IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR JOINING THE ENDS OF LEAD PIPES TO EACH OTHER, AND FOR CONNECTING FITTINGS TO SUCH PIPES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Lea Bricknell, of 23, Southampton Buildings,
**
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
FOR JOINING THE ENDS OF LEAD PIPES TO EACH OTHER, AND FOR CONNECTING
FITTINGS TO SUCH PIPES."
Sealed the 5th July 1878, and dated the 1st May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Lea Bricknell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st May 1878.
cr
AUGUSTUS LEA BRICKNELL, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR JOINING THE ENDS OF LEAD PIPES
TO EACH OTHER, AND FOR CONNECTING FITTINGS TO SUCH PIPES."
The object of this Invention is to make a thoroughly reliable well-shaped joint,
quickly and economically, without the use of fire, solder, couplers, or other dangerous
or costly elements or materials; and I accomplish this by first driving a suitably
shaped cylindrical hard wood or metal plug into the bore of each pipe, whereby the
end of each of them is slightly enlarged so as to admit of the insertion of about half
the length of a short, thin, hard metal tube, having circular grooves or threads, or
other projections, provided upon and around the whole or part of its outer surface.
The end of each pipe having been thus enlarged it is found that the lead composing
the enlarged part has become somewhat thinner by the process of enlargement, and it
hence becomes advisable to strike a few blows andwise on the enlarged end of the
pipe, or by other means to "upset or cause a slight thickening of the part to
compensate for the previous thinuing, and also to provide sufficient metal to fill the
grooves or projections on the tube, and to form a flange and shoulders on the outside
of the joint when subjected to pressure, as herein-after explained.
"
The process of upsetting or thickening somewhat reduces the diameter and
shortens the length of the bore of the enlarged part. It is, however, readily restored
to the proper size to receive the tube by a second insertion of the plug. The ends
of pipes to be joined are next rasped or scraped clean and bright on their faces.
The tube is inserted about half way into each of them, and by suitable mechanical
Duins S21

page_text: appliances they are pressed into contact until they are welded together, being united
by cohesion, forming a continuous homogeneous pipe.
The mechanical appliance I prefer to use consists of the two halves of an outer
die, held together by two longitudinal horizontal connecting bolts, one on each side,
and an inner die, also divided vertically into two halves on a line, which would pass
through two power bolts.
The outer and inner dies, with the two connecting and two power bolts, and their
respective nuts constitute the press.
Power applied to nuts working, on the power screws forces the inner die down-
ward upon the thickened ends of the lead pipes, and effects the operation of cold
welding by pressure, as will be readily understood.
The nuts are most conveniently turned, particularly in confined spaces, by ratchet
wrenches, which hold in vertical grooves or notches, provided around the nuts for
that purpose; and as the power bolts are cut with right and left hand threads
respectively the wrenches re-act upon each other, which dispenses with the necessity
for holding the press, and saves the lead pipe from torsional strain. When the joint
has been welded, the dies being in halves, are easily removed.
The particular office of the tube is to resist the inward yielding of the lead to
the force exerted outwardly upon it by the press, and thus compel the lead to
receive a much greater pressure than it could otherwise possibly sustain. The
grooves or projections on the tube materially aid this result by retarding the escape
of the lead from the flanged part of the joint, longitudinally between the tube and
the press. The use of the tube, which has the same internal diameter as the pipe
also maintains a full and undiminished bore or waterway.
For the purpose of joining lead pipes at an angle to others I cast short and com-
pact T or other suitably shaped junction or branch pipes of lead, and proceed as
before explained, except that as such pipes may be cast with enlarged and thickened
ends it is not necessary to prepare then by enlarging and thickening, as in the case
of ordinary lead pipes. These lead castings may be conveniently made in small
iron moulds fitted with iron cores, which can easily be removed.
Such moulds may be arranged to receive the ends of taps and such like fittings,
which may thus be cast into the lead junction pipes.
In some cases a small ring or short piece of lead pipe may be cast around a fitting
at a distance from its end sufficient to allow of its projecting into a lead pipe far
enough to form a substitute or equivalent for the internal tube. When this is done
the part of the fitting so projecting must be grooved to imitate the tube it repre-
sents. If a fitting is previously tinned at the part upon which it is intended to
cast the lead the latter becomes most firmly attached to the fitting, and when
welded to a lead pipe, as described, an extremely solid and reliable combination is
the result.
A final stop or end to a pipe may be a flanged cap or socket of lead welded on the
end of a pipe over the interior tube in like manner as two pipes are joined.
It will be apparent that other devices may be used for compressing the pipes end
to end, and that cams, wedges, or other means may be substituted for the power-
screws for drawing the two parts of the dies together. I therefore do not limit
myself to the use of the particular tool described, although I have found it very
effective.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Augustus Lea Bricknell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
November 1878.
AUGUSTUS LEA BRICKNELL, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR JOINING THE ENDS OF LEAD PIPES TO
EACH OTHER, AND FOR CONNECTING FITTINGS TO SUCH PIPES."
The object of this Invention is to make a thoroughly reliable well-shaped joint
quickly and economically without the use of fire, solder, couplers, or other dan-
gerous or costly elements or materials; and I accomplish this by first driving a
suitably shaped cylindrical hard wood or metal plug into the bore of each pipe,
whereby the end of each of them is slightly enlarged so as to admit of the insertion
of about half the length of a short, thin, hard metal tube having circular grooves or
threads, or other projections, provided upon and around the whole or part of its
outer surface. The end of each pipe having been thus enlarged it is found that the
lead composing the enlarged part has become somewhat thinner by the process of
enlargement, and it hence becomes advisable to strike a few blows cnd wise on the
enlarged end of the pipe, or by other means, to "upset" or cause a slight thickening
of the part to compensate for the previous thinning, and also to provide sufficient
metal to fill the grooves or projections on the tube, and to form a flange and shoul-
ders on the outside of the joint when subjected to pressure, as herein-after
explained.
The process of upsetting or thickening somewhat reduces the diameter and
shortens the length of the bore of the enlarged part. It is, however, readily restored
to the proper size to receive the tube by a second insertion of the plug. The ends
of pipes to be joined are next rasped or scraped clean and bright on their faces.
The tube is inserted about half way into each of them, and by suitable mechanical
appliances they are pressed into contact until they are welded together, being united
by cohesion or cold welding, forming a continuous homogeneous pipe.
And in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
"
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of mechanism I prefer to employ in
coupling the pipes; Figure 2 is a plan; Figure 3 is an under side view; Figure 4
is a cross section on the line 1, 1, of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a plan of the two halves
of the outer or lower die; and Figure 6 is a side elevation of one half of the same.
Figure 7 is a side elevation; and Figure 8 is a plan of one half of the follower or
upper die.
3
Figure 9 is a side view of the interior hard metal tube.
Figure 10 is a sectional view of a pipe with a final stop cap or end applied
thereto, according to my Invention.
And Figure 11 is a side view of a T shaped junction, (for the purpose of joining
the ends of three pipes together at an angle to each other.
A, A, are two lead pipes welded together at the line x, which is an imaginary line
passing through the centre of the flanged or enlarged part of the welded joint. B
represents the internal tube with half its length inserted in each of the lead pipes,
which internal tube I prefer to form with grooves around it, as shown; but if
desired other forms of grooves, threads, or projections may be formed thereon. C, C³,
are the two halves of an outer die, held together by two longitudinal horizontal
connecting bolts a, a, one on each side thereof. D, D¹, represent the inner die or
follower, also divided vertically into two halves on a line y, which would pass
through the two power bolts E, E.

