Year: 1889

page_text: I, HENRY CLARK SERGEANT, of No. 318 West 47th Street, in the City of New
York, in the State of New York, United States of America, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to channelling machines which comprise a horizontal track
or way and a carriage mounted to run upon said track or way, and on which is
secured the rock-drill, which is usually of the percussion type, that is, in which is
embodied a cylinder and a piston reciprocated rapidly therein, and having a drill or
bit secured upon its piston rod In such channelling machine, the movable carriage
is fed slowly along the track or way, while blows from the drill or bit are rapidly
delivered upon the rock, and by such means a continuous channel is rapidly cut.
In channelling machines, as heretofore constructed, suitable gearing actuated by
a hand crank has been employed for feeding the carriage along the horizontal track
or way on which it may slide One obstacle, however, to feeding the cariage along
the track or way by power, as by a rotary engine, or other motor, has been that very
frequently the drill or bit will become stuck in the rock by entering a seam or crevice,
and if the feed of the carriage were to be continued uninterruptedly, breakage would
be liable to occur. When the feed of the carriage is performed by hand, it may, of
course, be instantly stopped, if the bit or drill becomes stuck, but if a motor were
employed to drive the gearing, whereby the carriage is moved along the track, the
feed would usually not be stopped the instant the drill or bit became stuck, unless.
some special consti uction were adopted to that end. Accordingly, I provide for
imparting motion to the carriage from a motor thereon, a system of gearing which is
operated by the motor, and which comprises surfaces held in frictional engagement,
and which yield and turn one on another, to avoid breakage by the continued operation
of the motor when the drill or bit becomes stuck.
The invention will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a machine embodying my invention, the stationary,

page_text: but portable frame, whereon the drill, carriage moves, being broken away for a
portion of its length.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the apparatus, upon about the plane
indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 1, though departing somewhat from that
plane.
Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, upon the plane indicated by the dotted
line xx, Fig. 2
Fig 4 is a vertical section, upon the plane indicated by the dotted line y y,
Fig. 3, of the drill carriage, and the horizontal track or way on which it moves
and
,
Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, upon the plane of the dotted line z z, Fig. 4,
through said carriage, and the gearing which moves with it.
Figs. 3, 4, and are upon a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2
Fig 6 is an elevation partly in section, and Fig. 7 is a plan view, of a machine
illustrating a modification of my invention.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever they are used in
the different Figuies.
I will first describe the example of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
This machine has a stationary frame, which, however, is portable, and adapted to
be set up in any locality where a channel is to be cut The said frame comprises end
pieces A, supported by legs A', which may be set at various inclinations, and also
at different positions lengthwise in said end pieces A, so as to support the frame at
the desired height above the rock. Between the two end pieces A, extends a
horizontal portion of the frame, which includes in all cases a track or way upon which
a drill carriage B may slide
As here represented, the track or way is composed of two parallel bars C, C
which are arranged at some distance apart, one above the other, and which extend
between head pieces C. The bars may be hollow, as shown, and through each of
them, and also through the head pieces 02, may extend a bolt C³, whereby the head
pieces and the horizontal bars C Care bound together. Each of the head pieces (³
may have a trunnion or pivot c, which is supported in a suitable bearing a, in the
adjacent end piece A of the frame, and consequently the head pieces C, and the
bars C, C, which extend betweeen them, may turn as one piece upon the trunnion o,
and the drill carriage B may therefore be swung in a plane transverse to the length
of the bars C C¹, so as to present the piston rod D of the drill at any desired angle
for cutting a channel either vertically or obliquely.
To the carriage B is secured any ordinary or suitable rock-drill operating by
motive fluid, such as steam or compressed air. This drill includes the usual drill
back D, a cylinder D2, which is movable lengthwise of the drill back, in order to
feed the drill or hit to its work by a feeding screw, not here shown, and a piston
working within the cylinder D, and from which the piston rod extends. The piston
rod D carries the dill or bit whereby the work is performed.
