Improvements in the Construction of Tanks.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Tanks.
I, WILLIAM FORGIE, of Washington, in the County of Washington, and State
of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Heretofore in the construction of tanks designed to contain fluids it has been
customary to flange and punch the edges of the plates or sections and rivet or bolt
the same together; but such construction requires that plates of a certain strength
be employed to compensate for weakening of the plates due to punching the same
in order to unite them by the bolts or rivets.
It is the object of the present invention to obviate the detrimental punching of
the flanged plates or sections, and to unite the parts in a novel manner which not
only secures the greatest possible strength and durability, but also enables me to
use plates of lighter weight without impairing the stability of the structure, thus
reducing the cost of construction.
in
With these ends in view, the invention consists, generally, in a tank having its
plates or sections joined by a seam of which the flanges on the adjacent sections or
plates form a part, and a connecting bar having in one side thereof a groove
which the flanges are fitted and secured by caulking the joint, said caulking being
tightly forced between the flanges of the sections and lying flush with or below the
surface of the sections.
In the detailed construction of the bottom, or either head of the tank, I employ
an angle plate in conjunction with the grooved straight bars, each angle plate
being common to three sections and having two diverging grooves and a straight
groove which receive, respectively, the deflected flanges on two sections and the
straight flange on the third section, said flanges being caulked tightly in the
grooves of said angle plate; and a further improvement consists in having the ends
of the straight grooved bars secured in the ends of the angle plate, the whole
forming a very tight, secure joint and connection for the series of plates or
sections.
The invention further consists in the novel construction, arrangement and
adaptation of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.
The accompanying drawings fully illustrate my invention, in which—
Figure 1 is a plan view showing the general form of the head or bottom of
the tank.
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view, showing by transverse section, the flanges of
the tank-sections or plates in one grooved angle-plate and three grooved bars which
are fitted in the sockets of the angle plate.
Figure 4 is a section on the line x-x of Figure 3.
Figures 5 and 6 are detail views, in plan and edge elevation, of the angle
plate, and
Figure 7 is a plan view of the grooved straight bar.
Figures 8 and 9 are detail views in cross section and elevation, respectively, of
the vertical seams of the tank.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several figures of the
drawings, referring to which—
A designates the bottom or one of the heads of the tank, and B is the vertical"
shell thereof which is preferably made cylindrical in form, as usual.
The shell is composed of a series of segmental plates or sections B' which are

page_text: preferably of such length as to extend from the top to the bottom of the tank, and
these vertical sections are united by longitudinal vertical seams of the following
construction. The adjacent edges of the sections or plates are bent nearly at right
angles to form the flanges b, b', and said flanges are fitted in the longitudinal groove
or recess c formed in one face of the vertical bar C which is arranged outside of
the shell of the tank and bears or fits closely against the outer face of the plates or
sections thereof.
The flanges are permanently secured in the groove of the bar by means of
caulking D, of any preferable material, which is forced tightly in the space between
the flanges b, b, of the plates B' and which lies within or flush with the faces of
said sections or plates B¹.
The bottom or head A of the tank is built up or composed of a series of plates
or sections E, F, G, H, which are arranged in flat horizontal positions; and each
plate or section has its edges bent at right angles to the body of the plate, such
flanges of the sections being also bent at the corners thereof in a peculiar manner
to adapt them to be seated in the grooves of the angle plates I, J, which unite the
corners of the sections and which also have the ends of the straight bars K inter-
locked therewith. The straight bars K are arranged along the straight side edges
of the sections or plates of the bottom, and in the upper side of each bar is formed
a longitudinal groove which receives the flanges on the straight side edges of the
adjacent bottom-sections for which said bar is provided.
The angle plates I are used to connect the corners of the plates within the edges
of the bottom or head, while the angle plates J are arranged at the edges of the
bottom, or where the bottom and vertical shell are joined.
The angle plates I are each made substantially triangular in form, or with three
corners, as ati, ¹, "; and in one face of said plate is provided three grooves or
recesses m, n, o, the groove m being straight and extending from the corner i to
the corner; the groove n extending from the corner i to the corner ¹, and the
groove o extending between the corners ¹, 2¹¹.
