IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK DRILLS."
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hosking, Mechanical Engineer, and
William Blakewell, Blacksmith, both of Dalton-in-Furness, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK
DRILLS.""
Sealed the 22nd January 1875, and dated the 10th August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hosking and.
William Blakewell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 10th August 1874. .
We, RICHARD HOSKING, Mechanical Engineer, and WILLIAM BLAKE-
WELL, Blacksmith, both of Dalton-in-Furness, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROCK DRILLS," to be as follows. :—
Heretofore considerable labor and expense are incurred in keeping
rock drills in efficient working order owing to the great number of
working parts, consisting of springs, ratchets, and the like, whereas by
-our-Invention-we-dispense-with-ratchets,-springs, and tappets, and -the-
construction is so simple that a miner or quarryman can in a few hours
learn to work the machine with case.

page_text: may conveniently bo
According to our Invention we mount the bed plate of the working
cylinder on a post or column, and by preference in the following manner:
-The bed plate has a gudgeon which fits in and can be adjusted to any
position in a socket formed in or on a clamp that can be fixed on any
part of the column. The cylinder is adjustable on the bed plate, which t
done by means of a nut, screw, and handle. We
connect the said screw with the cylinder piston in the following manner:
-In the rear end of the piston wo form a hole, in which a spindle is so
fitted that it can slide in it, but when turned by a handle or hand wheel
causes the piston to turn with it. This spindle has a pinion gearing into 1
a pinion on the aforesaid adjusting and feeding screw on the bed plate,
so that when the piston is turned the cylinder is simultaneously pushed
along the bed plate. The pinion on the adjusting screw is at the same
time so fitted on the said adjusting screw that it can easily be discon-
nected from the pinion on the aforesaid spindle in the rear end of the 1
piston, and thus the said spindle and the said screw can be turned inde-
pendently of one another when required, or the wheels may be dispensed
with and a screw substituted.
The cylinder is fitted with a piston rod having two pistons formed or
fixed thereon some distance apart. Between the said two pistons is 2
placed an annular piston, which forms the slide valve, and for that
purpose is formed with an inlet and outlet at each end, corresponding
with two passages in the cylinder for leading the fresh steam or com-
pressed air to a port at each end, and for leading the spent or exhaust
steam or air back to the middle part of the cylinder, where the inlet and 2
outlet or exhaust pipe openings are situated.
We employ a chisel tool or other well known convenient tool for
forming the drill hole by continued blows, and the tool is turned as
required so as to strike on a fresh place cach time. We prefer a chisel
of the following form:-The cutting edge is of ordinary chisel form, 8
not quite straight, but somewhat convex. At right angles to this cutting
edge we form the tool with a wing on each side not quite straight, but a
little concave. These wings reach as far as the beginning of the face
on each sido of the cutting edge, and are carried back in a slanting
direction. The cutting tool is inserted into a hole formed in the fore 3
end of the piston rod and fixed therein. This may conveniently be done
by means of a socket fitting on and over the end of the piston rod and
formed with a round hole for the tool to pass through, but so as to

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Hosking and William Blakewell in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
HOSKING, Mechanical Engineer, and WILLIAM BLAKEWELL, Blacksmith,
both of Dalton-in-Furness, in the County of Lancashire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Richard Hosking and
William Blakewell, Her special licence that we; the said Richard
Hosking and William Blakewell, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Richard Hosking and William
Blakewell, our executors, administrators, and assigns; should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK DRILLS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Richard Hosking and William Blakewell, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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-we,-the-said-Richard-Hosking-and-William-
Blakewell, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
=
Heretofore considerable labour and expense are incurred in keeping
rock drills in efficient working order owing to the great, number-of-

page_text: working parts, consisting of springs, ratchets, and the like, whereas by
our Invention we dispense with ratchets, springs, and tappets, and the
construction is so simple that a miner or quarryman can in a few hours
learn to work the machine with ease.
i
According to our Invention we mount the bed plate of the working
cylinder on a post or column, and by preference in the following manner:
-The bed plate has a gudgeon, which fits in and can be adjusted to any
position in a socket formed in or on a clamp that can be fixed on any
part of the column. The cylinder is adjustable on the bed plate, which
may conveniently be done by means of a nut screw and handle. We
connect the said screw with the cylinder piston in the following manner :
In the rear end of the piston we form a hole in which a spindle is so
fitted that it can slide in it, but when turned by a handle or hand wheel
causes the piston to turn with it. This spindle has a pinion gearing into
a pinion on the aforesaid adjusting and feeding screw on the bed plate,
so that when the piston is turned the cylinder is simultaneously pushed
along the bed plate. The pinion on the adjusting screw is at the same
time so fitted on the said adjusting screw that it can casily be discon-
nected from the pinion on the aforesaid spindle in the rear end of the
piston, and thus the said spindle and the said screw can be turned inde-
pendently of one another when required, or the wheels may be dispensed
with and a screw substituted.
The cylinder is fitted with a piston rod having two pistons formed or
fixed thereon some distance apart. Between the said two pistons is
placed an annular piston, which forms the slide valve, and for that
purpose is formed with an outlet and inlet at each end corresponding
with two passages in the cylinder for leading the fresh steam or com-
pressed air to a port at each end, and for leading the spent or exhaust
steam or air back to the middle part of the cylinder where the inlet and
outlet or exhaust pipe openings aro situated.
We employ a chisel tool or other well known convenient tool for
forming the drill hole by continued blows, and the tool is turned as
required so as to strike on a fresh place cach time. We prefer a chisel
of the following form:-The cutting edge is of ordinary chisel form, not
quite straight, but somewhat convex. At right angles to this cutting
edge we form the tool with a wing on each side not quite straight, but
a little concave. These wings reach as far as the beginning of the face

