AN IMPROVED TUBE PLUG OR STOPPER
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ley and George Shearer, both of
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED TUBE PLUG OR STOPPER."
Sealed the 9th February 1875, and dated the 26th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ley and
George Shearer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 26th August 1874.
We, WILLIAM LEY and GEORGE SHEARER, both of Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED TUBE PLUG OR STOPPER," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the use of india-rubber, or a combination of
india-rubber and asbestos, or other elastic packing, so arranged that
when acted upon by the pressure of water or other liquid, or steam in
a tube, the said pressure expands the packing and thereby stops the
tube.
That our Invention may be clearly understood we will describe a tube
plug constructed according to our Invention, and of form convenient for
stopping leaky tubes in steam boilers.

page_text: To stop a boiler tube of, say, three and one quarter inches diameter
we construct a plug of two metal discs separated by a metal bar of
length suitable for the tube to be stopped. These discs are of diameter
less than the tube to allow easy passage therethrough, say, one-sixteenth
clearance. The discs are formed with a cored slot or groove round their
outer surface, so arranged that an elastic ring, such as india-rubber, or
india-rubber and asbestos, or other suitable elastic packing, may be
placed therein. The backs of the discs are cored out in the form of a
guard, so that water or other pressure can find its way to the inside of
the elastic packing rings and expand the rings on the respective discs
to form joints in the tube, such joints being equal to the pressure of the
water in the defective tube.
In applying our improved tube plug and stopper it is inserted into
the tube until the leak to be stopped comes between the respective
discs. The portion of the tube between the discs fills with water, which
exerts its pressure on the elastic packing rings, and effectually plugs
the tube and stops the leak.
Our Invention is applicable to stopping any description of tube,
whether of boilers, condensers, or otherwise, and is capable of modifi-
cation in form, namely, the discs may be composed of cast iron,
wrought iron, or other metal; also they may be formed of washers
with an elastic ring between them, the inside washer having holes cored
or bored through so as to allow the water or other pressure to get at the
inside surface of the elastic packing rings.
The discs or washers may be screwed on to the connecting rod, or
they may be rivetted thereto. The connecting rod may also project
through one disc, and have its ends screwed for the purpose of con-
necting a rod thereto to draw the plug if necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Ley and George Shearer in the Great Seal 30
Patent Office on the 22nd February 1875.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Ley and George Shearer, Her
special licence that we, the said William Ley and George Shearer, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Ley and George Shearer, our 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 "AN IMPROVED TUBE PLUG OR STOPPER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Ley and George Shearer, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, 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

page_text: less than the tube to allow easy passage therethrough, say, onc-sixteenth
clearance. The discs are formed with a cored slot or groove round their
outer surface, so arranged that an elastic ring, such as india-rubber, or
india-rubber and asbestos, or other suitable elastic packing, may be
placed therein. The backs of the discs are cored out in the form of a
guard, so that water or other pressure can find its way to the inside of
the elastic packing ring, and expand the rings on the respective discs
to form joints in the tube, such joints being equal to the pressure of the
water in the defective tube.
In applying our improved tube plug and stopper it is inserted into
the tube until the leak to be stopped comes between the respective
discs. The portion of the tube between the discs fills with water, which
exerts its pressure on the clastic packing rings, and effectually plugs
the tube and stops the leak.
Our Invention is applicable to stopping any description of tube,
whether of boilers, condensers, or otherwise, and is capable of modi-
fication in form, namely, the discs may be composed of cast iron,
wrought iron, or other metal; also they may be formed of washers with
an elastic ring between them, the inside washer having holes cored or
bored through, so as to allow the water or other pressure to get at the
inside surface of the elastic packing ring.
The discs or washers may be screwed on to the connecting rod, or they
may be rivetted thereto. The connecting rod may also project through
onc disc and have its end screwed for the purpose of connecting a rod
thereto to draw the plug if necessary. Or there may be cast on to onc
disc a boss, into which a rod may be screwed for the purpose of adjusting
the tube stopper into position or withdrawing it.
A modification of our Invention may consist of a spindle of wood,
metal, or other suitable material, with the discs turned or formed on the
ends thereof, with india-rubber or other elastic rings fitted in manner as
described in the first part of this Specification.
The before-going being the nature, object, and purposes of this our
Invention we will now proceed to describe more in detail how the same
may be carried into practical effect, and for that purpose we have here-
unto attached a Sheet of Drawings marked with letters and figures of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation. Like
letters and figures on the Drawings are used to denote similar parts.

page_text: Figure 2 is a section of end of tube plug or stopper, shown with a
square india-rubber ring.
Figure 3 is an end view of plug or stopper, showing a suitable form
of guard.
Figure 4 is a section of end of tube plug or stopper, shown with the
centre bar passing through the disc to attach an adjusting rod.
Figure 5 shows another method of attaching adjusting rod.
Figure 6 shows a modification of tube plug or stopper, the ends or
discs being formed on the centre spindle.
Upon reference it will be seen that A is a section of an ordinary boiler
tube having a fracture indicated by the line B. To stop the leak caused
by this fracture we use a tube plug or stopper according to our Inven-
tion, which consists of an iron rod a, which may be about eighteen inches
in length, or more. At each end of the rod a there are rivetted, screwed,
or bolted to the rod the metal discs or buckets b. These discs arc
formed with a perforated guard 6 on the backs or insides. The discs
or buckets are fitted with rings of india-rubber, or india-rubber and
asbestos, or other elastic packing c. These rings are so fitted as to leave
a space e between the disc b and the ring c, so that the pressure of the
water or steam will act on the inner surface of the ring c and drive the
same against the tube, thus forming a joint by the pressure inside the
tube.
Each end of the tube plug being of similar construction, and the
pressure being exerted in the direction of the arrows f, h, it is evident
that the tube will be effectually plugged or stopped between the discs b.
An adjusting rod k may be applied when required, as shown at Figures
4 and 5.
b
seen that the discs 6 may be
Suitable holes or apertures
Upon reference to Figure 6 it will be
formed on and in one piece with the bar a.
bare provided to allow the pressure between the discs to expand the
rings c.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature, object, and
purposes of this our Invention, and shown how the same may be carried

page_text: into practical effect we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to any particular size or arrangement of the tube plug or
stopper, as shown, nor to any particular material used in its con-
struction, as the same may be considerably varied without departing
from our Invention; but what we claim as our Invention and secured
to us by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, is, a tube plug or stopper consisting
of a central bar, which carries two discs or buckets provided with india-
rubber or other elastic rings, so arranged that the internal pressure in the
tube between the said discs will expand the india-rubber or other elastic
rings and effectually plug the tube, as shown in the accompanying
Drawings and described in the before-going Specification.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Ley and George Shearer,
have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Sixteenth day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.
WILLIAM (L.S.) LEY.
GEORGE (L.S.) SHEARER.