IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK-DRILLING MACHI- NERY
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK-DRILLING MACHI-
NERY." A communication.
Sealed the 26th February 1858, and dated the 25th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th September 1857.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK-DRILLING
MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the peculiar means employed for operating the
drill longitudinally or giving it its reciprocating motion, and also in the
peculiar means employed for rotating the same intermittently.
The Invention also consists in a peculiar arrangement of the frame which
contains the working parts, and by which the said parts are adjusted to work
at different angles.
The inner or rocking frame, which carries the operating parts, is mounted
on a central screw pin projecting from the main framing, and it is held in
position by a binding nut and by a clamp, which latter passes through the
inner frame, and catches on to a flanged piece concentric with the screw pin,

page_text: The box is suspended from a strap
operated by a set of rotating wipers
As the box is raised, it is drawn out
and fixed to the main framing. The drill is free to slide up and down in
guides carried by the rocking frame, and it passes through the centre of a
suspended box and through a ratchet wheel, which is supported by guide
plates, and fitted to rotate with the drill.
attached to a rocking frame, which is
actuated by a crank or winch handle.
of a horizontal position, and is thus caused to bite against the drill and lift it
up; but immediately the lift ceases, the drill falls by its own weight upon the
rock below, being further impelled by the pressure of a coiled spring upon
the lifting box; to prevent the recoil of the box a supplementary coiled spring
is employed. As the box descends, an antifriction roller which it carries
bears against a pendent arm connected to a pawl that operates the ratchet
wheel before mentioned, and thrusts it back against the pressure of a spring
in its rear. This movement causes the pawl to pull round the ratchet wheel,
and impart an axial motion to the drill at every successive descent.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the machine may be operated
with great rapidity without subjecting the working parts to that unnecessary
wear attendant on the rapid working of the drilling machines hitherto
devised.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th March 1858.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALfred
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Iler reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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

page_text: Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK-DRILLING MACHINERY," being a commu-
nication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :.
:-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
consists in improved means for operating the drill of rock-boring machines
longitudinally, or giving it its reciprocating motion, and for rotating the same
intermittently.
The Invention also consists in a peculiar arrangement of the frame which
contains the working parts, and by which the said parts are adjusted to work
at different angles, this frame being attached to an outer or stationary framing,
so that it may be fixed at any desired angle of inclination.
In the accompanying Drawing Figures 1 and 2 represent in vertical
section a rock-drilling machine constructed according to this Invention, the
planes of the two sections crossing each other at right angles. Figures 3
and 4 are detached views of the device for rotating the drill, and Fig. 5 is a
detached view of the griping device by which the drill is operated longi-
tudinally in one direction. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the several figures.
A represents a horizontal frame which has screws a passing vertically
through it at its ends, for the purpose of adjusting the frame horizontally.
To this frame A two uprights B, B, are attached, the same being properly
braced and connected at their upper ends by a cross tie b. C represents a
block, having a head c formed on its outer end. This block is fitted between
the two uprights B, B, and a metallic circular disc or plate D attached to
the inner end of the block, the inner surface of the disc or plate D having a
rectangular projection d upon it, which projection also fits between the
uprights B, B. E represents a frame, which is formed of two parallel
bars e, e, connected at their ends by cross ties f, f, and having projecting
bars g, g, attached to them at right angles at about their centres (see Fig. 1).
Through the frame E at the junction of the bars e, e, g, g, passes a bolt F,

