Improvements in Tubes or Conduits for Electric Cables.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tubes or Conduits for Electric Cables.
A communication from abroad by JACOB FRÈRES ET CIE., of 14 Quai de la Rapée,
Paris, in the Republic of France.
'
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, and 23 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 :-
The conduit herein described is intended to remove the disadvantages inherent in
conduits, in use hitherto for central stations for electric lighting, or for transmission
of motive force.
Its advantages consist, among others, in its affording a simple conduit, as little
cumbersome as possible, easily laid, solid, absolutely tight, having perfect insulation,
capable of being easily inspected, allowing, without any difficulty,-of-the-current
being tapped and of secondary ramifications.
These conduits may be constructed of any suitable insulating material. They are
preferably however made of the so called sand stone of Pouilly sur Saône, grès de
Pouilly sur Saône, Côte d'Or, France, which guarantees an indefinite duration, and a
complete unchangeability in spite of its low cost price.
It allows with advantage and security of naked electric cables being used.
This conduit is operculated preferably rectangular in shape, having the corners
slightly rounded. The upper part fits on the lower part, the joint following a broken
line, the shape of which is shown in the drawing and forms a covering completely
joined. This lower part is fitted with insulating supports which have a longitudinal
groove for receiving the cable, and a circular fluting (or neck) for insuring the
insulation. At each extremity of these longitudinal grooves, fixing tenons of any
suitable shape, form projections on the front and back walls of the insulating supports
and insure the cables being held firm by means of any suitable material wound round
them.
These supporis can be fixed or movable. Each conduit, the length of which varies
according to requirements, has a male screw at one end and a female screw at the
other, so that the conduits may be easily connected with one another.
To overcome absolutely the disadvantages inherent in all subterranean passages,
namely, damp, absorption of gas and loss of electricity, the following arrangements
are employed.
In the annexed drawings
:-
Figure 1 is a section of the conduit.
A is the cover,
m the joint, following a broken line,
B the base or lower part of the conduit

page_text: A is the lid,
B the bottom or lower part of the conduit,
I and I the insulating supports,
C the lateral parts of the groove,
e the attaching tenon,
d the lower part of the insulator forming a flange,
I
the neck of the insulator,
P and P the feet of the insulator,
the male screw at the end,
the female screw at the other end.
The upper part forming the lid fits on by a broken line (the shape of which is
shown as an illustration in the drawing, Figure 1, letter m) in place of a straight one.
Any other form of broken or curved line, so as to avoid a straight one, can equally
well be employed. The worm at the ends is also made in a broken line like the
arrangement, Figure 2, making the same reservations as in the preceding case.
The arrangement of the joint of the lid and the connection of the extremities,
allowing, if required, a crossing (or breaking) of the joints, insures a perfect water-
tightness by means of any suitable impermeable material, cement, insulating mastic,
clay, etcetera.
The conduit can be made of any suitable insulating material, so long as by its
composition it allows of the arrangements described above being carried out.
It is stated above that a rectangular form is preferable, but with the suitable
insulators, as described before, a circular, oval or any other form can be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An operculated conduit of suitable insulating material, fitted with fixed or
renovable insulators of the same or similar material, for carrying electric cables,
combined and arranged as a whole, substantially as described and shown.
2. The special arrangement of the insulator having substantially the form described
in the above specification.
Dated this 29th day of May 1890
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.