IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA RUBBER HOSE
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Burbridge, Manager at Messrs. W. Warne &
Co.'s India Rubber Works, Tottenham, Middlesex, Robert Cureton Thorpe,
Chemist, Tottenham, Middlesex, and Thomas Oakley, Engineer, Tottenham,
Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
INDIA RUBBER HOSE,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Burbridge, Robert
Cureton Thorpe, and Thomas Oakley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 28th January 1881.
JAMES BURBRIDGE, Manager at Messrs. W. Warne & Co.'s India Rubber
Works, Tottenham, Middlesex, ROBERT CURETON THORPE, Chemist, Tottenham,
Middlesex, and THOMAS OAKLEY, Engineer, Tottenham, Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA RUBBER HOSE."
The object of our Invention is to simplify the manufacture of india rubber
delivery and suction hose, and at the same time produce a more perfect article than
heretofore, both as regards endurance and appearance.
The usual mode of manufacturing hose is to take a mandril of iron, rope, or other
suitable material and cover it with rubber compound either by means of the
ordinary tubing machine or by taking a strip of rubber compound of the length of
the tube to be made and lapping it round the mandril by hand.
This coating of rubber is then covered with one, two, or more layers or plies of
canvas which has been thinly coated with india rubber and cut into strips. The
canvas is laid on by hand, and it is afterwards covered with a layer of rubber com-
pound in the same manner, the width of the several strips allowing for lap joints of
about 1 of an inch.
16
ths.
"
The formed tube is then vulcanized by heat either in what is known in the trade
as the "open or "closed" state. If in the "open" state the tube is placed in the
vulcanizer in a bed of powdered talc or other suitable material and covered with
the same. The rubber compound is however liable to blow when treated in this
manner, and the article comes out in an unsightly condition and is unsuitable for
the best markets.

page_text: If the vulcanizing takes place in the "closed" state, which is usually the case for
the best hose, the formed tube is wrapped tightly round with two or more layers of
plain canvas before being introduced into the vulcanizer in order to consolidate the
external rubber coating and prevent blowing. This wrapping up operation how-
ever not only takes up much time but causes great waste of canvas.
Moreover the external seam, notwithstanding the greatest care during the course
of manufacture, is liable to open and admit water to the canvas, which after a short
time becomes rotten and allows the inner layer of rubber to give way under the
internal pressure of the water, thus rendering the hose useless.
In carrying out our Invention we first lay a coating of rubber compound on to
the core or mandril in the ordinary manner or preferably by means of a tubing
machine.
As the rubber covered mandril issues from this machine one, two, or more plies
or layers of canvas are wrapped round it as before explained with a lap joint, or the
strips of canvas may be wound round helically, or cotton or flax yarns may be
applied in the manner employed in manufacturing what is known as volute hose.
After the canvas or other covering has been applied, instead of being covered with
a strip of rubber compound as heretofore, the covered mandril is taken to a second
tubing machine, where it is coated with rubber compound.
The speed at which the canvas covered tube is passed through the second tubing
machine will depend upon the thickness required for the external coating, that is to
say, the greater the thickness of coating required the slower the speed. As the
hose issues from this machine it is carried away by an endless belt or blanket, and
after being pounced with powdered talc or other suitable substance is taken to be
vulcanized.
The thickness of the coatings of rubber compound will be regulated by dies
secured to the nozzles of the tubing machines. These nozzles we slightly modify to
adapt them for use with our Invention; thus, instead of a curved passage loading
from the side of the nozzle to the die, and through which a flexible core or mandril
can be passed, we form a straight passage through the nozzle which enables us to.
use a rigid core or mandril, such core or mandril being found most suited for our
purpose, as the bending of the flexible mandril when covered with canvas is liable
to disturb the lay of the canvas and cause it to pucker, the result being imperfect
work.
This passage when the nozzle is in position will be in a horizontal line, and the
connection between the nozzle and the tubing machine will be by means of a
threaded hollow boss or projection arranged at about an angle of 45° to the said
horizontal line, the said boss screwing into a socket on the tubing machine.
In the passage is placed a hollow guide, the position of which is regulated by set
screws. This guide enters into the die, which is cored internally and is so arranged
that only sufficient space will be left between the mouth of the guide and the mouth
of the die as will allow of an amount of rubber compound passing through equal to
the thickness of the coating to be laid on.
The die is formed with a shoulder externally, against which bears a clamping
plate. This plate is secured to the nozzle by clamping screws or otherwise.
By the above described mode of manufacturing india-rubber hose we obtain a
practically seamless hose, whereby the inconvenience arising from the opening of a
seam is avoided. We also obtain a hose in which the external rubber coating is
thoroughly consolidated before vulcanizing, and we are enabled to vulcanize in the
open" state without detracting from the appearance of the hose, thus saving the
expense of labour and material necessary to consolidate it according to the old
plan. We also effect a considerable saving both in time and material in the
manufacture.
<<

