IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS."
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Gledhill, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Mechanical
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Gledhill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
December 1869.
I,
PETER GLEDHILL, of
Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for
cutting coal and other minerals. For this purpose I employ a frame
mounted on wheels adapted to run upon rails. At one end of this frame
and towards its outer side or that at a distance from the coal or mineral
to be cut a horizontal cylinder is fixed; it is inclined towards the centre line
of the frame. Within the cylinder is a piston actuated by air or
other fluid pressure and giving motion by a piston rod and connecting rod to
[Price 8d.]

page_text: a cranked axis mounted vertically. There are two fly wheels, one
on each cheek of the crank. On the upper end of the crank axis
is a pinion drivin ga spur wheel on an intermediate stud or axis, and cast
is a pinion driving a spur wheel on an intermediate stud or axis, and cast
of a vertical axis which at its lower end carries a chain wheel. The axis
of this chain wheel is at the same end of the frame as the
cylinder, and the object of placing the cylinder on the outer side of the frame,
and inclining it as described is to obtain room for this axis and its driving
gear within as narrow .. frame as may be. The coal or mineral
is cut by cutters fixed upon an endless chain passing around the chain wheel
above mentioned, and also around a chain wheel at the end of an arm or, jib
bolted to the side of the frame adjacent to the coal or mineral to
be cut. The machine is moved forward as the work progresses by means
of a chain passed through a pulley block anchored at a distance ahead, and
also through another pulley block connected with the front of the
machine at a point as near as practicable to the face of the coal or mineral.
The free end of this hauling chain is passed around a chain pulley
mounted on a horizontal axis on the frame of the machine and
driven by a pair of bevelled wheels from the driving axis of the cutting
chain. The eccentric of the engine is mounted on the upper end of the
crank shaft, and can turn upon it through such an angle that it may be
placed so as to drive the engine either forward or backward. The
eccentric has a handle upon it so that it may readily be moved by the
workman from one position to another. This admits of the machine
being worked in either direction and also of the engine being reversed
to clear the cutters should they become jammed in the coal or
mineral. For the rails on which the machine runs I employ tubes, circular in
section; they are made with pins projecting from their ends to enter sockets
on the sleepers which support the rails. The sleepers are each cast
with a socket at either end. Or the arrangement may be reversed,
that is to say, the sleepers may carry pins to enter the ends of the tubular
rails. This temporary railway is laid close itno the face of the coal
or mineral, which supports it and prevents it moving laterally. As in these
machines the supporting wheels have not only to bear the weight
of the machine, but also to support a side thrust, I mount the wheels on
inclined axes so that approximately the line of pressure on the rail
may be in the plane of the wheel. Or as the sideway or horizontal
strain towards the face of the coal or mineral will frequently greatly
exceed the weight of the machine, the wheels may even be placed

page_text: horizontally, but it is better to place them in an inclined position.
The
The jib or arm supporting
flanges on these inclined or horizontal wheels resist any tendency.
there may be for the machine to tilt at one end.
the cutting chain is made in two parts, one of these parts is firmly bolted
to the frame and has a socket at its further end, the other is of
a fork-like form to carry the wheel, around which the cutting chain
passes, and has a stem fitting the socket above mentioned and continued
towards the other end of the jib to such a distance that it may always
be outside the coal or mineral when the machine is at work. It'
here has upon it a screw thread and passes through a cross bar of the fixed
part of the jib, and by nuts on this screw thread on either side
of the cross bar the stem is locked in its placed. By turning these nuts the
stem can at any time be adjusted in or out to keep the cutting
chain properly tight. The pulley at the end of the jib around which the
cutting chain passes is held closely between the sides of the forked piece
which carries it so that dust may not be able to penetrate to the
axis, and further to prevent this packing rings supported by springs are
provided in the sides of the chain pulley. The chain pulley does
not turn directly upon the centre pin or axis, but upon a metal ring
surrounding the pin. This ring is made hollow to contain oil. The oil
is allowed to pass by suitable ducts to the rubbing surfaces. The
links of the cutting chain are curved or hollowed at the sides to the curve
of the pulleys around which they pass, and bearing surfaces are formed
on the sides of the jib to support the chain up to the centre of
the pulley. The chain is made with single and double links alternately, and
each single link of the chain has a cutter socket formed upon it at the
centre of its length, the cutters can be fitted into these sockets so as to work
either in one direction or the other as may be required, and the
cutting edge of each cutter is arranged so as to stand just in rear of the
centre of the pin which connects the link which carries it with the link next in
front.
In some cases in place of fixing the jib to the frame at right angles to it, as
I usually do, I incline it so as to lessen the extent of the curved portion of
the cut. By attaching the jib to the frame with bolts as above described should
it at any time become iammed by a sudden fall of coal or mineral. it is easily

