CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN TRUSSING BEAMS AND GIRDERS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GIBBONS, of Corbyn's Hall, near Dudley, in the County of Worcester, Esquire,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of Septem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Gibbons, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Gibbons, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Gibbons,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN TRUSSING BEAMS AND GIRDERS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said William Gibbons, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to
be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Gibbons, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention of Certain Improvements in Trussing Beams and Girders
consists,
Firstly, in the employment of springs in conjunction with the tie rods hitherto
used for that purpose; and,
Secondly, in forming grooves or channels on the sides of cast-iron beams
within which the tie rods are placed, whereby the tie rods become available
for supporting the beam in the event of its being fractured at the parts where
such tie rods are placed.
One mode of carrying out this my Invention is shewn in Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings, where A represents a beam or girder of cast iron,
trussed upon my improved principle. B, B¹, are two wrought-iron tension
rods (two corresponding rods lying on the other side of the beam). The
lower ends of these tension rods are fastened to one or more strong bow
springs C placed beneath the beam. The upper ends of the tension rods B, B',
have screws cut on them, for the reception of screw nuts d, d, by which they
can be drawn up tight, and cause the spring C to press upward with any
desired force on the under side of the beam or girder, such pressure being
constant, and not being seriously affected by the unequal contraction or
expansion of the metals from variations of temperature.
In casting the beam or girder, grooved channels for the reception of the
tension rods are formed on each side of the beam, as shewn in the Drawing.
These channels are rather larger than the tension rods, so as to allow them a
little play, and to accommodate themselves to any slight change of position
caused by variations of temperature, yielding of the springs, or other causes.
In the event of a beam or girder constructed in this manner being fractured
at any point which is enclosed between the tie rods, the grooved channels will
take a bearing upon the rods, and the beam will be held intact, the broken
parts being thus prevented from falling out of their places.
Figure 2 represents a compound beam or girder of cast iron, in two parts
A, A¹, united in the middle a, a, by bolting through the end flanges. B, B', as
before, are the tension rods, passing up from beneath a double bow spring C¹
to the two outer extremities of the beam, where they are secured by the
tightening nuts d, d.

page_text: Figure 3 shews a compound cast-iron beam in three parts, A, A1, A2,
flanged and bolted together. B, B¹, are two of the tension rods laying within
the grooved channels, as before described, and passing down to a bearing bolt
beneath the centre of the springs C2, C3, which abut against the under side of
the flanged joinings of the beam. D is an adjustable tie rod for preserving
the horizontal position of the springs C2, C3. The centre beam A¹ of this
series may also be trussed, as shewn in Figure 1, if thought desirable.
Note, that I do not confine myself to any particular number or form of
springs, nor to the precise position or arrangement of the tension rods or
springs herein-before described and shewn, as circumstances may frequently
render a modified arrangement necessary. What I claim as new and of my
Invention is,
Firstly, the application of a spring or springs to form an elastic truss for
trussing beams or girders, as herein-before described and shewn, so that a
constant upward pressure and support is given to the under side of the beam or
girder not materially affected by variations of temperature.
Secondly, I claim as new and of my Invention the formation of grooved
channels on the sides of cast-iron beams and girders for the reception of tension
or tie rods, whereby the parts of the beam will be supported and held together
in the event of the beam being broken, as herein-before explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gibbons, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
Enrolled the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-eight.