Improvements in Pipes, Shutes, and Conduits Used in Elevating, Moving, and Transferring Grain, Flour, Seeds, and other Cereals and Substances from Place to Place, or for the Conveyance of Fluids, and in Fittings Used in Conjunction with such Pipes, Shutes, and Conduits.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 22nd Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 1st Feb., 1887.
Improvements in Pipes, Shutes, and Conduits Used in Elevating,
Moving, and Transferring Grain, Flour, Seeds, and other Cereals
and Substances from Place to Place, or for the Conveyance of
Fluids, and in Fittings Used in Conjunction with such Pipes,
Shutes, and Conduits.
I ALEXANDER THOMPSON of Hollinwood near Oldham in the County of Lancaster,
Iron, Zine and Tin-plate Worker and Machinist do hereby declare the nature of this
Invention to be as follows:-
My said Invention has reference chiefly to the metallic sbute pipes which are used
in connection with elevators in flour mills, grain stores and the like to convey grain,
flour, seeds or other cereals or substances from an elevator to a machine, bin, receptacle
or weighing apparatus and generally to convey or transfer such cereals, products or
substances from one part of a mill, store or vessel to another and in the transhipping
or removal of grain and other substances from place to place. In connecting the
said shute pipes to the delivery of the elevator in flour mills under present arrange-
ments it is necessary to make a careful fit of the shute pipe to the delivery conduit at
an angle which is determined by the position of the machine or bin beneath to which
the grain or flour is to be delivered and when thus fitted and secured no alteration in
the angle of the shute pipe is possible without breaking the joint. According to my
invention the shute pipe can be coupled to the delivery conduit of the elevator at any
required angle without the employment of skilled labour and in a comparatively short
time while the joint is at all times adjustable so that the angle of the shute pipe can
be altered at will. Upon the ends of the pipes or conduits to be coupled I fix or form
flanges the faces of which are inclined relative to the axes of the pipes the consequence
being that when the flanges are placed face to face the pipes to be coupled can be
swivelled and caused to assume any desired angle or the pipes can be coupled so as
to be in line. In order to give the said inclined flange coupling the properties of an
universal joint I may secure one or both of the said inclined flanges to the pipe or
conduit in such a manner that the pipe can be turned in the flange or I may so form
the delivery pipe or shute of the elevator that it can be turned so as to accomodate

page_text: the angle of the pipe or shute to the position of the machine, bin or other situation
to which the grain or flour is to be directed. I may use any suitable means to
secure the inclined coupling flanges together but a convenient method of holding the
coupling is to form a screw thread on the periphery of one of the flanges and to screw
a cap or bonnet thereon, having an inwardly projecting lip or flange which confines
the other flange of the coupling and binds it against the face of the screwed flange.
Instead of screwing one of the inclined flanges as described I may screw a loose ring
into the cap, both of the flanges being then confined between the ring and the cap.
If desired a ring of rubber, hemp, asbestos or other packing material may be placed
in a groove between the two flanges so as to pack the joint. Instead of using a
screwed cap to secure the inclined flanges together as described I may secure the
said flanges by means of bolts or screws, slots being formed in the flanges to give the
required play. For convenience of fitting I form the shute pipe or conduit in lengths
which are made so as to be easily coupled together and detached. A convenient mode
of securing the said lengths together is to employ a spring coupling but any other
known means for readily connecting and disconnecting pipes may be used. The
portions of piping to be coupled may vary in length so as to render the length of the
complete shute pipe adjustable at will and in accordance with the position of the
apparatus or receptacle towards or into which the grain, flour or other substance is to
be directed. To prevent an explosion originating in the machine or bin from spreading
to the elevator I may fit a valve in one of the said lengths of the shute pipe the said
valve being so arranged that it will open to give free passage to the grain or flour but
will close in the event of an explosion so as to prevent the flame from firing the
elevator; or as a substitute for or in conjunction with the said automatic valve I might
mount a valve on the top of the elevator casing which would relieve an explosion
originating either in the machine or in the elevator itself. By means of my herein-
before described improvements the angle and length of shute and other pipes in a flour
mill or other situation can be easily and quickly adjusted without the necessity for
employing skilled labour. Where blast or suction elevators are used the casing may
be constructed in the manner described. Although I have referred to my said inven-
tion as more especially applicable to shute pipes and transfer conduits in connection
with elevators in flour mills, graineries, vessels and in the shipment, storage and
treatment generally of grain, flour, seeds, cereals and substances capable of being thus
transferred, I wish it to be understood that my improved method of coupling may
also be used in conjunction with pipes for the conveyance of fluids especially when
such pipes are laid in situations which require easy and speedy adjustment to suit
irregularities in the ground or to avoid obstacles.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: Elevating,
Moving, and Transferring Grain, Flour, Seeds, and other Cereals
and Substances from Place to Place, or for the Conveyance of
Fluids, and in Fittings Used in Conjunction with such Pipes,
Shutes, and Conduits.
