Improvements in the Manufacture of Cisterns, Tanks, or like Vessels.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Cisterns, Tanks, or like Vessels.
JOHN ARMSTRONG, C.E. 11 Queen Victoria Street London, E.C. do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is for the purpose of making vessels or tanks with a
smooth non-corrosive, and non conducting surface, either inside or outside and at the
same time, having them of such reliable nature that they will not easily break and is
accomplished in the following manner.
Blocks are fitted to a bench with screw plates that move backward and forward to
the sides or faces of the intended tank or cistern and these screw plates are covered or
stuffed with leather, india-rubber, cloth or other soft material, upon these blocks are
fitted the glass plates (that is if the tank or vessel has plain sides) the joints of which
may be bevelled but not necessarily so the plates of glass are then held together by
the screw blocks being screwed up towards each other, where they are held tight and
secure. Threads of asbestos or wire or other suitable material is then wound around
the glass plates while some cement or varnish or paint or other suitable material is
painted into the joints or the entire glass may be covered with cloth, wire netting or
other fabric and painted over with paint, varnish, cement, pitch or other stiffening
material, or if very thin sheets of glass are used the edges may be softened and fused
together making a solid joint. If this glass tank is required to be further strengthened
by metal, cement concrete, wood &c. small studds are then fitted to the outside of the
plates, the length of which are regulated to the thickness of the cement intended to
bind the interior plates with the exterior plates, the outside plates are then fitted on to
these prepared plates of glass either in one piece dropped carefully over or in pieces
bolted and screwed together, previously to this operation the screw blocks are
withdrawn and the outside tank carefully brought over the inside one. The tank or
vessel is then reversed and the fixing cement poured in or may be plastered on
previously and left to stiffen or dry. The fixing cement may be composed of pitch,
portland cement, plaster of Paris or other material of a nature suitable for the purpose
the vessel or tank is required for. If the tank is to be entirely closed the sixth side or
top plate is then fitted on and the iron plate afterwards screwed or bolted on.
Holes for inspection and for the purpose of connecting pipes are made by the glass
plates and the iron plates being previously drilled and pieces of tube (if for pipes)
inserted and screwed by the fixing cement. The tube may be screwed on the outside
and made in glass with a flange on the inner side end, the outside being drawn up
with jamb nuts screwed on to the glass tube. On the same principle large tanks or
reservoirs that may be built of bricks or stone or concrete may be constructed with
glass plates bedded into the concrete or other material and plates of glass with raised
or sunk patterns on their surface are employed to hold them secure in the fixing cement
the plates may also be used for the smaller tanks or cisterns, the joints of the glass
plates may be grooved and fitted together and also strips of glass vulcanite or other
material may be used if necessary for placing in the joints with projections upon their
surface for the purpose of fixing them more securely into the fixing cement.
Cistern
stays may be placed across within the cisterns and may be of iron or other material
inclosed within a glass tube and secured on the outside by jamb nuts.
The apparatus with floating ball, valves and fittings may also be made of glass or
vulcanite or other non oxidising materials and fitted to these cisterns.
Dated this 16th day of Angust 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Cisterns, Tanks, or like Vessels.
JOHN ARMSTRONG, C.E. Great Western Works Bilston Staffordshire late of
11 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C. 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 :—
The object of this invention is for the purpose of making vessels or tanks with a
smoothe non-corrosive and non-conducting surface either inside or outside and at the
same time having them of such reliable nature that they will not easily break, and is
accomplished in the following manner.
a
In the accompanying drawing a table is shown a, a, a, upon which are fitted sliding
screw blocks d, d, which are placed so as to form the four sides of the interior of the
required tank or cistern in conjunction with these, screw-sliding blocks are four
others c. c which are fitted upon the same screws f. f. and are propelled thereon
backwards and forwards by means of the milled wheels e. e. the plates of glass are
fitted between these blocks and screwed up tight, the screw blocks are fitted between
slides m, m, and are propelled toward each other by means of the screws f. f. acting
through the screw bushes g, g, by the handles, h. h (figs. 1 and 2) as the plates are
propelled towards each other cement or paint is placed upon the joints of the glass
which may be bevelled or otherwise, after which the plates of glass are secured by
cord or wire and may be painted over with paint or varnish or cement or wire netting
or split & expanded steel netting is secured around the plates (the screw blocks c. c.
