IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUE TUBES FOR STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN. MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Year: 1883

page_text: "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Joseph Tinker at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1883.
JOHN JOSEPH TINKER of Hyde near Manchester and in the County of Chester
IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUE TUBES FOR STEAM BOILERS AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN. MANUFACTURING THE SAME
"
My Invention relates to Steam Boilers having internal Blues such as Cornish and
Lancashire Boilers for example and consists in constructing the said flues as
hereinafter described.
My Invention also relates to machinery for the manufacture of such flue tubes.
It is a well known fact, that flue tubes or rings as commonly made are a source
of weakness and of danger from their liability to collapse.
My Invention has for its main object to give increased strength to the said flue
tubes. The said tubes according to my Invention will after having been made into
a cylindrical form-which may be effected in the ordinary manner, be made with
one or more curved portions of spherical form extending completely round the
circumference, these portions being well adapted to receive Galloway or other water
circulating pipes. By a spherical form I mean that where one curved portion
only is used the whole of the curve of this portion forms a part of one and the
same sphere and similarly where more than one curved portion is used the whole
of the curve of each portion forms a part of one and the same sphere. I
expansion rings between the curved portions.
may form
The flue tubes or rings may have the desired form given to them by suitably
shaped rollers or by embossing by means of hydraulic or other suitable press, but
I prefer to use a press constructed with rollers and rings between which the tube
to be formed is placed so that on moving the rollers outwards they give the
required form to the tube by forcing it between themselves and the said rings the
said rollers and rings being formed (at the part which bears on the tube) to
correspond with the form to be given to the tube. For this purpose the said
apparatus may be constructed as follows:-On a strong hollow shaft which is
suitably mounted in bearings and capable of revolving freely therein I fix two
strong face plates-In these face plates I mount the ends of the rollers each of
which has the desired configuration on its periphery; these rollers are held in
position in the face plates by means of taper expanding pieces which are actęd

page_text: upon by inclined expanders which surround the hollow shaft and revolves with it,
and are capable of being moved forward and backward by means of nuts which
are fitted on a traversing screw which is fixed in the inside of the hollow shaft.
This screw is right and left handed to carry a nut at each end and give the correct
inward or outward movement simultaneously to both nuts.
The tubes are held in position for expanding by rings or circular vices suitably
mounted on standards. Each ring is in segments or parts, which are worked in
and out from the axis of the hollow shaft by a shaft with bevel wheels gearing
with other bevel wheels on screws for moving the said rings. In order that the
tubes to be operated upon may be readily got into position over the rollers the end
bearing which receives one end of the hollow shaft is constructed in parts which
are capable of being moved away from the axis of such shaft. By this arrangement
when a tube is to be placed in position to be operated upon the said bearing is
moved back, so as to leave the one end of the rollers and shaft free, the rollers and
shaft being meanwhile retained in their hormal or horizontal position by the other
bearings. In expanding the flue tubes I put the cylindrical tube in a suitable
furnace. It is afterwards passed whilst at a good red heat over the said rollers
which it surrounds and at the same time it is gripped up between the said rollers
and the rings. The tube having been passed over the free end of the shaft and the
rollers the bearing is then closed so as to properly support the shaft rollers. The
expanding operation is gradually, performed by the traversing of the nuts on
the screw towards the face plates, the expanders being thereby drawn under
the tapering pieces of the rollers, thus raising the said rollers and causing them to
move outwards from the axis of the hollow shaft and thus give the tubes the
required form by gripping the tube between the said rollers and the rings; after
this the machine is reversed and the rollers are caused to again approach the axis
of the shaft, the screw being rotated to cause the expander to retreat from the face
plates. The bearing is moved back, the rings are opened, and the tube may then
be removed; the machine is then ready for another operation.