Improvements in Portable Roofs or Coverings for Ricks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Roofs or Coverings for Ricks.
We, HENRY SMITH, of The Brierley Hill Iron Works, Brierley Hill,
Staffordshire, Fencing Manufacturer, and JABEZ EVANS, of Tividale Galvanizing
Works, Tipton, Staffordshire, Manager, 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 :-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improvements in portable roofs or
coverings for ricks (such for instance as hay, corn and bean ricks) which are formed
chiefly of corrugated galvanized sheets of iron or steel secured to the rick. In a
rick covering constructed according to this invention the said sheets and the ridge
plates are so arranged that they can be quickly and effectually secured in place on
the rick to protect the same from damp and yet allow of ventilation, and so that
either one or more of the said covering sheets or the ridge plates can be removed
and replaced (when for instance the rick is being cut) without disturbing the
others.
On the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 illustrates in end elevation a rick covering constructed in accordance with
this invention ;
Fig. 2 is a plan and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same;
Fig. 4 shews one of the ridge plates of the same separately in front elevation
end elevation and in plan;
Fig. 5 shews separately one of the wormed skewers for fixing the said covering
to the rick but this skewer forms no part of our invention.
Fig. 6 shews a modified form of the said ridge plates in front and end elevations.
Fig. 7 is an elevation and Fig. 8 is an inverted plan of two of the covering sheets
shewing the method of securing them together as hereinafter described.
A rick covering constructed according to this invention consists of galvanized
corrugated iron or steel sheets arranged side by side along the slanting top sides of
the rick their edges overlapping a few inches as is usual. There may be any
number of these sheets according to the size of the rick. In the particular rick
cover shewn by the drawings there are only three sheets in the width those on one
side being marked A¹ A' A' and those on the other side A* A* A. Also there
may be only one row of sheets on each side (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) or there may be two
three or more rows one below the other according to the size of the rick the lower
edges of the upper rows of sheets overlapping the upper edges of the lower rows
these lower rows being fixed in place by wormed iron skewers of the usual kind
passing into the rick through holes in the sheets where they lap over. Each sheet
in the top row on one side of the crest of the rick is secured to the corresponding
top sheet on the other side thereof by one or more iron or other hooked rods such
as B B see Figs. 1, 7 and 8 which cross the crest of the rick and engage in the
Baid top sheets (preferably near the top edges thereof) or with cross bars C¹ C'
fixed to the said top sheets underneath. Each of these rods is formed as an eye b¹
at one end and thereby loosely connected to a cross bar C fixed to one of the
sheets and is formed as a hook 62 at its outer end to hook on to a corresponding
cross bar fixed on the opposite sheet; or instead of connecting the top sheets
together by rods, we may use wire ropes or chains for this purpose. The said
corrugated sheets are held down to the rick in the well known manner by wormed
skewers such as those marked D passing through the sheets into the rick. We
prefer to place light planks such as e along the top of the rick under the covering
sheets for the latter to lie on so that they will lie evenly together. It will be seen
that there is a space f between the top sheets on one side of the crest and the top
D
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page_text: sheets on the other side thereof for ventilation; this space is covered by arched or
otherwise bent ridge plates in this case three in number marked G¹ G' G' their
edges g overlapping as usual and their bottom edges resting on the side
sheets A¹ A A A A A and abutting against angle iron or other bars or strips /
rivetted to the side sheets for this purpose. The bottom edges g of the ridge
plates G¹ G'G' can either be undulated as shewn in Figs. 4 and 6 to fit into the
corrugations of the side sheets A' A² A³ A' A' A' or they can be left plain; but
we prefer to undulate them and bend them outwardly as shewn under the bars or
strips h so as the better to lead the water off the ridge plates down the corrugations
of the side plates A¹ A A A A A. These ridge plates are also by preference
strengthened by being corrugated across as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 or the
ridge plates may be made plain as shewn in Fig. 6. Wormed skewers K pass
through the ridge plates into the rick. The overhanging edges of the side
sheets A¹ A' A' A' are fixed by hooked rods i each of which at one end engages
in a hole in the sheet as shewn and at the other end is formed into an eye and
fixed to the rick by a wormed or other skewer j passing through the eye into
the rick.
When the first ridge plate say G' has been removed the corresponding covering
sheets A³ A can be lifted off (their skewers having first been withdrawn) without
disturbing the other part of the covering.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a portable covering for ricks the use of corrugated metal sheets such
as A A A A A A removably connected together across the ridge of the rick
in combination with arched ridge plates such as G1 G2 G' formed so as to abut
against cross bars such as fixed to the upper sides of the said sheets when the
sheets and the ridge plates are fixed to the rick by wormed screws in the manner
and substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved portable
rick covering hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings
irrespective of the number of corrugated sheets and ridge plates of which the said
covering is composed.
Dated this 30th day of April 1892.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.