IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BREAKING DOWN COAL, STONE, AND OTHER MINERALS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cochrane, of Seghill House, Northumber-
land, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BREAKING
DOWN COAL, STONE, AND OTHER MINERALS."-A communication from abroad
by Theophile Guibal, residing at Mons.
Sealed the 8th October 1867, and dated the 17th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cochrane at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th April 1867.
I, WILLIAM COCHRANE, of Seghill House, Northumberland, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR BREAKING DOWN COAL, STONE, AND OTHER MINERALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for breaking
down coal, stone, and other minerals.
The apparatus, which is intended to be introduced into a hole bored for it
in the coal, stone, or mineral, consists of two metal bars which press against
the opposite sides of the hole, being caused to do so by another bar or
piece in between them and having a number of inclines upon it on each side
thus
there are corresponding inclines on the inner sides
of the pressing bars. The inclines which are opposed the one to the other do
not come absolutely into contact, small rollers slightly exceeding the height of
the incline being interposed. The rollers are introduced to lessen the friction

page_text: which would otherwise absorb a large proportion of the power of the instru-
ment. The centre bar or piece has a screw stem at the front with a nut upon
it, by turning which this bar or piece is drawn outward, and in this way the
opposite inclines acting against each other through the interposed rollers the
outer bars are pressed against the sides of the hole with sufficient force to
break down the coal or mineral. The nut is turned by an instrument like
a ratchet brace but it is preferred to make the nut without teeth.
In order to keep the parts in their proper relative positions the pressing
bars have at each end flanges on either side embracing the central bar or piece;
at the centre of the instrument, however, each pressing bar has a deeper
flange on one side only, and these flanges have studs fixed upon them working
in guide slots in the central bar or piece, springs may be employed to bring
back the central bar or piece when the screw is turned in the opposite direction.
It is not essential that there should be inclines both on the pressing bars and
on the central bar or piece, the action may be obtained by inclines on one or
other of them acting in conjunction with the rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cochrane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COCHRANE, of Seghill House, Northumberland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Cochrane, Her special licence that I, the said William Cochrane,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Cochrane, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BREAKING DOWN COAL, STONE, AND OTHER MINERALS," a
communication to me from abroad by Theophile Guibal, a person resident at
Mons, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Cochrane,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Cochrane, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
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 apparatus for breaking
down coal, stone, and other minerals.
The apparatus, which is intended to be introduced into a hole bored for it in
the coal, stone, or mineral, consists of two metal bars which press against the
opposite sides of the hole, being caused to do so by another bar or piece
in between them, and having a number of inclines upon it on each side,
thus
there are corresponding inclines on the inner side
of the pressing bars. The inclines which are opposed the one to the other
do not come absolutely into contact, small rollers slightly exceeding the height
of the incline being interposed. The rollers are introduced to lessen the
friction, which would otherwise absorb a large proportion of the power of the
instrument. The centre bar or piece has a screw stem at the front with a nut
upon it by turning which this bar or piece is drawn outward, and in this way
the opposite inclines acting against each other through the interposed rollers
the outer bars are pressed against the sides of the hole with sufficient force
to break down the coal or mineral. The nut is turned by an instrument like
a ratchet brace.
In order to keep the parts. in their proper relative positions the pressing
bars have flanges on either side, embracing the central bar or piece, and studs
working in guide slots are also employed. In this form of instrument the
rollers may be omitted, but not advantageously; also it is not essential that
there should be inclines both on the pressing bars and on the central bar
or piece, the action may be obtained by inclines on one or other of them
acting in conjunction with the rollers.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an edge view or plan of the apparatus as it is preferred that it

page_text: it is here represented open or expanded; Figure 3 is a side view of the
apparatus as it appears when contracted or closed; Figure 4 is a longitudinal
section of the apparatus in the same position as in Figure 3; Figure 5 is an
end view of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a transverse section of Figure 3; and
Figure 7 is an end view of Figure 4.
a, a, are the two bars which are pressed against the opposite sides of the
hole which is bored in the coal, stone, or mineral, in the same way as if for
blasting; these bars have fixed to them by tap screws a³, a', the inclines a², a²;
a³, a³, are flanges which are formed on the sides of the bars a; b, is the
central bar or piece baving inclines 6', 6', upon it; c, c, are rollers interposed
between the inclines a², a³, and 61, 61; these rollers it is preferred to make of
steel, and the inclines on which they work should also be of steel or case
hardened; 62 is a screw stem formed at the end of the bar b, it passes through
the cap d, in which is a dovetailed groove retaining the ends of the bars a, a,
but leaving them free to move in and out from the centre. Beyond the cap d
the screw stem be receives a screw nut e, and by turning this nut the bar bis
drawn towards the cap d, and the bars a are forced apart by the inclines, the
rollers c rolling up the inclines a³, a³, a distance equal to one half of that
which the barb moves along the bars a, a. In order to keep the several
parts of the apparatus together pins f, f, are screwed into the bar b near one
end, they pass through the slots a, a, in the flanges of the bars a; near the
other end of the apparatus there are pins a³ fixed in the flanges a³, and they
enter inclined recesses in the piece b. The hole having been bored in the
coal, stone, or mineral in a suitable place as if for blasting, the apparatus is
introduced into it in the contracted or closed state, and then by turning the
nute by means of a ratchet brace or otherwise, the apparatus is expanded so
as to burst the coal, stone, or mineral asunder. Frequently it is desirable to
employ several of the apparatus together in holes at a short distance apart, so
that their combined power may be brought to act on the coal, stone, or
mineral. Also the before-mentioned apparatus may be made without the
rollers c, but an apparatus so made will be less powerful. Also where rollers
are used the inclines may be omitted either from the bars a, a, or from the
bar b.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
constructing apparatus for breaking down coal, stone, and other mineral with
bars to press against the opposite sides of the hole, and a central bar between
them, which being moved longitudinally forces the bars which bear on the
sides of the hole outwards by means of inclines and rollers running thereon.

page_text: I also claim the general arrangement of the apparatus herein-before
described, whether it be with or without rollers.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cochrane, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness to signature of the within-
named William Cochrane,
FRED. GOSMAN,
WILLIAM COCHRANE. (L.S.)
Newcastle-on-Tyne.