IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CON- STRUCTION OF GASHOLDERS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HOLWORTHY PALMER, of Westbourne Villas, Harrow Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and JOSHUA HORTON, of the Ætna Steam
Engine Boiler and Gasometer Manufactory, Smethwick, near Birmingham, in
the County of Stafford, 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-first day of February, in the thirteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said George Holworthy Palmer and Joshua Horton, Her
especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the
said George Holworthy Palmer and Joshua Horton, our exors, adñiors,
and assigns, and such others as we, the said George Holworthy Palmer
and Joshua Horton, our 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 mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CON-
STRUCTION OF GASHOLDERS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging us, the said George Holworthy Palmer and Joshua Horton, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause

page_text: the same to be inrolled in Her 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Holworthy Palmer, on behalf of myself and of the said Joshua Horton,
do hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, is 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 thercon
(that is to say) :-
==
Our Invention of Improvements in the Management and Construction of
Gasholders relates to a more simple, efficient, and economic mode of supporting
the top of the gasholder than by the costly and ponderous trussing, staying, and
bracing heretofore adopted for that purpose.
Fig. 1 is a horizontal representation of the top of a gasholder, shewing the
general construction of its framing, and the arrangement of the covering plates.
Fig. 2 is a vertical representation of part of Fig. 1, upon an enlarged
scale, showing a portion of the segmental angle iron or T curbs or hoops,
equilibrium blocks, and a portion of the outer plates to which the said curbs
and blocks are bolted. This arrangement offers sufficient strength to resist
the central tug or concentrated pressure to which it is subject when the
gasholder is afloat.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a gasholder, say one hundred feet in. diameter, and
twenty-five feet deep. Part is shewn in section from A to B, in Fig. 1, and
part in elevation.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of Fig. 2, taken from C to D, showing the
angle irons, equilibrium blocks, and the plates to which they are bolted.
Fig. 5 is a section of an hydraulic-sealed cup, which may be attached to
the centre plate of the gasholder, and is intended to carry off the rain which
might accumulate upon the top of the gasholder when out of use. Figures 2,
4, and 5 are all drawn upon an enlarged scale, in order to render them more
clear than they could otherwise be. The letters of reference denote the same
parts of the gasholder seen in each separate Figure.
Referring to Fig. 1, a, a, are the crown plates, to the centre of which, d,
would be affixed the sealed cup shown in Fig. 5, but not shewn in this first
Figure. b, b, b, b, are four radial plates, connecting the crown plates with the
external plates or outer rim c, c, c. All these plates are of No. 4 gauge, the
remaining filling-in plates being of No. 12 gauge.

page_text: In Fig. 2, e, e, is a portion of the combined segments forming the angle iron
curbs or hoops. f, f, are the equilibrium blocks, which we prefer to make of
teak wood; and c, c, the external covering plates. The segments forming the
curbs or hoops butt end to end, and are secured by short plates k, k, set to the
proper curve, and lapping over each segment, to which they are secured by
rivets. The inner curb or hoop is formed of double four-inch stout angle
iron, bent to the proper curve, and secured back to back with rivets or bolts
and nuts, the joints being broken to ensure additional strength. These curbs
are set flat, and fitted and secured to the plates c, c, by bolts and nuts, the
external curb e, e (see Fig. 4), is a single curb, and the same as has been
hitherto adopted, but the segments are rolled stouter than usual. As these
curbs will have to overcome the central tug or concentrated pressure upwards
of the gasholder top (which is equal to its floating gravitating power), the
equilibrium radial teak blocks f,f, are introduced between the external and
internal hoops, and firmly bolted to the plate c, c, as shewn in the Drawings,
Figures 2 and 4. By this peculiar arrangement the tug upon the external
curb is communicated to the internal hoops, the united strength of which,
assisted by the stout covering plates c, c, (if kept free from buckles, which is
most effectually ensured by the blocks f, f.) is found to offer far greater
advantages than could be obtained under the old system of roofing.
We prefer
the radial distribution of the blocks, although other arrangements of wood or
metal might be made, or the intermediate space might. be filled in altogether.
Although the gasholder top is not built of a segmental form, as trussed gas-
holders have hitherto been, the roof, when the gasholder is afloat, must take
the form shown by the dotted line on Fig. 8. Now, as there is no trussing
to support the top, which is built perfectly flat, it would by its own weight,
when the gasholder is not occupied with gas, necessarily deflect below the
level of the curbs e, e, and would in that event form a basin, in which the
accumulation of rain would be attended with serious consequences were not
some suitable means of prevention adopted. This can be done either by the
use of the sealed self-acting hydraulic cup, Fig. 5, or by the erection of a
permanent framing of wood or other material within the gasholder tank, and
raised to such a height as to support the roof, and, to allow of the passing off of
the rain when the gasholder has its bearing upon the tank bottom, and the
gas or air within is in equilibrium with the pressure of the atmosphere
without. The adoption of framing is much to be preferred, as it forms the
stage for the operations of the workmen during the construction of the gas-
holder, and is exceedingly ecomic in its cost. This would supersede the use
of the hydraulic cup, as has been the case in two gasholders erected on this

page_text: principle, one of one hundred and thirty-five feet diameter, the other of one
hundred feet diameter. The whole of the weight of the gasholder top of the
horizontal angle-iron framing m, m, and of the vertical T-iron ribs n, n, is
thrown upon the bottom angle iron and base plate s, s, as shewn in the
sectional part of Fig. 3, which also support the gravity curb h, h, instead of
-bearing upon the side plates. This results from the principle of keeping the
horizontal angle-iron framing and vertical T-irons totally unconnected with the
gasholder side,. thus converting the crushing gravity of the aforesaid parts into
a hanging weight or tug, of which each rivet takes its due proportion. To
relieve the tug upon the side plates (of No. 10 gauge) the vertical plates
v, v, v, (of No. 4 gauge) are connected with the hand plates p, p, see Fig. 3
(also of the same gauge). One of these plates v, v, is immediately opposite to
each of the radial plates b, b, seen in Fig. 1, the remainder being equally
spaced. Their number must depend upon the number of guide pullies
.required, the carriages for which are affixed to these plates in the usual
manner. In a gasholder of one hundred feet diameter twenty-four pullies are
required, twelve fixed at the top, and twelve at the bottom of the plates v, v.
In one of one hundred and thirty-five feet diameter the number required is
thirty-two, disposed in a like manner.
In Fig. 4 the angle-iron curbs e, e, the equilibrium blocks fif, and part of
the covering plates c, c, are shown in section, as is also the method of securing
and bolting the same.
Fig. 5 is a section of the hydraulic cup, which might be affixed to the centre
plate d of the gasholder top. The rain water desired to remove will escape
through the openings in the bottom of the cup, the water in the hydraulic
valve (colored blue) rising sufficiently high to prevent the escape of gas at the
pressure required.
Having described the details of the gasholder so far as is requisite to render
the parts hereafter to be claimed clear and distinct, we now declare the
Invention, whereof the exclusive use is intended to be secured by the said
Letters Patent, to be as follows:-
Firstly, we claim the application of the inner curbs or angle irons forming
the double hoop, see A, Fig. 4; the use of the equilibrium blocks f, seen in the
same Figure; and any similar series of curbs or blocks that may be required
for gasholders of greater diameter and weight.
Secondly, we claim the mode whereby the whole weight of the gasholder
(that of the side plates alone excepted) is thrown upon the bottom angle-iron
curb 8, 8, 8, see Fig. 3, and by which the whole of the downward, thrust is
converted into a right-line tug upon the side plates of the gasholder, by not