IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MEANS OR APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING WROUGHT-IRON GIRDERS AND OTHER SIMILAR SHEET-IRON STRUCTURES OF LARGE DIMENSIONS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Arrol, of the Firm of "William Arrol and
Company," of Dalmarnock Iron Works, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND
MEANS OR APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING WROUGHT-IRON
GIRDERS AND OTHER SIMILAR SHEET-IRON STRUCTURES OF LARGE DIMENSIONS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Arrol at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th April 1877.
WILLIAM ARROL, of the Firm of "William Arrol and Company," of Dalmar-
" IMPROVE-
nock Iron Works, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain.
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MEANS OR APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR COX-
STRUCTING WROUGHT-IRON GIRDERS AND OTHER SIMILAR SHEET-IRON STRUCTURES
OF LARGE DIMENSIONS."
This Invention relates to a new or improved mode and means of erecting or
putting together the plate body, parts, or webs and feathers, and angle irons of large
wrought-iron rivotted girders and other such-like heavy plate frames or structures
not easily moved, all ready for having the holes bored through the entire number
or thicknesses of the plates and angle irons for receiving the rivets or bolts to secure
these or the finished structure; and the Invention further relates to new or
improved constructions of travelling or movable drilling machines, or combinations
of these, and gearing for actuating the same, which improvements will make much
better and stronger rivet and plate work at the joints, and thus give greater
strength to the whole structure, which in many cases can be wholly built and
bound together to the exact shape before boring the holes, besides saving much time
in the construction of such girders or frames as compared with the modes and means
heretofore employed for so doing,
The nature and novelty of the Invention consist all as follows:-First, as regards
the erecting of the parts of the girders together, the plates forming the body parts
or central vertical webs, and the upper and lower horizontal or edge webs, or
feathers, are planed or otherwise breadthened and shaped, as also the binding angle
Daina 11

page_text: irons, either cold or hot, all in a usual manner; and then they are fitted or
secured together by new transverse distanco pieces, or fitting, shaping, and binding
cast-iron blocks or brackets within the hollow parts between the webs (according
to one modification or arrangement of the improvements) upon the top of short
transverse blocks above the floor, and a strong foundation of longitudinal beams of
wood in or below the floor of the erecting shed, and all on its side as a whole girder,
or a long part or section thereof, when it is made with a web, and not with open
binders between the upper and lower members or webs.
The distance binding blocks or brackets are secured by screw bolts passed through
the ordinary drilled or punched holes in the vertical centre webs for securing the
ordinary transverse stiffeners or other stays between the girder-edge webs, and other
bolts through the ends of the brackets and slip washers or binders, across, above,
and below the block; or it might be cross bars outside the edges of or across the
upper and lower edge webs or members, which as thus built are arranged vertically
along the whole line of the girder and carrying blocks, near the middle of the shed,
all ready for having the binding rivet or bolt holes bored through the whole thick-
ness of plates and angle irons at once by the improvements herein-after described.
For this purpose there is a track or single line of rails laid parallel to the said outer
vertical webs or edges of the girder, and secured to suitable sleepers on strong
longitudinal foundation beams below the floor of the shop or shed, having one, or it
might be two, low strong travelling carriages, each mounted on four small wheels
near its corners to run on the rails, and preferably with a transverse shaft for each
pair of wheels when the girders and rails are straight, but separate and loose on
such shafts when the girders or other frame-plate work, and rails are curved and
arched, as for roofs, and long side girders for bridges or other structures. Each
carriage has a strong column, preferably hollow and rectangular, with vertical
planed guide slides on its front and back sides or faces, and mounted by a broad
slide base on it in planed transverse guides fitted with the shifting screw bush or
nut and hand screw in the middle and top side of the carriage next the outer faces
of the girder, requiring the vertical rows of rivet holes to be bored in them at every
four inches or other short distance apart along the whole two sides of the girder.
On the said vertical slides of each column and carriage the slide frame or headstock
of a multiple spindle drill, and that of a radial drill with carrying and actuating
screws within the columns are mounted and worked by hand wheels, ratchet levers,
or otherwise, on the opposite sides of the column, the former with the spindles
ranged transversely over each other in number, and movable intermittently to the
distance at which each row of holes is to be bored horizontally along the vertical
edge webs of the girder, the headstock carrying all the usual automatic driving and
feeding wheels, and screw gear, and hand wheels necessary for working the drill
spindles from a driving vertical shaft or wheel (connected by sliding feather and
groove) either of which being carried on the headstock and actuated by the first-
motion gearing and driving shafts carried on the carriage behind the column. The
other headstock carries the horizontal radial arm of the vertical drill and its
immediate slide and driving and feeding gear, actuated by its vertical sliding shaft
or wheel, with groove and feather, from the same first-inotion gearing on the
carriage, the arm radiating on journal bearings round the driving slotted vertical
shaft, right across the whole width of the girder, so that the drill can bore all tho
holes through the angle iron and main central web (for the securing rivets or
holding bolts) singly, while the multiple radial drills are boring the like holes in the
other vertical edge webs before referred to.