page_text: In some cases to obtain greater power I make the machines with two hori-
zontal cylinders inclined at opposite angles to the centre line of the frame, and
both working on to the same vertical cranked axis.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Gledhill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
GLEDHILL, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Peter Gledhill, Her special licence that
I, the said Peter Gledhill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Peter Gledhill, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Peter Gledhill, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or 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 per-
formed, 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 Peter Gledhill, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be 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 machinery for.
cutting coal and other minerals. For this purpose I employ a frame

page_text: mounted on wheels adapted to run upon rails.
At one end of the frame
and towards its outer side or that at a distance from the coal or mineral
to be cut a horizontal cylinder is fixed; it is inclined towards the centre line
of the frame. Within the cylinder is a piston actuated by air or
other fluid pressure, and giving motion by a piston rod and connecting rod to
a cranked axis mounted vertically. There are two fly wheels, one
on each cheek of the crank. On the upper end of the crank axis
is a pinion driving a spur wheel on an intermediate stud or axis, and cast
with this wheel is a pinion driving a spur wheel at the upper end
of a vertical axis which at its lower end carries a chain wheel; the axis
of this chain wheel is at the same end of the frame as the
cylinder, and the object of placing the cylinder on the outer side of the frame,
and inclining it as described is to obtain room for this axis and its driving
gear within as narrow a frame as may be. The coal or mineral
is cut by cutters fixed upon an endless chain passing around the chain wheel
above mentioned, and also around a chain wheel at the end of an arm or jib
bolted to the side of the frame adjacent to the coal or mineral to
be cut. The machine is moved forward as the work progresses by means
of a chain passed through pulley block anchored at a distance ahead, and
also through another pulled block connected with the front of the
machine at a point as near as practicable to the face of the coal or mineral.
the free end of this hauling chain is passed around a chain pulley
mounted on a horizontal axis on the frame of the machine and
driven by a pair of bevelled wheels from the driving axis on the cutting
chain.
The eccentric of the engine is mounted on the upper end of the
crank shaft, and can turn upon it through such an angle that it may be
placed so as to drive the engine either forward or backward. The
eccentric has a handle upon it, so that it may readily be moved by the
workman from one position to another; this admits of the machine
being worked in either direction, and also of the engine being reversed
to clear the cutters should they become jammed in the coal or
mineral. For the rails on which the machine runs I employ tubes circular in
section; they are made with pins projecting from their ends to enter sockets
on the sleepers which support the rails. The sleepers are each cast
with a socket at either end, or the arranngement may be reversed,
that is to say, the sleepers may carry pins to enter the ends of the tubular
rails. This temporary railway is laid close in to the face of the coal
or mineral, which supports it and prevents it moving laterally.
machines the supporting wheels have not only to bear
As in these
the weight