The angle plate I is arranged, for example, at the juncture of the plates F, G, H,
and the Hanges of the plates are fitted in the grooves of said angle plate as
follows: The flanges of the plates E and F are deflected or curved and fitted in
the converging grooves n, o, of the angle plate, while the flange of the plate G is
made straight and fitted in the straight groove m of the angle plate. After
the parts have been properly adjusted, the joints are caulked by forcing
the caulking materials in the grooves and against the flanges, thus providing
a tight strong joint without weakening the plates or sections by punching
and riveting the same. At the corners, each angle plate is enlarged and provided
with a socket P of such diameter as to receive one end of the straight bar K, and
said bar is united securely to the angle plate by means of a teat q on the inner side
of the socket fitting in a notch q¹ in the side of the bar, as is obvious.
The lower edges of the vertical sections or plates B₁ formning the shell of the
tank are fitted in grooves in segmental bars L which are arranged below the shell,
said edges. of the vertical plates and the outer flanged edges of the outside plates
of the bottom or head A being caulked in the grooved bars L; and the adjacent
ends of each pair of segmental bars are fitted in sockets » formed in the ends of
the angle plate J, the other end of the angle plate J receiving the straight bar K
provided for the lower edge of the bottom plate E.
The vertical seams which unite the sections of the shell B are arranged between,
or to break joints with, the seams in the bottom, and the vertical grooved bars are
seated and tightly secured in-sockets or recesses in the peripheral bars, as shown.
A tank constructed as herein described has its sections united together by
exceedingly simple and secure joints which possess great strength and durability;
and inasmuch as the plates or sections are not punched and riveted I am enabled
to increase the strength of the tank and utilize in the construction thereof plates or
sections which are lighter than would be required for a tank of the same capacity
constructed in the ordinary manner.

page_text: I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of
construction of the devices herein shown and described as an embodiment of my
invention can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the
advantages of my invention; and I therefore reserve the right to make such
changes and alterations as fairly fall within the scope of the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In the construction of tanks, the vertical plates or sections flanges at their
adjacent edges, the grooved bars having said flanges caulked therein, and the
peripheral grooved bars which receive the flanges on the lower edges of the sections
or plates, as and for the purpose described.
2: In the construction of tanks, the combination of the flanged vertical plates of
the shell, the flanged horizontal plates of the head or bottom, the peripheral
grooved bars at the lower and outer edges of said plates or sections, the vertical
grooved bars which receive the flanges on the vertical plates, and the angle plate
between the peripheral and vertical grooved bars, substantially as described.
3. In the construction of tanks, the combination with the plates or sections, of
the angle plates having the grooves which receive the flanges of three sections,
said sections having their flanges caulked in grooves or seats of the angle plates, as
and for the purpose described.
4. In the construction of tanks, the angle plate having the diverging grooves
intersecting with the ends of a straight groove, combined with the sections having
their flanges adapted to the diverging grooves, and another section with its flange
in the straight groove, said flanges being caulked in the groove of said angle plate,
as and for the purpose described.
5. In the construction of tanks, the combination with the flanged sections, of
the grooved angle plate which receives the flanges at the corners of the sections,
and the grooved bars united to said angle plate and receiving the flanges along the
straight edges of the sections, said flanges being caulked in the grooves of the
angle plate and bars, as and for the purpose described.
6. In the construction of tanks, the angle plate having the grooves and the
sockets in its corners, combined with the straight grooved bars fitted in the sockets
of said angle plates and secured to the same by the interlocking teat or fin and
notch, and the sections or plates secured at their corners in the angle plate and
along their side edges in the grooved bars, as and for the purpose described.
7. In the construction of tanks, the vertical sections having the flanged side
edges united by a vertical grooved bar, the bottom or head sectious united by the
angle plates and the grooved horizontal bars, the segmental peripheral bars which
receive the lower and outer edges of the shell and bottom, and the peripheral
angle plates receiving the grooved horizontal and peripheral bars, as and for the
purpose described.
Dated this 21st day of February 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.