEGRAPH POLES AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF IRON AND STEEL TUBES FOR TELEGRAPH POLES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clarke Johnson of Wednesbury. in the County.
of Stafford Manager of Works and Rouben Martin of West Bromwich in
the County of Stafford Tube Maker for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN IRON AND STEEL TUBULAR TELEGRAPH POLES AND IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF CERTAIN KINDS OF IRON AND STEEL TUBES FOR TELEGRAPH POLES AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clarke Johnson and
Reuben Martin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
21st October 1882.
JOHN CLARKE JOHNSON of Wednesbury in the County of Stafford Manager
of Works and REUBEN MARTIN of West Bromwich in the County of Stafford,
Tube Maker "IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON AND STEEL TUBULAR TELEGRAPH POLES
AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF IRON AND STEEL TUBES FOR
TELEGRAPH POLES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
Our invention consists First of the following improvement or improvements in
strengthening iron and steel tubular telegraph poles.
For this purpose we use an internal supporting bar consisting either of three or
four equi distant radial webs or plates. The said bars are produced by rolling and
are fixed in the lower part of the tubes of the telegraph poles by drawing the said
tubes upon the edges of the radial webs or plates of the bars. We prefer to make
the said supporting bars extend upwards about four to five feet from the socket
part of the poles but we do not limit ourselves thereto. The lower part of the
telegraph pole is thus strengthened by three or four continuous ribs or supports
arranged equi-distantly within the tube.
Our invention has reference Secondly to the manufacture of such iron and steel
tubes as are wholly or in part taper and corrugated longitudinally; that is tubes
one part of which is of the same diameter throughout and the other part tapering,
or tubes tapering from end to end the said tubes having longitudinal corrugations
either extending the whole length of the tube or through part only of its length

page_text: and this part of our said invention consists in manufacturing the said tubes by the
series of processes hereinafter described.
Tubes made according to our invention combine great strength with lightness
and are especially applicable as telegraph poles. They may however be applied to
other purposes where great strength and lightness are required.
We will describe our invention as applied to the manufacture of an iron tube
having the same diameter through about one third its length and tapering through
the remaining two thirds of its length.
. In making such a tube we take a strip or plate of iron of the requisite size and
strength and give it roughly the shape of an open jointed tube or skelp. This
we effect by the ordinary processes. We then heat to a welding heat that end of
the skelp from which the part of the tube of uniform diameter is to be made and
we weld together the edges of that part of the skelp. We afterwards pass this
portion of the skelp or partly made tube between rolls or tongs the grooves of
which are corrugated and thereby give to the part of the partly made tube operated
upon the required longitudinal corrugations. We then heat the tapering portion
of the skelp to a welding heat and pass it between a pair of rolls having tapering
and corrugated grooves. The said rolls have cut away or flat portions which
permit of the ready introduction of the heated skelp between them. The heated
skelp is drawn between the said rolls which have a slow rotary motion given to
them during the drawing of the skelp between them the skelp travelling at
a much higher rate than the grooves in the rolls between which the skelp is
drawn. There is thus effected a drawing and pressing of the skelp by which
its edges are welded together and the taper portion of the tube formed and
corrugated.
In making a tube tapering from end to end we take a skelp of the required size
and shape and by passing it between the taper and corrugated grooves of the rolls
weld shape and corrugate it at the same time.
The corrugations may either extend the whole length of the tube or may
terminate at a short distance from the small end of the tube.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Clarke Johnson and Reuben Martin in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th April 1883.
•
JOHN CLARKE JOHNSON of Wednesbury in the County of Stafford, Manager
of Works and REUBEN MARTIN of West Bromwich in the County of Stafford,
Tube Maker "IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON AND STEEL TUBULAR TELEGRAPH POLES
AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN KINDS OF IRON AND STEEL TUBES FOR
TELEGRAPH POLES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
Our invention consists First of the following improvement or improvements in
strengthening iron and steel tubular telegraph poles.
For this purpose we use an internal supporting bar consisting either of three or
four equi-distant radial webs or plates. The said bars are produced by rolling and
are fixed in the lower part of the tubes of the telegraph poles by drawing the said
tubes upon the edges of the radial webs or plates of the bars. We prefer to make
the said supporting bars extend upwards about four to five feet from the socket
part of the poles but we do not limit ourselves thereto.
The lower part of the telegraph pole is thus strengthened by three or four
continuous ribs or supports arranged equi-distantly with the tube.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in vertical section a portion
of a plain iron or steel tubular telegraph pole the base of which is strengthened
by an internal supporting bar according to this part of our invention and Figure 2
is a horizontal section of the same; Figure 3 represents in vertical section and
Figure 4 in horizontal section a longitudinally corrugated iron or steel tubular
telegraph pole to which this part of our invention is applied; Figure 5 represents
in plan and elevation, the internal radial supporting bar detached from the pole;
Figure 6 represents in plan and elevation the collar which we prefer to use to give
rigidity to the webs of the radial supporting bar. The vertical sections Figures 1
and 3 are taken on the lines a, a Figures 2 and 4 and the horizontal sections
Figures 2 and 4 are taken on the lines c, c Figures 1 and 3. The internal radial
supporting bar is marked b, b in the several Figures of the Drawing and the said
bar is situated and fixed in the parallel base part d of the tapering telegraph
pole d. The said supporting bar b, b is produced by rolling and consists of three
equi-distant radial webs or plates as represented but more than three equi distant
radial webs or plates may be used. The supporting bar b, b may have a length of
from four to five feet but we do not limit ourselves to any particular length of the
supporting bar.
In connecting the strengthening or supporting radial bar b, b to the parallel
part d of the pole, the said bar b, b is placed in the skelp or unwelded tube and
the tube and bar are heated to a welding heat. The tube is then operated upon
by means of rolls or by tongs of the ordinary kind so as to draw the tube upon
the edges of the radial webs or plates of the bar b, b and thereby firmly weld the
latter inside the base d of the pole and at the same time weld together the edges
and complete the joint of the said base d. The lower part of the telegraph pole
is thus strengthened by three (or more) continuous ribs or supports arranged equi
distantly within the pole.
We prefer to support or stiffen the radial strengthening bar b, b at its lower end
by means of the collar e as represented in Figures 1 and 2 and separately in
Figure 6. This collar is shrunk or divided and sprung upon and welded onto the

