Improvements in Closing Man-holes and like Openings in Boilers, Tanks and other Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1896
1002
A
7th Ave 1907
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Closing Man-holes and like Openings in Boilers,
Tanks and other Vessels.
I, ALFRED HEWENS, of High Road, Hayes, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in man-hole and like covers and in means
for fixing the same whereby a tight joint is obtained in a simple and expeditious
manner without the necessity of employing screws and nuts.
In carrying out my invention I form the cover of the shape of the opening to
be closed and so that it will fit therein; I provide my cover with a flange or rim
of a channel shape the said channel projecting beyond the sides of the opening
and serving to receive the packing which may be of any suitable material.
In order to fix my cover I provide a T-shaped strap with cam shaped or eccentric
projections on the T end through which end passes a pin or bolt the ends of the
bolt passing into holes in studs one at each side of the man-hole. The outer end
of the strap is advantageously slotted to allow of its passing over a stud on one
side of the man-hole.
To close the man-hole, the cover is placed therein, the channel with the packing
extending beyond the sides of the hole; the strap is now placed in position by
the pin, and being turned on the same through half a revolution, the cam shaped
projection will force the cover tightly against the top of the boiler the packing
forming a perfect joint. To prevent the strap shifting a pin is placed in a hole
in the stud over which the slotted end of the strap has been passed."
Dated this 11th dovt of October 1908
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
5 Improvements in Closing Man-holes and like Openings in Boilers,
Tanks and other Vessels.
I, ALFRED HEWENS, of High Road, Hayes, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
0 statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in man-hole and like covers and in means

page_text: for fixing the same whereby a tight joint is obtained in a simple and expeditious
manner without the necessity of employing screws and nuts.
In carrying out my invention I form the cover of the shape of the opening to
be closed and so that it will fit therein; I provide my cover with a flange or rim
advantageously of a channel shape the said channel projecting beyond the sides of
the opening and serving to receive the packing which may be of any suitable
material. In order to fix my cover I provide one or more T-shaped straps with cam
shaped or eccentric projections on the inner or transverse portion thereof and
rotatably mounted over the cover. The outer end of the strap is advantageously
slotted to allow of its passing over a stud on one side of the man-hole.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Figure 1 is a plan of a man-hole cover constructed according to my invention
and shewn in its closed position:
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a slightly modified form of my man-hole
cover:
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 Figure 3:
Figure 5 is a plan of a further modified form of my man-hole cover:
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 Figure 5:
Figure 7 is a plan similar to Figure 1 of another form of my man-hole cover:
Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 Figure 7:
Figure 9 is a section shewing my invention as applied to the closing of man-holes
or openings in tanks; and,
Figure 10 is a section on the line 10-10 Figure 9 but shewing the cover and
strap removed:
Figure 11 is a plan of a man-hole cover similar to that shewn in Figures 9 and 10
but shewing a modified arrangement for securing the strap:
Figure 12 is a section on the line 12--12 Figure 11; and,
Figure 13 is a veiw of a detail drawn to a larger scale:
Figure 14 is a plan of a circular man-hole cover made according to my invention.
Similar letters of reference refer to the same or corresponding parts in the several
figures.
A is a boiler or other plate, and B is a man-hole or opening therein. a is my
man-hole cover formed, as shewn, to fit into the man-hole or opening B; a¹ is the
channelled or grooved flange formed round the cover a so as to project beyond
the sides of the man-hole or opening B, and a3 is the india-rubber or other suitable
packing provided in the said channelled flange a¹.
6 is the T-shaped strap (in the modification shewn in Figures 5 and 6 two of
these straps bare shewn) and 6', 6' the cam shaped or eccentric projections on the
inner or transverse portion 62 of the same. 63, 63 are the pins or bolts on the
ends of the said transverse portion 62 of the strap b and c, c are the supports or
bearings for the pins 63, the said supports or bearings being bolted or otherwise
secured to the boiler or other plate A at opposite sides of the man-hole or other
opening or to the cover a and being so formed that the pins or bolts 63 can be
easily and expeditiously inserted and removed. d is the stud on one side of the
man-hole or of the cover, which stud passes through the hole 6 in the outer end
of the strap b when the latter is pushed down for fastening the man-hole cover a
securely in position. This stud d is formed with a hole for the reception of a
pin to retain the strap in the closed position.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 the two supports or brackets c, c are bolted
to the plate A and are placed at such a distance apart that the transverse portion ba
of the strap b just fits between them. The said part 6 of the strap is formed
with a longitudinal hole through it and a pin, which is longer than the part b³,
is passed through the said longitudinal hole and through holes in the brackets c, c,
the ends of the pin projecting from the part 63 forming the pins 63, 63 which are
supported in the brackets c, c. To remove the strap it is only necessary to pull

