AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING COUPLING JOINTS FOR PIPES, NOZZLES, STOPCOCKS, STILL AND CYLINDER HEADS, AND OTHER APPARATUS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of March, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, 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 mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in
the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING COUPLING JOINTS FOR PIPES,
NOZZLES, STOPCOCKS, STILL AND CYLINDER HEADS, AND OTHER APPARATUS," being
a communication from abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain, the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Edward Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is parti-
cularly 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):
The Invention which forms the subject of the above in part recited Letters
Patent, and which has been communicated to me from abroad, relates to an
improved means or method of connecting together "tubes or pipes for the
conveyance of water, steam, gas,..or.. other fluids or liquids, and is also
applicable to fastening on the ends of steam or other cylinders or vessels
securing still heads, connecting shafts together; and in fact, this Invention,
which my correspondent denominates a "clasp coupling joint," is applicable to
nearly every purpose where parts of various kinds of apparatus require to be
connected together by bolts or screws passed through flanges.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn different views of the means
of applying the Invention to various purposes."
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent in elevation, plan, vertical section, and
perspective views, one of the improved clasp, couplings as applied to the
coupling of pipes. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are elevation, plan, and vertical section of
the Invention as applied to the securing of a cap plate on to a quadrangular
vessel; and Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are elevation, vertical section, and plan, repre-
senting a modification of the Invention as applied to the coupling of small pipes.
In all the Figures corresponding parts are indicated by similar letters.
The principle or character of the Invention consists in forcing together the
two bodies to be coupled or connected by means of a grooved, segmental, or
other clamp, according to the form of the parts of the vessel or article to be
coupled. The groove of the coupling embraces the flanges or their equivalents
which project from or are connected with the 'bodies' to be coupled, 'so that
when the said grooved segments are drawn together" by screw bolts, keys,
conical wedge rings, or any equivalent means, the groove therein shall act on
the said flanges or their équivalents, so as to force them together and thus
make a tight joint with or without interposed packing.
.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawings, a, a, represent two
sections of a steam or other pipe, each provided with a turned or upset
flange b, with packing c of any kind interposed; but if desired, the packing
I can be dispensed with by facing the flanges, or making what is termed "a

page_text: ground joint. At the junction of the two pipes an inner pipe or sleeve d is
introduced within the pino to serve as a guide in joining the flanges together;
but this, may be dispensed with if desired. Over the two sections of the pipe,
and extending over the flanges, are two rings, one for each section, the inner
faces of which correspond, or nearly so, with the faces of the two flanges, and
having their outer faces curved or bevelled; these rings should be made to fit
somewhat closely, on to the sections of pipe, or may be shrunk on if desired.
When the two flanges, and, rings are put together face to face, they are
embraced by a segmental clampf, f, made in two parts, the inner periphery of
which is grooved to embrace the rings e, e, and to act on the outer curved or
bevelled faces thereof, so that when the said segments are drawn together by
means of screw, bolts 9, 9, that pass through cars h, h, h, h, which project from
their ends, the sides of the groove are made to act in a wedge-like manner
on the outer, curved, or bevelled faces of the rings e, e, to force them and the
flanges of the sections of the pipe together, and there hold them firmly. In
this way it will be seen that the flanges are forced 'and held together around
the entire circumference by the use simply of two bolts, thus effecting a better
joint, which can be connected and disconnected in less time and held with
more strength than by the means heretofore employed. Instead of forcing
together the segments of the clamp by means of screw bolts, as above described,
this can be done, by means of a ring i, as represented in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the
inner periphery of which is made conical so that it may be driven on to the
segmental, clamp,, the outer periphery of which is made of a corresponding
conical form. In these Figures the parts corresponding with those represented
in the Figures above described, are indicated by similar letters. The conical
clamping ring for forcing together the segments of the clamp ring, as a sub-
stitute for the clamp screws, 'have been tried for coupling small water and
gas pipes, and have been found to answer the purpose; but this modification
will also be found to answer for coupling largo pipes, and other articles.
