IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS AND PILE-DRIVING MACHINERY
Year: 1854

page_text: *LETTERS PATENT to William Rigby, of Glasgow, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS AND PILE-DRIVING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 22nd March 1854, and dated the 5th January 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rigby at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th January
1854.
I, WILLIAM RIGBY, of Glasgow, do hereby declare the nature of the In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS AND PILE-DRIVING MACHINERY'
to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, in the first place, in connecting the hammer
block direct to the steam piston, either by making it in one piece or otherwise,
and allowing the hammer block to work through a stuffing box at the lower
end of the cylinder, so that the hammer is guided in its fall by its contact with
the cylinder and gland; and further, as the space occupied by the hammer in
the cylinder below the piston will cause a considerable difference to exist
between the effective area of the piston at the top and bottom, I take advan-
tage of this to make the hammer double acting and use the steam expansively,
that is to say, when the hammer has been raised to the required height by the
steam which is under the piston, the communication between the boiler and
cylinder is closed, and also between the top of the cylinder and the atmosphere,

page_text: and at or nearly at the same time communication is opened between the top
and bottom of the piston, so that the steam may exert an equal pressure per
square inch on both sides of the piston; but the effective area of the top of the
piston being greater than the bottom, an additional impetus is given to the
descent of the hammer and piston, and the steam occupying a greater space
will be expanded as the hammer descends; when its descent is completed, the
valve which I call the equilibrium valve is closed, and the eduction valve
opened, and the steam from the top of the piston allowed to escape; but such
steam as remains below the piston will be used again in the ascent of the
piston, when the steam valve is again opened and more steam admitted from
the boiler.
Or the hammer may be constructed as a single acting one, the block being
prolonged through stuffing boxes at both ends of the cylinder; but the part
passing through the top being of greater sectional area than the bottom, so
that the difference between the two would give sufficient area for the steam to
act on when admitted beneath, and after it had raised the hammer the required
height it would be allowed to escape; and in this case the glands at the top
and bottom of the cylinder and the cylinder itself would form the guide for the
hammer.
These improvements are also applicable to pile driving machines or stampers
for crushing ores.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Rigby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
RIGBY, of Glasgow, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Rigby, Her special licence that I, the said William Rigby, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Rigby, 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, exercise, and vend,

page_text: within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM HAMMERS
ANE PILE-DRIVING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Rigby, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 I, the said William Rigby, 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 state-
ment thereof (that is to say):-
.
My Invention relates to two classes of direct acting steam hammers.
Firstly, to those in which the steam is used in the ascent of the hammer
only; and,
Secondly, to those in which it is used in both the ascent and descent.
And what I claim as my Invention in hammers of the first class is, the
making the hammer block itself in the form of a plunger or ram, passing
through stuffing boxes at both ends of the cylinder, which plunger or ram
being of larger sectional area at the part passing through the top gland than at
that passing through the bottom, on the steam being admitted into the
cylinder its pressure will act on the difference of the areas of the two ends, and
will raise the ram to the required height; and on the steam being allowed to
escape, the ram or hammer will fall by its own gravity, and will be guided by
the cylinder and stuffing boxes, without the aid of guides above or below the
cylinder, as heretofore used.
And in hammers of the second class I claim, that instead of prolonging the
ram through the top of the cylinder I make it to work through the bottom
only, and the top of the ram forms a piston for the steam to act upon both in
its ascent and descent; and what I claim in this hammer is not the method of
using the steam, but the making the cylinder and lower stuffing box or gland
serve as the guides for the hammer.
And having now stated the nature of my Invention, I will describe the
Drawings herewith annexed.
The Figures 1, 2, 3, are different views of the single acting plunger
hammer; No. 1, being a front elevation; No. 2, a side view of the same,
shewing the cylinder and plunger in section; and No. 3, a plan, partly in
section; the same letters in each part refer to the same parts. A are the side

page_text: standards for carrying the cylinder, which is securely bolted to them; in Draw-
ings 1, 2, and 3, these standards are shewn at a considerable angle with the
central line of the cylinder marked I, for as they are not required to serve as
guides for the hammer block, they can be placed in any position so as to allow
of clear access to the anvil block K, both from the sides and front, if required;
or they may be placed in the usual position, as shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6.
B is the cylinder, into which the steam is admitted in the usual manner by the
slide valve D, which is opened by the piston in the small cylinder E, and
reversed at the proper time by the action of the plunger against the lever M,
the centre lines of which are shown in red ink; and upon the valve being so
-reversed, the steam will escape in the ordinary manner, and the hammer will fall
by its own gravity; the arrangements for varying the height of fall and force of
the blow of the hammer can be of the usual description, and modified accord-
ing to circumstances. C is the plunger or ram, which in the Drawing is shewn
in Figure 2 in section, the upper part which works through the top of the
cylinder being cylindrical in cross section, and the lower part being of the form
shewn by the plan of the stuffing box in Figure 3 and 6, and marked L; but
it may be made oval, elliptical, or rectangular, or of any other form required,
that can be made to pass through a steam-tight stuffing box (provided it be not
made of a circular section), so that it will be prevented from turning by its own
form when taking down collars of shafts, forging the bosses of cranks, and the
like, and thus obviate the necessity for the parallel guides heretofore used; and
further, the upper or larger part of the ram being turned to fit the cylinder,
the hammer will be well and securely guided by its contact with the cylinder
itself, in addition to the glands R, at the top and bottom of cylinder. Fare
the standards for carrying the valve gear. G is the steam pipe for admitting the
steam; and H is the pipe for the exhausted steam to escape by. Figures 4,
5, and 6, are different views of the double acting hammer, in which A are the
standards for carrying the cylinder; B is the cylinder; C is the hammer block,
the upper part of which forms a piston, so that on the steam being admitted
below it by the slide valve D, it will rise until the tappet N on the piston
rod O, which is attached to the hammer, reverses the slide valve by its action
on the lever M, and opens a communication by the passages P and Q between
the bottom and top of the cylinder, when, owing to there being a larger area
on the top of the piston than the bottom, the hammer will fall not only with its
own gravity, but be impelled downwards by the action of the steam, and be
guided in its fall by the piston, which is made more than usually deep, and
by the gland R. Upon the valve being again raised by the piston in the small

page_text: cylinder E, the passages Q and S are opened to each other, and the steam
from the top of the piston will escape into the atmosphere by the exhaust
pipe H, which leads out of the passage S. The piston or upper part of the
hammer block C is turned cylindrical, so as to fit the cylinder, but the lower
part is made as described before for the plunger hammer, and for reasons there
stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rigby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
ROBERT BREWSTER,
Aberfoyle,
Perthshire.
WILLIAM RIGBY. (L.B.)