page_text: out the pin, which may be secured in position by a split pin through one of its
projecting ends or by other suitable means.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 3 and 4 the brackets c, c are formed with
slots c. c to receive the pins 63, 63.
In Figures 5 and 6 I have shewn the man-hole cover designed to be secured in
position by means of two straps b, b the construction and operation of which are
similar to those of the strap described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In this
case the supports c, c for the pins 63, 63 of the straps b, b are not placed diametrically
with respect to the opening B and the stud d, instead of being secured to the
boiler or other plate A, is fixed to the centre of the man-hole cover a so that the
outer ends of the straps, when securing the man-hole cover in position, lie on
either side of the said stud d, as shewn, so that they may be secured in this
position by a pin or other suitable fastening.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figures 7 and 8, the cover a is
arranged to close against the inside of the boiler or other plate A. In this case
the slotted supports or brackets c, e for the pins 63 are rigidly secured to the top
side of the cover a or are formed integral with it and project through the opening B
whilst the cam surfaces 61, b' upon the strap b are formed upon the outer extremities
of the part 3 and tighten the cover a in position by their contact with the edges
of the opening B. The stud d is, in this case, also fixed upon the cover a
Figures 9 and 10 shew my invention adapted for use in connection with ships'
and other tanks and vessels in which it is necessary that the man-hole cover be
flush with the outside of the vessel. In this arrangement the cover a instead of
being applied to the opening B in the tank plate A is fitted into a ring e riveted
to the said tank plate A. The flange a' of the man-hole cover a is not channelled
or grooved as in the above described arrangements, the requisite tightness of
joint being obtained in this case by inserting the india-rubber or other packing a³
in a channel or groove in the flange el of the ring e. The pins of the strap b
are supported in recesses or notches in the ring e and are held in position by
the inner edge of the tank plate A which projects over the said recesses, the tank
plate A being strengthened at the bearing points by strips of metal f, f riveted or
otherwise secured thereto.
In the case of ships' tanks it is necessary that the man-hole cover be so secured
that it cannot be fraudulently removed. To ensure against such tampering I
advantageously employ the arrangement shown in Figures 11 and 12. The free
end of the strap b is provided with two shoulders 65, 65 and is arranged to drop
between two lugs g, g on the man-hole cover a. The lugs g, g are formed with
slots or channels g', g¹ and 92 (shewn clearly in Figure 13) and, when the strap b
is pushed home into the position shewn in the figures so as to tightly close the
man-hole or opening B, square wire or other pins h, h are pushed under the
slots g', g in the opposite lugs g, g so as to hold the strap 6 in position. A
quantity of a suitable fused metal or alloy such as lead is then poured into the
space enclosed between the lugs g, g and the shoulders 65, 65 so as to fill up the
whole space and enclose the pins h, h and the end of the strap as shewn in
Figure 12. The face of the metal can, when the metal has set, be stamped with
any desired device or inscription. The shape of the space filled with the lead
renders it impossible for the latter to be removed except by the application of heat
which, owing to the low melting point of the metal employed, will not injure
the contents of the tank or the packing of the man-hole cover.
Figure 14 is an elevation of a cover, similar to that illustrated in Figures 7
and 8, applied to the closing of a circular man-hole or opening. In this arrange-
ment the opening B (not shewn in the figure) is formed with two notches
diametrically placed with respect to the circular opening and the cover a is formed
with corresponding lugs i, . With this construction it is possible to pass the
cover a through the opening B from the outside as in the arrangement shewn in
Figures 7 and 8.

page_text: To secure my improved man-hole cover a in position, it is placed in the hole or
opening B in the plate A (or into the opening in the ring e in the arrangement
shewn in Figures 9 and 10) the flange a extending beyond the sides of the said
hole. The strap b is now placed in position and being turned on its pivots 63, 63
through half a revolution the cam shaped projection or projections will force
the cover a tightly against the plate A (or against the flange e¹ of the ring c) the
packing a forming a perfect joint, and the strap being secured in its operative
position by a pin or the like in the stud d or by the fused metal as hereinbefore
described.
By employing channelled or grooved seatings for the packing rings it will be
obvious that the said packing rings are held firmly in their seatings and are
prevented from bulging outwards from the effects of pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The described improvements in closing man-holes and like openings in boilers,
tanks, and other vessels, such improvements consisting in fitting into the said
opening a cover having a flange projecting beyond the sides of the opening and
in securing the said cover tightly in position by means of one or more T-shaped
straps having a cam shaped or eccentric projection and so supported in suitable
bearings that by rotating the said T-shaped strap or straps the cam shaped portion
or portions thereof presses or press the cover tightly against the side of the opening,
substantially as described and illustrated in the drawings.
2. The combination with a man-hole or other opening in a boiler or other plate
of a cover adapted to fit into the same and having a channelled flange provided
with suitable packing and of a T-shaped strap supported in bearings arranged
diametrically with respect to the opening and having a cam surface or cam
surfaces so arranged that when the T-shaped strap is rotated the cam surface or
surfaces on the same presses or press the flange of the cover tightly into contact
with the edge of the plate, substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawings.
3. The described means for closing man-hole and other openings in boilers,
tanks and other vessels such means consisting of a cover adapted to fit into the
opening and having a flange channelled or grooved to receive suitable packing
and a T-shaped strap working in supports secured to the plate or to the cover
and having one or more cam shaped or eccentric projections, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 of the drawings.
4. The described means for closing man-hole and other openings in boilers, tanks
and other vessels such means consisting of a ring secured around the opening on
the inside of the vessel and having an opening and an inturned flange provided
with packing, of a flanged cover designed to fit into and rest on the ring and of
a T-shaped strap formed with one or more cam shaped or eccentric projections and
held in bearings in the ring, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
: 5. The combination with a man-hole or other cover, wherein strap having a
cam surface or cam surfaces is employed for securing the cover in position, of
means for locking the strap in its operative position such means consisting of a
stud adapted to pass through a hole b in the outer end of the strap and to be
secured therein by a split pin or the like, substantially as described and illustrated
in the drawings.
6. The combination with a man-hole or other cover, wherein a strap having a
cam surface or cam surfaces is employed for securing the cover in position, of
means for locking the strap in its operative position such means consisting of
lugs 9, having slots g', gl and g and of pins which enter the slots g', g and
hold the end of the strap in engagement with the lugs, the said pins being

page_text: retained in the slots by fused metal, substantially as described and illustrated in
Figures 11, 12 and 13 of the drawings.
Dated this 6th day of July 1897
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.