Method and Appliances for Brazing or Soldering by Electricity.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Method and Appliances for Brazing or Soldering by Electricity.
I, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, of 14, Union Court, Old Broad Street, in the
City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of joining tubes or tubular bodies by means
of soldering or brazing, whereby the brass or solder is melted by the application
of a powerful electric current. It is particularly applicable to the jointing of
tubular frames, such as those used for cycles and motor cars.
For joining the tubes or tubular parts by my method, the smaller of the tubes
is placed within the other and between the outer surface of the inner tube and the
inner surface of the outer tube is interposed a layer of brass or any metal or
mixture of metals or solder which is more readily fusible than the tubes to be
joined. Or in joining a tube to a solid cylinder the solid cylinder is wrapped with
the fusible metal and the tube is fitted over it. I then apply the poles of an
electric dynamo or a battery to the opposite sides of the outer tube, so that when
the electric current is caused to flow, heat is generated by reason of the resistance
caused by the tube being inserted in the circuit; by this heat the brass lining is
melted and the tubes are thus brazed together.
Or one electric pole may be placed within the inner tube which is to be joined
instead of both poles being in contact with the outer tube.
The lining of fusible metal may take the form of a sleeve or of gauze or a spiral
of wire.
In some cases I make the lining of gauze, which may be woven of wires of
different degrees of fusibility, or of wires or bands some of which melt while others
remain unmelted, thus forming distance pieces so that the tubular parts remain
in a concentric position after they are joined.
By these means the melted metal will be prevented from escaping at the ends
of the tubes.
Tubes of boilers or condensers may by my method be brazed into the tube plates
of the boilers or condensers; in this case one pole of the electric generator is
applied to the tube and the other to the tube plate.
In some cases I place within the inner tube a core of a non-conducting substance
to support it or to prevent its collapse during the process of jointing, such as
fire clay or carbon, and to keep the inner tube or the adjacent parts of the tubes
cool, I use a stream of water which flows through or round those parts.
If necessary the brazed joint may be subsequently subjected to internal or
external pressure by hydraulic or other power or both combined for compressing
and strengthening the same.
Dated this 15th day of March 1897
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Method and Appliances for Brazing or Soldering by Electricity.
I, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, of 14, Union Court, Old Broad Street, in the
City of London, 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:-
This invention relates to a method of joining tubes or tubular bodies by means
of soldering or brazing, whereby the brass or solder is melted by the application
of a powerful electric current. It is particularly applicable to the jointing of
tubular frames, such as those used for cycles and motor cars.
For joining the tubes or tubular parts by my method, the smaller of the tubes
is placed within the other and between the outer surface of the inner tube and the
inner surface of the outer tube is interposed a layer of brass or any metal or
mixture of metals or solder which is more readily fusible than the tubes to be
joined. Or in joining a tube to a solid cylinder the solid cylinder is wrapped with
the fusible metal and the tube is fitted over it. I then apply the poles of an
electric dynamo or a battery to the opposite sides of the outer tube, so that when
the electric current is caused to flow, heat is generated by reason of the resistance
caused by the tube being inserted in the circuit, by this heat the brass lining is
melted and the tubes are thus brazed together.
Or one electric pole may be placed within the inner tube which is to be joined
instead of both poles being in contact with the outer tube. The lining of fusible
metal may take the form of a sleeve or of gauze or a spiral of wire.
In some cases I make the lining of gauze, which may be woven of wires of
different degrees of fusibility or of wires or bands some of which melt while others
remain unmelted, thus forming distance pieces so that the tubular parts remain
in a concentric position after they are joined.
By these means the melted metal will be prevented from escaping at the ends
of the tubes.
Tubes of boilers or condensers may by my method be brazed into the tube plates
of the boilers or condensers, in this case one pole of the electric generator is
applied to the tube and the other to the tube plate.
In some cases I place within the inner tube a core of a non-conducting substance
to support it or to prevent its collapse during the process of jointing, such as
fire clay or carbon, and to keep the inner tube or the adjacent parts of the tubes
cool, I use a stream of water which flows through or round those parts.
If necessary the brazed joint may be subsequently subjected to internal or
external pressure by hydraulic or other power or both combined for compressing
and strengthening the same.
On the accompanying drawings are shewn various arrangements for carrying my
above described invention into effect.
