IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TORPEDOES AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOSEPH WHITLEY of the Railway Works, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer and Founder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TORPEDOES AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Whereas hitherto Torpedoes have been made of steel cast in parallel tubes of
great thickness and turned and bored to the required dimensions also the conic
ends required for the same have been manufactured from sheet steel or worked up
from blooms or slabs, now my invention consists in the casting of Bronze air tubes
and solid conic Bronze end castings all of the required contours internally and
externally and to turn bore or work them up in dies or otherwise by hammering
forging or pressing the same with hydraulic pressure to the required thickness and
exact form For this purpose I form the respective models in Bronze or Iron of
the required thickness and having constructed proper moulds for the body part
and the two ends of the Torpedo I dry the same and cast them in a vertical
position all the machinery and moulding boxes being mathematically fitted to suit
the respective parts so as to produce the castings very true and which when
produced I turn bore hammer forge or press with hydraulic pressure until I have
reduced the required parts to the proper size and thickness. By this arrangement
I can cast the Bronze Air Tube, and the two Bronze ends in which to mount the
charge of gun cotton or other explosive of the real contour required and of
considerably less weight of material and in a shorter time, thus facilitating the
time required in the manufacture of Torpedoes. The castings being thus formed of
the required contour internally and externally the base of the crystal is much
stronger and therefore the Bronze shells so made are considerably stronger than
they otherwise could be when so much of the surface would have to be cut away
to get the curved lines if the casting had been made parallel internally or externally.
Thus my object is accomplished by the formation of proper models described as
above and by the formation of suitable moulding apparatus which I form with the
greatest accuracy in Bronze or Iron adapting them to the like contour of the

page_text: respective models, and moulding the same up in suitable loam and thoroughly
drying them internally and externally before casting them (which I prefer to do
whilst rotating).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be
understood that I do not bind myself to the precise mode or arrangement herein
described as these may vary without departing from the principle of my invention,
but what I claim is
First The construction of Bronze Torpedo Air Vessels cast to the required
contour substantially as herein before described.
Second The construction of Torpedo Air Vessel ends by casting them to the
required contour substantially as herein before described.
Third The application of Torpedo Air Vessels and Torpedo Air Vessel ends for
the receiving of the charge and the machinery cast with their respective lines of
contour upon them respectively substantially as herein before described.
Fourth The casting of Torpedo ends either with parabolic, eliptic or conic lines
substantially as herein before described.
Fifth The working up from the cast state of the respective ends to the required
thickness and contour substantially as herein before described.
Dabad thin 10th day of t... 100