Each carriage with its drilling machines (after boring each vertical row of
horizontal holes by the multiple drill as described) is traversed along the rails by a
pinch or a lover on the axle of its rail wheels, or it may be the axis of a screw
working into a screw wheel on the axles of the wheels, and the carriage may be
firmly steadied on the rails by inverted U shaped resting feet (as n) on the lower
end of screw spindles mounted in the corners of the carriage outside the wheels,
screwed down by screw levers until the carriage rests ou these, and not on the

page_text: wheels; or otherwise the axles of the carriage wheels might revolve in eccentric
bushes in the frame and have short levers fixed on each, which being all coupled
by parallel-acting connecting rods, and these being reciprocated by a powerful hand
lever direct or through a draw screw, or rack and pinion, to turn all the eccentric
bushes at once and thus raise the wheels until the carriage rests by the screw feet
on the rails.
Either of these arrangements would instantly transform the carriage into a
stationary foundation frame without movement or vibration, by reason of its great
weight, so that the drills would work very steadily and bore good, straight, parallel
holes through a great depth and number of plates, as required in this class of work,
so that the rivets or bolts could be driven tightly in at once to fill these holes
without requiring to insert drifts or widners into them, as at present, or to bore
each hole separate by the usual portable hand or band driven verticals or drills fixed
to the floor of the workshop, or to the work itself.
These new or improved horizontal drilling machines are driven by new or
improved arrangements of endless rope or band driving gear (somewhat on the
principle of the cudless band gearing used for travelling cranes, but new as applied
for the purpose of driving travelling drills), which consists in having the long
endless rope mounted horizontally and nearly parallelly on the vertical edge,
grooved, running reversing pulleys at the edge of the loop, and numerous smaller
guide pulleys placed intermediately between these end pulleys, supporting the upper
and lower reverse running traversing lines of the rope, all carried on brackets
attached to the upper framing of the shed for carrying the gearing and roof nearly
in the vertical line of and over the two small vertical binding and guiding pulleys.
carried in a light frame at the top and back part of the column of each travelling
drilling carriage or machine, so that these two guide pulleys receive and conduct
the lower running line of rope in a long, nearly vertical loop down to and round
the under side of and back up again from the large driving groove pulley on the
first motion shaft of the gearing carried in suitable bearing brackets or pillar frames
at or near the carriage behind the column, so as to actuate it and the multiple and
radial drilling machines or mechanism, all as herein-before described, and stopped
at pleasure, preferably by a friction or other clutch and hand lever fitted to one of
the transmitting wheels or shafts on the carriage.
'
In the case of making curved girders or frames, the lower or both lines of the
driving rope must have their guiding pulleys set so as to guide the rope in nearly
the same curve as the carriage and that in which its said two upper guide pulleys
have to travel; but to ensure the proper guiding of the rope, in this case, on to those
upper guide pulleys two small horizontal guide pulleys are carried near each other at
the upper periphery of and rather beyond these pulleys, so as to act as funnel
guides to lead the rope to and from the driving pulley and gear of the travelling
or carriage drilling machine at all points of its curve.
The endless rope itself is driven by carrying a long inverted U (as () loop of
its upper traversing line up from one of two pressing or guide pulleys to and over
a large driving groove pulley, and back down to and round the second guide pulley;
the driving pulley being keyed on a transverse shaft carried in bearing brackets on
the framing of the shed high above the endless travelling rope, and driven either
by a special small engine for itself, or by belts and pulleys led from other adjacent
motive-power shafting of the shop, and fitted with suitable gearing or pulleys to
give the speed desired, and with stopping clutches or fast and loose shifting belt
pulleys and head levers for stopping and starting the said first motion shaft and
endless driving rope at pleasure. This rope would of course run across the top of
the shed for some distance beyond the travel of the boring carriages and longest
girder, or part thereof, required to be built under it; and for the purpose of main-
taining the rope at a proper tightness, however it may stretch, the reversing guide
pulley at one end of the loop is carried on a bracket sliding on two parallel longi-
tudinal guides, and tightened up as required by a long draw screw, rack, or chain
attached to the bracket.

page_text: Another improvement, as applied to the construction of very large cylinders for
the sides of bridges, or other such like frames, in which the upper and lower
members or edge webs are very broad, and formed of one, two, three, or more deep
plates at right angles to the former, and at some distance apart, to form the longi-
tudinal vertical webs, to which lattice or other angled tic bars are fixed between
these upper and lower members of this long deep class of girders, consists in
building these upper and lower members separately for the whole or a great part
of the length of the girder, with the outer plain web plates (forming the upper and
lower webs of these members respectively) down on the said block foundation
between the two sets of rails and their travelling multiple and radial drilling
machines. But in this case the blocks or beams are preferably laid longitudinally,
with narrow resting backing-up pieces laid at short intervals apart transversely on
the top of the longitudinal beanis for the said plates to rest on; these transverse
blocks being made to various heights and shapes to suit the curve to which this
member has to be made, the lower member being usually raised or concave towards
the centre to the extent of the "camber" allowed on it; while the upper member
is usually hollow or convex above towards the middle, so that the transverse blocks
are deepest towards the two ends, and the spaces between the blocks allow the cross
binding bars to be passed below the flat structure to be secured to the cross bars
above the vertical webs and the binding and now distance shaping brackets inserted
between these by long tie screw bolts with slip washers and nuts above and below
the cross bars, all otherwise substantially as described in reference to the former
arrangement. In this case however the spindles and drills of the multiple drill
stock have to bo arrauged to work vertically in a transverse row across the hori-
zontal plates of these members to bore the row of holes through these and the angle
irons for binding them to the vertical plates and webs of this member. While the
radial arm or arms of the radial drill in this case will require to swivel vertically
from a strong arm or frame stretching across the platowork from its vertical slide
frame on the column of the travelling drilling machine, preferably worked and
oscillating on one common driving shaft in the said cross arm; each swivelling arm
being capable of shifting to suit the distance between the vertical plates or webs,
and having a slide on it carrying the drill spindle and drill working horizontally,
preferably one oscillating arm and spindle for cach vertical web, so as to be able
to bore all the rivet or bolt holes one at a time through each plate and its binding
angle iron at the same time that the multiple drill is boring the transverse row of
holes in the lower horizontal member.