I have described that by swinging the horizontal portion of the frame which
comprises the bars CC, and the head pieces (3, upon the trunnions c, the
carriage B and the drill secured thereto are swung in a plane transverse to the
length of movement of the carriage B, but it is often desirable to swing the drill in
a plane parallel with the line of movement of the carriage B, and I have, by my
construction, afforded provision for such adjustment. Upon the drill back D¹ is a
hub or projection d, which enters a conical recess or cup d¹, formed in the upper
part of the carriage B, and is tightly clamped therein by a bolt and nut d, as is
best shewn in Fig. 2. I have also shown the bottom or lower end of the drill
back D', as provided with clamping bolts d³, extending through it, and the heads of
which take into an undercut or rabbetted groove at in the lower part of the
carriage B. The undercut or rabbetted groove d' is arc-shaped, as shewn by dotted
lines in Figs 1 and 3, and is concentric with the bolt d' which forms the centre on
which the drill-back turns. As best shown in Fig 1, the clamping bolts d' are
spread apart as far as possible on opposite sides of the piston rod D, so that a

page_text: considerable range of movement, in opposite directions, may be given to the drill-
back D' upon the carriage B, and said drill-back may still be held by one or other
of the bolts d to the carriage B.
Upon the carriage B is arranged a motor E, which, in this example of my
invention, consists of a small rotary engine, to which motive fluid is admitted by a
pipe e, and from which such liquid is exhausted through the pipe e¹. The shaft of
this engine also has, as here represented, a hand wheel e secured upon it, so that
when desired, by taking hold of this hand wheel. the feeding of the carriage B may
be accomplished through the same gearing or mechanism that the engine or motor
operates when it is relied on for the power to feed the carriage.
I will now describe the gearing which, in this example of my invention, is
employed for feeding the carriage B, through the motor E. This gearing is here
represented as including a screw F, extending parallel with the bars C C¹, which
constitute the horizontal way or track on which the carriage B slides, and which
extends between the two beads of the stationary frame, and upon the carriage B,
is arranged a nut F¹, which is held against lengthwise movement in the carriage, as
best shown in Fig. 5. As here represented, this nut has upon its opposite ends, gear
wheels or pinions f, with which engage other gear wheels or pinions f¹ƒ³, upon a
shaft, which is fitted to bearings in the carriage B, and upon 'the same shaft f³,
and concentric with the wheels, ff, are bevel wheels ff6, which are reversed in
position, and with which engages a bevel pinion f upon the motor shaft . In this
example of my invention here shown, the motoi E is not intended to be reversed in
the direction of its rotation, and hence the gear through which it operates upon the
nut must be capable of being reversed.
I provide upon the shafts, and between the reversed bevel wheels f'f', a
clutch, which may be operated by a clutch lever fo, fulcrummed at f10, and forked
to engage the clutch 8, as best shown in Fig 4. The mechanism for operating this
clutch lever I will describe later, but it is moved in one or other direction to
shift the clutch into locking engagement with one or other of the bevel
wheels ff, and, as here represented, it is shifted so as to lock the clutch into
engagement with the bevel wheel f³. The bevel wheels ff are both of them loose
upon the shaft f³, so as to turn independently thereof, but the wheels fif' are both
of them secured to said shaft, as by keys o, and the clutch piece, f, is also locked to
the shaft by a key or feather o, all as best shown in Fig. 5. The wheels f³ fƒ³,
being rotated in reverse directions by the pinion f', it will be understood that the
wheel for f, whichever is in engagement with the clutch f, will impart motion to
the clutch and the shaft in the direction in which said wheel for f' is moving,
and consequently will rotate said shaft 3, and the wheels f¹ƒ³, in one or other
direction, according to which of the two wheels ff is in locked engagement with
the clutch piece f. We will suppose that the pinion f' is rotated in the direction
indicated by the arrows in Figs. 4 and 5, and it will be understood that inasmuch as
the wheel is in engagement with the clutch piece 8, the shaft f³, and the
wheels, will be turned in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, and
the wheels f, and the nut F1, will be turned in the direction indicated by the arrows
adjacent to said nut in Fig 4. It will be understood from the above description,
that all that is necessary to change the direction of movement of the carriage B upon
the supporting bars CC, is to shift the clutch piece f8, already in engagement with
one of sud wheels ff, into engagement with the other of said wheels.