Instead of the clamp, screw bolts, or conical rings, keys, or other modes of
drawing or forcing together the segments of the grooved clamp may be substi-
tuted. The rings. e, e, that extend over the flanges, may be dispensed with,
and the grooved, segmental, or other clamp may be made to act directly on the
flanges; but it is better to use the rings, as they can be more readily adapted
the groove of the segmental clamp, and at the same time give strength and
support, to the flanges, which in general are formed by turning over and
upsetting the metal of the pipe. If desired, packing of any kind may be
interposed between the flanges and the rings, but this in general will not be
found necessary; care should be taken to leave the groove in the segmental
to
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page_text: clamp of greater depth than the projection of the flanges and rings, to give
ample room for drawing together the segments; and care should also be taken
to bave the curve or bevel of the outer face of the rings, or of the flanges
when rings are not used, of greater or less curve or bevel than the groove of
the segmental clamp, so that in forcing them together the segments of the
groove may act in the manner of a double wedge to force together the rings or
flanges; and the Inventors prefer to make the curve or bevel of the groove
more acute than the faces of the rings or flanges, so that in wedging them on
the sides of the groove may act on the rings or flanges nearer to the periphery
of the pipe than would be the case if this state of things were reversed.
The improved coupling is equally applicable to the coupling of the parts of
angular articles, and an example of this is given in Figures 5, 6, and 7 of the
accompanying Drawings, which represent a mode of attaching or coupling the
cap on to a quadrangular vessel. In these Figures the upper edge of the
vessel k is provided with a projecting flange l, with the under face rounded or
bevelled, and the upper edge of the cap plate m is similarly rounded or
bevelled to correspond therewith; and theso when put together either with a
close-fitting (ground) joint or with packing interposed, receive the grooved
clamp n, which is made in four parts, each part fitted to one of the angles of
the vessel; and these sections, which are provided with projecting ears o, o, are
then drawn together by means of a screw bolt p, and thus couple and bind
together the vessel and its cap, making a tight joint all round. Instead of
uniting the sections at the four faces of the square, they may be united at the
angles.
It will be clearly seen that from this example that this improved coupling
is applicable to vessels and other articles of angular or curved forms, and that
whatever may be the form any desired and effective mode of drawing or
forcing together the segments of the grooved clamp may be substituted for
screw bolts or the conical rings. In coupling angular vessels or other articles,
it will be found to be advantageous to make the grooved clamp in as many
sections as there are sides to the figure, and for round couplings it will be
found sufficient to make it in two parts for all articles of moderate size, but
when the diameter is very considerable, it may be divided into three or more
parts. This improved mode of coupling is equally applicable to the securing
of nozzles, stopcocks, bonnets, and many other articles not necessary to
enumerate, and particularly to cylinder heads, in which the edge of the head
takes the place of one of the flanges. It will be evident to any engineer or
machinist, from the foregoing, that shafts and other solid bodies can be coupled
together in the same manner as hollow conduits or vessels, and with equal

page_text: advantage, and by a similar arrangement of parts, and therefore it is deemed
unnecessary to give an example. The flanges, instead of solid projections of
the bodies to be united, may be made separate, and connected therewith in
any manner desired, as the mode of making the flanges forms no part of the
Invention.
The leading advantages of this mode of coupling over the ordinary double
flange and bolts heretofore and now generally used, are a great reduction in
the number of screw bolts used, which occupy much time in connecting and
disconnecting joints, particularly in the parts of steam engines, such as the
cylinder heads and other parts which require to be frequently connected and
disconnected for packing and other purposes, and increased strength, and more
perfect and continuous support, as the flanges by the improved plan, instead of
being reduced in strength by the numerous bolt holes, are pressed together
and supported all round by the grooved segmental clamp, and the strain on
the threads of the screw bolts, instead of being in the line of the force which
tends to separate the coupling, as in the old plan, is nearly at a right angle
therewith, and therefore greatly relieved. There are other advantages, which,
however, it will be unnecessary to enumerate.
Having thus described the Invention, and the manner of constructing and
using the same, and having stated the leading purposes to which it is applicable,
together with various modes in which the Invention may be applied, as it has
been communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I would observe, in
conclusion, that I do not mean to limit myself to the precise arrangement or
mode of constructing the parts as herein shewn and described, as it will be
evident that the mode of carrying out the principle admits of considerable
changes and variations from the plans herein shewn and described without
departing from the nature and object of the Invention, but that which I
consider to be new, and wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, coupling joints by means of
flanges or their equivalents in combination with a grooved clamp, the groove
of which is formed to embrace the flanges, and which clamp, when drawn or
forced together by screw bolts or other equivalent means, will force and hold
together the flanges of the parts to be connected, and thereby form a firm and
secure joint.
In witness, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
W. L. (L.8.) NEWTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twentieth day of September,
in the year above mentioned, the, aforesaid William Edward Newton came
before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.