MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ENVELOPING INSULATED CONDUCTORS WITH LEAD OR ALLOY PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE MAKING OF LEAD PIPES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES JOHN HARROP of Bridge Street in the City of Manchester, Brassfounder
IMPROVE-
and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ENVELOPING INSULATED CONDUCTORS WITH LEAD OR
ALLOY PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE MAKING OF LEAD PIPES" to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the covering with lead of the insulated wires or
conductors used in telegraphic or telephonic communication and in the conveyance
of electric or galvanic currents. In a former invention for which Letters Patent
No 485 of the year 1874 have been granted to me I passed a telegraph cable
through a long hollow core or cores which was drawn upward through a fixed lead
container so as to keep the end of the core at an uniform distance from the die. Owing
to the length and weakness of the said core and to other causes the arrangement was
not well adapted for the production of a thin covering and for the covering of
small conductors. In my present invention I employ a moving container carried
by the press ram and I pass the conductor over a pulley into a hollow neck which
connects the container with the ram or which is formed by an extension of the
ram. The conductor passes upward through a central tube to a short core which
is connected by means of two, three or more arms with the die or with a part in
which the die is fixed so that the core is retained in a position which is concentric
with the die. In one arrangement the said arms are on a part which carries both
the core and the die, the core being formed with a shank which screws into the
upper end of the said central tube. The said core is tapered to a thin edge but
this edge is relieved from pressure as much as possible by so forming the die as
that the lead envelope is formed to about the required thickness between the die
and the thicker shoulder or part of the core the envelope being subsequently
compressed upon the conductor by the die. The die carrier is attached to the
The
lower end of a stationery ram which is secured to the cross head of a press.
said central tube consists of two tubes one within the other or is provided or
formed with circulating tubes or passages and the conductor passes into the said
tube through a gland. Connections are provided for pumping or forcing a
circulating cooling fluid into the tube to prevent overheating of the insulating
material of the conductor. For this purpose I prefer to use air or melted parafine.
D

page_text: at once.
or bitumen or a fluid or semi-fluid which will not be injurous to the insulator and
will not interfere with the operation. I may dispense with this circulation and
I may continue the said central tube through the ram and the bottom of the
cylinder. By employing two or more cores and dies I cover two or more conductors
The cores are carried by the said arms which are formed to permit of the
passage of the metal to the dies which are formed in the die block. By using solid
cores I am enabled to make two or more lead pipes at one operation. When
covering conductors all the conductors pass through one central tube or if preferred
more than one tube may be used. In order to indicate the number of wires or
cores in the conductor I in some cases finish the dies so as to form a corresponding
number of lines, grooves, flutes or ridges on the covering. Although I prefer to
use a moving container the apparatus might be constructed with a fixed container
in which case the ram head would slide upon the fixed central tube the die and
core carrier being fixed in the upper part of the container. I prefer to use the
described apparatus in connection with the coiling machine described in the
specification of my said former invention in order to obtain rapidity of operation.
Dated this fourth day of February A.D. 1884.
.