It will be understood that inasmuch as the drill or bit is delivering blows with great
rapidity upon the rock, while it is, through the motion of the carnage B, fed slowly
in a horizontal direction, a channel of any desired length will be produced. Very
frequently, especially if rapid work is being done, the drill or bit becomes stuck by
entering a seam in the rock, or from some other cause, and it is obvious that if the
feed of the carriage Bwere not then stopped, breakage might ensue. It is desirable,
however, to have the motor E operate continuously, and I therefore allow for such
stoppage of the feed while the motor continues its operation, by providing, at some
part of the gearing through which the carriage B is operated, surfaces which engage

page_text: by friction, and which yield and turn one on another, when an increased resistance to
the movement of the carriage B is offered by the drill or bit becoming 'stuck I have
here represented such frictional engaging surfaces as upon the wheels f, and the nut F1,
against the ends of which they bear, as best shewn in Fig. 5. The ends of the nut Fi
are turned down, as shown at g, in Fig. 5, so as to receive the wheels fupon'
them, and between the wheels and said nut may be introduced washers g', of any
suitable material, such as vulcanized fibre, or other material which will produce moie
or less function by the engagement of the surfaces of the wheels f, and the nut F¹ with
'them The said wheels are secured against the ends of the nut by bolts g³, and
springs g³.
As here represented, there are four of these bolts g arranged at equidistant points
around the nut, and at each end of the bolts are nuts g*, beneath which the springs' g
are placed Therefore, by tightening' the nuts gt at opposite ends of these bolts,
the hold of the wheels upon the nut F is increased, and the bolts are maintained' in
their uniform position lengthwise of the carriage, so that they will be accommodated
within the enclosed portion of the carriage, as is shown in Fig 5. So long as there
is only normal resistance opposed to the movement of the carriage B, the wheels f
remain in fixed position relatively to the nut F', and impart to said nut the same
speed of rotation that they receive from the wheels f¹, but when there is a greater
resistance opposed to the movement of the carriage B, as by the drill becoming stuck
in the rock, the wheels fand the nut F¹ yield relatively to each other, and said wheels
turn on the nut without imparting motion thereto, and therefore the carriage B
**remains stationary until the drill or bit has become freed by rapping it or otherwise.
+
The carriage B is constructed so far as is possible to shield the gearing through
which it is operated. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the front of the carriage 154
entirely closed, it being formed by a web b. Another web b', supported by brackets &³,
extends rearward for the support of the motor E, and there are also webs 6 at the
sides of the carriage, which receive between them, and partly conceal, the gearing
which is described The webs, at opposite sides or ends of the carriage, may be
formed with hubs ", through which the screw F passes, and which serve to steady the
screw, and hold the wheels always in engagement with the wheels f¹, ƒ³
It will be understood that the bars CC, which constitute the track or way on
which the carriage B moves, are always of considerable length, say, ten feet or
'thereabouts,' and 'the carriage B therefore has a considerable range of movement
'upon them.
.
I also preferably provide means whereby the gearing will automatically be reversed
at the end of the movement of-the-carriage in either direction, so that-less manual
attention to the working of the apparatus is necessary. As here represented the
lover, whereby the clutch f" is operated, is held in one or other position by a latch G,
'with shoulders 9, on which said lever engages. When, as is shown in Fig. 3; the
left hand shoulder engages with the upper end of the lever, the clutch piece f³ is
held in engagement with the wheel, but when the right-hand shoulder 9 is in
engagement with the lever fº, said clutch is held locked to the wheel f*. As here
represented, the latch G 1s pivotted at 98, and, at its opposite end, moves in a loop or
guide, and the spring 98 is applied for throwing the latch downward so as to engage
the lever fº.
designates a tappet rod, which is free to slide in bearings h¹, and is provided with
collars, and with springs 'h' arranged between said collars and the clutch lever/",
through which said tappet rod passes. The collar h² also constitutes a tappet which,
when the tappet rod h is moved in one or other direction, acts upon one or other of
two inclines g g10, with which the latch G is provided. Upon the upper bar Care also
arranged adjustable collars or shifting abutments H, which are held in place upon said
bar (by set-screws h, and with which the tappet rod h engages, as the drill carriage B
moves in one or other direction -When the clutch piece is locked to the wheel f³,
as here shown, the drill carriage B is supposed to be moving in the direction of the
arrow thereon in Fig. 3, and consequently the end of the tappet rod / is just about to
strike the 'stop or abutment, all at that end of the, machine. As soon as said rod

page_text: does strike the stop or abutment H, it is moved toward the right hand of Fig. 3,
thereby compressing the spring h, which is between the tappet 2 and the clutch
lever f, and as soon as the tappet h³ comes upon the incline go, the latch G is lifted
by it out of engagement with the lever f, and the spring, which has just been,
compressed, throws the lever instantly over, so that the latch G is thrown down, with
its right-hand shoulder g' locking the end of the lever f, and the clutch f is thereby
thrown into, and held in engagement with the wheel f, and the carriage B instantly
commences to move in a reverse direction to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3,
and continues until the tappet rod h strikes against the stop or abutment H at the
opposite end of the bar C.