Improvements in Pipes, Shutes, and Conduits Used in
I ALEXANDER THOMPSON of Hollinwood near Oldham in the County of Lancaster,
Iron, Zine and Tin-plate Worker and Machinist 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 drawings:-
:-
My said Invention has reference chiefly to the metallic shute pipes which are used
in connection with elevators in flour mills, grain stores and the like to convey grain,
flour, seeds or other cereals or substances from an elevator to a machine, bin, receptacle
or weighing apparatus and generally to convey or transfer such cereals, products or
substances from one part of a mill, store or vessel to another and in the transhipping
or removal of grain and other substances from place to place. In connecting the said
shute pipes to the delivery of the elevator in flour mills under present arrangements it
is necessary to make a careful fit of the shute pipe to the delivery conduit at an angle
which is determined by the position of the machine or bin beneath to which the grain
or flour is to be delivered and when thus fitted and secured no alteration in the angle
of the shute pipe is possible without breaking the joint. According to my invention
the shute pipe can be coupled to the delivery conduit of the elevator at any required
angle without the employment of skilled labour and in a comparatively short time
while the joint is at all times adjustable so that the angle of the shute pipe can be
altered at will.
b
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I will now
proceed more particularly to describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet of
drawings. Fig. 1 of the drawings is an elevator or a shute pipe coupled together in
accordance with my invention. Upon the ends of the pipes or conduits a and b to he
coupled I fix or form flanges c the faces of which are inclined relative to the axes of
the pipes a and b the consequence being that when the flanges care placed face to face
as in the drawings the pipe 6 can be swivelled and caused to assume any desired angle
as indicated by the dotted lines y or the pipes can be coupled so as to be in line as in
Fig. 1. In order to give the piping coupled by the said inclined flanges a freedom of
movement equivalent to that conferred by an universal joint I may unite the delivery
pipe or shute a of the elevator to the straight flange a¹ in the manner shown at Fig. 14
so that it can be turned to accomodate the angle of the pipe or shute b to the position
of the machine, bin or other situation to which the grain or flour is to be directed. I
may use any suitable means to secure the inclined coupling flanges together but a
convenient method of holding the coupling is shown at Fig. 1. I form a screw thread
on the periphery of one of the flanges say on the flange of the pipe b and screw a cáp
or bonnet d thereon, having an inwardly projecting lip or flange d' which confines the

page_text: other flange of the pipe a and binds it against the face of the screwed flange. Instead
of screwing one of the inclined flanges as described I may screw a loose ring e into
the cap d as shown at Fig. 2 both of the flanges being then confined between the ring
and the cap. If desired a ring of rubber, hemp, asbestos or other packing material
may be placed in a groove between the two flanges so as to pack the joint. Fig. 2
shows two modes of coupling the inclined flanges together, specially suited for the
lighter classes of piping; one method being shown on the right hand side of the figure
and the other on the left. Referring to the right of the figure I secure the inclined
flanges c to the pipes a, b and to the upper flange I secure a circular clip p which is
bent or curved beneath so as to embrace and support the lower flange so that
the pipe b can be turned to any desired angle relative to the pipe a. On the left hand
side of the figure the flange or pipe a is formed out of the metal of the pipe and the
flange of the pipe is bent over the flange on the pipe a so as to confine it and at the
same time allow the pipe b or a to be turned. Instead of using a screwed cap to secure
the inclined flanges together as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and as described I may secure
the said flanges in the manner indicated at Fig. 4 by means of bolts or screws f slots
being formed in the flanges to give the required play. For convenience of fitting I
form the shute pipe or conduit in lengths which are made so as to be easily coupled
together and detached. A convenient mode of securing the said lengths together is
illustrated at the lower part of Fig. 1. A hook his secured on one side of one of the
pipe sections to be united and a hinged latch i on the other side. The section of pipe
to be coupled is furnished on one side with an eyej which engages with the hook h
and the latch i engages with a catch the said catch having an inclined upper side so
that when the latch is pressed home it tends to draw the two sections of pipe together.