page_text: of the machine, but also to support a side thrust, I mount the wheels on
inclined axes so that approximately the line of pressure on the rail
may be in the plane of the wheel; or as the sideway or horizontal
strain towards the face of the coal or mineral will frequently greatly
exceed the weight of the machine, the wheels may even be placed
horizontally, but it is better to place them in an inclined position. The
flanges on these inclined
or horizontal wheels resist any tendency
there may be for the machine to tilt at one end. The jib or arm supporting
the cutting chain is made in two parts; one of these parts is firmly bolted
to the frame and has a socket at its further end, the other is of
a fork-like form to carry the wheel around which the cutting chain
passes, and has a stem fitting the socket above mentioned, and continued
towards the other end of the jib to such a distance that it may always
be outside the coal or mineral when the machine is at work; it
here has upon it a screw thread and passes through a cross bar of the fixed
part of the jib, and by nuts on this screw thread on either side
of the cross bar the stem is locked in its place. By turning these nuts the
stem can at any time be adjusted in or out to keep the cutting
chain properly tight. The pulley at the end of the jib around which the
cutting chain passes is held closely between the sides of the forked piece
which carries it so that dust may not be able to penetrate to the
axis, and further to prevent this packing rings supported by springs are
provided in the sides of the chain pulley. The chain pulley does
not turn directly upon the centre pin or axis, but upon a metal ring
surrounding the pin; this ring is made hollow to contain oil; the oil
is allowed to pass by suitable ducts to the rubbing surfaces. The
links of the cutting chain are curved or hollowed at the sides to the curve
of the pulleys around which they pass, and bearing surfaces are formed
on the sides of the jib to support the chain up to the centre of
the pulley. The chain is made with single and double links alternately, and
each single link of the chain has a cutter socket formed upon it at the
centre of its length; the cutters can be fitted into these sockets so as to work
either in one direction or the other as may be required, and the
cutting edge of each cutter is arranged so as to stand just in rear of the
contre of the pin which connects the link which carries it with the link next in
front.
In some cases in place of fixing the jib to the frame at right angles to it as
I usually do I incline it so as to lessen the extent of the curved portion of
the cut. By attaching the jib to the frame with bolts as above described should

page_text: DOWN Working on to the same vertiQNI DAGAN
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
On Sheet I. Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a machine constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same.
The section in Figure 1 is taken on the line C, D, Figure 2, and the
section in Figure 2 on the line A, B, in Figure 1. Figures 3, 4, 5, 6,
and 7 are sections on the lines E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, and O, P,
respectively.
a, a, is the frame of the machine mounted on wheels b, b; c is a
cylinder mounted on the frame in a position inclined to the centre
line of the frame inwards towards the working face; d is a piston connected
by its rod d¹ and a connecting rod with the cranked axis e;
e, e, are fly wheels on the crank axis, and f is a pinion on the same axis gearing
with the intermediate wheel g, which by the pinion g' upon it drives the
wheel h. On the lower end of the axis of the wheel his a
chain wheel i, and around it is a chain with cutters fixed upon it; k is a jib
or arm bolted at k to the frame a; it has a socket formed in it into which
the stem of the fork-like piece is received, and this carries another chain
wheel which the chain i also encircles. The wheel h has bevilled
teeth formed upon it around its central boss, and these gear with
The
bevilled wheel n carrying on its axis a sinall chain wheel o.
chain which draws the machine forward when at work passes around this
wheel to a block tackle fixed ahead and also to the fore part of
the machine. p is an excentric on the crank axis e; it is able to turn on the
axis through an arc limited by stops on the axis; it rests against
one stop when driving the engine forward, and the other when working in
the reverse direction. The eccentric by a
the valve of the engine in the usual way. The
a
strap and rod controls
eccentric has a handle p¹

