Improvements in Channelling Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
Improvements in Channelling Machines.
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
According to the present invention, the improved channelling machine comprises
a carriage consisting of an upright front frame, a rear girder, two side girders,
and diagonal braces connecting the frout frame with the side girders. The front
frame has in its face two horizontal grooves, which are widened at the back in
T-shaped transverse section, and open at the ends for the reception of the heads
of bolts, by which the back of shell containing the drilling mechanism is secured
to the carriage at various points in the width of the latter, as may be desired.
This shell is made with a flange on its back, to overlap the straight horizontal
upper edge of the front frame of the carriage, in such manner as to support its
own weight and that of the drill cylinder, piston, and drills, directly on the carriage.
The said shell has attached to its front, guides which serve both for the drill
cylinder and the drill head; its sides are braced at the top, above the guides, by a
bridge, and it has in its lower part a bearing for the lower end of a feed screw.
The upper bearing of this feed screw is in a bracket bolted to the upper part of
the shell below the bridge before mentioned.
The shell being supported on the straight horizontal upper edge of the frame of
the carriage, and being secured by the bolts, the heads of which are in the
T-shaped grooves of the carriage, is permitted to be easily adjusted to any position
along the carriage from one end to the other, by simply slackening the nuts of the
bolts without removing the bolts, and sliding the shell along the carriage, and the
drills may thus be made to work to the extreme end of the carriage.
The carriage is provided with driving wheels to which motion is imparted to
move the machine in the direction of the line of the channels to be drilled. These
wheels are fast upon axles which turn in bearings in the carriage, and motion is
transmitted to said axles from an engine suitably supported on the framing, through
two endless screws, which are geared with the engine any suitable manner, and
with worm gears on the axles. The gearing between the engine shaft and the
endless screws, may consist of a spur gear on the engine shaft, and a gear on the
shaft of the endless screws. The gear is loose on the latter shaft, but engages
with the said shaft with a friction clutch, which permits the slipping of said gear
around the shaft, in case of the travel of the machine being stopped by the drills
being stuck in the rock. The change of direction of the movement of the carriage
by the endless screws and worm gears, is intended to be effected by reversing the
engine.
As the worm gears are liable to wear out several times during the life of the
machine, and as they are arranged between the driving wheels and between the
bearings of their respective axles, so that they could not be removed over the ends
of their axles without dismounting the machine therefrom, and taking off ope

page_text: .
driving wheel of either axle, it is now proposed to make the said gears in the
following manner, riz.:-The gears are divided diametrically, or transversely, into
two semicircular halves, which are placed over the axle from opposite sides thereof,
and secured together by two caps or collars, which fit the axle, and also fit over
hub-like projections on opposite sides of the gear. These caps are made with
hubs, and are secured firmly to the shaft by means of set screws, which screw
through the hubs, and enter holes or notches in the shaft, and the worm gear is
clamped firmly between the caps, and compelled to turn them, and also turn the
shaft by means of set screws, which screw through lugs on one of the hubs, and
press the worm gear firmly against the opposite cap. When either worm gear is
worn out, and it becomes necessary to substitute a new one, the screws of one or
both of the caps are unscrewed, and either or both caps are thus left free to slide
on the shaft lengthwise thereof, aud so to allow the two halves of the gear to be
removed laterally from the shaft, and the two halves of a new gear to be put on
laterally into their place, to be secured by moving the caps up to them, and
screwing up the set screws of the latter.
When it is desired to run the machine to and fro upon the tracks, without
setting it in operation, it will be necessary to liberate the worm gears from their
axles. To effect this liberation, it will only be necessary to slacken the set screws.
The worm gears, when thus liberated, will still be held in place by the collars
overlapping their hub-like projections. It will thus be understood, that the
construction of the divided worm gears, and the means for securing them in place,
provide not only for the removal and changing of the said gears, but also provide
for loosening then, and yet holding their two semicircular halves together.
The steam for operating the piston of the drill cylinder comes from the boiler
through a flexible jointed pipe, and goes to the valve chest of the said cylinder
through telescopic pipes in communication with said chest, the communication
between said flexible jointed and telescopic pipes being through the bridge of
the drill shell, a portion of the said bridge at one end being made hollow, and the
said hollow portion being extended forward in the form of a bracket, to make the
last mentioned connection. One member of the telescopic pipe is connected directly
with the said hollow part of the bridge, and the other member, which is closed at
the bottom, is connected fixedly with the steam chamber of the valve chest.
