Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1897
Complete Specification Left. 7th Apr. 1898-Accepted 7th May 1898
I, CESIDIO DEL PROPOSTO, of Rue St. Gilles, Liège, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a vessel for storing fluids under pressure and has for its
object to provide a vessel of considerably less weight than such vessels as heretofore
manufactured.
The weight of vessels or cylinders manufactured hitherto is excessive because to
obtain the desired resistance to fracture transversely, the metal must have a thickness
considerably greater than that which would suffice for preventing its fracture under
the pressure exerted upon the ends thereof. Vessels are, therefore, manufactured
wherein the resistance to fracture in the direction of the length is six times greater
than the resistance to transverse fracture.
To obviate the employment of this excessive weight, I reduce the thickness of the
tubes serving for the manufacture of the vessels so that they have only the necessary
resistance to fracture longitudinally and I increase the resistance against fracture
transversely by a coiled wire of steel or other metal of great strength and possessing
considerable elasticity. It is easily proved that by this means the weight of a
cylinder can be greatly reduced. Good steel wire can resist a force at least three
times as great as that which would be applied to it through the metal employed in
the manufacture of the vessels. Instead of employing, as has been hitherto usually
done, tubes four times thicker than is necessary for resisting the pressure against the
ends of the cylinder simply in order that a sufficient transverse resistance may be
obtained, the thickness of the tube is according to my invention reduced to a quarter
of the ordinary thickness and is strengthened by means of a wire a third as thick as
the thickness of metal which has been dispensed with. By this means a tube will
be obtained, the weight of which is equal to about a half of that of a cylinder or vessel
of ordinary construction.
The strengthening wire may be fixed to the cylinder by various means; but the
ends of the wire cannot, as is the case when strengthening a cannon, be secured in
holes formed in the thickness of the metal as the latter is too thin to allow of this.
I therefore propose to proceed as follows, that is to say, two rings are fixed by
soldering or are forged upon the cylinder and each ring is recessed so as to form an
annular groove. The groove serving to receive one end of the wire has an internal
diameter equal to the outer diameter of the cylinder so that the first coil of the wire,
which coil is inserted in the groove, fits around the cylinder. At the opposite end
of the cylinder, the groove recessed in the other ring is made larger in diameter than
the first groove in order that when the last coil of wire is reached the wire can be
wound upon the said coil before being pushed into the groove.
This application of rings upon the cylinder enables removable ends or covers to be
employed in lieu of the fixed ends of ordinary cylinders, the said removable ends
being advantageously screwed to the rings which are screw-threaded to receive them.
The advantage resulting from this construction is very considerable from the point
of view of safety and of the preservation of the cylinders. With one or both ends

page_text: removable it is easy to inspect the state of a cylinder and to ascertain whether it has
been corroded to an extent sufficient to weaken it. It is also easy to cover the inner
surface of the cylinder with varnish or with liquefied metal or metal deposited
electrolitically.
In order, however, that such removable ends be employed with cylinders it will be
necessary to ensure that the joints they make with the cylinders remain tight under
the high pressures of the gases or liquids which the cylinders are to contain.
To ensure this tightness I solder to each end of the cylinder a thin cap of copper,
lead or other suitable soft metal, the said caps having the shape and dimensions of
the ends or covers so that the pressure of the fluid contained in the cylinder presses
the soft metal against the inner surface of the said ends or covers thereby ensuring
absolutely tight joints.
At the end of the cylinder at which the valve or cock is to be placed, the end or
cover is provided with a conical hole in which the top of the cap is inserted, the said
top forming a truncated cone which is tightened in the orifice of the cover by
a hollow bolt, having a conical head, through the medium of a nut. The cock is
screwed upon the end of this bolt which projects through the nut. Instead of a soft
metal for the caps I can employ india-rubber or any other suitable similar material.
In the majority of cases one removable cover will be found sufficient, the opposite
end of the cylinder being manufactured in the ordinary manner, and it will be
obvious that my vessels or cylinders can be made with both ends of ordinary
construction.
T
101
T
1004
I, CESIDIO DEL PROPOSTO, of Rue St. Gilles, Liège, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
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 statement :-
--
This invention relates to a vessel for storing fluids under pressure and has for its
object to provide a vessel of considerably less weight than such vessels as hereto-
fore manufactured.
The weight of vessels or cylinders manufactured hitherto is excessive because, to
obtain the desired resistance to fracture transversely, the metal must have a thickness
considerably greater than that which would suffice for preventing its fracture under
the pressure exerted upon the ends thereof. Vessels are, therefore, manufactured
wherein the resistance to fracture in the direction of the length is six times greater
than the resistance to transverse fracture.
To obviate the employment of this excessive weight, I reduce the thickness of the
tubes serving for the manufacture of the vessels so that they have only the necessary
resistance to fracture longitudinally and I increase the resistance against fracture
transversely by a coiled wire of steel or other metal of great strength and possessing
considerably elasticity. It is easily proved that by this means the weight of a cylinder
can be greatly reduced. Good steel wire can resist a force at least three times as great
as that which would be applied to it through the metal employed in the manufacture
of the vessels. Instead of employing, as has been hitherto usually done, tubes four
times thicker than is necessary for resisting the pressure against the ends of the cylinder