It will be understood that by shifting these stops or abutments H to any desired
position lengthwise of the bar C, the carriage may be moved, at each stroke or
traverse, any distance desired, either one or two feet, or almost the entire length of
the bar (
In the example of my invention represented in Figs. 6 and 7, there is no stationary
frame, but the track C C consists of rails laid upon the ground or any suitable
foundation, and the carriage B of which, consisting simply of a square frame or
plattorm, instead of sliding on the said ways, is fitted with axles I and wheels 1' to
roll on the said tracks. The drill-back D is pivotted to a standard B*, which is
erected on the carriage close to one side thereof, and the drill cylinder D² attached
thereto, all substantially in the same manner as described with reference to Figs. 1
and 2
The motor engine E for producing the movement of the carriage B upon the
ways CC is mounted upon the said carriage, and its shaft 2 is geared with one of
the axles I of the carriage through an intermediate shaft J, arranged in bearings
on the said carriage, transversely to the said axle I and the motor shaft e'. The motor
shaft is furnished with an endless screw 1, which gears with a worn wheel 1' on
the shaft J, and the said shaft is furnished with an endless screw ), which gears with
the worm wheel on the axle I. The worm wheel is not fast upon the shaft J, but
is held between two friction discs k k', which are secured to the shaft, so as to compel
the shaft to turn with them, and between which the worm wheel is clamped by a
nut, and spring k³, with sufficient friction to drive the carriage until the drill
becomes stuck, when the said discs will permit the slipping of the worm wheel upon
the shaft J. These discs, nut, and spring, constitute the equivalent of the frictional
mechanism bereinabove described, through which the carriage B represented in
Figs. 1 and 2, 18 driven
The motor E is represented, in Figs 6 and 7, as furnished with a reversing valve
operated by a handle e*, to effect the reversing of the movement of the carriage
by hand, whenever it is desired to reverse it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same Is to be performed, I declare that what I
clan 15:
1. The combination with a horizontal way or track, of a carriage fitted to travel
thereon, a rock drill, and a motor for operating the same, supported by said carriage,
another motor mounted upon the carriage, and gearing operated by the last-named
motor, for moving the carriage along said way, and comprising surfaces held in
automatically yielding frictional engagement with one another, substantially as
described, whereby, when the rock drill becomes stuck, said surfaces will yield, and
thus automatically stop the said movement of the carriage, substantially as specified.
2 The combination with a stationary frame having a horizontal way or track, of
a screw fixed in the frame, and parallel with the said way or track, a carriage fitted to
run on the way or track, and provided with a nut engaging said screw, a drill, a drill
motor on said carriage, another motor for rotating the nut to move said carriage
along, and gearing intermediate of the second-nained motor and said nut, comprising
frictional surfaces having an automatically yielding frictional engagement with said
nut, substantially as specified.

page_text: 3. The combination with a stationary frame comprising a horizontal way or track,
and a screw also parallel with the way, of a drill carriage fitted to run on the way,
a motor on the drill carriage, a nut fitting the screw, and held against end movement
on the carriage, a gear wheel held in frictional engagement with the end of the nut by
spring pressure, and other gear wheels through which said wheel on the nut is driven
from the motor, substantially as herein described.
4. The combination with a stationary frame and its track or way, of a drill carriage
mounted thereon, a screw in the frame parallel with said track or way, and a nut
fitting the screw, and held against endwise movement independently of the carriage,
the wheels f, in frictional engagement with the ends of the nut, and the bolts and 1
springs for binding them against the nut, the shaft and the wheels fi f', fast
thereon, and the reversely set bevel wheels ff, loose thereon, the clutch fs, and its
shifting lever f, and, the motor having upon its shaft the bevel pinion f' engaging
the wheels ff, substantially as herein described.