IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK DRILLING MACHINERY
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walker, of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, in the
County of York, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK DRILLING
MACHINERY."
Scaled the 5th December 1874, and dated the 26th Soptember 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th September 1874.
I, WILLIAM WALKER, of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ROCK DRILLING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in rock drilling machinery for
mining and tunnelling purposes, whereby holes may be drilled with
rapidity and facility by means of a revolving drill in any required
position in iron, stone, or other material to be blasted. For this purpose
the drill is carried by a drill spindle receiving rotary motion from small

page_text: cylinders worked by compressed air or other elastic fluid, the piston rods
of which are connected directly to cranks on the drill spindle. The drill
spindle and cylinders are carried by a frame arranged to slide backwards
and forwards in a trough shaped framing by means of a screw spindle
carried by the trough shaped framing and passing through a screw bush
on the drill frame, the screw spindle being turned by hand or other con-
venient means for the purpose of advancing and withdrawing the drill
to and from its work. The thrust of the drill spindle is taken by a
screw bolt passing through a bracket fixed on the back end of the drill
frame.
The above described trough shaped framing with the drill frame is
supported upon the end of an articulated arm arranged to slide up and
down and also to turn horizontally upon a vertical pillar in a manner to
be presently described. This arm bas firstly at its outer end a cylindrical
socket, into which fits a pin formed on the side of a collar, into which a
strong pin or trunnion on the under side of the before-mentioned trough
shaped frame fits, the collar being formed as a clip, so that the drill
frame can be turned horizontally into any desired position in the collar
and secured there. The pin of the collar can also be turned into any
desired position in the socket of the arm, and is secured therein by
means of setting screws. The arm has furthermore a joint by which its
front end with the drill frame can be turned to any desired horizontal
position, and behind this it has a second joint by which the front end
can be turned in a vertical direction into any desired position, the latter
joint being formed with segment pieces having bolt holes, so that the
front part of the arm can be secured in the position into which it is
moved by a screw bolt passed through the holes in tho segment pieces
and through a hole in the arm.
By the above-described articulated construction of the arm, and by
its adjustment both vertically and horizontally upon the before-men-
tioned pillar, it will be seen that the drill can be brought into any
desired position for drilling holes. Beneath tho said arm and in front of
the pillar on which it slides is a segment plate upon which the arm
rests, and to which it is secured when moved into the required position
by means of screw bolts passing through the arm and through circular
slots in the plate. This segment plate, and with it the arm carrying the
rock drill, can be raised or lowered to any required position by means of

page_text: two vertical screw spindles mounted in standards on each side of the
before-mentioned pillar, the segment plate having screwed bushes at its
extremities through which the said screw spindles pass.
The screw spindles are rotated by means of bevil pinions fixed on
their upper ends, in which gear other bevil pinions on a transverse shaft
rotated by means of an endless chain passing round a chain wheel on
the shaft, and round a second chain wheel carried at the side of one of
the standards, and rotated by means of a winch handle or other con-
venient means.
The central pillar and the two side standards are all fixed upon a
platform arranged to slide on a tramway or other carriage by means of a
screw carried by the latter passing through a nut on the under side of
the platform. The central pillar is hollow, and inside it is a screw
spindle working through a nut on the upper end of the pillar, and
having fixed to its lower end a slide working in guides in the pillar. The
screw spindle being prevented from rotating by the said guide, it is
raised up by turning the screw nut on the pillar so as to abut against
the roof of the mine or tunnel, and thus to hold the machine firmly in
position while at work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Walker in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WALKER, of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Walker, Her special license,
that I the said William Walker, my executors, administrators, and
-
.

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said William Walker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercisc, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROCK DRILLING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Walker, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Walker, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheets of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thercon, that
is to say :-
My Invention relates to improvements in rock drilling machinery for
mining and tunnelling purposes, whereby holes may be drilled with
rapidity and facility by means of a revolving drill in any required
position in iron, stone, or other material to be blasted. For this purpose
the drill is carried by a drill spindle receiving rotary motion from small
cylinders worked by compressed air or other elastic fluid, the piston rods
of which are connected directly to cranks on the drill spindle. The drill
spindle and cylinders are carried by a frame arranged to slide backwards
and forwards in a trough shaped framing by means of a screw spindle
carried by the trough shaped framing, and passing through a screw bush
on the drill frame, the screw spindle being turned by hand or other con-
venient means, for the purpose of advancing and withdrawing the drill
to and from its work. The thrust of the drill spindle is taken by a
screw bolt passing through a bracket fixed on the back end of the drill
frame.
The above-described trough shaped framing with the drill frame is
supported upon the end of an articulated arm arranged to slide up and
down, and also to turn horizontally upon a vertical pillar in a manner to

