Improvements in Apparatus for Breaking Up or Cutting Rocks, Boulders, Stones, or Earth, under Water or on Dry Land
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 8th Oct, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
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"Improvements in Apparatus for Breaking Up or Cutting Rocks,
Boulders, Stones, or Earth, under Water or on Dry Land".
I, FRED LOBNITZ, Director of Lobnitz & Coy., Ltd., Renfrew, County of
Renfrew, Scotland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:
-
This invention relates to apparatus for breaking up or cutting rocks, boulders,
stones, or hardened earth, or combinations of earth and stone, whether under
water or on dry land. The apparatus is specially adapted for use in conjunction
with, or as an auxiliary to, dredging plant when forming or deepening rivers,
canals, harbours, and other water ways, and also for breaking up or disintegrat-
ing the ground when making excavations on dry land for railways, foundations,
and other formations and structures.
The present invention is a development of the invention of H. C. Lobnitz No.
14016 of 1886.
In carrying out the invention, I use a (or more than one) rock cutter or ram
which is of a special construction. This rock cutter, which sometimes weighs
about 10 to 20 tons, is lifted up, by means of a winch and wire rope arrange-
ment, to a certain height and is then allowed to fall on to the rock, with the
result, that, owing to its great weight and peculiar construction, it penetrates
the rock, partly pulverising and partly breaking it. If the rock is hard and
brittle, it breaks in a similar manner to a piece of glass struck by a heavy
hammer. The cutter is frequently raised and allowed to fall so as to give a
series of percussive blows to the rock with the result that it is soon shattered and
broken up to the depth desired.
The apparatus consists of the rock cutter (or cutters), a guide for the cutter,
winding gear for hoisting the cutter and then allowing it to fall, and sheer legs
or other suitable structure for carrying the pulley (or pulleys) upon which the
lifting rope (or ropes) runs.
For sub-aqueous work the rock cutting apparatus is preferably carried by a
suitable floating structure such as a barge, or a dredger, or, say, two old barges
joined together by logs of wood or steel girders bolted across on top of their
decks. The barge or other floating structure is provided with a manoeuvring
winch and chains whereby it can be readily moved about so as to enable the
blows of the cutter to be delivered at the exact spot desired or within a few
inches of it.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-

page_text: unto appended, by way of example, three explanatory sheets of drawings,
whereon,
Fig. 1 is a view of a steam barge fitted with rock cutting apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line - Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a view of a rock cutter.
Fig. 3 is a view of an interchangeable cutting point.
Fig. 3 is a section of the eye-block, pat right angles to the section at
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 is a section taken through two barges and showing a guide for the
cutter fitted between. them.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the guide Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line Y-Y Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a section and Fig. 8 a plan of another form of guide.
Fig. 9 is a part plan and Fig 10 a part section showing the rope winding
drum and clutch mechanism.
Fig. 11 is a diagram of a barge with a simple form of guide fitted in the
well b.
On the drawings the same reference letters wherever repeated indicate the
same parts:
C
In Figs. 1 and 2 the steam barge a is made with a central well which is
provided with a simple guide arrangement consisting of four upright. timber
guide bars e secured firmly and rigidly in place and which rest upon brackets d
bolted to the sides of the well. The guide bars, at their upper ends, can, if
necessary, be bound together by means of beams c. The guide bars are, prefer-
ably, supported from the deck of the barge by wood struts f, g. Fitted within
and capable of sliding up and down the guide bars is a guide consisting of cross
beams h, i, bolted securely together. The guide is provided with ring bolts
or hooks (see Figs. 5 and 6) whereby it can be raised or lowered in the guide
bars, to the desired elevation suitable for the cutter, by means of the wire
hoisting rope k. The guide has or may have steel wearing plates on the faces
next the cutter 1. Figs. 4 to 8 show other modes of making the guide.
The cutter, as shown particularly at Fig. 3, is a round bar of special mild
steel which is usually turned smooth in a lathe throughout its whole length.
The diameter of the bar varies from the maximum at the part to the minimum
at the upper end P. Fitted removably in the lower extremity is a cutting point
m made in the form of an armour piercing shell. This point is fitted in a
socket m and can be secured therein by means of a groove m² and set screw m³.
The cutting points are made interchangeable so that whenever one is worn it
can, at once, be replaced by a new one. The upper end of the bar has an eye-
block secured to it by means of the side lugs and the studs p². As will be
seen, this block, which is so made and fitted as to form an extension of the
cutter, has a hole in it for the reception of the thimble of the wire rope.
In this manner the wire rope is securely attached to the cutter.
The cutter points are made of steel tempered so as to be harder in the centre
than at the outside in order that they may continue sharp, during use, on
the same principle as a rat's tooth.
The cutter is raised to the height desired and then allowed to fall by means
of the hoisting gear consisting of the winch s, wire rope k, and pulley o carried
by the sheer legs 01 02 03
The winch, which is, preferably, driven by steam or electricity, in any
well known and suitable manner, has a drums and also a clutch whereby said
drum can at once be thrown into gear with or disengaged from its driving shaft.
The construction of the drum and clutch gear are clearly shown at Figs. 9
and 10. The drum, which is loose on the driving shaft 3, is provided with a
disc made with a flange s. Secured to this flange is one end of the steel
coil which is wound round the boss 6 of the shaft and whose other end is
connected to the short arm 7 of a bent lever which is fulcrumed at to the