page_text: edges of the webs of the strengthening bar b the said edges being recessed so that
the collar is flush with the edges of the webs. This collar is fixed in its place
upon the supporting bar before the latter is fixed in the lower part of the pole.
The recesses in the webs of the bar in which the collar e is shrunk or sprung are
shown in Figure 6 and are marked f.
By the use of the said collare great rigidity is given to the webs of the
strengthening bar at the point where the greatest strain is put upon them.
Our invention has reference Secondly to the manufacture of such iron and steel
tubes as are wholly or in part taper and corrugated longitudinally, that is, tubes
one part of which is of the same diameter throughout and the other part tapering,
or tubes tapering from end to end the said tubes having longitudinal corrugations
either extending the whole length of the tube or through part only of its length
and this part of our said invention consists in manufacturing the said tubes by the
series of processes hereinafter described.
Tubes made according to our invention combine great strength with lightness
and are especially applicable as telegraph poles. They may however be applied to
other purposes where great strength and lightness are required.
We will describe our invention as applied to the manufacture of an iron tube
having the same diameter through about one third its length and tapering through
the remaining two thirds of its length.
In making such a tube we take a strip or plate of iron of the requisite size and
strength and give it roughly the shape of an open jointed tube or skelp. This
we effect by the ordinary processes. We then heat to a welding heat that end of
the skelp from which the part of the tube of uniform diameter is to be made and
we weld together the edges of that part of the skelp. We afterwards pass this
portion of the skelp or partly made tube between rolls or tongs or dies, the grooves
or openings of which are corrugated and thereby give to the part of the partly
made tube operated upon the required longitudinal corrugations. We then heat
the tapering portion of the skelp to a welding heat and pass it between a pair of
rolls having tapering and corrugated grooves. The said rolls have cut away or flat
portions which permit of the ready introduction of the heated skelp between them.
The heated skelp is drawn between the said rolls which have a slow rotary motion
given to them during the drawing of the skelp between them, the skelp travelling
at a much higher rate than the grooves in the rolls between which the skelp is
drawn. There is thus effected a drawing and pressing of the skelp by which its
edges are welded together and the taper portion of the tube formed and corrugated.
A corrugated tube of the kind described in conjunction with an internal
strengthening bar is represented in Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawing.
In making a tube tapering from end to end we take a skelp of the required size
and shape and by passing it between the taper and corrugated grooves of the rolls
weld shape and corrugate it at the same time.
The corrugations may either extend the whole length of the tube or may
terminate at a short distance from the small end of the tube.
Having now described the nature of our invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed we wish it to be understood that we claim as our
Invention
First The improvement or improvements in iron and steel tubular telegraph
poles herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 and 6 of the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, strengthening the said poles at their lower
parallel parts by means of internal radial supporting bars of the kind described
and represented and secured in the said poles substantially as described and
represented; also the combination with the said internal radial strengthening bars
of a collar for giving rigidity to or stiffening the lower end of the said strengthening
bar substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly The improvements in the manufacture of certain kinds of iron and
steel tubes for telegraph poles and for other purposes herein before described and

page_text: illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawing; that is to say, making
tubes which are wholly or in part taper and corrugated longitudinally by the series
or combination of processes herein before described.
In witness whereof we the said John Clarke Johnson and Reuben Martin
have hereunto set our hands and seals this ninth day of April in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
Witness,
F. JOHNSON
Wednesbury
JOHN CLARKE JOHNSON
REUBEN MARTIN
(L.S.)
(L.S.)