OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING CONTENTS OF CUTTINGS, EMBANKMENTS, OR OTHER EARTHWORKS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR MEASURING CONTENTS OF CUTTINGS, EMBANKMENTS, OR OTHER
EARTHWORKS." A communication from abroad by Jules Canale, of Paris,
France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st March 1881.
JOHN IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.
"NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING CONTENTS OF CUTTINGS,
EMBANKMENTS, OR OTHER EARTHWORKS." [A communication from abroad by
Jules Canale, of Paris, France.]
The apparatus according to this Invention consists of two parts. The one part
is a rectangular plate or flat frame having along each side and one end a groove to
receive a slide, the edges of the grooves being graduated with equal divisions, and
the slides graduated with verniers having clamping screws by which they can be
secured at any part of their respective grooves. There are also at one end of the
plate or frame two other slides, which can be moved along and clamped at any part
of two graduated guides which are perpendicular to the lateral grooves. A straight
graduated rule is pivotted to one of the end slides, so that by moving them this
rule can be set at any required angle and distance from zero, representing, for
example, the inclination of the ground; and other straight graduated rules are
pivotted to the end and lateral slides so that they also can be set at any required
position and angle representing, for example, the slope of a cutting or embankment.
By setting some of these rules according to measurements there is presented on the
plate or frame a model profile of the cutting or embankment, which by means of
others of the rules can be divided into triangular or trapezoidal portions, the
measurements of which are shewn to scale on the graduated guides and rules.
These measurements may be dealt with arithmetically to compute the areas and
[Price 6d.]

page_text: solid contents of the work, but in order to abridge the labour of multiplication the
second part of the apparatus may be employed. This part also consists of a
rectangular plate or flat frame having slides fitted to move along its sides which are
graduated, the slides being provided with verniers and clamping screws. There is
also a straight rule pivotted near one end of the plate or frame and capable of being
set at different inclinations to the side guides, and there is a graduated transverse
guide bar which can be slid along the side guides, and along which a slide with
vernier and clamping screw can be moved perpendicularly to the side guides. By
setting the inclined rule so as to cross one of the side scales at a given point
corresponding to a certain number and setting the transverse slide to a given point
on the transverse guide bar corresponding to another number, and then moving the
transverse guide bar until the edge of its slide meets the inclined rule, this bar will
attain a point on the side guide shewing the product of the two numbers. It is
convenient to graduate the sides guides to various scales, and to make those on the
one side tenths of those on the other side, the smallest denomination being suitable
for setting the rule, and the larger for reading the products.
The second part of the apparatus may be dispensed with by modifying the
construction of the first part in the following manner:-A sliding stop having on
it a graduated vernier scale is fitted to slide along one of the lateral grooves of the
plate or frame to such a position as to form a stop for the pivotted rule, which can
be pivotted to either of two slides fitted to move along the end grooves of the plate
or frame. A tapezoidal frame is also fitted to slide along the longitudinal grooves,
and its edge is graduated with a vernier scale suited to graduations which appear
on a rule fixed along one of these grooves. By employing this sliding frame in
conjunction with the pivotted rule in a manner similar to that above explained with
reference to the use of the second part of the apparatus, the products of numbers
can be ascertained; and thus the areas of the figures constituting the profile can be
determined. The apparatus thus modified presents the advantage of combining in
one instrument the means of setting out to scale the profiles of the work to be
computed and its triangular dimensions, and also of computing their areas.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Imray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
September 1881.
JOHN IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.
"NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING CONTENTS OF CUTTINGS,
EMBANKMENTS, OR OTHER EARTHWORKS." A communication from abroad by Jules
Canale, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to apparatus constituting an instrument which may be
termed a profilometer, for measuring contents of cuttings, embankments, or other
earth works, of which the dimensions are given. I will describe the construction
and operation of the instrument referring to the accompanying diagrams and
Drawings. In the diagramı Fig. 1, let A B CD represent half the transverse section of
a cutting, such as that for a railway, of which the depth A B and the half width of
the bottom BC are given, the slope of the side DC, being 45°. Also let the
descent SA of the natural slope be given. Obviously as the area of the whole
triangle AOD is half the product of A O by DS, and as the area of BOC half the
product of BO by BC may be taken as constant, the area ADCB is found by
subtracting this constant from AOD. In Fig. 2, where EIH is the natural
surface, let EFG represent half the transverse section of an embankment of
which are given the height GH, the half breadth at summit FG, the inclination E F,
as, for example, two in height for three of base; also the inclination EI as, for
example, 1 in 20, and I H as 12 in 10. In this case the area F G x being taken as
a constant, the section of the earthwork is found by subtracting from the total
triangle U.Ex (which is half the product of Ux by ET) the two triangular
areas F G x and HIU. Again, if Fig. 3 represent a cutting for a canal in which
the area LV y PNM may be taken as constant, the area of the earthwork is
found by subtracting this from the total triangle K V J, half of the product of K V
by JR. I will now, referring to Fig. 4, describe the construction of the
profilometer and the mode in which it performs the operations of drawing to scale
and computing such measurements as present themselves in cases like those
illustrated by the diagrams, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. X is a plate of metal having a
straight groove a and a¹ along each of its sides, and two grooves a², a³, at one end,
in which grooves there are slides c, c¹, c², c³. The plate is divided, as shewn, into
millimetres or other measures, and on it are placed rules b also divided, which
may be put at any inclination to represent an earthwork slope. If the plate were
wide enough one long rule b with its zero coinciding with the base line of the
plate would suffice, but in order to avoid the inconvenience of a very wide plate
and a very long rule, the rule is preferably used in separate divisions, each beginning
where the former leaves off; d is a vernier scale graduated on both sides; one of
them to suit the inclination is applied to one of the rules b. A long rule e, which
can be set to represent the slope of the ground, is pivotted at f on a slide 9 carrying
a vernier scale, the point f being at a known distance, such as 10 centimetres from
the centre line of the section dealt with, which centre line has the vernier scale h
running along it. The two columns i and j are divided for heights. Assuming
that there is a half section of a cutting 7 metres deep and 4 metres wide at bottom
made in ground sloping 0.40 per metre with a side slope inclined at 45°, then
placing at 7 and g at 8, the intersection of e with the first inclined rule b
shews 10, as the width on the vertical line of the plate, and 8.48 as the
face of the slope on the rule b. The intersection of e with the second of the
inclined rules 6 will give the same results for the depth of .17 metres, and with the
third for a depth of 27 metres and so on, each successive rule being adapted to an

page_text: -
additional depth of 10 metres. In a similar manner other profiles can be modelled
on the plate by the use of the rules b and e. The instrument also serves for
computing areas, as I will explain, referring to the diagram, Fig. 5, taking a
numerical example. Let tu 42.25, tv = 10, m n = 5, op = 3, then obviously
um and uo bear to ut the respective ratios of 5: 10 and 3:10; also the areas of
the triangles tnu and tpu bear to that of the whole triangle tvu the same ratios
respectively. Moreover the lengths uo and um bearing the same ratios to ut
dimensions such as uo or um measured from u towards t will be proportional to the
areas of the triangles having their vertices on the line uv perpendicularly above the
points o or m to which the measurements extend. Applying this to the instrument
in Fig. 4, the rule e is divided, say, in millimetres, and several scales are employed,
such as 1 to 1000, 1 to 500, 1 to 200, and 1 to 100, to facilitate computation.
Also a species of set square is fitted to slide along e, its base s having a vernier
scale 99 millimetres divided into 100 parts, and its perpendicular rq being divided
to 20 centimetres; the two first divisions being subdivided to millimetres so that a
vernier can be applied to them by working a slide of the set square by a screw Z.
The rule e rests on a pin on the slide t. For finding a product such as 56-32
by 8.57, the zero of rs is set at 563-20 on e, and e is moved till 10 of rq coincides
with k¹, and then set by the pin of t. The set square is now moved till 8.57 on q
coincides with k¹, whereupon the zero of r s will indicate on e the required product.
In like manner other products may be found using when required multiples of the
numbers given by 10 or by 100, &c., according to convenience. The inverse
operation of division can also be performed. Thus to divide 547-12 by 9.57 rs is set.
at 547-12 on c, and e is moved till 9.57 on rg coincides with k¹ and set by t. The
set square is now moved till 10 of rq coincides with k¹, and then rs will indicate
10 times the required quotient.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim,―
The construction and use of apparatus for measuring contents of cuttings,
embankments, or other earthworks, as herein. described with reference to the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Imray, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
TATT