Improvements in Rotating Devices for Rock Drills.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th Dec., 1896--Accepted, 30th Jan., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by THE INGERSOLL-SERGEANT DRILL COMPANY,
a Corporation organized under the laws of the State of West Virginia, United
States of America, and having its principal business office at No. 26 Cortlandt
Street, in the City of New York, United States of America.]
.
Improvements in Rotating Devices for Rock Drills.
1 PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to devices which are employed as may be desired for
rotating the piston and the bit of a rock-drilling machine. The object of the
improvement is to provide, in a simple manner, for either producing the rotation
of the bit, or for preventing its rotation, as may be desired, according as the
machine may be used for drilling a round hole or for channelling.
In carrying out this invention, the usual rock drill cylinder is employed, having
a piston fitted to work therein, a circular ratchet, a rifle bar fitted to a spirally
grooved nut in the rear end of the piston, and having outside of the piston a head
which carries the pawls which operate in connection with the ratchet."
The ratchet may be like such ratchets as are commonly employed in rock drills,
and may be held within the drill cylinder in any suitable manner, but it is
preferred to employ the arrangement which forms part of the subject-matter of
English Letters Patent No. 8748, dated July 20th 1885.
The pawls may be fitted to the rifle-bar head in any suitable manner, but it is
preferred that they should be fitted as described in the Specification of the English
Letters Patent No. 13348, dated July 10th, 1894, and pressed outwards towards
the ratchet ring by means of spring-pressed plungers, as described in the specification
of the last mentioned Letters Patent.
Fitted to a circular recess located concentrically within the outer face of the
rifle bar head, there is a cam, the purpose of which is to throw the pawls inwards
from the ratchet, and when so thrown in, to lock them to positions in which they
are inoperative upon the ratchet. This cam may lie loosely within the recess,
being confined therein by the cylinder head. The said cam has two leaves, one
for cach pawl, the said leaves being excentric to the cam, and acting against
shoulders on the pivotal stocks of the pawls. For the purpose of restricting the
movement of the said cam, there is provided in the rifle bar head a stop pin which
enters a notch in the periphery of the cam, the length of the said notch only
permitting the cam to move far enough in the one direction to leave the pawls free
to engage with the ratchet ring, and far enough in the other direction for its leaves
to act upon the shoulders of the pawls, to throw and lock them to the position in
which they are inoperative on the ratchet ring. When the cam is in the position
which leaves the pawls free to engage with the ratchet ring, the operation of the
rifle bar on the piston and bit stock is the same as in an ordinary rock drill, that
is to say, as the piston runs backwards, the nut tends to turn the rifle bar, but its
turning is prevented by the engagement of the pawls with the teeth of the ratchet
ring, and consequently the piston turns upon the rifle bar; then, as the piston
moves forward, it does so without itself turning, but turns the rifle bar, the pawls
ID 17

page_text: of which then pass over the teeth of the ratchet ring. When the cam is in the
position in which the pawls are locked out of engagement with the ratchet ring,
the piston does not turn during its movement in either direction, but in running
along the rifle bar it simply turns the latter back and forth.
For the purpose of operating the cam as hereinabove described, it is provided
in the centre with a square hole for the reception of the square end of a key.
This hole is reached through the oil hole in the cylinder head. This oil hole is
closed by a screw plug, on the removal of which the oil may be introduced to oil
all the parts of the rotating device, including the cam, or the key may be
introduced to turn the cam for setting the pawls into and out of operative relation
to the ratchet ring.
Dated this 5th day of May 1896.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Rotating Devices for Rock Drills.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to devices which are employed, as may be desired, for
rotating the piston and the bit of a rock-drilling machine. The object of the
improvement is to provide, in a simple manner, for either producing the rotation
of the bit, or for preventing its rotation, as may be desired, according as the
machine may be used for drilling a round hole or for channelling.
The invention consists in certain combinations of parts which are hereinafter
described, and the novelty of which is pointed out in claims.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section of portions of a rock-drilling machine
which are necessary to illustrate the invention;
Fig. 2 is an end view of the device for rotating the piston and bit stock, with the
pawls in operative relation with the circular ratchet for turning the piston.
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but shewing the pawls locked in inoperative
positions.
Fig. 4 represents a transverse section of the circular ratchet and the head of the
rifle bar corresponding with Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 represents a key which is employed to set the pawls into or out of
operative relation to the ratchet.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is the cylinder of the rock drill, and B the piston fitted to work therein.
C is the circular ratchet, D the rifle bar fitted to a spirally-grooved nut E in the
rear end of the piston, and having, outside of the piston, a head D¹ which carries
the pawls F F which operate in connection with the ratchet.
The ratchet C may be like such ratchets as are commonly employed in rock
drills, and may be held within the drill cylinder in any suitable manner, but is
represented as consisting of a ring held by friction between the cylinder head G
and another ring H which is located against a shoulder a in the cylinder,-the
said cylinder head G being fitted to a ring I which is bolted to the outer end of
the cylinder, and being pressed up against the ratchet ring to produce the necessary
triction thereon by means of springs J. This method of applying the ratchet