page_text: be presently described. This arm has firstly at its outer end a cylindrical
socket, into which fits a pin formed on the side of a collar, into which a
strong pin or trunnion on the under side of the before-mentioned trough
shaped frame fits, the collar being formed as a clip so that the drill
frame can be turned horizontally into any desired position in the collar
and secured there. The pin of the collar can also be turned into any
desired position in the socket of the arm, and is secured therein by
means of setting screws. The arm has furthermore a joint by which its
front end with the drill frame can be turned to any desired horizontal
position, and behind this it has a second joint by which the front end
can be turned in a vertical direction into any desired position, the latter
joint being formed with segment pieces having bolt holes, so that the
front part of the arm can be secured in the position into which it is
moved by a screw bolt passed through the holes in the segment pieces
and through a hole in the arm.
By the above-described articulated construction of the arm, and by
its adjustment both vertically and horizontally upon the before men-
tioned pillar, it will be seen that the drill can be brought into any.
desired position for drilling holes. Beneath the said arm and in front of
the pillar on which it slides is a segment plate upon which the arm
rests, and to which it is secured when moved into the required position
by means of screw bolts passing through the arm and through circular
slots in the plate. This segment plate, and with it the arm carrying the
rock drill, can be raised or lowered to any required position by means of
two vertical screw spindles mounted in standards on each side of the
before-mentioned pillar, the segment plate having screwed bushes at its-
extremities through which the said screw spindles pass.
The screw spindles are rotated by means of bevil pinions fixed on
their upper ends, in which gear other bevil pinions on a transverse shaft
rotated by means of an endless chain passing round a chain wheel on
the shaft, and round a second chain wheel carried at the side of one of
the standards, and rotated by means of a winch handle or other con-
venient means.
The central pillar and the two side standards are all fixed upon a
platform arranged to slide on a tramway or other carriage by means of a
screw carried by the latter passing through a nut on the under side of
the platform. The central pillar is hollow, and inside it is a screw

page_text: spindle working through a nut on the upper end of the pillar, and
having fixed to its lower end a slide working in guides in the pillar. The
screw spindle being prevented from rotating by the said guide, it is
raised up by turning the screw nut on the pillar so as to abut against
the roof of the mine or tunnel, and thus to hold the machine firmly in 5
position while at work.
.
Fig. 1 represents a side view; Fig. 2, a back view; and Fig. 3, a plan
of the carriage and framing for a rock drill arranged according to my
Invention; Fig. 4 representing partly in sido view and partly in section
the cylinders and drill spindle with their sliding frame.
•
A is the carriage or truck provided with four wheels a, a, to run on
rails; B is a bed plate fitted to slide longitudinally on the truck, and
moved to and fro thereon by a screw b, which can be turned by a winch
handle b¹. On the bed B are fixed a central column C and two side
columns D, D. In the central column C is mounted a screw c, so that
it can slide vertically but cannot revolve, a key c' for this purpose being
fitted to slide in vertical slots within the column. A nut c³ worked by
a hand wheel being turned, the screw c can be raised so that its upper
end is pressed against the roof of the heading in which the apparatus is
employed, as shewn at Fig. 2, in order to steady the truck and framing
firmly in its place. The other two columns D, D, are provided with
screws d, d, working in nuts in a sliding plate E, which is fitted to slide
upwards or downwards on the central column C, and from which lugs e, e,
provided with nuts project into the interior of the column D, D, through
vertical slots in their sides. The screws d, d, are connected together by
bevil gearing, by a cross shaft d' worked by a band or chain from a
winch d³, by turning which in the one direction or the other the plate E
can be caused to slide upwards or downwards. An arm F provided at
one end with a counterbalance f, and having a boss fitted to slide on the
column C, rests on the plate E, to which it is secured by bolts passing
through circular slots f¹, f³, struck from the centre of the column C. 3
Thus the arm F can be turned on O as an axis to any desired angle

page_text: within the range of the slots f¹ƒ³, and secured by the bolts in the
desired attitude. Another arm G is jointed to F by a bolt g, so that it
can be swung vertically upwards or downwards, and secured in the
desired attitude by a bolt g¹ passed through one of several holes in a
5 pair of cheeks f*, projecting from F and embracing G. Another arm H
is jointed to G at h, so that it can be swung laterally in a horizontal
direction, and this arm is made hollow as a socket to receive an arm I,
which can be turned on its axis therein and secured by set screws h', h¹.
The arm I terminates in a hinged clamp i, which receives the trunnion
of the drill frame, so that the drill with its engine and frame can be
swung laterally on its trunnion and clamped in the desired attitude. By
means of the advancing or retreating movement of the bed plate B, the
rising or descending movement of the plate E, the horizontal swinging
movement of the arm F round O, the vertical and horizontal jointing at
9 and 1, the turning movement of I, and the horizontal swing of the
trunnion in i, the position and attitude of the drill frame, can be varied
as desired within a range of great extent, so that the drill spindle can
be directed to bore a hole in any required part of the face of the
working. The engine framing K is of trough shape, provided with
chases k, k, at its upper edges, in which can slide longitudinally the
cylinders L, L, with the cranked drill shaft M and its bearings N, N,
this sliding movement being effected by a screw ¹ mounted in the
framing K, and working in a nut n¹ provided in a projection from the
back bearing N. The cylinders L, L, with their slides, one of which is
shewn at 1, are of ordinary construction fitted with trunk pistons
working by short connecting rods on a pair of cranks at right angles to
one another on the shaft M. The slides arc worked by eccentrics m, m,
on the shaft. The front end of the shaft M is a socket for receiving the
drill spindle O, which is held firmly in it by a set screw o. The back
end of the shaft has a steel bush, against which bears a steel pointed
centre screw m¹ to take the thrust of the drill.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I claim,—
First. Mounting a pair of cylinders with a crank shaft for directly
working a rotary rock boring drill in a sliding frame that can turn on a
trunnion, substantially as herein described.
Second. Mounting the trunnion above referred to in an arm jointed
so as to be capable of turning and swinging movements horizontally

page_text: and vertically, and of vertical and horizontal sliding movements on a
carriage or truck, so that the drill may be directed as desired, sub-
stantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of 5
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-fivc.