US569687A

US569687A - James todd

Info

Publication number: US569687A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 1913-10-20

Description

(No Model.)

Jrrom. METAL TOWER.

No. 569,687. v Patented. Oct. 20, 1896.

WITNESSES! VE/V T05:

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UNITED STATES ATENT rrrcn,

J AMES TODD, OF BATAVIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHALLENGE WIND MILL AND FEEDMILL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

M ETAL TOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,687, dated October 20, 1896.

Application filed January 30,1895. Renewed October 21, 1895. $eria1N0-586A14. (No model.)

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Be it known that 1, JAMES TODD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Batavia, iii the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal Towers,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of the skeleton towers now commonly employed to support elevated tanks of village an d other water-supply systems, and wherein the posts or vertical members are of Larimer or some similar columnar construction.

The invention is intended to afford a means of connecting the diagonal braces to the columns, which will avoid any tendency to twist or draw the metal of the column out of shape and by which the strain of the braces at one side of the column will be transmitted to and resisted in part, at least, by the braces at the other side of the column. In both these respects it is an improvement upon previous constructions.

The nature of the improvement is fully set forth in the description given below, and will be fully understood from the accompanying drawings, in which latter- Figure 1 is a partial elevation of a tower embodying the invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective of the joint between the columns and the diagonal braces, to which the invention particularly relates.

In said drawings, A A may represent the posts, B B the horizontal struts orbraces, and C O the diagonal tension-braces of any ordinary metal tower, such as are being quite commonly used for supporting the elevated tanks, the. The posts are of the well-known Larimer columnar construct-ion, each being composed of two companion wide-flanged I- beams a C6, the webs of which have been bent into concavo-convex form and the beams put together with the bent webs closely adjacent to each other, as shown at Fig. 2, and suitably secured by riveting. 1 flnd this construction of column better suited to use in towers intended. to sustain heavy weights than any other, but other analogous columnar constructions may be used with myinvention, if preferred.

The tensioirbraces C are all attached at their ends to the columns of the tower as follows: A strong band of flat metal D, of suitable length, is bent transversely to conform to the angling position of the flanges of the outer beams a of the column, and is placed around said beam and riveted to both flanges thereof, as shown at (Z. The ends of this band project at either side of the column-beam, and to these ends the diagonal braces are suitably attached. I prefer that the end of each brace shall be furnished with a clevis 0, adapted to set over the end of the band and to be secured thereto by a bolt, and also that the clevis of one of each pair of braces be made wide enough to embrace the clevis of the companion brace attached at the same end of the band D, so that a single bolt will secure both braces to the band.

It will be noticed that the bands D secure together the beam-flanges to which the braces are attached in the plane of the braceatt-achments, and also preferably in the plane of the struts B, so that the strain of the braces does not come wholly upon the web of the beam, but is transmitted from one flange to the other flange and thence to the braces attached to the latter flange, and also to some extent to the other beam of the column. I thus obviate the danger existing in prior constructions of any yielding to the strain of the braces by the web of the column-beam.

I am aware that in towers wherein the corner posts or columns are formed of angle-iron bands have been placed outside of the posts and provided with outstanding ears or lugs as a means for the attachment of the bracerods to the columns. In that construction the evil sought to be remedied by me does not exist, because the strain of the rods is exactly parallel with the flat webs of the columns, and the webs effectually prevent any torsion or bending of the metal in the columns; but with the Larimer column the strain of the brace-rods where the latter are secured to the flanges of the outside beam of the column, as in the old manner of attaching them, tends to bend or draw the web of that beam out straight; or, in other words, the strain of the braces, which is resisted by the web of the outer beam, may cause the opening or spreading apart of the flanged edges of the beam.

It is the prevention of this result which forms I taehed to the ends of said band and exerting the object of my invention. their tension in directions parallel to the faces I claim of the flanges of said outer beam, whereby The metal tower wherein are combined a the tendency of the braces to straighten out Larimei' column arranged with one of its the bend in the web of said outer e0lu1nn beams at the outside and the other at the inbeam is overcome, substantially as specified. side, abandD placed around said outerbeam and secured to both flanges thereof, and also I having its ends extended beyond said flanges 1 Without however being attached to the flanges of the inside beam, and tension-braces O at- JAMES TODD. itnesses:

THos. L. MAIR, ALBERT E. SNOW.