Improvements in Lightning Conductors.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Lightning Conductors.
KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES, of 1, Emery Hill Street, Westminster,
London, S.W., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
It is advisable in a system of lightning conductors to diminish the number of
joints as much as possible, and where joints have to be made, to obtain a good
electrical connection which will be of sufficient strength to withstand the action
of the atmosphere and remain in good condition for the life of the conductors.
My invention provides a means of connecting or branching one conductor to
another in a strong and permanent manner, whether the conductor is composed
of solid metal or of stranded wire.
My improvement is firstly, a method of jointing by the use of a mould, con-
structed of suitable metal into which the previously tinned conductors are inserted
and pouring lead or some fusible metal into the space, the mould can then either
be removed or it may be left to protect the joint and have projections or flanges
which can be used to secure the conductor to the structure.
In the case of a continuous conductor running along a parapet or ridge of a
roof, in order to protect the building if struck by lightning I provide one or
more points or spikes at intervals and joint these to the conductor without
cutting the same in the following manner. A mould is provided in the form
of a trough into which the conductor is dropped, the open ends of the trough
being temporarily filled up, the point or points having their ends first tinned
are secured to the conductor in the required positions, so that they stand out of
the top of the trough, which is then filled with lead or other fusible metal so as
to make a firm and good electrical joint, the mould if not removed being fixed to
the structure in anyway found convenient.
A good joint may also be made in a similar manner with a gas or water
main; after well cleaning the pipe and tinning the cleaned surface if practicable
the conductor is first wrapped round and the whole encompassed by a mould
either hinged or in two parts so as to form a clamp, molten lead is then run into
the space left in the mould and when nearly cold the clamp is tightened so as to
press the fusible metal against the conductor and the pipe. If the clamp is left
in position a good joint can also be made by wrapping soft lead round the cleaned
pipe and pressing the clamp tightly, the electrical connection, to the conductor
being made by means of the bolt and nut of the clamp. It is sometimes difficult
to clean sufficient surface of the iron work in a building to make a good connec-.
tion, in this case I clean a small patch and make the connection between the
conductor and the iron work by means of what is termed a plastic joint" in a
similar way to the method adopted for bonding rails of electrical tramways by
means of a 'plastic joint."
"
"
My invention also relates to an improved method of making good earth
connections.
Where an ordinary copper or brass earth plate is used I prefer to unite the

page_text: conductor if of flexible rope or tape by forming ears in the earth plate and pass-
ing the conductor through the same and soldering or fixing it at these points.
In order to protect the conductor from the action of the ground I envelope it in
lead up to a short distance above the ground level. The earth plate is
preferably buried in a mixture of about three parts, crushed carbon
and one part charcoal more or less.
Where it is difficult to obtain a
moist earth without digging very deep, I drive a tube into the ground in a
similar manner to sinking a tube well and unite the conductors to an eye piece
at the top of the tube and let it hang inside same, preferably keeping it from actual
contact with the iron until it drops into the lower portion of the tube by means
of a lead protection. The conductor can be weighted by a cylindrical piece of
metal made to nearly fit the tube and the mixture of carbon and iron can be
placed in the tube and loosely rammed round the end of the conductor. It is
desirable to have the top of the tube a little above the ground so that it cannot
well be choked with dirt and to allow water being poured down to keep the
end of the conductor moist.
improvements in Lightning Conductors.
I, KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES, of 1, Emery Hill Street, Westminster,
London, S.W., Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
-
It is advisable in a system of lightning conductors to diminish the number of
joints as much as possible and, where joints have to be made, to obtain a good
electrical connection which will be of sufficient strength to withstand the action
of the atmosphere and remain in good condition for the life of the conductors. My
invention provides a means of connecting or branching one conductor to another
in a strong and permanent manner, whether the conductor is composed of solid
metal or stranded wire.
My improvement is firstly a method of jointing by the use of a mould con-
structed of suitable material into which the previously tinned copper conductors
are inserted and, having been spliced or bound together, lead or some fusible
metal is poured into the space; the mould can then be removed, or it may be
left to protect the joint and have projections or flanges which can be utilised to
secure the conductor to the structure."
In the case of a continuous conductor running along a parapet or ridge of a
roof, in order to protect the building if struck by lightning, I provide one or
more points or spikes at intervals and join these to the conductor without cutting
the same in the following manner. A mould is provided in the form of a trough
and furnished with hollow projections; the conductor is dropped into the trough,
the open ends being temporarily filled up, and the point or points, having their
ends first tinned, are inserted into the holes in the projections which are placed
in suitable positions in the jointing box so that they stand out of the top of the
trough which is then filled with lead or other fusible metal so as to make a firm
and good electrical joint, the mould being fixed to the structure in any way found
convenient.

