IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE EXPANDERS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Exall, of Reading, in the County of
Berks, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE
EXPANDERS."
Scaled the 30th August 1872, and dated the 5th March 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Exall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th March 1872.
I, WILLIAM EXALL, of Reading, in the County of Berks, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN TUBE EXPANDERS," to be as follows:-
:—
My Invention relates to the tools or "drifts "used for expanding the
cnds of metal tubes in order to fix them tightly in steam boilers, surface.
condensers, and other tubular apparatus, and my said Invention consists
in forming in or upon that part of the tool or drift," which is driven
into the tube for the above purpose, small longitudinal flutes, channels,
ss

page_text: ,,
"drift 1S
grooves, ribs, or projections, so that when the said tool or
driven into the tube the ribs or projections spread the metal of the said
tube which is thus fixed tightly in its hole in the boiler or other
plate.
When tubes of different diameters have to be expanded I use a tool
consisting of a disc formed in separate sectors held together by suitable
springs, portions of the said sectors being cut away, so that when the
said sectors are put together a hole is left into which a taper screw
is forced or a taper "drift" is driven by percussion. On the cylindrical
portion of the tool I form the longitudinal flutes, channels, grooves,
ribs, or projections herein-before referred to. When the screw is forced
in or the drift is hammered in the sectors aforesaid are forced outwards
and the ribs or projections on the said sectors spread out the metal of
the tube as herein-before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Exall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EXALL, of Reading, in the County of Berks, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Exall, Her special licence
that I, the said William Exall, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Exall, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TUBE EXPANDERS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Exall,
"6
23

page_text: .
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent. Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Exall, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:—
My Invention relates to tools or drifts used for expanding the ends of
metal tubes in order to fix them tightly in steam boilers, surface
condensers, and other tubular apparatus, and my said Invention consists
in forming in or upon that part of the tool or drift which is driven
into the tubes for the above purpose, small longitudinal or nearly
longitudinal flutes, channels, grooves, ribs, or projections, so that when
the said tool or drift is driven into the tube the aforesaid ribs or projec-
tions spread the metal of the said tube which is thus fixed tightly in its
hole in the boiler or other plate.
My Invention is applicable cither to ordinary drifts or to expanding
tools or drifts which are sometimes used when tubes of different diameters
have to be expanded. Such tools or drifts usually consist of discs formed
in separate sectors held together by suitable springs, portions of the said
sectors being cut away so that when the said sectors are put together
to form the disc a hole is left in the centre thercof into which hole a
taper screw is forced or a taper drift is driven by percussion.
In applying my Invention to this description of drift I form on or
in the cylindrical portion of the tool the flutes, channels, grooves, ribs
or projections, herein-before referred to. When the tool is inserted in a
tube and the screw is forced or the drift is hammered in the ribs or
projections on the sectors aforesaid spread out the metal of the said tube
as herein-before described. .
Having now described the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the letters and figures
marked thereon.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 are side and end views respectively of a drift made
according to my Invention. A is the drift and a, a, are the ribs and
grooves on and in that part of the said drift which is driven into the
tube, which part is slightly tapered.
:
Figures 3 and 4 are side and end views respectively of another drift to
which my Invention is applied, such drift being so constructed as to
be capable of being slightly expanded. The drift B is composed of
several parts 1, 6', which have in cross section the shape of sectors and
are welded together at 2: In the axis of the said drift at that part
which is driven into the tube a taper female screw is cut in which screw
the taper screw 63 engages. By turning this screw the diameter of the
drift can be increased from time to time as required.
Figures 5 and 6 are side and end views respectively of an expanding
tool or drift to which my Invention is applied; c¹, c¹, are sectors on and in
which are formed the ribs and grooves c², c². The said sectors are
mounted upon the drift C, being held thereon by the india-rubber
springs c³, c. When the tool is inserted in a tube and the drift C is
driven in the sectors are forced outwards and the ribs c², c², are thus
caused to spread out the metal of the said tube.
In the preceding Figures I have represented drifts with ribs and
grooves formed thereon and therein in a longitudinal or nearly
longitudinal direction. The ribs or grooves may however be. formed on
and in drifts in a direction oblique to the axis of the drift as represented
in Figure 7, which is a side view of a drift made according to this
modification of my Invention. Instead of forming continuous ribs on
the drift as represented in the preceding Figures, the ribs may be cross
cut so as to form projections as represented in Figure 8, which is a side
view of a drift made according to this modification of my Invention.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not claim as of my said Invention making drifts so as to be capable
of being expanded, neither do I limit myself to any particular form of
the flutes, channels, grooves, ribs, or projections, herein-before referred
to, as they may be made of any suitable form; but I claim as my Inven-
tion the improvements in tube expanders herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, making in or

page_text: upon the part of the tool or drift which is driven into the tube flutes,
channels, grooves, ribs, or projections, essentially, as and for the purpose
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Exall, have hereunto sct
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.