being removed) the top plate of glass being secured, the wire or metal netting is then
secured over the top plate encasing the whole firmly, cement concrete is then plastered
over this which adheres to the metallic substance encasing the glass, if a further
strengthening. be required, wood or iron may be made into the form of a box and
slipped over this, or may be made in separate pieces and bolted and screwed together.
Asphalte is also used to cover the glass or the concrete, and the wood may be pitched
or tarred inside to preserve it, if the outside tank of wood or iron be in one piece,
small studs are placed all over the surface of the inside tank and which assists to keep
the tank in position until the fixing cement is poured and run into the cavity between
the outside and inside tanks, if a sixth side be put on, this is best done by means of
screwed bolts. The connections for pipes &c. are fitted to the glass sheets, they being
first drilled for that purpose and a glass or other tube inserted and fixed with the
fixing cement, metal or other screw joints are then fixed in the outside cover of the
glass tank (which may either be of iron, wood or concrete) and provided with jamb
nuts &c. to make a secure joint the glass tube may be provided with a flange on the
inside and a screw thread on the outside for the same purpose.
Very large tanks are constructed in a different manner from the foregoing which
may be built of stone, iron, concrete, brick, asphalte &c., the plates of glass being
secured in pieces on the inside and fitted together, the glass used having a rough
surface on the back causing it to adhere by means of cement to the walls and bottom
of the tank strips of vulcanite, glass or cement are formed to go into the joints for the
purpose of fixing more securely the plates, the plates for this purpose may have their
edges ground or bevelled or chamfered, and stays may be inserted across
longitudinally inside the tank for strength and enclosed within a glass tube, which
may be secured at each end and filled full of cement and screwed up on the outside.
Valves for use along with this cistern or tank are made of glass or vulcanite and
secured to the cistern by means of the glass tube being flanged and screwed, the valve
being composed of ground glass or vulcanite and the lever & floating ball of the same
materials.
or
These tanks may also be constructed with glass composed with wire netting in
the interior of the sheets, and in the case of large tanks; holes may be drilled in the
sheets for the purpose of inserting bolts composed of glass or other material.
The sliding screw blocks are faced with a layer of leather, india rubber, asbestos o

page_text: other soft yielding material. Expanded steel netting or wire netting is used in large
tanks and bedded into the fixing cement to which the glass or vulcanite bolts and the
glass & vulcanite strips are secured as well as to the walls of the tank.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In the manufacture or construction of tanks or cisterns or like vessels, inserting
sheets of glass for the purpose of producing a non-corrosive, non-conducting and
smooth surface, as herein shown or described.
2. In the manufacture or construction of tanks or cisterns for the purpose as
described, the use of a table with screw blocks to hold and adjust the plates of glass all
as herein described or shown.
3. In the manufacture or construction of tanks or cisterns with lining of glass an
outside cistern composed of concrete, strengthened by means of steel or iron netting
as herein shown or described.
4. In the manufacture or construction of tanks lined with glass the insertion of
glass tubes with flanged and screwed ends and secured as shown and described herein.
5. In the construction of large tanks, the plates of glass for lining same being
secured by strips of vulcanite or glass as herein shown or described.
6. In tanks of glass the use of valve cocks made of glass or vulcanite fixed and
secured as herein shown or described.
7. In tanks made of sheets of glass, having coverings of wood or iron, constructed
as herein shown or described.
8. In tanks constructed of brick-stone, asphalte, wood iron or other material lined
with glass and fixed as herein shown or described.
Dated this 30th day of May 1890.
JOHN ARMSTRONG.