page_text: which also passes through the disc or plate D and block and head C, c.
This bolt F is formed with a head h, and at its opposite end it is provided
with a screw thread to receive a thumb nut i, (see Fig. 2). The frame E
is allowed to turn freely on the bolt F by loosening this nut i, and the frame E
may be secured at any desired angle of inclination by having a hooked bar j
pass through the inner bar e of the frame E, the hooked end of said bar
lapping over the edge of the disc or plate D, and binding firmly against it
by means of a nut k, which is placed on its outer end. When the frame E
is to be adjusted, the nut k is of course loosened or unscrewed, as well as the
nut i. These parts will be perfectly understood by referring to Fig. 2.
G represents the drill, which is of the usual construction. This drill is
mounted in the frame E, and slides freely up and down in circular holes
made in the cross ties f, f, and also in metallic plates l, l, m, attached to
the cross ties. Between the two plates 1, 1, a ratchet wheel n is placed, and
the drill G passes through the centre of the ratchet, and slides freely through
Between the two plates 1, 1, a bar o (Fig. 4) is pivoted, and the outer
end of this bar is pivoted to a bar p, the outer end of this latter bar being
pivoted to a lever H, which works on a fulcrum pin q attached to the
frame E. To the bar pa pawler is attached, and this pawle is made to catch
into or between the teeth of the ratchet n by the pressure of a spring s. A
spring t, which is attached to the frame E, bears against the outer side of the
lever H. To the outer ends of the bars 9, g, of the frame E, the bearings u
of a shaft I are attached; on the outer end of this shaft a crank J is keyed,
and a three-armed wiper K is mounted on the shaft at about its centre (see
Fig. 1).
it.
To the outer ends of the bars g, g, a metallic frame Lis pivoted, and a friction
roller w is placed in the inner end of the frame L. Pendent from the inner
end of this frame is a strap M, the lower end of which is attached to a metallic
box N, formed of two plates x, x, and having a circular plate or disc y fitted
between them. This plate or disc has a square opening made through its
centre, to allow the drill to pass through, and circular openings are made
through the plates x, x, for the same purpose.
The end of the box N, opposite to that where the strap M is attached, has
a recess z made in it to receive a small sleeve or slide a', which is fitted and
allowed to move freely on a shaft O attached to the inner side of the frame E.
On this shaft O a spiral spring P is placed, the spring being between the sleeve
or slide a¹ and a hub 61 attached to the rod O by a set screw c', so that by
adjusting the hub on the shaft O the spring P may be more or less con-
pressed, and consequently made more or less powerful as desired.

page_text: To the frame E, and parallel with the shaft O, a shaft Q is attached.
This shaft has a spiral spring R placed on it. The spring R is arranged
precisely similar to the spring P, but it is somewhat shorter, as shewn in
Fig. 1.
To one side of the box N a friction roller d' is attached, and the lever H
bears against that roller.
The operation is as follows:-The frame E is first adjusted or turned and
secured in proper position for the drill to act upon the rock, and rotary
motion is given to the shaft I. As the shaft rotates, the arms v, v, v, of the
wiper K strike successively the roller w in the frame L, and draw back the
box N, and as the strap M is attached to the end of the box N, this box will
as it is drawn back be inclined, as will also be the case with the plate or
disc y. The oblique position in which the plate or disc is drawn by the strap
causes the aperture at the centre of the disc to clutch or gripe the drill G,
which is consequently drawn upwards with the box N, and the compression.
of the spring P is the consequence, but as the arms of the wiper pass the
roller w the spring P expands, and drives the drill forward against the rock;
at the same time the drill is rotated a certain distance, in consequence of the
roller d' on the box N actuating the lever H, which communicates motion to
the ratchet u through the medium of the pawle r.
From the above description it will be seen that the drill may be operated
very rapidly; and in all rock-drilling machines it is essential that the
movement of the drill be so controlled as to prevent unnecessary play, and
the rebounding of the drill through the concussion or force of the blow. If
this be not prevented, a great deal of time is sacrificed. It is necessary that
there be some elasticity or play in order to prevent the wearing of the
working parts, but when more play than is necessary is allowed, a loss of
time is the result. According to this Invention the drill is prevented from
rebounding, and its motion is perfectly controlled by means of the supple-
mentary spring R on the rod Q. This spring is considerably stiffer than the
spring P, and the box N does not come in contact with it until it has nearly
reached the end of its backward stroke. The machine may consequently be
operated with great rapidity without subjecting the working parts to that
unnecessary wear which attends the rapid working of the drilling machines
hitherto devised.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
Rock-drilling Machines," as commnnicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim,-

page_text: First, the means for griping and raising the drill, as herein set forth.
Secondly, the arrangement of parts above described for propelling the
rill and giving it an axial motion.
And, thirdly, securing the adjustable frame at any desired angle by means
f a clamp, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.).