Figures 1 to 3 shew the method of electrically brazing at one operation the
whole of the tube and socket joints in a cycle frame. Figure 1 shews a plan
Figure 2 an elevation at X Figure 1, and Figure 3 an elevation at Y.
The tubes and sockets that make up the complete frame are fitted together with
the brass or other fusible brazing metal arranged between the surfaces to be united
in accordance with one of the methods hereinbefore described, the ends of the tubes
being preferably dipped into a bath of a suitable flux before they are inserted into
the sockets.
°
The frame is then laid in a series of heavy metal blocks A which are arranged

page_text: to be clamped to the tubular portion of the frame, so that the ends of the blocks
are brought in contact or nearly in contact with the sockets.
The conductors conveying the current are connected to P and N respectively and
a powerful electric current being switched on, it will pass through the frame and
blocks heating up the frame at the sockets owing to the greater resistance at
these parts and will thus fuse the interposed brazing material between the
tubes and sockets.
The whole of the apparatus is insulated by being mounted on a slab of slate or
other non-conductor B, or by any other suitable means.
The parts to be brazed may be surrounded by suitable material to prevent
loss of heat and oxidation of the surface.
Variable resistances with regulating switch may be inserted in parallel with any
socket in the circuit so as to enable the heating effect in that particular socket
to be equalised or regulated if desired, and a short circuiting contact might be
added to the regulating switch so as to reduce the amount of current passing
through the socket to a minimum and practically cutting the socket out of circuit
in case of one joint being finished before the others.
Additional brazing spelter and flux may be applied during the operation if
desired.
The brazing material instead of being interposed as a separate article may be
electrically deposited on to the tubes or sockets or the tube and sockets may be
coated by being dipped into baths of the molten metal and flux alternately.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew another arrangement for joining tubes together by the
above described method, Figure 4 shews a vertical section, and Fig. 5 an end
view.
A and B are two heavy metallic clamps which encircle the tubes to be joined,
one at each end of the socket C, and each in contact or nearly in contact with the
said socket. To these clamps are attached the circuit terminals at P and N. The
whole apparatus is insulated by being mounted upon a slate slab D as illustrated
or by other means. By turning on a powerful electric current the resistance
at the socket causes excessive heating and so fuses brass or other fusible inter-
posed metal E between surfaces of tube and socket.
Figures 6 and 7 shew respectively a sectional side view and an end view of
another arrangement for applying an electric current to the joining of tubes and
tubular bodies.
G is the. tube-joint to be treated; on opposite sides of tube and in contact
with same are the terminals P and N of an electric generator. By causing
a powerful electric current to flow from P to N, or vice versa, intense heat is
generated in the socket by reason of the greater resistance and the brass or
other fusible metal F, interposed between surfaces of socket and tubes to be united,
is thus fused.
Hand I are carbon blocks for concentrating the heat to the tube. J is an
insulated hand lever for keeping the terminals P and N in contact with the
tube. E is a slab of slate or other non-conducting substance on which the
apparatus is mounted.
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. Method of brazing or soldering by electricity consisting in interposing a
layer of brazing or soldering metal between the cylindrical or other surfaces to
be united, and then passing an electric current either longitudinally or trans-
versely through the two tubes or other objects to be joined, whereby the resistance
offered to the current at the joint will cause the temperature of the parts to be
raised sufficiently to melt the brazing or soldering metal, substantially as
described.

page_text: 2. The application of the method of brazing or soldering by electricity referred
to in the first claim, to the brazing of the joints of a tubular frame, by fitting
together the tubes to be joined with the interposition of the necessary brazing
metal, and after insulating the several parts, passing an electric current through
the entire frame, so that this becomes sufficiently heated at the several joints to
effect the melting of the brazing metal, substantially as described.
3. Effecting the electrical brazing or soldering of a tubular joint by interposing
between the surfaces to be united a layer of brazing or soldering metal and then
applying the electrodes of an electric circuit to different parts of the tubular
joint, so that on the passage of a current the parts of the joint become heated so as
to melt the brazing or soldering metal, substantially as described.
4. The use for effecting the electric 'soldering of tubular or cylindrical joints
in the manner referred to in the preceding claims, of linings of brazing or soldering
metal in the form of sleeves, gauzes, spirals, or the like to be interposed between
the surfaces to be united, substantially as described.
5. Appliances for brazing or soldering by electricity arranged and operating
as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of December 1897
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.