AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PIERCING OR BORING HOLES IN ROCK, MINERAL, OR OTHER MATERIAL OF A SIMILAR NATURE, APPLICABLE IN TUNNEL, MINE, QUARRY, AND OTHER SUCH WORK
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ferdinand Floran Villepigue, of Brewers Lane,
in the Parish of Saint Martin's-in-the-Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PIERCING OR BORING HOLES IN ROCK,
MINERAL, OR OTHER MATERIAL OF A SIMILAR NATURE, APPLICABLE IN TUNNEL,
MINE, QUARRY, AND OTHER SUCH WORK."
Sealed the 1st April 1870, and dated the 4th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ferdinand Floran
Villepigue at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 4th October 1869.
I, FERDINAND FLORAN VILLEPIGUE, of Brewers Lane, in the Parish
of Saint Martin's-in-the-Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PIERCING OR BORING HOLES IN ROCK,
MINERAL, OR OTHER MATERIAL OF A SIMILAR NATURE, APPLICABLE IN TUNNEL,
MINE, QUARRY, AND OTHER SUCH WORK," to be as follows:-
My apparatus consists, firstly, in a strong hollow iron pillar or
standard having at its lower extremity two claws working in a socket

page_text: joint, and at its upper end a screw inserted, working in another within
the standard; the standard may be of any required length. The screw
or head which revolves within the hollow standard has a pointed end
of steel, which by being driven into the rock or other bearing fixes the
standard rigidly in any required position. The parts here described
constitute the stationary or fixed portion of the apparatus. To the fixed
pillar or standard is attached a moveable metal collar or ring, which may
be tightened or loosened at pleasure, and which when loose slides along
or revolves around the said standard. In connexion with this collar and
fixed to the same by a very strong conical joint is a cast-iron box con-
taining a mechanism designed to act as a brake to the screw which
passes through the centre of the said box (this mechanism is herein-after
described). To this screw is fastened at one end the cutting instrument,
auger, or drill, and it has at the other a ratchet or other handle easily
turned by manual labour. The augers or cutters may be of any suitable
length or diameter. In cases where steel is not sufficiently hard to drill
or cut through the rock or other material I use a cutter formed of a
hollow metal tube fitted at one extremity with a ring in which fragments
of black diamond or other cutting material are inserted. With this form.
of cutter in order to obtain a perfectly regular direction and magnitude
to
coupled standards between which

page_text: point penetrate the bearing with which it is in contact the whole
standard becomes securely fixed and rigid. The standard being thus
fixed, the sliding collar already described with the drill or cutter attached
is unclamped, moved to any desired position and height and clamped.
The drill being now set in the direction required for the hole, and brought
into contact with the material to be pierced, the brake power if required
is applied more or less, and the drill is worked by means of the handle at
the end of the screw. The foregoing description shews the nature of my
Invention, which may be varied in detail and in the manner of obtaining
the brake power to suit varying circumstances; thus the cutters may
be made separable from the spiral, or the whole apparatus instead of
resting against natural surfaces may work within a frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ferdinand Floran Villepigue in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FERDINAND
FLORAN VILLEPIGUE, of 4, Maismore Place, Park Road, Peckham, in
the County of Surrey, Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third 1 year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Ferdinand Floran Villepigue, Her special
license, that I, the said Ferdinand Floran Villepigue, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ferdinand
Floran Villepigue, 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 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR
PIERCING OR BORING HOLES IN ROCK, MINERAL, OR OTHER MATERIAL OF A SIMILAR
NATURE, APPLICABLE IN TUNNEL, MINE, QUARRY, OR OTHER SUCH WORK," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ferdinand Floran
Villepigue, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing

page_text: "
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 Ferdinand Floran Villepigue, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
My said Invention refers to a method of and apparatus for piercing or
boring holes in rock, mineral, or other material of a similar nature,
applicable in tunnel, mine, quarry, and other such work. I shall
proceed to describe my apparatus and Invention for the above purpose,
and in order that my said apparatus and Invention may be fully
understood I shall in describing the same refer to the several Figures in
the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures. Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings represents a general
view of my apparatus according to type No. 1.
My apparatus consists, firstly, of a strong hollow iron pillar or standard
A having at its lower extremity a foot piece B terminating in two claws
working in a socket joint O and at its upper end a screw inserted D,
working in a nut within the standard. The standard may be made of
any required length. The screw or head which revolves within the
hollow standard has a pointed end of steel, which by being driven by
means of the screw into the rock or other bearing fixes the standard
rigidly in any required position, and at its lower extremity it has a
washer attached, which slides up and down within the standard with the
screw. The parts here described constitute the stationary or fixed
portion of the apparatus, which fixed portion is substantially the same
in all the several types herein-after described. To the fixed pillar or
standard thus described is attached a moveable metal collar or ring shewn
(for type 1) to an enlarged scale at e, Fig. 2, Sheet 1. This collar or ring,
which forms a part of each of the types, may be tightened or loosened at
pleasure by means of the screw and nut at f, and when loose it slides
along or revolves around the said standard. In connexion with this collar