page_text: I JAMES JOHN HARROP of Bridge Street in the City of Manchester, Brassfounder
and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR ENVELOPING INSULATED CONDUCTORS PARTLY APPLICABLE IN THE
MAKING OF LEAD PIPES" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying drawings :-
-
My Invention relates to the covering with lead of the insulated wires or
conductors used in telegraphic or telephonic communication and in the conveyance
of electric or galvanic currents. In a former invention for which Letters Patent
No 485 of the year 1874 have been granted to me I passed a telegraph cable
through a long hollow core which was drawn upward through a fixed lead container
so as to keep the end of the core at an uniform distance from the die. Owing to
the length and weakness of the said core and to other causes the arrangement
was not well adapted for the production of a thin covering and for the covering of
small conductors. In my present invention I employ a moving container carried
by the press ram and I pass the conductor upward through a central tube to a
short core which is connected by means of two, three or more arms with the die
or with the die carrier or part in which the die is fixed so that the core is retained
in a position which is concentric with the die. The die carrier is attached to the
lower end of a stationery ram which is secured to the cross head of a press. The
said central tube consists of two tubes one within the other or is provided or formed
with circulating tubes or passages and the conductor passes into the said tube
through a gland. Connections are provided for pumping or forcing a circulating
cooling fluid into the tube to prevent overheating of the insulating material of the
conductor. By employing two or more cores and dies I cover two or more
conductors at once. By using solid cores I am enabled to make two or more lead
pipes at one operation. In order to indicate the number of wires or cores in the
conductor I in some cases finish the dies so as to form a corresponding number of
lines, grooves, flutes or ridges on the covering. Although I prefer to use a moving
container the apparatus may be constructed with a fixed container.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will refer to the
accompanying sheet of drawings wherein Fig: 1 represents a sectional elevation of
a press having a moving container and Fig: 2 a sectional elevation of a press formed
with a fixed container. Fig: 3 is a section of the core and die and Fig: 4 is a plan
of the core and the core holder drawn to a larger scale than Figs 1 and 2. Fig: 5
is an enlarged view of the lower part of Fig 2. In Fig: 1 a is the container
which is carried by the ram b which slides in the cylinder c of the press. To the
cross head d of the press is attached the die ram e. The ram bis hollow and
encloses a tube which is formed or fixed upon a packed piston f¹ which rests
upon the bottom of the press cylinder and prevents the escape of the actuating
fluid. A cupped leather fitted in the ram slides upon the tube f. The cable to be
covered passes through a bole in the bottom of the cylinder through the tube f and
through a second tube g which is in the centre of the container. The upper end
of this latter tube appears in Fig: 3. Instead of passing the cable through the
bottom of the cylinder it may be passed through an opening in a hollow neck
which would be bolted on the top of the press ram or which would be formed by
extending the said ram. In such a case the said opening would be provided with
a pulley over or partly around which the cable would pass. It has not been

page_text: considered necessary to illustrate this arrangement as it would be similar to the one
already illustrated in Fig: 4 of the drawings attached to the specification of my
said former invention: On the upper end of the central tube g is mounted a die
carrier shewn in section in Fig: 3 and in plan in Fig: 4. This carrier consists of
a central boss h connected by two three or more arms h¹ with an outer ring h
which is recessed to receive the die i and also the lower end of the die ram c. The
die carrier is secured by means of screws or by suitable means to the end of the
die ram so that the die carrier is sustained when the container descends. The
arms h¹ are made of a wedge form in cross section so as to minimise the resistance
offered to the flow of the soft metal. In the centre of the die carrier is the core k
which is formed with a screwed shank which passes through the eye of the boss h
and engages with a screw thread formed in the upper end of the tube g so that the
Baid core serves as a nut to secure the said tube to the die carrier. The cable
passes through this core and upward through the hollow ram c and through the
cross head d receiving a coating of metal as it passes through the die. The core
is turned to a curved tapering form so that its upper end passes nearly through the
die. The extreme end of the core is thinned off nearly to a sharp edge but
thickens rapidly to the point at which point the annular space between the core
and the die is the most narrow. From this point the said space widens very
slightly to the tip of the core and widens rapidly downward as shewn in the
drawing. The intention is that as the soft metal is being forced through the
annular space the envelope or coating of metal being formed shall be reduced to
it's least thickness by the time it arrives at the point where it is possible to give
the hollow core sufficient thickness to enable it to withstand the pressure. From
this point the coating is condensed by the die until it is received by the passing
cable this reduction being effected without much assistance from the core so
that the thin lip thereof is relieved from the maximum pressure. In the coating
of a cable or conductor the container charged with the molten metal is forced
upward when the metal is in a suitable condition. The soft metal is forced
by the pressure through the openings between the arms h¹ and between the
boss h and the ring he the mass divided by the arms uniting again after passing
the same.
