AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR PRO
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Florent Joseph Vandenvinne, of Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Florent Joseph Vandenvinne
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th May 1867.
I, FLORENT JOSEPH VANDENVINNE, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE
OR PLOUGH FOR CLEARING OR GRUBBING UP UNCULTIVATED LAND," to be as follows,
that is to say:-
This Invention consists in an improved construction of machine for tilling
or ploughing uncultivated land to a great depth, and also for the execution of
all kinds of open earthwork, such as cuttings for railroads and canals.
The improved machine consists of a strong iron framework, in the back
part of which is fixed a steam engine for giving a forward motion to the
machine, and for driving its working parts. A pulley is keyed on the shaft of
the steam engine, which drives a second pulley fixed on a horizontal shaft
placed in the front of the machine; this shaft carries at each end a bevil pinion,
which bevil pinions gear into two bevil wheels fixed on two vertical wrought-

page_text: iron shafts, around each of which are fixed a certain number of picks or mat-
tocks (twenty-four preferred), arranged screwwise, forming about a quarter
of a revolution, and turning in opposite directions in such a manner that the
picks of one of the shafts pass in the corresponding spaces left between the
picks of the other shaft; these picks are of the form of a shovel so as to move
the earth, which being struck by the picks is thrown back and falls into
troughs placed to receive it. Curved sheets of iron are arranged so as to
prevent the earth thus moved from falling at the sides. The troughs are fixed
on an endless chain passing over two drums, one at the bottom and the other
at the top of the machine; the shaft of the top drum is driven by a band
passing over a pulley fixed on the horizontal shaft before mentioned; the
troughs are thus constantly in motion, and carry up the earth to the top of the
machine and turn it over on an endless chain, which passes over two drums,
on the shaft of one of which is fixed a pulley driven by a band from a pulley
on the drum shaft of the trough chain; this. endless chain thus carries the earth
to the back of the machine, whence it may, if required, be carted away.
Friction rollers are placed in suitable supports under the endless chain of
the troughs, and also under the endless chain carrying the earth to the back
of the machine, and at each side of the latter chain sheets of iron are fixed to
prevent the earth from falling off, and two iron sheets moved by a screw are
placed under the troughs on their descending side to prevent any earth falling
into the machine. The forward movement of the machine is effected by
means of a pulley fixed on the shaft of the steam engine, which drives a pulley
fixed on a shaft in the lower part of the framework, which latter shaft. drives
by means of a wheel and pinion another shaft furnished with a bevil pinion
gearing into and driving a bevil wheel fixed on a shaft carrying three endless
serews, which give motion to three gearing wheels fixed on the axles of the six
wheels or cylinders on which the machine moves. The machine has besides
two other wheels placed towards the front part. A screw jack is adapted to
the machine to raise it up when required to make it pivot on itself.
pursuance
ԼԵԼՆԵԼԻ
by the said Florent Joseph Vandenvinne in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FLORENT
JOSEPH VANDENVINNE, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, 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
Florent Joseph Vandenvinne, Her special licence that I, the said Florent Joseph
Vandenvinne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Florent Joseph Vandenvinne, 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 "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE OR PLOUGH FOR CLEARING OR GRUBBING UP UNCULTIVATED LAND," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Florent Joseph Vandenvinne,
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
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 Florent Joseph Vandenvinne, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in an improved construction of machine for tilling
or ploughing uncultivated land to a great depth, and also for the execution of
all kinds of open earthwork, such as cuttings for railroads and canals.
The improved machine consists of a strong iron framework, on the back
part of which is fixed a steam engine for giving a forward motion to the
machine, and for driving its working parts. A pulley is keyed on the shaft of
the steam engine which drives a second pulley fixed on a horizontal shaft
placed in the front of the machine; this shaft carries at each end a bevil
pinion (or a second shaft may be employed), which bevil pinions gear into
two bevil wheels fixed on two vertical wrought-iron shafts, around eacli of
which are fixed a certain number of picks or mattocks (twenty-four preferred),
arranged screwwise, forming about a quarter of a revolution, and turning in
opposite directions in such a manner that the picks of one of the shafts pass in
the corresponding spaces left between the picks of the other shaft; these picks