page_text: ring constitutes no part of the present invention, being part of the subject matter
of English Letters Patent No. 8748, dated July 20 1885.
The pawls may be fitted to the rifle bar head in any suitable manner, but they
are represented as made with pivotal stocks b, fitted into corresponding seats in the
rifle bar head, as described in the Specification of the English Letters Patent
No. 13348, dated July 10th, 1894, and are pressed outwards towards the ratchet
ring by means of spring-pressed plungers c, r, as described in the specification of
the last mentioned Letters Patent.
Fitted to a circular recess e located concentrically within the outer face of the
rifle bar head, there is a cam K, the purpose of which is to throw the pawls
inwards from the ratchet, and, when so thrown in, to lock them, as shewn in Fig. 3, '
to positions in which they are inoperative upon the ratchet. This cam is
represented as lying loosely within the recess e, being confined therein by the
cylinder head G, against which the said head abuts." The said cam has two-
leaves d, one for each pawl, the said leaves being excentric to the cam, and acting
against shoulders ff on the pivotal stocks of the pawls. For the purpose of
restricting the movement of the said cam, there is provided in the rifle bar head
a stop pin g, which enters a notch in the periphery of the cam, the length of the
said notch only permitting the cam to move far enough in the one direction.
(indicated by the arrow shown in Fig. 2) to leave the pawls free to engage with
the ratchet ring, and far enough in the other direction (indicated by the arrow in
Fig. 3) for its leaves e to act upon the shoulders f of the pawls, to throw and lock
tbem to the position indicated in the latter figure, in which they are inoperative
on the ratchet ring. When the cam is in the position shewn in Fig. 2, leaving
the pawls free to engage with the ratchet ring, the operation of the rifle bar on
the piston and bit stock is the same as in an ordinary rock drill, that is to say,
as the piston runs backwards, the nut E tends to turn the rifle bar, but its turning
is prevented by the engagement of the pawls with the teeth of the ratchet ring,
and consequently the piston turns upon the rifle bar; then, as the piston moves
forward, it does so without itself turning, but turus the rifle bar, the pawls of
which then pass over the teeth of the ratchet ring. When the cam is in the
position shewn in Fig. 3, and the pawls are locked out of engagement with the
ratchet ring, the piston does not turu during its movement in either direction, but
in running along the rifle bar, it simply turns the latter back and forth.
For the purpose of operating the cam K as hereinabove described, it is.
provided in the centre with a square hole i for the reception of the square end of
a key, such, for example, as that shewn in Fig. 5. This hole i is reached through.
the oil hole k in the cylinder head. This oil hole is represented in Fig. 1 as closed
by a screw plug L, on the removal of which the oil may be introduced to oil all
the parts of the rotating device, including the cam, or the key may be introduced
to turn the cam for setting the pawls into and out of operative relation to the
ratchet ring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to.
me from abroad), I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a rotating device for rock-drills, the combination with a circular ratchet,.
a rifle bar, and pawls attached to said bar for engaging with said ratchet to prevent
the turning of the said bar, of a cam applied to said bar, for placing the pawls in
inoperative relation to the ratchet, and permitting the turning of the rifle bar,
substantially as herein described.
2. In a rotating device for a rock drill, the combination with a circular ratchet,.
a rifle bar, and pawls attached to said bar, for engaging with said ratchet, of a
cam applied to said bar for placing the pawls in inoperative relation to the said
ratchet, and a stop to restrict the turning of the cam in one direction and the
other between positions in which it is respectively operative or inoperative on said
pawl, substantially as herein described.

page_text: 3. The combination of the circular ratchet, the rifle-bar, the swinging pawls for
engaging with the said ratchet, to prevent the turning of the rifle-bar, the said
pawls baving pivotal stocks fitted to seats in the rifle-bar head, and having shoulders
on said stocks, and a cam within the rifle-bar, for engaging with said shoulders,
to produce the disengagement of said pawls from the ratchet, substantially as
set forth.
4. The combination with the drill cylinder, the circular ratchet, the rifle bar
and pawls therein for engaging with said ratchet, of a cam arranged within a
recess in the rifle-bar, and provided with a key-hole for the reception of a turning
key inserted through an opening in the cylinder head, substantially as herein
described.
Dated this 94th dor of December 1896
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.