The metal after passing the arms is forced through the space between
the core and the die being thereby formed into a tube which is contracted in
diameter and in thickness until it reaches the point after which it is contracted
in diameter only as hereinbefore stated and is compressed upon the cable. When
the container is pumped down to renew the charge of metal the die carrier with the
die and core and the central tube remain stationery the plate at the bottom of the
container sliding upon the said central tube. In Fig: 2 the container is fixed in
the cross head and the die carrier is secured in the upper end of the container by
means of a block m which is held in position by means of cottars or keys or by
suitable means.
The part corresponding to the ram e in Fig: 1 and marked with
the same letter in Fig 2 is secured to the top of the press ram. The central tube g
extends downwards through the rams e and b and the press bottom. The lower
end of this tube appears'in Fig: 5 wherein it will be seen that it is enclosed within
a second tube n. This outer tube extends to the core or may extend some way
into the same and the lower end of the said tube is formed or provided with a
packed gland through which passes the cable or conductor to be covered. A pipe o
communicates with the space between the tubes g and n and a second pipe p leads
into the space between the pipe n and the cable. It will be seen that if a cooling
fluid is pumped or forced or caused to flow through one of the pipes say for
example through the pipe p it will flow upward to the core and returning to the
bottom of the press will pass away through the other pipe which in the case
supposed would be the pipe o. For this purpose I prefer to employ melted parafine
or bitumen or a fluid or semi-fluid which will not be injurous to the insulator and
will not interfere with the operation but I do not confine myself to the use of any
description of fluid for preventing the overheating of the cable or conductor.
Although for convenience of illustration this cooling arrangement appears only.

page_text: in Figs 2 and 5 it must be understood that it is equally applicable to the press
illustrated in Fig: 1 and also that the cable may be passed in through an opening
in a part above the press cylinder in a press having a fixed container. When
providing arrangements for the circulation of the cooling fluid to a press formed to
admit the cable over a pulley into a neck above or at the upper end of a press
ram as hereinbefore mentioned the connections for the flow of the fluid would
necessarily be made at points above the opening through which the cable would
pass. The method of coating a number of cables at one operation is illustrated
by Fig: 6 which represents a plan of a die carrier which is formed to carry five
cores and tubes through each of which a cable or conductor would be passed.
The core carrier in this instance is supposed to be formed with four arms each of
which is formed with a boss to receive a core in addition to the central boss.
A die plate formed with five die holes or five dies mounted in a plate or part
would be used. In place of the die carrier being connected with five tubes
corresponding to the tube g the five cables may pass through a single central tube
with the upper end of which the five cores would be connected I do not confine
myself to any particular number of cables or conductors to be coated at once.
herein before mentioned I propose to employ this part of my invention in the
forming of two or more lead pipes at one operation. This I effect by substituting
solid cores for the hollow cores the pipes g not being required. In such a case the
lower ends of the bosses carrying the cores would be shaped to minimise the
resistance to the flow of the metal. In order to obtain rapidity of operation
I prefer to combine the coiling machine described in the specification of my said
former invention with the apparatus described herein.
As
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. The apparatus for coating conductors with lead or alloy substantially as set
forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for coating conductors with lead or alloy the employment of a
hollow core through which the conductor is passed in combination with a die the
two being connected together and kept at the proper distance apart by means of
arms which connect the part to which the core is fixed with the die or with a part
carrying the die or in or to which it is mounted or secured substantially as set forth
and indicated.
3. The modification of the parts referred to in claim 2 hereof whereby I propose
to cover more than one cable or to make more than one pipe at one operation
substantially as set forth and indicated.
4. Maintaining a circulation of fluid or of semi-fluid matter around the
conductor as it passes through the container substantially as and for the purpose
set forth and indicated.
5. Forming the dies to mark the envelope or coating as and for the purpose set
forth and indicated.