page_text: The outer and inner dies, with the two connecting and the two power bolts, and
their respective nuts, constitute the form of press which I prefer to use in connecting
or welding together the ends of two lead pipes.
The heads of the power bolts E, E, are preferably formed and fitted, as shown, to
prevent their turning, as the nuts F, F, are being turned, but they may be other-
wise formed and fitted for such purpose.
Power applied to the nuts F, F, forces the inner die D downwards upon the
thickened ends of the lead pipes, and effects the operation of cold welding by pres-
sure, as will be readily understood.
The nuts are most conveniently turned, particularly in confined spaces, by ratchet
wrenches, which hold in vertical grooves or notches provided around the nuts for
that purpose; and as the power bolts are cut with right and left hand threads
respectively, the wrenches re-act upon each other, which dispenses with the neces-
Bity for holding the press, and saves the lead pipe from torsional strain. When the
joint has been welded the dies being in halves are easily removed.
It will be seen that however rough and unsightly the thickened ends of pipes
may be previous to pressure the effect of it is to produce a beautifully smooth and
uniform appearance to the outside of the joint, corresponding to the interior form of
the die or press used. At the same time all the grooves or projections on the out-
side of the internal hard metal tube become solidly filled with lead.
The particular office of the internal hard metal tube is to resist the inward
yielding of the lead to the force exerted upon it outwardly by the press, and thus
compel the lead to receive a much greater pressure than it could otherwise possibly
sustain. The grooves or projections on the tube materially aid this result by
retarding or preventing the escape of the lead from the flanged part of the joint
longitudinally between the tube and the press. The use of the hard metal tube
which has the same internal diameter as the pipe also maintains a full and
ndiminished bore or waterway.
I would here remark that although a joint might be produced with the aid of a
hard metal internal tube, smooth on the exterior surface, I have found by experience
that it would be impossible with such a description of tube successfully to apply
such a pressure as can be applied when using a hard metal internal tube with
grooves or projections on its exterior surface, and consequently the joint produced,
with the aid of such smooth hard metal internal tube, would not be so reliable as
that produced according to my Invention:
For the purpose of joining lead pipes at an angle to others I cast short and com-
pact Tor.other suitably shaped junction or. branch pipes of lead. J, Figure 11, and
proceed as before explained, except that as such pipes may be cast with enlarged
and thickened ends e it is not necessary to prepare them by enlarging and
thickening, as in the case of ordinary lead pipes. These lead castings may be con-
veniently made in small iron moulds fitted with iron cores, which can easily be
removed.
Such moulds may be arranged to receive the ends of taps and such like fittings,
which may thus be cast into the lead junction pipes.
In some cases a small ring or short piece of lead pipe may be cast around a fitting
at a distance from its end, sufficient to allow of its projecting into a lead pipe far
enough to form a substitute or equivalent for the internal tube. When this is done
the part of the fitting so projecting must be provided with grooves or projections
similar to those of the tube it represents. If a fitting is previously tinned at the
part upon which it is intended to cast the lead the latter becomes most firmly
attached to the fitting, and when welded to a lead pipe, as described, an extremely
solid and reliable combination is the result.
A final stop or end to a pipe may be a flanged cap or socket A¹ of lead, welded
on the end of a pipe over the interior tube in like manner as two pipes are joined.
It will be apparent that other devices may be used for compressing the pipes end
to end, and that cams, wedges, or other means may be substituted for the power
screws for drawing the two parts of the dies together.

page_text: I therefore do not limit myself, to the use of the particular tool described, although
I have found it very effective.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is,―
First. The mode of joining the ends of lead pipes by forcing them together
around a central short hard metal tube B, provided with grooves or projections
thereon until united by cohesion, thereby forming one continuous homogeneous pipe
substantially as herein shown and described.
And, Secondly. I claim connecting fittings to lead pipes in manner substantially
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Lea Bricknell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
A. L. BRICKNELL. (L.S.)