A stuffing box is provided in the top of the steam chamber, and through this
stuffing-box one member of the telescopic pipe passes into the other member,
which is sufficiently large to permit the free passage of steam between them, the
member first mentioned of the telescopic pipe moving up and down through the
stuffing-box, and within the other member, as the cylinder is moved downward or
upward on the shell. By the jointed steam pipe, the lateral adjustment of the
shell and cylinder on the carriage are provided for, and, by the telescopic pipe
connection between the hollow bridge of the shell, the movement of the cylinder
within the shell for feeding the drills is provided for. An exhaust pipe is
connected with the smoke stack of the boiler, and both of the above movements of
the cylinder and shell are provided for in the said exhaust pipe, by making a
portion of it flexible.
The valves and valve gear employed on or in connection with the cylinder, may
be such as is commonly used in such machines, and therefore they need no
particular description.
The feed mechanism for producing the feed movement of the drill cylinder is or
may be the same as in other machines.
The drill head consists of a cross-head, which is affixed to the lower end of the
piston rod, and a drill clamp in which the drills or bits are secured, and which is
bolted to the said cross-head by T-headed bolts.
The drill clamp consists of a substantially flat plate having in its inner face a
recess for the reception of a gang of drills, and a wedge or key by which they are
secured therein. The said recess is of a depth, from back to front, equal to the
thickness of the drills, and of a width equal to that of the gang of drills and the

page_text: key. The said recess is open at the bottom, but closed at the top, and above
the said recess, a tongue is formed across the inner face of the drill clamp. In the
sides of the said clamp are slots for the reception of bolts, the said slots being
open at the sides of the clamp, for the entrance and exit of the said bolts, which,
by means of their T heads, are connected with the crossbead.
The cross-head is substantially flat, but at its connection with the piston rod is
made to project forward over the flat part against which the drill clamp is to be
secured, in order to bring the drills substantially in line with the centre of the
piston rod, and it has in its face, below the said projection, a transverse groove to
receive the tongue on the drill clamp. The said cross-head has, in its sides, slots
to receive the T-headed bolts before mentioned. The forward portions of these
slots are only wide enough vertically for the free passage of the shanks or straight
portions of the bolts, but the said slots are extended through the back of the
cross-head, and the so extended portions are made deep enough to receive the
T-heads of the said bolts, shoulders being formed within the widened portions in
rear of the narrower portions, to constitute bearings for the T heads, in the
operation of clamping the clamp against the cross head by the nuts on the threaded
ends of the said bolts. The bolts are inserted through the cross-head from
the back.
To place the drills in the head, the clamp is first removed; the drills are then
placed in the recess of the said clamp, with their heads against the projection, and
are keyed up therein, before placing the clamp against the face of the crosshead.
Before the operation of the machine is commenced, the bolts having been swung
aside, the clamp, with the drills in it, is placed directly in front of, and against the
cross-head, and then secured by swinging forward the bolts into the slots in the
sides of the clamp, and screwing up the nuts; but after the operation of drilling, a
channel has been commenced, and it becomes necessary, from time to time, to
change the drills for longer and longer ones, to deepen the channel; the change
can be made by first simply slackening the nuts, and swinging back the bolts, to
liberate the clamp and drills; then running the machine a little to one side, away
from the clamp. The clamp and drills can then be lifted bodily together 'out of
the channel. The key is then knocked out, and the drills taken from the clamp,
and the longer drills are inserted in the latter, and keyed up, and the said drills
are then placed in the channel, at one side of the crosshead. The drill cylinder is
then raised by its feed screw to bring the cross-head to a proper height, to attach
the clamp, and the machine is afterwards run across the back of the clamp, which
is then again made fast to the cross-head, by swinging forward the bolts, and
screwing up their nuts. The channelling may then again proceed.
It may be observed that the bolts need never be detached, but may always
remain attached to the cross head, and their nuts need never be removed, so that
there is never any danger of either bolts or nuts being mislaid or lost.
Dated this 28th day of June 1894.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Channelling Machines.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The nature of the improvements will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, and the novelty of the invention set forth in the claims.

page_text: Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the channelling machine embodying the
improvements; Fig. 2 a front elevation of the same.
Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the devices for moving the carriage, which will
be hereinafter explained.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the shell in which the drill operating cylinder and
drill-head work, the supporting wheels, and the cylinder and feed mechanism, being
omitted.
Fig. 6 represents a horizontal section of the drill shell in the line, Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 a horizontal section in the line y y of Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 represents a vertical section of the machine parallel with Fig. 1, with part
of the carriage broken out and the engine and boiler omitted;
Fig. 9 a vertical sectional view of the drill-operating cylinder, piston, and valves,
parallel with Fig. 2;
Fig. 10 a horizontal section in the line z z of Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 a vertical section in the line of Fig. 10.
Fig. 12 is a side view of the drill head; Fig. 13 a front view of the same, with
the ends of the clamping bolts removed..
Fig. 14 represents a horizontal section of the drill head;
Fig. 15 is an inner face view of the clamping plate; Fig. 16 is a side view of
the said plate.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Referring first to Figs. 1 to 11, A, A1, A2, A3, designate the carriage of the
inachine, mounted on wheels W W, and supporting the drill shell B, the
engine Ć for propelling the carriage, and the boiler D, which supplies steam to
said engine, as well as to the drill operating cylinder E, for operating the drill
piston F.
The carriage is represented as consisting of an upright front frame A, a rear
girder A¹, two side girders A², and diagonal braces A³, connecting the front
frame A with the side girders A². The front frame A has in its face two
horizontal grooves a, which are widened at the back, in T-shaped transverse
section, as shewn at Fig. 8, and open at the ends, for the reception of the heads of
the bolts b, by which the back of the shell B is secured to the carriage at various
points in the width of the latter, as may be desired.
The shell B is made with a flange on its back, as shewn in Fig. 8, to overlap
the straight horizontal upper edge of the frame A, in such manner as to support
its own weight and that of the drill cylinder, piston, and drills directly on the
carriage. The said shell has attached to its front, the guides 3, which serve both
for the drill cylinder E and the drill head G G₁; its sides are braced at the top,
above the guides, by a bridge B³, and it has in its lower part the bearing B₁ for
the lower end of the feed screw H. The upper bearing of feed screw is in a
bracket B (Figs. 5 and 8) bolted to the upper part of the shell below the
bridge B³.
The shell being supported on the straight horizontal upper edge of the frame A
of the carriage, and being secured by the bolts b, the heads of which are in the
Tshaped grooves a of the carriage, is permitted to be easily adjusted to any
position along the carriage from one end to the other, by simply slackening the
nuts of the bolts b, without removing the bolts, and sliding the shell along the
carriage, and the drills may thus be made to work to the extreme end of
the carriage.
The driving wheels W W, to which motion is imparted to move the machine in
the direction of the line of the channels, are fast upon the axles I, 11 (see Fig. 1),
which turn in bearings e in the carriage, and motion is transmitted to said axles
from the engine C (Fig. 1) through two endless screws d, one of which is shewn in
Figs. 1, 3, & 4, which are geared with the engine in any suitable manner, and with
worm gears J on the axles. The gearing between the engine shaft and the endless
screws is shewn in Fig. 8 consisting of a spur gear k on the engine shaft, and a
gear on the shaft d' of the endless screws.
The gear
I is loose on the shaft d',

page_text: but engages with the said shaft with a friction clutch, which permits the slipping
of said gear around the shaft, in case of the travel of the machine being stopped by
the by the drills, being stuck in the rock. The change of direction of the movement
of the carriage by the endless screws and worm gears is intended to be effected by
reversing the engine.
