Year: 1886

page_text: I, LOUIS DOUILLET of Baume in the Kingdom of Belgium Administrateur
Gérant of the Société Anonyme des Grosses Forges et Usines de la Hestre, 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 manufacture of sheet iron casks or drums has assumed considerable
importance for some years past, owing to their usefulness for any purposes, but
this usefulness has, been hitherto in some degree limited by the conditions of the
mode of manufacture.. This mode of construction removes practically the interior
of the cask at each visit, for any cleansing or for any preparation or special coating
adapted to prevent the action of iron upon various liquids, such as wines, fine oils,
essences, etcetera.
With a view to remedy the drawbacks inherent in all casks, and, to extend the
applicability of metal casks or drums, I have invented a system of detachable
casks, easily accessible in all parts.
This system of receptacles comprises two main types, one cylindrical with fixed
hoops for rolling on and the other cylindro-conical which may have loose rolling
hoops, and the use of which enables the cost of carriage on empties to be con-
siderably reduced in large deliveries.. I may also make use of a cylindrical vessel
provided at each end with half round iron hoops a, or of one which is not so
provided, expressly for the convenience of packing its parts within each other for
transport.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents the ordinary cylindrical cask.
Figure 2 represents the cylindro-conical cask.
Figure 1 shows a cask in two parts, the largest part of which bears a rolling
hoop, and the two angles A of the joint form the other rolling hoop. The main
advantage of this construction is the cheapening of the cost of the drum by
replacing one of the hoops by the angles of the joint.
This system of construction of segmental casks or drums offers the following
advantages.
1st. It facilitates the construction, maintenance and repairing.
2nd. It enables liquids or other substances to be stored, preserved, or transported,
by the opportunity it affords of treating the inside with preparations, or coatings

page_text: necessary to prevent any reaction between the material of the cask and the
'substance placed in it.
3rd. It admits of the interior of the cask being reached and thoroughly cleaned,
so that the kind of articles placed therein can be changed.
4th. It enables casks to be made in the form of two truncated cones, joined
together by their larger ends, the two portions of which can be placed one within
the other, so as to diminish considerably the cost of carriage when returned empty.
These casks might also be made in three or four detachable pieces according to the
special dimensions or requirements of the case.
I The joints may be made at any
point of the length of the cask between the two ends. These joints may be made
with two lips or angles as shewn in the drawing, and these two lips may be turned,
or with concentric furrows or with pieces fitting one into the other, or with parts
bearing a hollow channel to receive a luting of any kind, and so forth. These
joints might also be constructed otherwise than with lips, and might for instance
be composed of two parts turned and threaded and screwing the one into the other.
The joint most suitable depends on the nature of the substances to be contained,
and if desired a metallic joint may be used similar to that of the conical plugs of
taps. The said casks or drums may be constructed of any suitable metal, and they
may be of various shapes, oval, square or with rounded angles or otherwise
according to requirements. The rivets may be of any suitable shape, quite round,
or partly square or oval and so forth, with cylindrical ends. They may be specially
fitted to the collars of the joints or to lugs. The screws may be of any suitable
shape, four or more sided or with cylindrical parts, or with lugs and so forth; they
may be simple or double. The casks may be either of uncoated metal, or be
galvanised, tinned, or leaded.
The distinguishing feature of my invention consists in the replacement of one or
both the hoops for rolling by a joint with two angles or lips, that the said hoops be
placed around the sides of the drum, or at its two ends in which latter case the
ends may bear a jointing angle, or themselves fit into such a device fixed to the
body of the drum. The arrangement of the conical drums is designed to allow one
half to be placed within the other half to save carriage of empties. The same idea
can obviously be carried out by forming other shapes than cylindro-conical, and
I consider such modifications as within the scope of this invention. The casks are
preferably made in such a manner that any of the corresponding parts of all casks
of the same capacity and form may be combined at any time; this inter-
changeability is secured by making the joints exactly to pattern. It is then also
easy to replace any given cask on having details of the type and the capacity.
During construction the portions of the joint are turned to avoid any misfit in
the fastenings after examination or cleaning. In special cases however these pieces
need not be turned.
The mode of construction hitherto in use for these casks required that the ends
be placed in the inside before they can be rivetted to the body of the drum; I may
however fit these ends to the exterior as shewn in Figure 3, avoiding a considerable
loss of capacity varying from one tenth to one twentieth of the internal capacity,
and consequently reducing the cost of carriage. This arrangement is applicable to
both types, and I retain where necessary the supporting ring of the old casks.
I may also in special cases cut man holes in one or both of the ends of the cask to
facilitate the introduction and removal of the contents or for other purposes. The
casks of my invention are constructed of any dimensions and of any suitable metal
In casks of this description, even the most delicate substances may be stored or
transported without injury. For wines, beer, oils, essences, flour and so on, they
are preferably enamelled or covered with some special coating which is perfectly
protective of the contents. For acids or dangerous bodies, they are best lined
internally with lead or caoutchouc applied to the metal and vulcanised, or the iron
otherwise protected against the action of the acids. The interior may be lined
with metal, either loose or electro-chemically deposited.

page_text: The casks or drums being so easily cleansed, all sorts of different liquids may be
successively carried in them; they might also be made of corrugated sheet metal if
desired, for the purpose of maintaining the strength whilst diminishing the weight
of the metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In casks or drums of the constructions above set forth, the combination of a
cylindrical metal cask provided with a hoop for rolling, and made in two parts
united by a joint which forms the second hoop for rolling.
2. In casks or drums as aforesaid the combination of a cylindro-conical cask
made up as stated in claim one, but the two balves of which are designed to fit the
one within the other to save carriage when returned empty, the whole substantially
as described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
LINK
330
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.