page_text: on each side of the cutting edge, and are carried back in a slanting
direction. The cutting tool is inserted into a hole formed in the fore
end of the piston rod and fixed therein. This may conveniently be
done by means of a socket fitting on and over the end of the piston rod,
and formed with a round hole for the tool to pass through, but so as to
retain the part of the tool which fits in the piston by means of a
screw.
"
"
:
end of the piston rod and fixed therein. This may conveniently be
done by means of a socket fitting on and over the end of the piston rod,
and formed with a round hole for the tool to pass through, but so as to
retain the part of the tool which fits in the piston by means of a
Screw.
And in order that this our Invention may be more clearly understood.
we proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan of a rock drill made according to our Invention when
placed in a horizontal position; Figure 2 is a horizonial section through
the same; Figure 3 is a central vertical cross section; Figure 4 is an
end elevation; Figure 5 is an outside view of the annular slide valve;¨
and Figures 6, 7, and 8 are respectively two side clevations taken at right
angles to one another, and plan of the chisel tool which we prefer to
employ.
A is the bed plate, which is mounted on a post or column B, Figure 4,
and for this purpose is formed with a gudgeon A', which fits in and can
be adjusted to any position in a socket formed in or on a clamp B¹ that
can be fixed on any part of the column B, being for that purpose split-
and joined by means of the bolt b. The bolt a, with nut and washer,
holds the bed plate A and the clamp B' together. O is the cylinder,
which is adjustable on the bed plate A by means of the nut c³ on the
bed plate, and the screw C¹ passing through the nut, and at one end
retained in a lug on the cylinder C, the other end passing through
another lug on the other end of the cylinder, and there made square to
fit a handle. The screw C¹ is connected to the cylinder piston D, G,
which for this purpose is formed with a hole, in which a spindle D' is so
fitted by means of the cotter d fast in the piston D, G, and fitting in a
slot in the spindle D', that it, the spindle D³, can slide in the piston D, G,
but when turned by the handle Du causes the piston D to turn with it.
The spindle D'has a pinion E gearing into the pinion Fon the adjusting
and feeding screw C³, so that when the piston D is turned by means of
the handle Du the cylinder C is simultaneously pushed along the bed
plate. The pinion F is so fitted on the conical part of the screw C' that
it can be easily disconnected by loosening the nut. f, and thus the piston.

page_text: D, G, and the adjusting screw O' can be turned independently of one
another when required.
The cylinder is fitted with a piston rod D, having two pistons G formed
thereon some distance apart. Between the two pistons G is placed the
annular piston slide valve H, Figure 5. This valve is formed with an
inlet and an outlet h' at each end corresponding with two passages i
in the cylinder for leading the fresh steam or compressed air to a port j
at each end of the cylinder, and for leading the spent or exhaust steam
or air back to the middle part of the cylinder where the inlet pipo I and
the outlet or exhaust pipe J are situated.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 illustrate our improved chisel tool K. The cutting
edge k, k, is, it will be observed, not quite straight, but somewhat convex.
At right angles to this cutting edge k, k, wo form the tool with a wing
k on each side, not quite straight, but a little concave, as shown. The
wings k¹ reach as far as the beginning of the face on each side of the 1
cutting edge k, k, and are carried back in a slanting direction. The
cutting tool K is inserted into a hole & formed in the fore end of the
piston D, G, see Figure 2, and is fitted therein by means of a socket L,
Figures 1 and 2. The socket L fits on and over the end of the piston
rod D, and is formed with a round hole for the tool to pass through, and 2
with a split or groove. The screws & hold the socket L, and by compressing
the split end of the piston rod D retain the tool K in its place.
Figure 9 is a plan of a modified arrangement of rock drill constructed
according to this Invention; Figure 10 is a back end view of same;
Figure 11 is a horizontal sectional view; and Figure 12 is a vortical 2
cross section through the middle of the apparatus, which is constructed
substantially on the same plan as the one just described, but whereas in
the former the slide valvo was made annular and working on the piston
rod, being actuated by the pistons on the piston rod, we in this instance
actuate the slide valve by a projecting ring between the pistons, and we 3
make the slide valve flat, and with an oscillating motion, or of a solid or
aunular piston or other shape.
In these Figures corresponding letters of reference are used as in tho
previous Figures for corresponding parts. The piston rod D has two
pistons G formed on it as before, and between them the piston rod is 8
formed with a projecting ring G', which actuates the flat slide valve H.
This latter has ports corresponding with openings in the slide valve face

page_text: for admitting the fresh steam or compressed air from the inlet pipe I to
the ports at each end of the cylinder, and for letting the spent or
exhaust steam or air escape by the exhaust pipe J. The slide valve has
an oscillating motion swinging on a centre bolt m, one end or the other
3 of the valve being raised by the ring G³ coming in contact with its bottom
edge, which for this purpose is formed with two slopes at each end.
And having thus fully set forth the nature of this Invention, and how
the same is or may be carried into effect, we declare that we claim,-
Firstly. The cylinder O working on and adjustable on the bed plate A,
which is adjustable on a column or post B, all substantially as set
forth.
Secondly. The cylinder C fitted with piston rod and double piston
D, G, in combination with an annular or other slide valve, actuated by
the said piston D, G, all substantially as set forth.
Thirdly. The spindle D' recessed in the piston and operating with the
bandle D", pinions E, F, and screw Ò¹, substantially as here set forth.
Fourthly. The mode of fastening the boring tool.
Witness,
JABEZ M. WALDRON.
RICHARD HOSKING.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM BLAKEWELL. (L.S.)