IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND MACHINERY FOR BORING AND CUTTING STONE, EARTH, AND OTHER LIKE SUBSTANCES, AND FOR VENTILATING THE PLACES WHERE SUCH MACHINERY 18 EMPLOYED
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Colladon, of No. 62, Rue de la Victoire, in
the City of Paris, Banker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
AND MACHINERY FOR BORING AND CUTTING STONE, EARTH, AND OTHER LIKE
SUBSTANCES, AND FOR VENTILATING THE PLACES WHERE SUCH MACHINERY 18
EMPLOYED."
Sealed the 3rd July 1857, and dated the 21st April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Colladon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
21st April 1857.
I, DANIEL COLLADON, of No. 62, Rue de la Victoire, in the City of Paris,
Banker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS AND MACHINERY POR BORING AND CUTTING STONE, EARTH, AND OTHER
LIKE SUBSTANCES, AND FOR VENTILATING THE PLACES WHERE SUCH MACHINERY IS
EMPLOYED," to be as follows:-
Heretofore it has been proposed to employ compressed air for giving motion
to machinery for cutting stone, earth, and other like substances, and the
improved combination of machinery consists in arranging the piston and
mechanism which is worked by the compressed air, so that they give motion
by means of two connecting rods and cranks to two axes, which, by means of
other cranks and connecting rods give a to-and-fro motion to two slides, which.

page_text: being attached to each slide.
slido in guide frames one on each side of the engine, a series of chisels or cutters
The piston and tho guide frames are attached
to a circular plate, which is bolted at its centre to the centre of another
circular plate, the latter circular plate being attached at its circumference to
one end of a cylinder; the other end of the cylinder is arranged to contain
an elastic cushion, which forms an air-tight joint between the cylinder and the
stone, earth, or other substance against which the machine is placed, and
there is a pipe let into the cylinder, which pipe is put in connection with
an air pump, so as to form a vacuum in the space between the circular
plate and the stone or other substance against which the machine is placed,
and by this means to hold the machine firmly in whatever position it may
be placed. The circular plate supported by the cylinder has a groove
formed at its outer edge, in which are teeth, into which a cog wheel fixed
to the top circular plate takes, so that by turning the cog wheel the top circular
plate can be turned round in a circular direction, and so cause the chisels or
cutters to cut out a cylindrical piece of stone or other substance; when it is
required to make a straight cut or groove in the stone or other substance the
top plate, instead of being turned in a circle, may be arranged so as to move in
a straight line, by the cog wheel taking into a straight rack on the plate
attached to the stone or other substance. In order to cut out cylinders or
cylindrical blocks of stone or other like substance when it is of such a nature
as to require to be cut by saw teeth or by knives, or by working with sand
and water, I employ a combination of machinery consisting of two cylinders
of thin sheet metal, the ends of which act as cutters, the two cylinders being
of different diameters, turning one within the other around the same axis, but
in opposite directions. The smaller cylinder is affixed to a disc, on to which
is fixed the cylinder, in which the piston worked by compressed air moves,
and the compressed air is admitted to the cylinder through a pipe connected
by an air-tight joint to the centre of the disc. The piston is arranged
so as to give motion by means of a crank and worm wheels to an axis
on which there is a cog wheel, the supports in which the axes of the
worm and cog wheels turn, being all fixed to the disc and turning with
it. The cog wheel takes into a wheel having teeth on its interior; this
toothed wheel is fixed to a ring, which fits and turns around the disc,
and to this ring is attached the larger cylinder of thin sheet metal; by
this means it will be seen that when the piston is set in motion tho
two cutting cylinders will always turn in opposite directions. In order to
hold these two cutting cylinders in position, and to give the necessary pressure
against the stone or other substance to be cut, a tube is passed through the

page_text: air tube and through the centre disc, which tube is put in communication
with an air pump, so as to form a partial vacuum within the cylinders, and so
hold them in position and give the requisite pressure against the stone or other
substance to be cut. By taking away one of the cylinders of thin sheet metal
and fixing the ring to which it was attached so as to prevent it turning, one
cutting cylinder only may be employed, or the engine worked by compressed
air may be attached to a separate carriage and be put in connection with the
two cylinders when required. A new form of cutting tool is constructed by
means of flexible elastic blades or strips of steel combined with tubular
holders, which have lateral curved passages: through which the ends of the
blades are progressively protruded by means of screws, so that such cutting
ends or edges will be caused to act more and more distant from the centre of
the tubular holder, which cutting tool being caused to rotate or move with a
straight to-and-fro motion.
In order to keep the air in the compressed air pipes always at the same
pressure, the pipe has connected to it a small cylinder fitted with a piston. On
the piston rod there is a pin which works in a groove in one arm of a cranked
lever to which weights are attached. The end of the other arm of the
cranked lever is arranged so that when the pressure in the pipe is sufficient to
raise the piston, it throws the wheels out of gear, which give motion to the
compressing apparatus. In order to accelerate the motion of the piston in
either direction, the top of the piston rod is connected to one arm of another
cranked lever, having at its end a weight so arranged that when the piston is
in the middle of the cylinder this arm shall be in a perpendicular position;
but when the piston is nearer either the top or the bottom of the cylinder, the
weight is moved out of the perpendicular, and so forces the piston either to
the top or bottom of the cylinder.
In order that the end of the system of pipes containing the compressed air
may be attached to the boring or cutting machines at different places, the
pipes are made with an elbow at each end, the elbow of one pipe turning in an
air-tight joint on the elbow of the next pipe. At every other joint an axis is
passed through the two elbows, which are jointed together, on which axis two
wheels turn, which run on rails one on each side of the pipes. By this
arrangement it will be seen that the series of pipes may be extended or con-
tracted at pleasure.
The improvements, in ventilating the places where cutting machinery
worked by compressed air is employed, consist in arranging, the pipes which
convey the compressed air to the cutting machines in such a manner that the
compressed air may be heated by a furnace, or cooled by any suitablo means,

page_text: in order that the air after it has been employed for moving the cutting
machines, may be at a suitable temperature for ventilating or changing the air
wherever such machines are being used.
The compressed air may also be employed for splitting or dividing the stone
or other material, by forcing into the grooves made by the cutting instruments,
a highly-heated flame, and immediately afterwards a jet of cold water.