For making very long girders or their upper and lower members or picces, this
large or heavy class of plate work, with two sets of drilling carriages travelling on
the same line of rails or track, the drilling would preferably be started with one
machine at the one end of the girder and with the other at the middle, so that tho
machines would be travelling in the same direction as the work progressed, keeping
at nearly the same distance from each other, so that the workmen never get near to
or in the way of each other; and to assist this, two sets of endless ropes are mounted
on their driving guide pulleys at a few inches apart, both driven from the sanic
upper prime-moving shaft, which might be near the centre position of the girder,
so that the guide and driving pulleys on the two machines (over which the ropes
had to pass to drive them) would be set at the said distance laterally to suit the
same vertical plane as the respective ropes for driving the machine.
Where the top guiding pulleys of the travelling drilling machine pass each
carrying pulley of the lower line of driving rope, the former may either lift up the
rope off the latter and replace it after it passes by a guide pulley for the purpose,
or the bracket supporting the carrying pulley may be swivelled or oscillated out of
the way for the time being, and be turned back automatically or by its own
gravitation under the rope again after the carriago has passed, as in the case of
travelling cranes, but other equivalent means may be used for this purpose.
The binding blocks or brackets are made as nearly as possible to fit the hollow
and spaces between the webs, and into which they are pressed by the cross bars and

page_text: screw bolts to secure these plates and angle iron all firmly together, with key or
wedge spaces where desired for finally tightening up the joints between the thick-
nesses of plates or angle irons; and for curved girders requiring different lengths of
these brackets, they may be made in two parts sliding on each other, or with
fishing "joint pieces and screws to make thein suit the different widths or curves
of girders.
tf
Although these new or improved travelling drilling machines have been described
as preferably carried on wheels running on flanged inverted U or bridge rails, this
being a strong rail easily fixed to the level foundation or floor of the shop without
chairs, after being bent to the different curves of the girder to be drilled; it is to
be understood that their foundation plates might roll or slide on flat bars as rails
fixed by sunk screws to a strong planked floor on the foundation, or on the floor
itself, and have a groove formed in one or both of the plate rails like grooved tram-
way rails, or have a groove or recess left at the side of the plate rail for the rims
of the wheels on one or both sides to run in, and so guide the drilling machines and
sustain the strain of boring quite as well as the double rimmed wheels on the raised
rails herein-before described, or guide rails might be dispensed with and have
the machine rolled parallel to the sides of the girder itself as a guide, and tem-
porarily clamped to it while boring the holes, all otherwise as before stated, the
overhead band or rope driving gear all answering the same as in the former
arrangements.
An angle iron or other shaped bar or rail is hung by brackets or other supports
from the framing over the line of foundation and blocks on which the girder is
built, and its plates and pieces secured and also led away to the planing machine
and bending and shaping machines, where the plates and angle irons are all prepared
ready for being built as stated, all so as to carry a lifting and conveying travelling
set of chain blocks by a rolling pulley running on the said hanging rail, and by
this means transport all the plates and angle irons to the building platform, thus
saving much time and labour in carrying and fitting the great number of large
masses of iron used in this class of work.
The plate structures, after being bored all as described, are preferred to be taken
to pieces again, and each plate marked and removed by the said travelling pulley
blocks to the rivetting shop or shed, where any borings which may have got into
the joints between the plates or barbs formed by the drilling, are removed before
re-erecting the structure, which is then done by bolting all the plates very closely
together at the joints by temporary bolts passed through some of the rivet holes,
when the whole is either rivetted on a travelling table by powerful rivetting
machines, or by hand as usual, when the temporary bolts are removed and the
rivets fitted in and rivetted after the former operation of filling and rivetting the
other holes, or at the same time that is being done if preferred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Arrol in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th October
1877.
"
WILLIAM ARROL, of the Firm of "William Arrol and Company," of Dalmar-
nock Iron Works, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MEANS OR APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR CON-
STRUCTING WROUGHT-IRON GIRDERS AND OTHER SIMILAR SHEET-IRON STRUCTURES
OF LARGE DIMENSIONS."
My said Invention relates to a new or improved mode and means of erecting or
putting together the plate body, parts, or webs and feathers, and angle irons of large
wrought-iron rivetted girders and other such like heavy plate frames or structures
not easily moved, all ready for having the holes bored through the entire number or

page_text: thicknesses of the plates and angle irons for receiving the rivets or bolts to secure
these or the finished structuro; and the Invention further relates to new or
improved constructions of travelling or movable drilling machines, or combinations
of these, and gearing for actuating the same, which improvements will make much
better and stronger rivet and plate work at the joints, and thus give greater
strength to the whole structure, which in many cases can be wholly built and bound
together to the exact shape before boring the holes, besides saving much time in the
construction of such girders or frames as compared with the nodes and means
heretofore employed.