page_text: simply in order that a sufficient transverse resistance may be obtained, the thick-
ness of the tube is, according to my invention, reduced to a quarter of the
ordinary thickness and is strengthened by means of a wire a third as thick as the thick-
ness of metal which has been dispensed with. By this means a tube will be obtained,
the weight of which is equal to about a half of that of a cylinder or vessel of
ordinary construction.
In the accompanying drawing there is shewn in longitudinal section a tube or
cylinder made according to the invention.
A is the metal tube or cylinder forming the body of the vessel and C is the coiled
steel or other wire wound round it externally.
The said strengthening wire C may be fixed to the cylinder by various means; but
the ends of the wire cannot, as is the case when strengthening a cannon, be secured in
holes formed in the thickness of the metal as the latter is too thin to allow of this. I
therefore propose to proceed as follows, that is to say, two rings B, B₁ are fixed by
soldering, or are forged, upon the cylinder and each ring is recessed so that an annular
groove is formed therein. The groove D in the ring B serving to receive one end of
the wire C has an internal diameter equal to the outer diameter of the cylinder A so
that the first coil of the wire, which coil is inserted in the groove D, fits around the
cylinder. At the opposite end of the cylinder, the annular groove D¹ recessed in the
other ring B¹ is made larger in diameter than the groove D in order that when the last
coil of wire is reached the wire can be wound upon the said coil before being pushed
into the groove.
This application of rings upon the cylinder enables removable or detachable ends or
covers F, F¹ to be employed in lieu of the fixed ends of ordinary cylinders, the said
removable ends being advantageously screwed to the rings which are screw-threaded
to receive them. The advantage resulting from this construction is very considerable
from the point of view of safety and of the preservation of the cylinders.
With one
or both ends removable it is easy to inspect the state of a cylinder and to ascertain
whether it has been corroded to an extent sufficient to weaken it. It is also easy to
cover the inner surface of the cylinder with varnish or with liquefied metal or
metal deposited electrolitically.
In order, however, that such removable ends be employed with cylinders it will be
necessary to ensure that the joints they make with the cylinders remain tight under
the high pressures of the gases or liquids which the cylinders are to contain.
To ensure this tightness I solder to each end of the cylinder a thin cap G or G¹ of
copper, lead or other suitable soft metal, the said caps having the shape and
dimensions of the ends or covers, so that the pressure of the fluid contained in the
cylinder presses the soft metal against the inner surface of the said ends or covers
thereby ensuring absolutely tight joints.
At the end of the cylinder at which the valve or cock is to be placed, the end or
cover is provided with a conical hole in which the top H, H of the cap G¹ is inserted,
the said top forming a truncated cone which is tightened in the orifice of the cover Fi
by a hollow bolt I, having a conical head, through the medium of a nut J. The cock
is screwed upon the end of this bolt which projects through the nut. Instead of a
soft metal for the caps G, G¹ I can employ india-rubber or any other suitable similar
material.
In the majority of cases one removable cover will be found sufficient, the opposite
end of the cylinder being manufactured in the ordinary manner, and it will be
obvious that my vessels or cylinders can be made with both ends of ordinary
construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In vessels for storing fluids under pressure, forming the cylindrical part of a
thickness inst sufficient to resist fracture longitudinally and strangikani.

page_text: fracture transversely by a band of wire of steel or other metal, substantially as
herein before described.
2. In vessels for storing fluids under pressure of the kind described in Claim 1,
providing each end of the cylindrical portion with a grooved ring for receiving the
end coils of the strengthening wire, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In vessels for storing fluids under pressure of the kind described in Claim 2,
screwing to one or both of the rings a detachable end enabling the interior of
the vessel to be inspected and the inner surface suitably protected, substantially
as herein before described.
4. In vessels for storing fluids under pressure of the kind described, soldering or
otherwise suitably securing to one end or to each end of the vessel, a cap of
soft metal, india-rubber or other suitable material which fits against the inner
surface of the detachable end to make a tight joint, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.