Improvements in Rammers Used in Tamping Blast Holes in the Blasting or Getting of Coal and other Minerals and for other like Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1887
Complete Left, 17th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rammers Used in Tamping Blast Holes in the
Blasting or Getting of Coal and other Minerals and for other
like Purposes.
I HENRY JOHNSON of Trindle Road Dudley in the County of Worcester Mining
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows :—
In the blasting or getting of coal and other minerals and in other like operations
such for example in blasting rock or earth in tunnelling or excavating the rammers
ordinarily employed frequently injure and destroy the continuity of the fuse
employed or where the detonation is effected by electricity destroy the insulation of
the wires.
In such cases the blasting operation fails.
The object of my invention is so to construct the rammer by which the tamping is
forced home in the blast hole that in using the said rammer there is no risk of
injuring the fuse or the electrical conducting wires and failure of the ignition of the
blasting charge in consequence of the action of the rammer is prevented.
In making a rammer according to my invention I employ either wood or metal
and give to both ends of the rammer a cylindrical figure the said ends being of
somewhat less diameter than the bore hole. I make the rammer of the lengths
ordinarily employed and I make the part of the rammer between the ends of only
about one half the diameter of the ends. In the fore end of the rammer that is the
end introduced into the bore hole I make a hole of the diameter sufficient for the free
passage through it of the fuse or electrical conducting wires.
This hole opens at the middle of the circular face terminating the rammer and
passes through the enlarged end so as to open at the shoulder formed by the junction
of the enlarged end with the part of the rammer of smaller diameter. At the other
or rear enlarged end of the rammer a hole is formed one end of which opens at the
shoulder at the said rear end the other end terminating in a side slot made in the
enlarged rear end of the rammer.

page_text: In using the rammer the end of the fuse or electrical conductor is first passed
through the hole in the solid tamping if a solid tamping be employed then through
the hole in the front end of the rammer and afterwards through the hole in the rear
end of the rammer and the said fuse or conductor is drawn through the said boles
until the fore end of the rammer is in contact with the tamping.
The charge and tamping are introduced into the bore hole the fuse or electrical
wires being turned into the side slot in the rear end and the tamping is forced
home either by working the rammer in the usual way or by striking it.
The enlarged ends of the rammer may be made separate from the other part and
attached by screwing or otherwise.
Rammers made according to my invention are especially suited for use with the
solid tamping described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to me dated
7th day of May 1886 No. 6217 but may also be used with any kind of tamping
whether solid or loose.
In using rammers made according to my invention there is no risk of injuring the
fuse or electrical conductor.
Rammers made according to my invention may be employed in tamping bore holes
in which quick lime is substituted for gun powder or other explosive.
Dated this Meter frauch das of Town 1007

page_text: I HENRY JOHNSON of Trindle Road Dudley in the County of Worcester Mining
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In the blasting or getting of coal and other minerals and in other like operations
such for example as blasting rock or earth, in tunnelling or excavating the rammers
ordinarily employed frequently injure and destroy the continuity of the fuse employed,
or where the detonation is effected by electricity destroy the insulation of the wires.
In such cases the blasting operation fails.
The object of my invention is so to construct the rammer by which the tamping is
forced home in the blast hole that in using the said rammer there is no risk of
injuring the fuse or the electrical conducting wires and failure of the ignition of the
blasting charge in consequence of the action of the rammer is prevented.
In making a rammer according to my invention I employ either wood or metal
and give to both ends of the rammer a cylindrical figure the said ends being of
somewhat less diameter than the bore hole. I make the rammer of the lengths
ordinarily employed and I make the part of the rammer between the ends of only
about one half the diameter of the ends. In the fore end of the rammer that is the
end introduced into the bore hole I make a hole of a diameter sufficient for the free
passage through it of the fuse or electrical conducting wires. This hole opens at the
middle of the circular face terminating the rammer and passes through the enlarged
end so as to open at the shoulder formed by the junction of the enlarged end with
the part of the rammer of smaller diameter. At the other or rear enlarged end of the
rammer a hole is formed one end of which opens at the shoulder at the said rear end
the other end terminating in a side slot made in the enlarged rear end of the
rammer.
In using the rammer the end of the fuse or electrical conductor is first passed
through the hole in the solid tamping, if a solid tamping be employed, then through
the hole in the front end of the rammer and afterwards through the hole in the rear
end of the rammer and the said fuse or conductor is drawn through the said holes
until the fore end of the rammer is in contact with the tamping. The charge and
tamping are introduced into the bore hole the fuse or electrical wires being turned
into the side slot in the rear end and the tamping is forced home either by working
the rammer in the usual way or by striking it.

