IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING IRON SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES, AND OTHER IRON STRUCTURES SUBJECT TO THE ACTION OF SEA AND OTHER WATERS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Robins, of 14, Surrey Street, Landport, in
the County of Hants, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING
IRON SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES, AND OTHER IRON STRUCTURES
SUBJECT TO THE ACTION OF SEA AND OTHER WATERS."
Sealed the 1st March 1867, and dated the 5th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Robins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th September 1866.
I, HENRY ROBINS, of 14, Surrey Street, Landport, in the County of Hauts,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHEATHING IRON SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES, AND OTHER IRON STRUCTURES
SUBJECT TO THE ACTION OF SEA AND OTHER WATERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sheathing iron ships and
other floating bodies, and other iron structures subject to the action of sea and
other waters. For these purposes, in order to sheathe iron ships and other
structures of iron with zinc or other suitable sheathing, metal sheets of zinc
or of the other sheathing metal to be employed are rolled or formed with ribs
or projections at proper intervals, which ribs or projections on the sides which

page_text: come next the iron surfaces which are to be sheathed have grooves or recesses
formed therein, whilst in the iron surfaces to be sheathed there are formed
pairs of grooves or recesses which are inclined to the surface of the iron and
to each other, and each pair of such grooves or recesses is divided by a rib or
projection with sides inclining to each other, so that when the ribs of the
sheathing metal are driven into the grooves in the iron surfaces the ribs or
projections on the inner surfaces of the sheathing metal will be caused to be
spread by the ribs or projections which separate the inclined grooves in the
surfaces of iron and the fixing of the sheathing metals to the iron surfaces will
thus be securely effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Robins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
ROBINS,, of 14, Surrey Street, Landport, in the County of Hants, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,.
the said Henry Robins, Her special licence that I, the said Henry
Robins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the
said Henry Robins, my 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN SHEATHING IRON SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES, AND OTHER
IRON STRUCTURES SUBJECT TO THE ACTION OF SEA AND OTHER WATERS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Robins, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Robins, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sheathing iron ships and
other floating bodies, and other iron structures subject to the action of sea and
other waters. For these purposes the iron surface to be sheathed has formed in it
.at suitable intervals apart dovetail grooves or recesses, each groove being divided
longitudinally by a 'wedge-formed projection which stands up from the bottom
of the groove; the sheathing plates, which may be of zinc or other suitable
metal, are rolled or formed with projecting ribs or flanges to enter and be
firmly wedged into the undercut dovetail grooves in the iron surface. The
ribs are held firmly in the grooves by wedge-formed projections from the
bottom of the grooves, bending out the ribs of the sheathing plates and
pressing them against the undercut sides of the grooves, so holding them
securely.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a perspective view of a portion of a sheathing plate and
also a portion of an iron plate to which the sheathing is to be attached.
In the arrangement shown in this Figure the sheathing plate a is rolled or
formed with ribs a' projecting up (at distances apart from one another) from
the surface of the plate which is to be next the plate of iron to be sheathed,
and along each of the ribs a¹ is formed a groove a³ as shewn; b'is the iron
plate to which the sheathing plate a is to be attached; 6' are the dovetail
grooves formed in its surface, and 6 is the wedge-formed projection standing
up. from the bottom of each groove, and dividing the groove longitudinally
into two parts; the grooves can readily be formed in the iron plates or surfaces
by means of a slotting machine. In applying the sheathing plate to the iron
surface the ribs on the sheathing plate are inserted, and by means of a
hammer are driven down into the grooves &¹ in the iron surface to be sheathed;
the wedge-formed projections 63 then enter the grooves a' in the ribs a' of
the sheathing plates, and spread out the ribs a¹ and cause them to fit against
the undercut sides of the grooves 6¹ in the iron surface.
A modification of the arrangement is shown in the perspective views,
Figures 2 and 3. In this arrangement the iron surfaces to be sheathed have
(as in the arrangement above described) dovetail grooves formed in them

page_text: which are divided longitudinally by wedge-formed projections &; the grooves
in this arrangement are only employed for holding two opposite sides or ends
of the plates of sheathing metal. The edges of the plates of sheathing metal
are turned over to form flanges at right angles to the plates, as shown at
Figure 2, and to connect them to the iron surface these flanges are inserted
into the grooves in the iron surface. When the flanges along the sides of
two adjoining plates have thus been inserted into the grooves b', ', in the
iron surface the space between the adjoining flanges is filled in by a bar c,
which is of the same metal as the sheathing metal; this piece c is formed
from a stout plate bent over on to itself, as shown at Figure 2. The piece c
is driven down by a hammer on to the wedge-formed projection 6' by which
the piece c is spread outwards, as shown at Figure 3, so holding the edges
of the plates securely. The depth and width of the grooves in the iron
surface may be varied, but I have found that a depth of one-eighth of un
inch is in most cases sufficient to hold the plate securely. If it be required
at any time to remove one of the plates of sheathing metal it is readily effected
by striking with a chisel or set along both sides of the top of the bar c which
retains the plate; the bar will thus be loosened, and it can then be taken
out with ease; another plate of sheathing metal can then be put in in its place.
In order to connect together the adjoining ends of two plates of sheathing
metal I bend over the ends of both plates, as shown at Figure 4, and hook
them one over the other, a solution of india-rubber or other suitable cement
or paint being placed between the lapped ends of the plates to make a water-
tight joint, but the mode of connecting together the ends of the plates may be
considerably varied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Robins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
HENDY DADING
HENRY ROBINS. (L.)