And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing my said Invention
may be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the several Figures
on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings which I have hereunto appended
for the purpose of showing the best modes and means I am at present aware of for
putting the same into effect or practice, similar letters and nunerals indicating the
Baine or like parts in all the Figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2, on Sheet 1, show a general side elevation and plan of one modi-
fication or arrangement of any said Invention or improvements for constructing or
putting together and building, and boring the rivet holes in large plate girders of
the double T (or I) class (or other such like plate structures) with central web A
and side flanges or webs B curved or parallel, one A, B, B', of the curved form
being that shown in the Drawings (as erected, and being bored on its side with
the central part indicated as broken away to save room in the Sheet), having the
two new or improved compound drilling machines travelling to and fro on rails
parallel to and on each side of the girder, with their overhead endless driving
bands and actuating gearing erected over each machine and line of rails.
Figure 3 is a section of the girder to a large scale, to show the mode of building
and holding its plates or parts together by the new shaping and gripping cast-iron
blocks and cross bars and bolts more clearly than they are seen in the general views,
Figures 1 and 2, while being built and bored in this now machine.
Figures 4 and 5 show a side clevation and plan of the radial drill arm 21 and its
raising and lowering frame 7 to a larger scale than in Figures 1 and 2, to show the
dotails more clearly.
Figures 6 and 7, on Sheet 2, are an end clevation and side elevation respectively
of another general construction and arrangement of my improvements for the
building of the bottom or top sections of deep lattice girders, with two, three, or
more vertical flanges A on the outer web or flange B, either in one complete length
or large sections thereof, with two travelling compound drilling machines running
on rails 1 laid along one side of the girder, only one of these drilling machines
being shown in the Drawings.
Figure 8 is a detached transverse section of the bottom part of the girder
indicated in Figures 6 and 7, to show the mode of securing the plates together by
fixing and shaping blocks and cross bars and screws, all more clearly than seen in
Figures 6 and 7.
Referring to the several Figures on Sheet 1, the nature, novelty, and mode of
performing my said Invention consist all as follows:-First, as regards the erecting
of the parts of the girder A, B, B¹, together on their sides, the plates forming the
body part or central vertical web A, and the upper and lower horizontal or edge
webs or feathers B, B¹, are planed or otherwise breadthened and shaped, as also the
binding angle irons b, either cold or hot, all in a usual manner, and then they are
fitted or secured together by new transverse distance pieces, or fitting, shaping, and
binding cast-iron blocks or brackets C, within the hollow parts A¹ between the
webs B, B', (according to one modification or arrangement of my improvements)
upon the top of short transverse blocks of wood above the floor, and a strong
foundation of longitudinal beams Z on or below the floor of the erecting shed, and
all on its side as a whole girder A, B, B¹, or a long part or section thereof, when it
is made with a solid plate web A, and not with open binders between the upper and
lower members or webs.

page_text: The distance binding blocks or brackets C are secured by screw bolts C³ passed
through the ordinary drilled or punched holes in the vertical centre webs A for
securing the ordinary transverse stiffners or other stays between the girder edge
webs and other bolts C" through the ends of the brackets and slip washers or
binders C across, above, and below the block, or it might be cross bars outside the
odges of or across the upper and lower edge webs or members B, B', which as thus
built are arranged vertically along the whole line of the girder, and carrying blocks
near the middle of the shed on their foundation beam z, Z, all ready for having
tho binding rivet or bolt holos a bored through the whole thickness of plates B, B¹,
and angle irons b at once by the improvements herein-after described. For this
purpose there is a track or single line of rails 1 - - 1, and 2- 2, laid parallel to
the said outer vertical webs or edges B and B of the girder, and secured to suitable
sleepers on strong longitudinal foundation beams below the floor of the shop or
shed, having one, or it might be two, low strong travelling carriages 3, each
mounted on four small wheels 3¹ near its corners to run on the rails 1 and 2, and
preferably with a transverse shaft for each pair of wheels when the girders and
rails are straight, as seen in front at 1 -1, but separate and loose on such shafts
when the girders or frame plate work, and rails are curved and arched as for roofs,
and long side girders for bridges or other structures, as seen at the side 2 - - 2, of
the girder A, B, B', in Figuro 2. Each carriage has a strong column 4, preferably
hollow and rectangular with vertical plane guide slides on its front and back sides
or fuces 41, 4, and mounted on a broad slide base 4111 on it in planed transverse
guides fitted with the shifting screw, bush, or nut and hand screw at 5 in the
middle and top of the carriage 3, and nearly close to the outer vertical faces B of
the girder A, B, B', requiring the vertical rows of rivet holes a, a, to be bored in
them at every four inches or other such distance apart along the whole two sides of
the girder, as seen at a* in Figure 1. On the said vertical slides 41 and 4" of cach
column 4 and carriage 3 the raising and lowering slide frame or headstock 6 of a
multiple spindle drill, and that 7 of a radial drill are mounted with carrying and
raising or lowering screws 6 and 7' within the columns worked by ratchet levers,
hand wheels, or otherwise on the opposite sides of the column 4. The multiple
drill has its spindles & ranged transversely over each other in any required number
(four being the number shown in the Drawings), and moved intermittently by the
carriage on its rails to the distance at which the rows of horizontal holes a, a, are
to be bored apart along the vertical edge webs B, B¹, of the girder. The headstock 6
carries all the boring spindles 8 with their drills 8¹ over each other, each in setting
journal bearing brackets 9 screwed to the carriage 6 with its driving spur pinion 10
gearing into a corresponding pinion 10¹ on the intermediate driving spindle 10",.