page_text: ug 10 of the discs. The long arm of the lever has an upwardly projecting
foot 12. 13 is a movable disc on the shaft is a cross bar made one with
the collar of the disc and which can be moved within the slot 15 in the shaft
by turning the lever and screw and thereby forcing in the spindle s¹8.
Whenever, by the turning of the lever 16, the disc 13 is moved inwards it acts
upon the foot 12 of the bent lever and causes it to move so as to tighten the
coil upon the boss whereupon the winding drum is frictionally engaged
with the shafts. On the other hand, whenever the pressure of the disc against
the foot is removed, by the turning back of the lever 16, the coil slackens its
grasp upon the boss s and the drum is thrown out of engagement (by a spring)
with the shaft is a stop pin which can be used to lock the winding.gear
whenever necessary..
r
The pulley runs in bearings at the upper end of sheer legs of, 02, 03. As
will be seen the legs, o, lean forward slightly, and are bent at their upper
ends, whilst all three legs are tapered from the extremities towards the centre
for the purpose of strength. The shoes o for the lower ends of the sheer legs,
are secured to the deck of the barge.
It is an important feature that, by using the coil clutch and its actuating
mechanism, as shown at Figs. 9, and 10, the. hoisting rope can, as shown at
Figs 3 and 3 be secured direct to the cutter and the necessity for using a
monkey catch (such as set forth in the Specification of H. C. Lobnitz's prior
Patent No. 17978 of 1890) for catching the cutter and then releasing it be
avoided.
This guide con-
In Figs 4, 5 and 6 a guide for two cutters 1, 1, is shown.
sists of two beams t, t', and three cross beams or distance pieces, t,,, bound
together by wire rope bindings, tare metal strengthening plates. are
metal face plates. As will be seen the beams t, t', are let into the
pieces 3, t.
cross
The four upright guide bars 18 are bolted to the sides of the barges a, a¹, by
means of bolts and they are also supported on brackets to are outside
runners. 12 are wood runners which may be fitted to the inside of the barges
to strengthen them. are wood buffers.
The guide can be raised and lowered, within the guide bars, by means of
the hoisting gear whenever desired. The ring bolts are provided for this
purpose.
Figs. and 8 show a slightly different construction of guide. In this case
the beams. t, t,,,, instead of being bound together by wire rope are secured
by bolts u. are additional distance pieces. The sides of the openings in
the guide for the cutters 1, 1, are, as shown, clearly, faced with metal plates v.
we are cushions made of a soft and yielding
These plates are bent downwards.
material such as rope, cork, etc; such cushions may be fitted beneath the plates e,
between the guide bars 18 and the sides of the barges, and in other positions
where it is found advantageous to have such cushions for minimizing sudden
shocks caused by the violent movements of the cutters when they strike the
ground. The guide bars may have metal face plates. The dotted lines at c
Fig 7 indicate the highest position of the guide. The guide when elevated is
retained in position by stop pins c¹.
Any or all of the beams of the guides can be strengthened by metal plates.
If desired instead of fitting the guide between uprights it can be suspended
0 or held in position by means of chains, or wire or other ropes, as indicated at
Fig. 11. In this case the guide is made to float upon the surface of the water.
Owing to the fact that the guide is freely suspended it can readily move when
violently struck by the cutter, thereby minimizing any shock and jar. When
it is deemed advisable to have a floating guide I prefer to make it in the manner
5 herein before described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6.
In actual practice I prefer to work with from
can be employed.
to 3 cutters although more

page_text: The rock when broken up by the cutters can be easily dredged by means of a
dredger.
When-operating-on-dry land-the-outters-are worked-in-the-same-or-a-similar manner
10-ordinary-pile-drivers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is:
2. In apparatus such as described, A a rock cutter made of metal through-
out and tapered having a removable shell-shaped point at one end and an eye-
block, for fastening the hoisting rope to the cutter, secured in place by means
of studs or equivalent at the other end, substantially as herein before set forth.
1 In combination, a structure, a guide, fitted to the structure, a cutter
(or more than one) fitted to work in the guide wire rope hoisting gear, means
for attaching the wire rope to the cutter, a winch, a coil clutch fitted in con-
nection with the winch, and means for operating the clutch, all substantially
as herein before described with reference to the drawings annexed.
3. In apparatus such as described. The the combination with the winding
drum of the winch, of the coil clutch and the mechanism for operating the
clutch, all substantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 9
and 10 of the drawings annexed.
4. In apparatus such as described, The the construction of guide substantially
as herein before described and shown at Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings annexed.
5. In apparatus such as described, The the construction of guide substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown at Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 18th. day of April. 1898.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow & London,
Agent.