Improvements in the Rigid Jointing of Metal Tubes, and of Tubular Articles, and in Processes therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: This print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 28th day of February, 1898.
Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 26th July, 1897-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1897
Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 26th July, 1897-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Rigid Jointing of Metal Tubes, and of Tubular
Articles, and in Processes therefor.
I, WILLIAM GOLDING, of No. 12 Manley Road, Whalley Range, Near
Manchester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It relates more particularly to the joints of the different members of rigid
tubular cycle frames, but is also applicable to the junction of tubes generally and
to the rigid connection of hollow parts of tubular articles.
At present the different tubes in a bicycle frame, after having been fitted and
pinned to each other or to the connecting tubular sleeves, are rigidly connected
at the joints by brazing. The effect of the brazing is to expel and replace the
air between the tubes at the joint by molten metal and rigidly connect the two
surfaces.
The defects of the brazing process of effecting this result are, that the tubes
are scaled and injured by the heat, that it is uncertain whether a good joint has
been made or not, and that great expense follows in cleaning off the adhering
spelter.
By my invention the air between the two surfaces is expelled by the force of
an elastic fluid under pressure and the surfaces are brought together with the
same rigidity as if brazed.
The process by which this is effected is as follows:-After having inserted and
pinned the tubes at the joint, the ends of the crevices are treated so as to afterwards
prevent the fluid under pressure from entering between the surfaces to be joined.
As for instance, in the case of a tube passing through a sleeve, the edges of the
sleeve are temporarily packed or wrapped in well known ways so as to be effective
for this purpose; when two tubes of equal diameter are joined by a short tube
in the interior, or when they are joined by trimming the ends and
placing one end inside the other, there is in addition an elastic
washer (or similar effective device) fixed in or opposite each internal
crevice for the same purpose. I wish to make it clear that the two surfaces to
be joined should be clean and free from any substance between them. Through
the outer tube at the joint some very small holes are drilled sufficient to allow
the passage of the air contained within the joint. Caps are prepared to cover
these holes; they are conveniently made of a small hat-shaped piece of rubber
with a small piece of metal shaped like a gun cap fixed in at the centre of the
brim side, and of sufficient strength to withstand the pressure. One of these
caps is placed over each hole and is cemented or otherwise secured in place. The
pressure afterwards holds them perfectly firm.

page_text: Any number of the articles thus prepared are packed in a suitable chest and are
subjected to great pressure by the introduction within the chest of superheated
steam, highly compressed air, or great hydraulic pressure. The pressure acts
with effect only upon the joints. and crushes the two surfaces of the tubes solid
together, at the same time expelling the air from between them into the caps,
which are afterwards removed. The pressure is both outward and inward; that
is, it is equal and opposite at all parts of the tubes and cannot deform tubes of
even the lightest gauge.
Improvements in the Rigid Jointing of Metal Tubes, and of Tubular
Articles, and in Processes therefor.
I, WILLIAM GOLDING, of No. 12 Manley Road, Whalley Range, Near
Manchester, Engineer, do hereby declare, the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
It relates more particularly to the joints of the different members of rigid
tubular cycle frames, but is also applicable to the junction of tubes generally and
to the rigid connection of hollow parts of tubular articles.
At present the different tubes in a bicycle frame, after having been fitted, and
pinned to each other or to the connecting tubular sleeves, are rigidly connected
at the joints by brazing. The effect of the brazing is to expel and replace the
air between the tubes at the joint by molten metal and rigidly connect the two
surfaces.
The defects of the brazing process of effecting this result are, that the tubes
are scaled and injured by the heat, that it is uncertain whether a good joint has
been made or not, and that great expense follows in cleaning off the adhering
spelter.
Reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings which represent the
application of my invention, the tubes being shewn in longitudinal section.
By my invention the air between the two surfaces is expelled by the force of
an elastic fluid under pressure and the surfaces are brought together with the
same rigidity as if brazed.
The process by which this is effected is as follows: After having inserted and
pinned the tubes at the joint, the ends of the crevices are treated so as to afterwards
prevent the fluid under pressure from entering between the surfaces to be joined.
As, for instance, see Fig. 1, in the case of a tube t¹ or passing through a sleeves,
the edges of the sleeve are temporarily packed or wrapped in well-known ways
so as to be effective for this purpose. Fig. 1 represents two sleeves in one piece
forming a well-known lug s. The packing is shewn as effected by rubber washers,
the exterior ring-shaped ones are marked w¹; there is in addition an interior solid
one shewn at 0, to close the interior crevices, necessitated by the shape of the
lug. Fig. 2 represents two tubes t¹ and of equal diameter joined by a short
tube in the interior. The exterior washer which covers the butted joint of the
two tubes is shewn at w¹; there is in addition an elastic washer (or similar effective
device) fixed in or opposite each internal crevice for the same purpose. Theso
are represented at each end by an elastic ring-shaped washer w. Instead of the
short tube 3 the ends of the tubes and may be trimmed and one end placed
inside the other.

page_text: I wish to make it clear that the two surfaces to be joined should be clean and
free from any substance between them
Through the outer tube at the joint some very small holes, marked h Fig. 2,
are drilled sufficient to allow the passage of the air contained within the joint.
As indicated in the figure these holes communicate from the exterior to the air
space between the exterior and interior tubes. Caps are prepared to cover these
holes; each one is conveniently made of a small hat-shaped piece of rubber with
a small piece of metal shaped like a gun cap fixed in at the centre of the brim
side, and of sufficient strength to withstand the pressure. One of these caps is
placed over each hole and is cemented or otherwise secured in place. The pres-
sure afterwards holds them perfectly firm. These caps are represented in longi-
tudinal section at the upper part of Fig. 2 at c and c where they are shewn covering
the holes h and h, the metal gun-cap like interior of each cap is shewn in section
by the solid curved line and the hat-shaped rubber outside of each cap is shewn
by the dotted section. The other caps care shewn in the figures in
elevation.
Any number of the articles thus prepared are packed in a suitable chest and are
subjected to a great hydraulic pressure. The pressure acts with effect only upon.
the joints and forces the two surfaces of the tubes solidly together, at the same
time expelling the air from between them into the caps, which are afterwards
removed. The pressure is both outward and inward; that is, it is equal and
opposite at all parts of the tubes and cannot deform tubes of even the lightest
gauge.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be under-
stood that I am aware of the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Charles
Thomas Crowden, No. 22721 of 1895, and I lay no claim to anything described
and claimed therein, but I declare that what I claim is:-
1. Making the members of a tubular joint rigid together by preparing the
joint with pressure washers and air escape holes with covers and then operating
upon it by means of fluid under pressure acting both from the exterior and interior
of the tube.
2. Making a rigid tubular joint by expelling the air from between the over-
lapping parts of the intended joint and forcing such overlapping parts together
by means of hydraulic pressure acting so that the pressure is equal and opposite,
such action being limited to the parts forming the joint and being balanced and
therefore without effect on the other parts.
3. Forcing the overlapping parts of a tubular joint into a state of rigidity by
an equal and opposite fluid pressure without the use of jigs or their equivalents
to prevent the deformation of the tubes.
Dated this 24th day of July 1897