carried in an arm 9¹ of the same bracket 9, and driven through bevel pinions 11, 112,
from the vertical driving shaft 12 of the whole set of drill spindles S, all as seen
particularly in tho sectional detail plan, Figure 2A, corresponding to Figure 2,
enlarged to show the driving gear more clearly. The main spindle 12 of the mul-
tiple drill is driven by its bevel wheel 12' at the lower end of the headstock 6
connected by a sliding feather and groove, and mounted on the stationary bracket
13¹ secured to the lower part of the column 4, and carrying the intermediate shaft 13
actuating the bevel wheel 121 by the bevel pinion 12", this shaft being actuated
through bevel pinions 14¹ from the first-motion band driving shaft 14 carried
in brackets 151 bolted to the lower part of the column 4 and standard 15.
This first-motion shaft 14 actuates the overhead shaft 16 by the pulieys and open
transmitting belts 16¹ passed over them, the shaft 16 being carried in brackets 16"
at the upper part of the column 4 and standard 15" projecting up from the standard
15, and which drives the first-motion three-pulleyed spindle 17 with the three small
pulleys 17 of the feeding gear of the multiple drills 8 from the large pulley and
cross band 171, 171, of the shaft 16, which also drives the vertical spindle 7" of
the radial drill through the bevel wheels 71 at its upper end, as seen particularly
in Figures 4 and 5. This first-motion feeding shaft 17 actuates the feeding screw
shaft 18 direct by the bevel wheels 18¹, and which, by the screws or worms 19 on

page_text: it gearing into the worm wheels 19¹ on the feeding screw nuts on the outer ends of
all the drill spindles 8, actuates these so as to feed the spindles in or out, according
as the band 17" is shifted on to one or other of the small side pulleys 17¹ of the
shaft 17; and, when this band is on the central slack pulley 171, the drill spindles 8
may be so actuated out or in quickly by the hand wheel 20 on it direct without
the automatic feed spur gearing and shaft 20, 2011, 2011, all as seen particularly
in Figures 1, 2, and 2 A. The headstock 7 carries the horizontal radial slide arm
21 of the vertical spindle 22 and drill 221, and its immediate shifting slide frame 23,
carrying its immediate bevel and spur pinions 231, 231, actuated by the horizontal
shaft 24 carried in bearings on the arm 21 driven by the bevel wheels 241, 24",
from the vertical shaft 7¹¹ fitted to its bevel wheel 24¹ with groove and feather, and
carried in journal bearing brackets 71111 secured to the column 4, the arm 21
radiating on journal bearings at 21' in the headstock 7 round the driving slotted
vertical shaft 71, and oscillating right across and over the whole width of the
girder A, B, B¹, so that the drills 22, 221, can bore all the vertical holes b¹, b',
through the angle irons b and main central web A at any desired position and
distance apart for the securing rivets or holding bolts singly or one hole at a time,
while the multiple radial drills 8, 81, are boring the liko horizontal holes in the
other vertical edge webs B, B¹, before referred to.
Each carriage 3 with its drilling mechanism 6 and 7 (after boring each vertical
row of horizontal holes by the multiple drill 6, as described) is traversed along the
rails 1, 1, and 2, 2, by a pinch or a lever 311 on the axle of its rail wheels 3¹, as
seen dotted into the right in Figures 1 and 2, or it may be on the axis 20 of a screw
26¹ working into screw wheel 20" on the axle 3* of the wheels 3¹, and the carriage
may be firmly steadied on the rails by inverted U shaped resting feet 27 on the
lower end of screw spindles 27¹ mounted in the corners of the carriage 3 outside the
wheels, screwed down by screw levers until the carriage rests on these, and not on
the wheels 3. Or otherwise the axles of the carriage wheels might revolve in
eccentric bushes 28 in the frame, and have short levers 28¹ fixed on each, which
being all coupled by parallel-acting connecting rods 281, and these being reci-
procated by a powerful hand lever direct or through a draw screw or rack and
pinion, to turn all the eccentric bushes at once, and thus raise the wheels until the
carriage 3 rests with the screw feet 27 on the rails 1, all as seen fitted in the
carriage 3 in Figures 6 and 7 on Sheet 2.
Either of these arrangements would instantly transform the carriage 3 into
a stationary foundation fraine without movement or vibration by reason of its
great weight, so that the drills 8, 82, and 22, 22¹, would work very steadily, and
bore good straight parallel holes a and through a great depth and number of
plates, as required in this class of work, so that the rivets or bolts could be driven
tightly in at once to fill these holes without requiring to insert drifts or wideners
into them, as at present, as when the holes are punched, or without requiring to
bore each hole separately by the usual portable hand, or band driven verticals, or
drills fixed to the floor of the workshop, or to the work itself, as hitherto practised.