page_text: and fixed to the same by a very strong conical joint g is a cast-iron box h
containing a mechanism designed to act as a brake to the screw, which
passes through the said box (this mechanism which varies in the several
types of the apparatus is herein-after described). To the screw last referred
to is fastened at one end (see Fig. 1, Sheet 1) by means of a socket attached
to the same, the cutting instrument, auger, or drill i, and the screw takes
at its other end a ratchet or other handle easily turned by manual labour
or otherwise. The augers or cutters may be of any suitable form, length,
or diameter, and the cutting end of the form shewn at j. In cases where
steel is not sufficiently hard to cut through the rock or other material, I
use a cutter formed of a hollow metal tube fitted at one extremity with a
ring in which fragments of black diamond or other cutting material are
inserted. With this form of cutter or otherwise wherever it is necessary
to obtain a perfectly regular direction and magnitude of hole it is well
to use coupled standards between which the screw and cutter act.
The mechanism contained within the cast-iron box already referred to
is as follows, that is to say :-In type 1 (see on Sheet 2, Fig. 3, which is
a vertical section; Fig 4, which is a sectional plan; and Fig. 5, which
is a sectional elevation of the said mechanism), two small metal brake
drums encased on their circumference in leather or other fit material
are rigidly connected on the same spindles with two worm wheels 7, the
main screw m of the cutting instrument passing between these worm
wheels and working in the same. By means of a small lever n attached
to a screw acting on the compressor brakes o a pressure can be exerted
on the brake drums sufficient either wholly or partially to prevent the
worm wheels from being turned by the action of the screw passing
between them, the effect of which arrangement is to produce such an
amount of friction as renders the progression of the screw with its drill
proportionate in each case to the resistance of the material to be pierced.
One of the spindles above referred to can be made to turn by a key, and
by so turning it the screw and cutter can be withdrawn or advanced
instantaneously. In type 2 (see Sheet 2, Figs. 6, 7, 8, corresponding
with 3, 4, & 5, already described) instead of the brake arrangement
described for type 1 the screw passes through a nut p of the form shewn,
the upper portion of which is of conical form, and corresponds on its
upper surface with the lower surface of a collar-q-fixed in a-cast-iron box,
a leather washer being inserted between the two surfaces. Around the
put already described is a compressor steel spring which can be

page_text: tightened or loosened by turning the screw & by means of the lever t.
The effect of this arrangement is to bring the thrust of the screw against
the surface of the collar q, and the friction thus produced retards the
revolution of the nut, additional friction being obtained if required by
means of the compressor spring already described. Type 3 (see Figs. 9,
10, 11, corresponding with Figs. 3, 4, 5, of type 1) has the main screw
passing through a nut u, which is keyed into the cast-iron box v
(through which it passes) by means of the key w. This type is intended
for soft and homogeneous materials only. Type 4 is a modified com-
bination of types 1 and 2 with the parts arranged as shewn on Figs. 12,
13, 14, corresponding with Figs. 3, 4, 5, of type 1. The action of the
perforator is as follows:-The pillar or standard is set up in any heading,
tunnel, or open cutting at any required inclination between two bearing
surfaces, the foot having a firm hold and owing to its socket joint
adapting itself easily to any position or inequality of the surface, and 1
then by turning the screwed head so as to make its point penetrate the
bearing with which it is in contact the whole standard becomes securely
fixed and rigid. The standard being thus fixed, the sliding collar already
described with the drill and cutter attached is unclamped moved to any
desired position and height and clamped. The drill being now set in the
direction required for the hole and brought into contact with the material
to be pierced, the brake power if required is applied more or less, and the
drill is made to advance by means of the handle at the end of the scrow,
or by other gearing in ordinary use.
.
The foregoing description shews the nature of my apparatus and 2
Invention, which may be varied in detail and in the manner of obtaining
the brake power. For instance in type 1 instead of the compressor
brakes shewn on the Drawing I sometimes use a clip spring round
the drums, as shewn at type 2. Other modifications I make in the
apparatus are as follows:-The cutting ends instead of being inseparable 3
from the augers are attached to the same either by being let into a
socket, by being bolted, or by being welded. Also the whole apparatus
instead of being fixed as described to a natural bearing surface is, where
such cannot be obtained provided with a frame of timber or metal in
which it is fixed.
3

page_text: that I claim as novel and original, and therefore as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,―
Firstly. The whole combination of parts substantially as described,
forming a novel and improved apparatus for boring in rock, mineral,
and other substances.
And, secondly, as belonging to and forming parts of this apparatus,
(a) the arrangement for fixing the standard A. by means of a single point
and screw at one extremity and the jointed foot claws at the other; (b),
the form and arrangement of the sliding collar already described, by
which the cast-iron box containing the brake apparatus and the screw
which passes through the same are attached to the standard, a form and
arrangement which admit of changing almost infinitely the direction of
the instrument in its operation; (c), the brake arrangements in types 2
and 4, and in type 1 the manner of adapting the brake mechanism to my
apparatus as there shewn; (d), the form of the cutting end of the augers
which I have devised so as to materially reduce the cutting work of the
instrument, this being effected by having the central part of a V shape,
which I find breaks up the material at the core while the outside edges
cut the same around the external circumference of the hole.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ferdinand Floran Villepigue, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
FERDINAND FLORAN VILLEPIGUE. (L.S.)