Improvements in Pipe Flanges.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1889
Complete
Complete Specification Left, 20th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
Improvements in Pipe Flanges.
Communicated to me from abroad by RUDOLF WEYHER, Merchant, Arnstadt,
Thuringia.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in pipe flanges, and its
object is to provide a pipe flange, which, being composed of two halves, may be easily
applied to a pipe, or series of pipes, without injuring the pipe or pipes, and which may
as easily be removed or replaced for repairs or any other purpose.
In ordinary cast iron pipes, the flange is usually cast integral with the body of the
pipe; in wrought iron pipes the flanges are ordinarily, rivetted on, and with copper
pipes and pipes of other soft metal, sinall flanges are usually bent at the ends of the
pipe to hold a cast iron, or wrought iron flange which has previously been forced and
soldered on to the pipe, to secure the ends of two adjoining pipes to each other.
Flanges of the latter kind can only be removed and replaced by fresh ones, by unsolder-
ing the flange, bending the small flange down, removing the larger flange, then putting
a new one on and soldering it again. All these operations cannot be done without
considerable loss of time and injury or damage to the pipe or series of pipes, and
where there is no ready access to the series, the said operations require them to be
dismounted for the purpose of repairs.
By the use of the improved flange which forms the subject of this invention, such
flangé may at any time be removed and replaced by another flange, without any
injury being done by soldering or unsoldering, and without bringing the pipe or
series of pipes out of position. This is of especial importance in all cases where
repairs are to be made without loss of time and without taking the pipe from its
place and position.
If the flange is of oval shape it is composed of two halves exactly similar to each
other; each of these halves having a part cut out from the central part at one side,
and at the opposite side a wedge-shaped part formed upon each half, of the same
thickness as the remaining part of the piece, making each piece of double thickness
throughout the extent of the wedge shaped part. The said wedge shaped part
corresponds in form exactly with the recess of the opposite half. It will be obvious
therefore, that in placing the two halves one over the other, but one of them upside
down, the wedge shaped part of each half will fill up the recess of the other half, and
the side parts of hoth halves will combine with each other so as to give the same
thickness as the wedge shaped central parts, thus making up a flange flush on both
sides with a central aperture for the tube, to which the flange is to be fitted, and
which may have holes provided besides, for receiving the bolts by which the flanges
of two adjoining pipes are to be held together. The central aperture may be of any
suitable diameter or shape, to fit a pipe of corresponding size and shape.
The flange composed of two complementary halves as described, may have a circular
shape, and four or more bolt holes may be provided.
The screw bolts, passing through such holes and joining the adjacent flanges of two
pipes, will at the same time force the two halves of the flange against each other and
hold them tightly secured. By unscrewing or removing the bolts, the two halves of
the flange may readily be removed from the pipe and fitted again, or replaced by
fresh ones, without changing the position of the pipe or submitting the latter to any
treatment which might be injurious.

page_text: Instead of an oval or circular shape, the flange may have any other suitable shape,
square, rectangular, hexagonal or the like, as may be required.
Dated this 18th day of Amil 1080
EDWARDS & Co.,
5, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pipe Flanges.
A communication to me from abroad by RUDOLF WEYHER, Merchant, of Arnstadt,
in the Empire of Germany.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and Engineers
of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, 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 and
accompanying drawing, (that is to say):-
This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in pipe flanges, and it has
for its object to provide a pipe-flange, which, being composed of two halves, may be
easily applied to a pipe, or series of pipes, without injuring the pipe or conduit, and
which may as easily be removed or replaced for repairs or any other purpose.
In ordinary cast-iron pipes, the flange is usually cast integral with the body of
the pipe; in wrought iron pipes the flanges are ordinarily rivetted on, and with
copper pipes and pipes of other soft metal, small flanges are usually bent or formed
at the ends of the pipe, to retain a cast iron, or wrought iron flange which has
previously been forced and soldered on the pipe, to secure the ends of two adjoining
pipes to each other.
Flanges of the latter kind can only be removed and replaced by fresh ones, by
unsoldering the flange, bending the small flange down, removing the larger main
flange, then putting a new one on and soldering it again. All these operations
cannot be done without considerable loss of time and injury or damage to the pipe or
series of pipes, and where there is no ready access to them, the said operations require
them to be dismounted for the purpose of repairs.
By the use of the improved flange which forms the subject of the present invention,
such flanges may at any time be removed and replaced by others without any injury
being done by soldering or unsoldering, and without bringing the pipe or series of
pipes out of position.
This is of special importance in all cases where repairs are to be done without loss
of time and without taking the pipe from its place and position.
In the accompanying drawing which is in illustration of the invention, Figure 1 is
a front view of an improved pipe flange constructed according to the invention and it
is made of two parts, the flange being shewn of oval shape;
Figure 2 is a view from above and below respectively, of the piece, or pieces,
composing the flange;
Figure 3 is a side view of the said piece, or pieces, both pieces being exactly
identical;
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the flange, the two pieces being shown put
together;
Figure 5 is a front view of a flange, of circular shape, and
Figure 6 is a side view of the said flange, complete.
With reference to figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the flange of oval shape is composed of
two halves A and B exactly similar to each other, each of these halves having a
part cut out from the central part at one side, and at the opposite side a wedge-
shaped part D is formed upon each half, of the same thickness as the remaining part
of the piece, making each piece A and B of double thickness throughout the extent of
the wedge shaped part D. The said wedge-shaped part D corresponds in form
exactly with the recess C of the opposite half. It will be obvious, therefore, that by

page_text: placing the two halves A and B one over the other, but one of them upside-down,
the wedge-shaped part D of each half will fill up the recess C of the other half, and
the side parts of both halves will combine with each other so as to give the same
thickness as the wedge shaped central parts D, thus making up a flange, flush on both
sides, with a central aperture for the tube to which the flange is to be fitted, and
having holes provided, if required, for receiving the bolts by which the flanges of two
adjoining pipes are to be held together. The central aperture may be of any
convenient diameter or shape, to fit a pipe of corresponding size and shape.
The flange, composed of two complementary halves A and B, as described, may
have a circular shape, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6, and four or more bolt-holes may
be provided. The bolts, passing through such holes and connecting the adjoining
flanges of two pipes, will at the same time draw the two halves of the flange against
each other and hold them tightly secured. By unscrewing or removing the bolts, the
two halves A B of the flange may readily be removed from the pipe and fitted again,
or replaced by fresh ones, without changing the position of the pipe or submitting
the latter to any treatment which might injure it.
Instead of an oval or circular shape the flange may have any other suitable shape,
square, rectangular, hexagonal or the like, as may be required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A pipe-flange, consisting of two halves A and B of the same shape, each having
a recess C and a raised wedge-shaped part D, fitting into the recess of the other half,
the said halves being so put together as to leave between them the aperture for the
pipe and to be secured to each other and to an adjoining pipe flange by means of
bolts, substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn in the drawing.
Dated this 18th day of January 1890.
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Patentee.