These new or improved horizontally traversing drilling machines are driven by
new or improved arrangements of endless rope or band driving gear (somewhat on
the principle of the endless band gearing used for travelling cranes, but new as here
adopted for this purpose of driving travelling drills), which consists in having the
long endless rope 30 mounted horizontally and nearly parallelly on the vertical
edge grooved running reversing pulleys 31 at the ends of the loop, and numerous
smaller guide pulleys 32 placed intermediately between these end pullies 31
supporting the upper and lower reverse ruuning traversing lines of rope, and all
carried on the brackets 33 attached to the upper framing and beams of the shed
which carry the roof and gearing, each endless rope being ranged nearly in the
vertical line of, and over the two small vertical binding and guiding pulleys 34, 34¹,
carried in a light frame 35 on the top and back part of the column 4, and on the
standards and stays 15" and 35¹, projecting up from each travelling drilling carriage
or machine 3, so that these two guide pulleys 34, 34¹, receive and conduct the lower

page_text: 1 and
running line of rope 30 in a long nearly vertical U loop down to and round the
under side of, and back up again from the large driving groove pulley 39 on the
first motion shaft 14 of the driving gearing carried in suitable boaring brackets, or
pillar frame 15', at or near the carriage 3 behind the column 4 and standard 15, so
as to actuate the pulley 39 of each of the multiple and radial drilling machines or
mechanism, in whatever position they may be on their line of rails 1 -
2. - 2 below and along cach side of the girder A, B, B', all as herein-before
described, and stopped and started at pleasure, preferably by a friction or other
clutch and lever pawls 291 (mounted on the first motion shaft 14, or on one of its
transmitting shafts or wheels 14¹) with a transinitting lever 29" actuated by a
screw wheel and spindle 291, as seen in Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1, or Figures 6
and 7 on Shoet 2, in two different arrangements of friction clutch with segmental
or split rings pressed against the interior of their clutch box 20¹ by the action of the
said lover and scrow spindle actuating a shifting collar to each clutch box.
In the case of making curved girders or frames, the lower travelling lines of the
driving ropes 30 must have their guiding pulleys 32* set horizontally and vertically
in different planes, so as to guide the ropes in nearly the same curve as the rails 2
or the carriage 3, and that in which its said two upper guide pulleys 34, 341, have
to travel, as indicated in the off side in Figure 2; but to insure the proper guiding
of the rope in this case on to these upper guide pulleys, two small horizontal guide
pulleys 34 are carried on the frame 35 near each other at the upper periphery
of, and rather beyond, these pulleys 34, 341, so as to act as funnel guides to load
the rope to and from these and the guide pulleys 32* and the driving gear of the
travelling or carriage drilling machine at all points of its course.
Each endless rope 30 itself is driven by carrying a long inverted U loop of its
upper travelling line up from one of two pressing or guide pullies 36 to and over a
large driving groove pulley 37, and back down to and round the second guide pulley
36 for each rope, the driving pulleys 37 being keyed, one at each end, on a traverse
shaft 38 carried in suitable bearing brackets on the top framing of the shed, high
above the endless travelling ropes 30, and driven either by a special sinall engine
for itself, or by a belt passed over the pulley 381 led from a drum on any
adjacent motive-power shaft or shafting of the shop, and which might be fitted
with suitable sized gearing or pulleys to give the speed desired, and with stopping
clutches, or fast and loose shifting belt pulleys and overhead levers for stopping and
starting the said first-motion shaft 38 and endless driving ropes 30 at pleasure.
Each endless rope would of course run along the top of the shed for some distance
beyond the travel of the boring carriages 3, and longest girder, or part thereof,
required to be built and bored under it, and for the purpose of maintaining the rope
at a proper tightness, however it may stretch, the reversing guide pulley 31 at one
end of the loop 31' is carried on a bracket 31" sliding on two parallel longitudinal
guides 31, and tightened up as required by a long draw screw rack or chain 29
attached to each bracket 31, and passed over the horizontal guide pulley 40, and
carried across to one side of the shed, so as to pass over a vertical guide pulley, and
having a weight attached to its free end to give the necessary tightening action to
cach rope 30 to drive its drilling machine.
The several Figures 6, 7, and 8, on Sheet 2, relate to the construction of very
large girders for the sides of bridges or other such like frames, in which the upper
and lower edge webs B of the members are very broad and formed of one, two,
three, or more deep plates A at right angles to the former B, and at some distance
apart, to form the longitudinal vertical webs A, A, A, to which the lattice or other
angled tie bars are fixed between these upper and lower members of the long, deep
class of girders, and the improvements consist in building these upper and lower
members of such girders separately, as shown detached in transverse section in
Figure 8, for the whole or a great part of the length of the girder, with the outer
plain web of plates B (forming the upper and lower webs of these members respec-
tively) laid down on a transverse and longitudinal block foundation 5, Z, similar
to that described in reference to Figures 1 and 2 alongside the set of rails 1 - 1,
JOO

page_text: but there might be a set of rails on cach side as in the former case.