page_text: upon it, so that the eccentric can be moved round on the axis and
the engine reversed without any intermediate gearing or parts. q, q, are the
rails on which the machine runs, they are of wrought iron and tubular
and have pins q¹ screwed into their ends; r, 7, are the sleepers, they are
of cast iron and have sockets at their ends to receive the pins q', and the
exterior of the sockets forms a part of the supporting surface of
the road. The pins q¹ may be fixed in the sleepers, but the arrangement shewn
is preferable. The wheels b, b, on which the machine is supported are set
in an inclined position so as the better to support the thrust re-
sulting from the pressure against the jib, which tends to force the leading
wheel on the inner side and the hinder wheel on the outer side against the
rails, as one of the flanges of each wheel underlaps the rails the
machine cannot get off. The fork-like piece / which fits into the socket in the
jib and carries the chain wheel m has a stem m* of such a length as to be
outside the coal when the machine is at work, and the end of this
stem passes through a cross bar k on the jib, it has a screw thread cut
upon it and receives a nut on either side of the cross bar; by means of these
nuts the chain is kept suitably tight. The way in which the
chain wheel m is mounted in order to prevent coal dust entering between
the moving parts and to maintain a sufficient lubrication is clearly
shown at Figure 4. The fork-like piece is made with moveable side
cheeks,, held on by tap screws 1, 1*. The wheel m is shut
in between the cheeks and has metal packing rings m² let into grooves in
its sides and pressed outwards against the cheeks by coiled springs, as is
shown, so as always to be in contact with the cheeks and prevent
dust penetrating towards the hollow ring s on which the wheel turns. The
ring 8 on which the wheel m turns is tightly clipped between the
cheeks by the screw pin which holds the cheeks together. The
hollow in the ring is filled with oil from time to time by means of
a hole in one of the side cheeks closed by a screw plug, and the sides of the
hollow rings are perforated to allow the escape of the oil to the rubbing
surfaces. The chain is made with single and double links alter-
nately, they are connected by pins, the greater part of which are larger in the
centre than at the ends; the single links turn upon the pins, and
the side cheeks of the double links are driven on to the ends of the pins,
which are then slightly spread or rivetted over. A few of the pins are
made removable and screw into one of the cheeks of the double
link, so that when it is necessary to detach the jib the chain can be discon-
nected also. The teeth of the chain wheels enter between the cheeks of the

page_text: double links, and the sides of all the links are curved to the radius
of the chain wheels where they bear upon them. It is necessary to
make the sides of the links curved, otherwise the guides or bearing
surfaces could not extend to the centre of chain pulley. The sides of the
jib k and fork piece form guides or bearing surfaces for the links of
the chain until they are opposite the centre of the wheel m. The
single links of the chain i have sockets j¹ formed upon them, into which the
stems of the steel cutters t are inserted. The cutter is prevented turning
in the socket by a small nib upon it entering a corresponding notch in the
socket; a nut is screwed on to the stem of the cutter at its rear
end, and so the cutter is secured. The width of the cutting edge of the cutters
is such as to clear a sufficient passage for the chain and jib, and the cutting
edge of the cutter is so placed that when the chain is straight it
is immediately opposite the joint of the chain; it is here placed to avoid under-
cutting the coal while the cutters are travelling from the wheel to the guiding
surface of the jib; such an undercutting occurs when the. cutting edge is
situate otherwise than opposite the joints of the chain. By reversing the
positions of the cutters in the sockets the machine is adapted to cut in the
opposite direction.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings a plan of a double cylinder engine of similar
construction is represented at Figure 1; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section.
and Figure 3 a transverse section of the same. The jib and some other parts
are omitted from these Figures, as their construction is the same as that of
the corresponding parts represented in Sheet 1. The letters of reference corre-
spond with the description already given in respect to the Figures on Sheet 1
of the Drawings.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,
First. The general combination of machinery for cutting coal and other
minerals, substantially as described.
Second. The combination of the inclined cylinder and the parts by means of
which it gives motion to the endless chain carrying the cutters, substantially as
described.

page_text: mineral the other parts of the machine may readily be detached from it, sub-
stantially as described.
Fourth. The arrangements in connection with the inner chain wheel to pro-
vide for the lubrication of the rubbing parts and the exclusion of dust therefrom,
substantially as described.
Fifth. The constructing the jib and parts connected therewith in such
manner as to support the endless chain of cutters up to the centre
of the chain wheel, and the forming the links of the chain with curved
as to admit of their being thus supported, substantially as
described.
Sixth. The constructing the jib in such manner as to admit of the adjustment
of the tension of the endless chain of cutters without removing the
machine from the working face of the coal or mineral, substantially as
described.
Seventh. The
arrangement of the endless chain of cutters with
the cutting edges opposite the joints of the chain, substantially as
described.
Eighth. The application of inclined or horizontal supporting wheels to
machinery cutting coal or mineral by means of an endless chain of cutters carried
by a jib, substantially as described.
Ninth. The arrangement of tubular guide rails for supporting machines for
cutting coal or mineral, substantially as described.
In witness whereof,. I, the said Peter Gledhill, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
PETER GLEDHILL. (L.S.)