page_text: The enlarged ends of the rammer may be made separate from the other part and
attached by screwing or otherwise.
Rammers made according to my invention are especially suited for use with the
solid tamping described in the specification of Letters Patent granted to me dated
7th day of May 1886, No. 6217 but may also be used with any kind of tamping
whether solid or loose.
In using rammers made according to my invention there is no risk of injuring the
fuse or electrical conductor. Rammers made according to my invention may be
employed in tamping bore holes in which quick lime is substituted for gun powder or
other explosive.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section and end elevation a hard wood rammer
constructed according to my invention, the said rammer being represented in use in
a blast or bore hole for forcing home in the said hole my patented solid tamping
before referred to.
Figures 2 and 3 represent in longitudinal section the fore and rear ends of the
rammer made of copper (or other metal) drawn to a large scale as hereinafter
described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
drawing.
The improved rammer consists of the enlarged front and rear ends a and b of a
cylindrical figure and of somewhat less diameter than the blast or bore hole d and of
the part or rod c of reduced diameter between the said ends a and b. In the enlarged
fore end a of the rammer is a hole e through which the fuse (or the insulated electrical
conducting wires) ƒ passes. It will be seen that the hole e opens at the middle of
the circular face of the enlarged fore end a of the rammer and passes through the said
enlarged end a in an inclined direction and opens at the shoulder g formed at the
junction of the enlarged end a with the part or rod c of the rammer. In the enlarged
rear end b of the rammer a somewhat similar hole h is formed, that is, the end of
the hole opens at the shoulder i and terminates in a side slot k in the rear part of
the said end b.
After the bore hole d has been made in the material to be blasted or operated upon
in the ordinary manner and the explosive or quick lime or other blasting material
has been inserted in the said bore hole I insert and ram houe my patented solid
tamping in the following manner and by the use of my improved rammer.
I pass the fuse (or electrical conducting wires) leading from the explosive
material at the back of the bore hole through the axial hole in the solid tamping m
then through the axial and inclined hole e in the fore end a of the rammer. The
fuse (or conducting wires) is then conducted along the reduced part or rod c of
the rammer and through the inclined hole in the rear end of the rammer to the
side slot k as represented in the drawing. I now make the fuse (or conducting wires)
taut by pulling it and by means of a forward and backward movement of the rammer
or by striking the outer end of the rammer with a mallet or hammer I break up the
solid tamping cartridge m and by repeated movements or blows of the rammer
I securely tamp the bore hole. The action described is repeated for each succeeding
tamping cartridge or number of cartridges until the bore hole is sufficiently tamped.
The enlarged rear end b of the rammer may be omitted as represented in Figure 4.
In this modification the rammer consists of the enlarged fore end a having the axial
and inclined hole e for the passage of the fuse or electrical conducting wires and the
stem or part of reduced diameter. In using this form of rammer the fuse or
conducting wires after it or they have been passed through the hole e in the head or
enlarged end a is or are conducted from the bore hole d in the manner represented in
Figure 4.
Instead of making the rammer of wood it may be made wholly of metal or partly
of metal and partly of wood. In the latter case the enlarged fore and rear ends a
and b of the rammer, or the enlarged fore end a, are or is made of copper (preferably)

page_text: and separately from the wooden stem c as represented in Figures 2 and 3. The
enlarged copper end or ends is or are connected to the wooden stem or part c by
rivets at p, p; or the copper end or ends may be connected to the wooden stem or
part c by screwing or otherwise.
When the heads or enlargements of the rammer are made separately from the stem
they can be removed and repaired or renewed when required.
By the use of my improved rammer in conjunction with my patented tamping
cartridges before referred to no space in the bore hole is left untamped as the fuse or
wires is or are closely embedded in the tamping by the collapsing of the axial hole
during the ramming operation.
In addition to the very efficient tamping described the use of my invention prevents
the fuse or insulated electrical conducting wires from being damaged or rendered
useless by severance during the operation of ramming.
Although I have described and represented my improved rammer as used in
conjunction with my patent solid tamping I wish it to be understood that the said
rammer may also be used in conjunction with the ordinary loose or other tamping.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in rammers used in tamping blast holes in the blasting
or getting of coal and other minerals and for other like purposes" :-
Rammers for the purpose described consisting either of cylindrical fore and rear
ends with a stem or rod of reduced diameter between them or of cylindrical fore
end with a reduced stem at its rear the said enlarged end or ends of the rammer
being provided with a hole or a holo terminating in a slot for the passage through
it and into it of the fuse or the insulated electrical conducting wires by which the
explosive is ignited substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, whereby the risk of injuring the fuse or electrical conducting
wires during the tamping of the bore or blast hole by the action of the rammer is
prevented, whether the said rammer be made in one piece or in several pieces as
described and illustrated.
Dated this Sixteenth day of March 1888.