New or Improved Apparatus used in the Sinking of Wells, Pits, or Shafts, and in the Boring of Drifts or Tunnels.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
CUM DEID T
New or Improved Apparatus used in the Sinking of Wells, Pits, or
Shafts, and in the Boring of Drifts or Tunnels.
I, RICHARD SUTCLIFFE, of Clayton West, in the County of York, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My present invention relates to an apparatus or machine designed more especially
for excavating an annular groove or channel in the bottom part of a pit well or
shaft during the sinking of the same or around the solid end of a tunnel or drift
during the formation thereof and the object of my said invention is to so
arrange and construct said apparatus that by its use the manual labour necessary
hitherto for dressing the sides or walls of the shafts pits wells drifts or tunnels is
dispensed with also the necessity for the use of explosives in the vicinity of said sides
or walls is obviated and the use of explosives in the sinking operation may be
considerably lessened.
In attaining the said object therefore I arrange and construct an apparatus or
machine substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a plan of my new or improved apparatus fitted in working position
within a pit shaft or well and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation of the same.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view. Two or more
girders A are securely bolted together and have arranged at their ends adjustable
shoes B which are hinged or coupled up to suitable screws C working through
nuts D and supported by the jaws E the latter being secured to the said girders A.
By screwing or turning the said nuts D in one direction the bolts C force the shoes B
outwards so as to press upon or against the walls H of the pit shaft well drift or
tunnel in order that the girders A may become fixed to the necessary firmness and
by screwing the nuts D in the opposite direction the said shoes B will become
released. Where preferred it will be obvious that in place of the screws C the
necessary pressure may be applied by means of each said shoe B being coupled up
to a rod or piston arranged to work in a hydraulic cylinder fixed to the side or other
convenient part of each girder A.
The girders A have fixings a¹ and a which support or carry bearings a³ and the
said bearings a support a driving shaft J which may be driven in any convenient
manner such as for instance by gearing from the crank shaft of an engine in which
case it receives a suitable spur wheel K or it may have a chain belt or other pulley
secured to it or it may be coupled direct to an electric motor which may be secured
on the girders A or any other suitable motor may be employed for said purpose as
will be well understood.
Securely bolted or otherwise secured to the under parts of the girders A are
arranged brackets L which support suitable runners M and the latter carry an
annular rack N made in one or more pieces or segments and securely bolted to or
made with said rack N is an annular flange or ring n' which may also be made in
segments and bolted together. To the said flange n is bolted or otherwise suitably
secured a number of guides P which are strengthened at their upper ends by
segmental plates p¹ and are stayed by the plates p². The said guides P' receive
slides which are bolted to the internal periphery of a barrel or cylinder S the
latter being preferably for convenience made in segments and bolted together. The
said cylinder S receives an annular stay s' and segmental stays and its lower
portion is formed with spirally arranged stays s³ which both strengthen said cylin-
der S and the lower ends thereof act as scoops for lifting the debris or broken earth
or stones from the annular groove T.

page_text: To the bottom of the cylinder S is secured a number of segmental tool boxes U
which receive the shanks of the boring or cutting tools W which latter are secured
in position by the cotters wo¹.
The said tools W together with the cylinder S may be fed to their work or with-
drawn by means of the hydraulic cylinders X and pistons Y. One end of each
piston Y presses against or is fastened to the segmental stay pl of the annular flange n¹
and the opposite end of each said piston works in suitable hydraulic barrels X
the lower ends of which press against or are fixed to the annular stay ¹ of the
cylinder S.
By this arrangement of hydraulic cylinders and pistons the working barrel or
cylinder S may be fed to its work in a manner to cause the desired pressure to be
applied to the cutting tools W and also to suspend or withdraw the same from the
groove T when required. It will be obvious however that where preferred a screw
bush or sleeve may be used in the place of each hydraulic cylinder aforesaid and a
screw bolt in the place of each piston and in this arrangement of screw jacks it
would only be necessary to revolve said screw piston one way or the other in order
to feed or withdraw the cutting tools or suitable racks and pinions or their equi-
valents may take the places respectively of each hydraulic cylinder and piston for the
purpose before described. The driving shaft J has secured at one end thereof a
pinion Z which meshes or gears with the annular rack N and by which means the
necessary revolving motion is imparted to the cylinder S. As the said cylinder S
revolves the special cutters or tools W excavate the annular groove T and simul-
taneously with the travelling of the said cutters W the necessary feeding pressure
is given to the cylinder S by means of the hydraulic pistons and cylinders or
their equivalents.
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 1
claim is :-
:-
1. In an apparatus employed for the purpose specified the use of girders A
arranged with adjustable shoes E and supporting mechanism or a motor for driving
the annular rack N and its connections in combination with the revolving cylinders
slides and guides P together with the hydraulic cylinder X and pistons Y or
other equivalent mechanism for feeding or withdrawing said cylinder S substantially
as described and set forth in part by the accompanying sheet of drawings.
2. A machine or apparatus combined and arranged substantially as described and
used for the purpose specified.
Dated this 5th day of February 1891.
H. F. BOUGHTON, M.I. Mech. E.,
London, Sheffield and Barnsley, Agent.