page_text: Although the previous description relates to stranded or solid conductors, by
a modification of the design of the boxes they can be used for uniting conductors
of any section used for lightning protection.
A good joint may also be made in a similar manner with a gas or water main;
after well cleaning the pipe and tinning the cleaned surface if practicable, the
conductor is first wrapped round the pipe and the whole surrounded by a mould
either hinged or in two parts so as to form a clamp; molten lead is then run into
the space left in the mould and when nearly cold the clamp is tightened so as
to press the fusible metal against the conductor and the pipe. If the clamp is
left in position a good joint can also be made by wrapping soft lead round the
cleaned pipe and pressing the clamp tightly, the electrical connection to the
conductor being made by means of the bolt and nut of the clamp. It is some-
times difficult to clean sufficient surface of the ironwork in a building to make
a good connection, in this case I clean a small patch and make the connection
between the conductor and the ironwork by means of what is termed a "plastic
joint" in a similar way to the method adopted for bonding rails of electrical
tramways by means of a plastic joint."
"
My invention also relates to an improved method of making good earth con-
nections. Where an ordinary copper or brass earth plate is used I prefer to unite
the conductor, if of flexible rope or tape, by forming ears in the earth plate and
threading the conductor through the same and soldering it or fixing it at each
joint. In order to protect the conductor from the action of the ground I
envelope it in lead up to a short distance above the ground level. The earth plate
is preferably buried in a mixture of about 3 parts crushed carbon and one part
charcoal more or less. Where it is difficult to obtain a moist earth without
digging very deep, I drive a tube into the ground in a similar manner to sinking
a tube well and unite the conductors to a cap screwed to the top of the tube and
let it hang inside same, preferably keeping it from actual contact with the
iron until it drops into the lower portion of the tube, by means of a lead protec-
tion. The conductor can be weighted by a cylindrical piece of metal made to
nearly fit the tube and the mixture of carbon and charcoal can be placed in the
tube and loosely rammed round the end of the conductor. It is desirable to
have a branch pipe from the top of the tube a little above the ground so that it
cannot well be choked with dirt, and to allow water being poured down to keep
the end of the conductor moist.
My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings to which the follow-
ing descriptions' refer.
Fig. 1 is a plan of a box used for uniting the two conductors A, and A¹, and
Fig. 2 an end elevation and Fig. 3 a side elevation of same. Fig. 4 is a plan,
and Fig. 5 an end elevation and Fig. 6 side view of a horizontal conductor A,
to which are connected the vertical air terminals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, as shown; these
are circular rods of metal of which 2, 3, 4, & 5, are inserted into the holes in
the lugs, B, C, D, F, and fusible metal run in so as to fill up the box and unite
the conductor, A, and the air terminals. The centre terminal 1 is shown in-
serted in the strands of the conductor A¹.
Fig. 7 shows a horizontal conductor A with a single air terminal 1 which is
placed in the shaped lug G, the conductor, A, being slipped into the box at
one side and allowed to drop under the lug G.
Fig. 8 shows a method of uniting the points 1 and 2 with the terminal C
which is a continuation of the conductor A. The box B is slipped on C', the
points 1 and 2 are placed in holes in the flange F¹ and fusible metal is run into
the box. In Fig. 9 the terminal C₁ is united in a somewhat similar manner to
the conductor A, the latter being opened out and the end of the terminal being
inserted inside a space made by removing some of the strands of wire; the box B₁
is slipped over and fusible metal poured into the space G¹.
Fig. 10 shows a method of connecting a conductor to a gas or water main by
means of the clamp B' which encircles the conductor, A, which is wrapped

page_text: round the pipe F; fusible metal is poured through the hole C2 into the space
left in clamp which is tightened by the screws G².
Fig. 11 is a view of a tube, H, perforated at its lower end and driven into the
earth; the conductor A is inserted in this tube and soldered to the cap H¹; it
is shielded from the side of the tube by the lead covering K. The upper end
of the tube is furnished with an elbow L.
Fig. 12 is a plan of an earth plate in which portions of the metal are raised
up on each side as shown in the end view Fig. 13. The conductor A is
threaded through these loops and soldered to same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The method of jointing lightning conductors to spikes or air terminals or to
each other, substantially as described.
2. The method of making earth connections for lightning conductors, substan-
tially as described.
Dated 11th June 1900.
KILLINGWORTH. W. HEDGES.
By George Downing & Sons,
Chartered Patent Agents, 8, Quality Court, London, W.C.