In this caso
the two (or more) travelling multiple and radial drilling machines on their
carriages 3 would be mounted to traverse on the same set of rails 1---1, parallel to
the side of the girder. The blocks or beams Z in this case are preferably laid longi-
tudinally, with narrow resting backing-up pieces laid at short intervals apart
transversely on the top of the longitudinal beams Z for the said plates B to rest on;
these transverse blocks being made to various heights and shapes to suit the curve
to which this member or girder A, A, A, B, has to be made, as for the upper member
of the large lattice girders, when so laid down and built in an inverted position on
these transverse blocks, the lower member being usually raised or concave towards
the centre to the extent of the "camber" allowed on it, while the upper member
is usually hollow or convex above towards the middle, so that the transverse
blocks in this case would be deepest towards the two ends of the member or
girder, and the spaces between the blocks allow the cross binding bars C¹ to be
passed below the flat flanged part or structure B, to be secured to the cross bars C¹
above the vertical webs A, A, A, and the binding, and new distance shaping
brackets C, C, inserted between these by long tie screw bolts C, with slip washers
and nuts C above and below the cross bars C¹ so as to bind the whole vertically,
and with slip gripping glands Call above the outer angle irons b, and below
shouldes on the side bolts C, with outer blocks or wedges between them and the
lower cross bar C¹, so as to grip the angle iron and bars B of the under flange close
together; or this might be done by separate wedge or screw glands, such as indi-
cated at C, lateral pinching screws and nuts C being inserted through the upper
and lower ends of the side bolts C₁ to secure the vertical flanges A and angle
irons b, all close and in proper vertical position and shape against the holding and
shaping blocks C, all as shown particularly in this Figure 8.
The binding blocks or brackets C are made as nearly as possible to fit the hollows
and spaces A¹ between the webs A, A, and B, B, into which they are pressed by the
cross bars C, C³, and screw bolts C₁ to secure these plates or webs and angle
irons ball firmly together, with key or wedge spaces where desired for finally
tightening up the joints between the thicknesses of plates or angle irons, as seen
at c, c, in Figures 3 and 8, and for curved girders requiring different lengths of
these brackets C they may be made in two parts, sliding on each other, or with
fishing joint pieces and screws to make them suit the different widths or curves
of girders.
In this modification or arrangement of the drilling machine the headstock G of
the multiple drills is bolted to the front slide part 41 of the column 4, and is shifted
and fixed to the proper height by the flanges and screw bolts and holes at 6¹, so as
to project out over the girder to be bored, carrying the spindles and drills 8, 8¹, of
the multiple drill headstock 6, arranged to work vertically in a transverse row across
the horizontal plates B of these members, to bore the row of holes a right through
the whole of these and the angle irons b for binding them to the vertical plates and
webs A, A, A, of this member, as seen particularly in Figure GA, and in the end
view, detached, of the headstock and gearing for working and feeding the drill
spindles, shown at Figure 2A, on Sheet 2. The shaft 12 gives motion to each of
the multiple drill spindles S through the bevel pinions 11, 111, and spur pinions 10',
gearing into pinions 10 on the boring spindles, as seen in Figure 6 and 6 A. The
open band 17 gives motion to the intermediate feeding shaft 17 through the train
of spur wheels 20¹, 2011, 2011, to the worm screw shaft 18, 19, turning the screw
nuts 19¹ of each spindle S carried in the frame of the multiple drill, automatically
at a slow speed for feeding in the spindle and drill 8, 81, or at a fast speed for with-
drawing or raising the same through the gearing 20, 201, and clutch f, according
as this is shifted into one or the other set of gearing by the hand lever f¹, the
feeding by the hand being effected by the hand wheel 20 on the outer extreme end
of the screw shaft 18, direct when the clutch fis out of gear, any one spindle being
stopped in its feeding action by lifting its revolving screw wheel 19¹ out of gear
with its worm or screw 19 through the hand lever 19, all substantially as described

page_text: in referenco to Figures 1 and 2 (only arranged to suit these vertical drill spindles
instead of the horizontal ones in the former case), and as more particularly seen in
Figures 6 and 6 A. The radial arm 21 or arms of the radial drill stock 7, 7*, in this
case swivel vertically from the strong arm or slide frame 7*, stretching across the
plate work or girder from its vertical slide frame 7, secured by shifting screws 7¹ to
the slide part 4 of the column 4 of the travelling drilling machine, preferably
worked and oscillating on one common driving horizontal shaft 7 in the said cross
arm 7*, each swivelling arm 21, with its slide, being capable of shifting to suit the
width of girder or distance between the outer plates or webs A, A, on it, with its
slide carriage 23 carrying the drill spindle 22 and drill 22, working horizontally,
with its hand-feeding screw wheel 22" mounted at the outer end, and preferably
having one oscillating arm 21 and spindle 22 for each outer vertical web A, A, so as
to be able to bore all the rivet or bolt holes, one at a time, through oach plate A
and its binding angle irons b, b, at the same time that the multiple drills 8, 8', are
boring the transverse rows of holes in the lower horizontal member B and angle
irons b.
For boring the horizontal holes through the contre web A and its angle irons b, b,
a long drill 221 would be used in one of the radial drilling spindles 22, inserted
through the hole bored by the short drill 22¹, for boring the holes in the outer web
and its angle irons; and the boring spindles 22 of these radial drills are driven by
their bevel wheels 241, 241, through an intermediate set of spur pinions 24111 giving
motion to the shaft 24, and spur pinions 22111 of the bevel wheels 23', actuating the
spindle 22 at the headstock 23 direct.