As the worm gears are liable to wear out several times during the life of the
machine, and as they are arranged between the driving wheels W₁ and between
the bearings of their respective axles I so that they could not be removed over
the ends of their axles without dismounting the machine from and taking off one
driving wheel of either axle, it is proposed to make the said gears as shown in
Figs. 3 and 4, Fig. 3 representing a section of one of the said gears and its
endless screw parallel with the axis of the gear, and Fig. 4 representing a side
view of the same; that is to say, each of said gears is divided diametrically or
transversely into two semicircular halves e e, which are placed over the axle from
opposite sides thereof, and secure the said halves together by two caps or
collars ff, which fit the axle, and also fit over the hub-like projections g on
opposite sides of the gear, as shewn in Fig. 3. These caps are made with hubs /,
and are secured firmly to the shaft by means of set screws i, which screw through
their hubs h, and enter holes or notches in the shaft, and the worm gear is clamped
firmly between the caps, and compelled to turn them, and also turn the shaft, by
means of set screws, which screw through lugs on the hub of the cap f¹, and
press the worm gear firmly against the opposite cap f. When either worm gear
is worn out, and it becomes necessary to substitute a new one, the screws i of one
or both of the caps ff are unscrewed, and either or both caps are thus left free to
slide on the shaft lengthwise thereof, and so to allow the two halves e e of the gear
to be removed laterally from the shaft, and the two halves of a new gear to be put
on laterally into their place, to be secured by moving the caps up to them, and
screwing up the set screws of the latter.
+
When it is desired to run the machine to and fro upon the tracks without setting
it in operation, it will be necessary to liberate the worm gears from their axles I I.
To effect this liberation, it will only be necessary to slacken the screws j. The
worm gears, when thus liberated, will still be held in place by the collars ƒ ƒ
overlapping their hub-like projections g. It will thus be understood that the
construction of the divided worm gears, and the means of securing them in place,
provide not only for the removal and changing of the said gears, but also provide
for loosening them, and yet holding their two semicircular halves together.
The steam for operating the piston F of the drill cylinder E, comes from the
boiler through a flexible-jointed pipe o, and goes to the valve-chest of the said
cylinder through telescopic pipes m n in communication with said chest, the
communication between said flexible jointed and telescopic pipes being through the
bridge B of the drill shell B; a portion of the said bridge at one end being made
hollow, and the said hollow portion being extended forward in the form of a
bracket, as shewn at p in Figs. 1, 2, 5, 7, to make the last mentioned connection.
The flexible-jointed pipe is connected with the hollow part p of the bridge B*
at p (Fig. 7). One member, m, of the telescopic pipe is connected directly with
the said hollow part of the bridge, and the other member, n, which is closed at the
bottom, is connected fixedly with the steam chamber 2 of the valve-chest, as shewn
in Fig. 9. A stuffing box r (Figs. 1, 2, and 9) is provided in the top of the steam
chamber, and through this stuffing box the member m passes into the member n,
which is sufficiently larger than m, as shown in Fig. 9, to permit the free passage
of steam between them, the member m of the telescopic pipe mn moving up and
down through the stuffing-box », and within the member, as the cylinder is moved
downward or upward on the shell. By the jointed steam pipe o, the lateral adjust-
ment of the shell and cylinder on the carriage is provided for, and, by the telescopic
pipe connection between the hollow bridge B3 of the shell B, and the steam chamber g,
the movement of the cylinder within the shell, for feeding the drills, is provided

page_text: for. The exhaust pipes s' is connected with the smoke stack of the boiler, and
both of the above movements of the cylinder and shell are provided for in the
said pipe s s¹, by making a portion s' of it flexible.
The valves and valve gear employed on or in connection with the cylinder E,
may be such as is commonly used in such machines, and therefore they need no
particular description, and have only been illustrated so far as is necessary to
illustrate the connection between the valve chest and the boiler through the cavity
in the hollow portion of the drill shell.
The feed mechanism for producing the feed movement of the drill cylinder, is or
may be the same as in other machines, and it has not been thought necessary to
describe it.
The drill head G G', which will now be described with reference to Figs. 12
to 16, consists of the cross-head G, which is affixed to the lower end of the piston
rod F, and a drill clamp G, in which the drills or bits u u are secured, and which
is bolted to the said cross-head by T-headed bolts to wo.
The drill clamp G¹ consists of a substantially flat plate, having in its inner face
a recess for the reception of a gang of drills u u, and a wedge or key u' by
which they are secured therein. The said recess is, as shown in Fig. 15, of a
depth, from back to front, equal to the thickness of the drills, and of a width equal
to that of the gang of drills and the key u. The said recess is open at the
bottom, but closed at the top, and above the said recess a tongue e is formed across
the inner face of the drill clamp. In the sides of the said clamp are slots, ³, for
the reception of the bolts ww, the said slots being open at the sides of the clamp,
for the entrance and exit of the said bolts, which, by means of their T-heads 10',
are connected with the crosshead G, to be swung aside as indicated in dotted
outline in Fig. 14.
