Improvements in or appertaining to Welding Metals Electrically.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1890--Accepted, 31st Jan., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Welding Metals Electrically.
A communication from abroad by CHARLES L. COFFIN, of Detroit, County of
Wayne, State of Michigan, United States of America, Chemist.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil 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 :-
The invention consists in welding metals electrically, and consists in performing
the welding operation under water.
:
The drawing is a vertical section of an apparatus which may be used to practise
the invention in one of the known modes, namely that one consisting in heating
the articles to be welded by passing a current through them and pressing them
together.
A. represents a box supported on legs B. C represents a stuffing box through
which slides a tight box E, carrying on its end a clamp F, insulated from the box E
to hold one of the articles W¹, to be welded. F' represents a clamp secured to one
end of the box A and insulated therefrom to hold the other article W to be
welded.
D represents a man-hole provided with a tight-fitting cover through which the
article W may be passed into the box A. K and K represent electrical conductors
which connect the poles of an electrical generator with the clamps F and F¹.
H represents a bracket secured to the end of box A having thereon a screw nut in
which meshes a screw G provided with a crank I, by which the box E may be
moved in either direction.
J represents a waste-pipe having therein a valve L, through which the liquid in
box A may be drawn off."
The operation of the invention is as follows:
The articles W W being set in the clamps F F, the box A is filled with water
so as to submerge W W', as indicated in the drawing. The ends of W W are now
brought in contact, and an electric current passed through W W¹ by means of con-
ductors K K and the ends of W W' are heated either by the current when in contact,
or by being slightly separated so as to form a voltaic arc between them, and, when
brought to a welding heat, the weld is formed by pressing W₁ against W by means
of a screw G. The water retards the formation of oxides and scales upon and
within the two pieces of metal which are being operated upon, and also materially
increases the effect of the current.
The invention has been described and illustrated as applied to those modes of
electric welding in which both articles to be welded are connected with the poles of
the generator, but it is evident that it is equally applicable to the other well known
modes, in one of which a voltaic arc is sprung between the article to be welded and
an extraneous conductor (as shown in the United States Patent to Bernardos
No. 388245 dated August 21, 1888) and in the other an arc is sprung between two
extraneous conductors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The method herein described of electric welding, which consists in immersing

page_text: the articles to be welded in water, heating them electrically and pressing them
together to form a weld, substantially as set forth.
2. The apparatus for welding metals electrically combined and arranged
substantially as herein described.
Dated this 29th day of September 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,'
Agents for the Applicant.