The first motion shaft 14 is carried and actuated substantially as heroin described
in reference to Figures 1 and 2, but as the driving shafts 12 and 7" of the multiple
and radial drills are horizontal in this case, they are driven by the spur wheel 40,
gearing into corresponding pitch wheels 42, 43, on the bosses of the friction clutch
boxes 291, 291, mounted loose on these shafts, and engaged or disengaged by the
levers 29 and hand screws 2911, as described in reference to the drilling machines
in Figures 1 and 2; and, when desired, portable stays 44 may be attached to the
outer arm 6 of the drill frames to steady them by gripping on to the girder A, B, B¹,
from time to time as the drilling proceeds. For making very long girders, or the
upper and lower members, or pieces of this large or heavy class of plate work with
two sets of drilling carriages, 3, 4, travelling on the same line or track of rails 1---1,
the drilling would preferably be started with one machine at one end of the
girder A, A, A, B, and with the other at the middle, so that the machines would be
travelling in the same direction as the work progressed, keeping at nearly the same
distance from each other, so that the workmen never get near to or in the way of
each other; and to assist this, two sets of endless ropes 30 are mounted on their
driving guide pulleys 31, 32, at a few inches apart, both driven from the same upper
prime moving shaft 38 and its guide pulleys 36, 361, preferably placed near the
centre position of the girder; so that the guide and driving pulleys 34, 344, and 29,
on the two drilling machines (over which the ropes had to pass to drive them) would
be set at the said distance laterally to suit the same vertical plane as the respective
ropes for driving the machine; and an additional guide pulley 34* might be carried
on the top of each machine to carry up the weight of and guide the lower driving
band 30 of the other machine.
When the top guiding pulleys 34, 341, of the travelling drilling machine pass each
carrying pulley 32 of the lower line of driving rope 30, the former may either lift
the rope off from the latter, and replace it after it passes, by a guide pulley for the
purpose, or the bracket 33* supporting these carrying pulleys 32 may be swivelled
or oscillated out of the way for the time being, and be turned back by hand or
automatically by the machine in passing, or by its own gravitation, under the rope
again after the carriage has passed, as in the case of travelling cranes; but other
equivalent means may be used for this purpose.
These new or improved travelling carriage drilling machines for the boring of the

page_text: holes in large girders and other heavy plate structures, each carries a cistern P on
the top of the column 4, or other convenient high part of the framing supplied with
water by gravitation where convenient, or by a pump P worked by a crank or
eccentric P on the first or other motion shaft of the machine, as seen in Figures 1
and 2, secured to the carriage under the shaft 14; or it might be at P on the outer
end of the shaft in Figure 6, though not shown in this Figure in the Drawings; all
for the purpose of and having metal or flexible tubes 1, 2, and branches p with
small kneed nozzles at their extreme ends for projecting a jet of water along the
side of cach drill into the hole being bored, the branches being each controlled by a
tap of its own.
Although these new or improved travelling drilling machines have been
described, as preferably carried on wheels running on flanged inverted U or bridge
rails, this being a strong rail easily fixed to the lovel foundation or floor of the shop
without chairs, after being bent to the different curves of the girder to be drilled,
it is to be understood that their foundation plates might roll or slide on flat bars as
rails fixed by sunk screws to a strong planked floor on the foundation, or on the
floor itself; and have a groove formed in one or both of the plate rails like grooved
tramway rails, or have a groove or recess left at the side of the plate rail for tho
rims of the wheels on one or both sides to run in, and so guide the drilling machines
and sustain the strain of boring quite as well as the doubled rimmed wheels on the 2
raised rails herein-before described; or guide rails might be dispensed with, and
have the machine rolled parallel to the sides of the girder itself as a guide, and
temporarily clamped to it while boring the holes, all otherwise as before stated; the
overhead band or rope driving gear all answering the same as in the former
arrangements. An angle iron or other shaped bar or rail is hung by brackets or 2
other supports from the upper framing of the shed over the lino of foundation and
blocks on which the girder is built, so that its plates and pieces may be led away
to the planing machine and bending and shaping machines, where the plates and
angle irons are all prepared ready for being built as stated; all so as to carry a
lifting and conveying travelling set of chain blocks by a rolling pulley on the said 3
hanging rail, and by this means transport all the plates and angle irons to or from
the building platform, thus saving much time and labour in carrying and fitting
the great number of large masses of iron used in this class of work.
The plate structures after being bored, all as described, are proferred to be taken
to pieces again, and each plate marked, and removed by tho said travelling pulley 3
blocks to the rivetting shop or shed, where any boring which may have got into the
joints between the plates or barbs formed by the drilling are removed before re-erecting
the structure, which is then done by bolting all the plates very closely together at the
joints by temporary bolts passed through some of the rivet holes; when the whole
is either rivetted on a travelling table by powerful rivetting machines, or by hand 4
as usual, when the temporary bolts are removed and the rivets fitted in and rivetted
after the former operation of filling and rivetting the other holes, or at the same
time that is being done, if preferred.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but what I consider novel and original, and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
First. The general arrangement and combination of means and mechanism or
apparatus for erecting and fixing the plates of large girders, and other such like 5
structures or sectious thereof on their sides or edges, and the construction and
arrangement of travelling drilling machines, all for the purpose of boring the rivet
or bolt holes therein, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The building of whole girders, or the upper and lower members thereof 5
on their sides or edges, with shaping and retaining blocks and cross bars and bolts

page_text: for holding the plates together on the top of foundations while being bored, all sub-
stantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The general construction and use of multiple and radial travelling drilling
machines traversed on rails laid parallel to the girder or other structure, all for the
purpose of boring the rivet or bolt holes therein, substantially as herein described
in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
thereof.
Fourth. The general 'arrangement and use of band driving gear for actuating
travelling drilling machines for the boring of rivet and bolt holes in girders or such
like structures, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Arrol, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
WILLIAM ARROL. (L.S.)