The crosshead G is substantially flat, but at its connection with the piston-rod Fi
is made to project forward, as shewn at G2, over the flat part, against which the
drill clamp G is to be secured, in order to bring the drills substantially in line
with the centre of the piston rod, and it has in its face, below the said
projection G, a transverse groove ', to receive the tongue v on the drill clamp.
The said crosshead has, in its sides, slots yy, to receive the bolts w. The forward
portions of these slots are only wide enough vertically for the free passage of the
shanks or straight portions of the bolts we, but the said slots are extended through
the back of the cross-head, as shewn at y' in Fig. 14, and the so extended portions
are made deep enough to receive the T-heads 1 of the said bolts, shoulders
being formed within the widened portions y in rear of the narrow portions y,
to constitute bearings for the T-heads in the operation of clamping the
clamp G against the cross-head by the nuts w³ to on the threaded ends of the said
bolts. The bolts are inserted through the cross-head from the back.
To place the drills in the head G G¹, the clamp G is first removed; the drills
are then placed in the recess tt of the said clamp, with their heads against the
projection, and are keyed up therein by the key u', before placing the clamp
against the face of the cross-head. Before the operation of the machine is
commenced, the bolts to having been swung aside, as shewn in dotted outline in
Fig. 14, the clamp, with the drills in it, is placed directly in front of, and against
the cross-head, and then secured by swinging forward the bolts into the slots u³ in
the sides of the clamp, and screwing up the nuts; but after the operation of
drilling a chanuel has been commenced, and it becomes necessary, from time to
time, to change the drills for longer and longer ones to deepen the channel, the
change can be made by first simply slackening the nuts w², and swinging back the
bolts, as shewn in dotted outline in Fig. 14, to liberate the clamp and drills, then
running the machine a little to one side away from the clamp. The clamp and
drills can then be lifted bodily together out of the channel. The key is then
knocked out, and the drills taken from the clamp, and the longer drills are inserted
in the latter and keyed up, and the said drills are then placed in the channel at one

page_text: side of the cross-head G. The drill cylinder is then raised by its feed screw to
bring the crosshead to a proper height to attach the clamp, and the machine is
afterwards run across the back of the clamp, which is then again made fast to the
cross-head by swinging forward the bolts w, and screwing up their nuts w². The
channelling may then again proceed.
It may be observed that the bolts to need never be detached, but may always
remain attached to the cross-head, and their nuts need never be removed, so that
there is never any danger of either bolts or nuts being mislaid or lost.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to me from
abroad), I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a channelling machine, the combination of a carriage comprising a frame
with a straight upper edge, and provided with grooves parallel with said upper
dge, and having widened backs, a drill shell having on its back a Hange which
overlaps said upper edge, and screw bolts, the heads of which are received in
said grooves for securing the shell to the carriage, substantially as herein set
forth.
2. In a channelling machine, the combination with the carriage and its driving
axle and driving wheels, of a transversely divided worm gear on said driving axle
arranged between said driving wheels, two caps or collars fitted to said axle, and
capable of moving lengthwise thereon, for receiving projections on said worm gear,
and means substantially as herein described for securing said caps or collars on
the axle, and screws in one of said two caps or collars, for clamping the worm
gear between the said caps or collars, all substantially as herein set forth.
3. The combination in a channelling machine, of a carriage and a drill shell
movable lengthwise thereon, a drill cylinder with valve-chest and valve movable
lengthwise within said shell, a steam boiler on said carriage and steam pipes
communicating between said boiler and valve chest, a portion of said shell being
made hollow, to form part of said steam pipe communication, all substantially as
herein set forth.
4. The combination in a channelling machine, of a carriage, a drill shell which
is movable lengthwise on said carriage, and a part of which contains a steam
cavity, a drill cylinder with valve-chest and valve movable lengthwise within said
shell, a steam boiler on said carriage, a flexible steam pipe between the boiler and
said cavity in the drill shell, and a telescopic steam pipe forming a communication
between said steam cavity and the valve chest, all substantially as herein set
forth.
5. The combination of the cross-head having slots open at its sides, and the
drill clamp having slots similarly open, of swinging clamping bolts permanently
attached to the cross-head, to engage with and be disengaged from said slots in
the cross-head, and clamp by their swinging movement, substantially as herein
set forth.
11
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.