page_text: are of the form of a shovel, so as to move the earth, which being struck by the
picks is thrown back and falls into troughs placed to receive it. Curved
sheets of iron are arranged so as to prevent the earth thus moved from falling
at the sides. The troughs are fixed on an endless chain passing over two
drums, one at the bottom and the other at the top of the machine; the shaft
of the top drum is driven by a band passing over a pulley fixed on the bori-
zontal shaft before mentioned; the troughs are thus constantly in motion, and
carry up the earth to the top of the machine, and turn it over on an endless
chain which passes over two drums, on the shaft of one of which is fixed a
pulley driven by a band from a pulley on the drum shaft of the trough chain;
this endless chain thus carries the earth to the back of the machine, whence
it may if required be carted away. Friction rollers are placed in suitable
supports under the endless chain of the troughs, and also under the endless
chain carrying the earth to the back of the machine, and at each side of the
latter chain sheets of iron are fixed to prevent the earth from falling off, and
two iron sheets, moved by a screw, are placed under the troughs on their
descending side to prevent any earth falling into the machine. The forward
movement of the machine is effected by means of a pulley fixed on the
shaft of the steam engine, which drives a pulley fixed on a shaft in the lower
part of the framework, which latter shaft drives by means of a wheel and
pinion another shaft furnished with a bevil pinion gearing into and driving a
bevil wheel fixed on a shaft carrying three endless screws, which give motion
to three gearing wheels fixed on the axles of the six wheels or cylinders on
which the machine moves. The machine has besides two other wheels placed
towards the front part. A screw jack is adapted to the machine to raise it up
when required to make it pivot on itself.
To make my Invention better understood I will now proceed to describe it
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a
side elevation of my improved machine; Figure 2, Sheet 2, plan of same;
and Figure 3, Sheet 2, horizontal section on line A, B, of Figure 1, Sheet 1.
Similar letters of reference in all the Figures represent similar parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
A is the pulley keyed on the shaft S of the steam engine driving the
pulley B, which latter is fixed on the shaft C', on the shaft C are fixed the
bevil pinions D which drive the bevil wheels H fixed on the pick shafts E',
thus causing the movement of the picks which turn in opposite directions. It
is by the movement thus communicated to them that these picks imperceptibly

page_text: strike the earth together in such a manner that any obstacles which they
encounter, such, for example, as stones, are carried away by the picks into the
troughs.
When the earth falls in the middle of the screw formed by the picks it
is at first prevented by a sheet-iron plate J' from falling at the sides; it is
pushed into the troughs, which are constantly in movement, and which raise
it and turn it over on an endless chain which carries it to the back of the
machine. For this purpose the shaft C carries a pulley E" which drives the
trough chain by means of a pulley G wedged on the shaft H' of the drum N,
on which moves the trough chain J. On the shaft His fixed a second
pulley L, which drives the pulley M keyed on the shaft N¹, as is also the drum O,
on which rolls the endless chain Z; a second drum P supports the other end
of the chain Z. The forward movement is effected by means of the pulley B"
fixed on the shaft S driving the pulley Q keyed on the shaft B¹; this shaft
carries the evil pinion W, which drives the gearing wheel X keyed on the
shaft Y. On the shaft Y are fixed the three endless screws Y¹, which drive
the gearing wheels U; these wheels are fixed on the axles carrying the
wheels Z. A represents a sheet of iron which can be raised and lowered at
will by means of the screw B", the nut G¹ of which is fixed on the plank D¹;
the screw draws the small support F¹ fixed to the sheet; these sheets are
double and independent of each other, so that they may be placed obliquely
when required. V represents a piece of timber on which are placed
supports ; these supports carry the friction rollers H", on which slides the
trough chain J; 1' is the screw jack for raising the machine;" J¹
represents
curved sheets of iron corresponding to the contour of the screws; K', iron
sheets placed at the side of the endless chain to prevent the fall of the earth.
The whole machine moves on the six cylinders Z' and two wheels; these
two latter are placed at the side of the flat parts of the drum which serves to
raise the trough chain.
In the elevation the pulleys are represented by red lines.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details berein laid down; but what I claim is,-
Firstly, the general arrangement and construction of a machine substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and shewn in the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly, the peculiar arrangement and employment of picks in combination
with the endless chain carrying the troughs and mechanism for working the

page_text: same, as herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Florent Joseph Vandenviune, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
FL. J. VANDENVINNE. (L.S.)