Instead of the described hook and eye and latch or in conjunction therewith I might
couple by means of springs of which there may be any desired number secured to
one pipe section and snapping over and holding a bead or projection rolled or formed
on the opposite pipe section. The said spring is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and
in the detached view. I do not however confine myself, to these means of coupling
as any other known means for readily connecting and disconnecting pipes may be
used. The portions of piping to be coupled may vary in length so as to render the
length of the complete shute pipe adjustable at will and in accordance with the position
of the apparatus or receptacle towards or into which the grain, flour or other substance
is to be directed. Fig. 5 illustrates the means I adopt to prevent an explosion
originating in the machine or bin from spreading to the elevator.
I fit a valve m in
one of the said lengths of the shute pipe the said valve being so arranged and balanced
by the weight n that it will open as shown in dotted lines to give free passage to the
grain or flour coming in the direction of the arrow but will close as shown in full lines
in the event of an explosion so as to prevent the flame from firing the elevator. As a
substitute for or in conjunction with the said automatic valve I might mount a valve m
on the top of the elevator casing as shown at Fig. 5 which would relieve an explosion
originating either in the machine or in the elevator itself. The shute pipes and elevator
casings may be of any suitable material but they are preferably made of thin sheet.
metal, tinned galvanized or varnished to prevent oxidation. "When made of this
material the said elevator casings are or may be put together in the manner described
in the Specification of a previous patent No. 303 of the present year granted to me
in conjunction with Edmundson Scholes. When the form of the elevator casing or
shute pipe is tubular it can be quickly and cheaply made by bending a sheet to a
cylindrical form and securing the meeting edges by a slit tube o in the manner set
forth in the said foregoing patent and as shown by the sectional view Fig. 6. A pipe
sn constructed might be used in the conveyance of fluids.
By means of my hereinbefore described improvements the angle and length of shute
and other pipes in a flour mill or other situation can be easily and quickly adjusted
without the necessity for employing skilled labour. Where blast or suction elevators
are used the casing may be constructed in the manner described. Although I have
referred to my said invention as more especially applicable to shute pipes and transfer
conduits in connection with elevators in flour mills, graineries, vessels and in the ship-

page_text: ment, storage and treatment generally of grain, flour, seeds, cereals and substances
capable of being thus transferred, I wish it to be understood that my improved method
of coupling may also be used in conjunction with pipes for the conveyance of steam
and fluids generally especially when such pipes are laid in situations which require
easy and speedy adjustment to suit irregularities in the ground or to avoid obstacles.
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:-
(1) In connecting together lengths of pipes for the conveyance of substances or
fluids as set forth the employment of coupling flanges, fixed to or formed on the ends
of the pipes and inclined relatively to their axes so that the coupled lengths of piping
can be set at relatively different angles to each other as and for the purposes herein-
before set forth and indicated.
(2) The methods of connecting the coupling flanges together as set forth and shown
at Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
(3) Connecting together the various lengths of pipes or conduits by means of the
latch and spring couplings described and shown at Fig. 1 of the drawings.
(4) The arrangement of valve for preventing the spread of fire and for relieving
explosions in elevator casings, shute pipes or parts connected or communicating there-
with, substantially as described and shown.
DUTION & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.