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Burbridge, Robert Cureton Thorpe, and Thomas Oakley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th July 1881.
JAMES BURBRIDGE, Manager at Messrs. Warne & Co.'s India Rubber Works,
Tottenham, Middlesex, ROBERT CURETON THORPE, Chemist, Tottenham, Middlesex,
and THOMAS OAKLEY, Engineer, Tottenham, Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF INDIA RUBBER HOSE."
The object of our Invention is to simplify the manufacture of india-rubber
delivery and suction hose, and at the same time to produce a more perfect article
than heretofore both as regards endurance and appearance.
The usual mode of manufacturing hose is to take a mandril and cover it with
rubber compound, by taking a strip of rubber compound of the length of the
tube to be made and lapping it round the mandril by hand. The tube of rubber
thus formed is then covered with one, two, or more layers or plies of canvas
previously thinly coated with india rubber and cut into strips. The canvas is lapped
around by hand, and it is afterwards covered with a layer of rubber compound in
the same manner, the width of the several strips allowing for longitudinal lap joints
of about three-sixteenths of an inch.
»
The formed tube is then vulcanized by heat either in what is known in the trade
as the "open or "closed" state. If in the "open" state the tube is placed in the
vulcanizer and embedded in powdered talc or other suitable material. The rubber
compound is however liable to blow when heated in this manner, and the article
comes out in an unsightly condition, and is unsuitable for the best markets.
If the vulcanizing takes place in the "closed" state, which is usually the case
for the best hose, the formned tube is wrapped tightly round with two or more
layers of plain canvas, which serve to consolidate the external rubber coating and
prevent blowing during the vulcanizing operation. This wrapping up operation
however not only takes up much time but causes great waste of canvas.
In hose constructed as above described the external seam, notwithstanding the
greatest care during the course of manufacture, is liable to open and admit moisture
to the canvas, which quickly becomes rotten and allows the inner layer of rubber
to give way under the internal pressure of the fluid, thus rendering the hose
useless.
In manufacturing hose according to our Invention we take a mandril corre-
sponding in length to the length of hose desired to be made, and we apply to this
mandril a coating of rubber compound by means of a tubing machine modified in
the manner hereafter to be described.
As the roller covered mandril issues from this machine one, two, or more plies or
layers of canvas are wrapped around it with a lap joint as before explained, or the
strips of canvas may be wound round helically, or cotton or flax yarns may be
applied in the manner employed in manufacturing what is known as "volute hose."
After the canvas or other covering has been laid around the india rubber tube, we
carry the covered mandril with its partially formed hose to a second tubing machine
and there coat it with rubber compound.
The speed at which the canvas covered tube is passed through the second tubing
machine will depend upon the diameter of the hose, and the thickness required for
the external coating, that is to say, the greater the diameter of hose and the
thickness of coating required the slower the speed. Thus a length of hose of, say,
sixty feet, and one and a half inches diameter, receiving a coating of one-sixteenth
inch should take about fifteen minutes. As the hose issues from this machine it is

page_text: carried away by an endless belt or blanket, and after being pounced with powdered
talc or other suitable substance is transferred to the vulcanizer.
The thickness of the coatings of rubber compound will be regulated by dies
secured to the nozzles of the tubing machines.
The form of these nozzles we modify to adapt them for use with our Invention ;
thus, instead of a curved passage leading from the side of the nozzle to the die,
which is usual in machines employed in making gas tubing, and through which a
flexible core or mandril is passed we form a straight passage through the nozzle,
as the use of a mandril which curves or bends in its passage through the machine
is not admissible in this manufacture.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shewn our improved nozzle for the tubing
machine in side elevation at Fig. 1, in front view at Fig. 2, and in longitudinal
sectional elevation at Fig. 3.
A is the main casting of the nozzle; B, a die box; C, a die; and D, D¹, a guide,
which is screwed into the casting A. This guide.we prefer to make in two parts, the
part D' which is screwed on to the part D being tapered externally, and having a
central passage of a diameter varying according to the size of hose to be made, its
object being to guide the hose to the centre of the die, where it receives under
pressure the exterior coating of rubber compound.
The position of the guide D, D', in the nozzle is maintained by radial set screws
a, a, a, which pass through the casting. The guide enters the die C, which is coned
internally, and is capable of being so arranged that only sufficient space will be
left between the mouth of the guide and the mouth of the die as will allow of an
amount of rubber compound passing through equal to the thickness of the coating
required to be laid on. It will of course be understood that the part D¹ and the
die C will be changed according to the size of the hose required to be made.
The die is formed with a shoulder externally against which bears a clamping
plate E. This plate E is secured to the nozzle by set screws E¹ or otherwise.
By the above described mode of manufacturing india-rubber hose we obtain a
practically seamless hose, whereby the inconvenience arising from the opening of
a seam is avoided; we also obtain a hose in which the external rubber coating is
thoroughly consolidated before vulcanizing, and we are thus enabled to vulcanize
in the "open" state without detracting from the appearance of the hose, thereby
saving the expense of labour and material necessary to consolidate it according to
the old plan. We also effect a considerable saving both in time and material in the
manufacture.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of
India Rubber Hose," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent we
claim,―
Manufacturing india rubber hose with an external seamless coating of rubber
compound applied by mechanical pressure, substantially as and for the purpose
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Burbridge, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand aight hundred and eighty and
JAMES BURBRIDGE. (L.S.)