IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TUNNELLING And ExcavatING. AND FOR OTHER LIKE USES." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Beriah Shepherd, of Beverley, near Wellington,
in the County of Salop, Engineer, and Frederick Stuckey, of
Merthyr Tydfil, in the County of Glamorgan, Wine Merchant,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
TUNNELLING And ExcavatING. AND FOR OTHER LIKE USES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Beriah Shepherd and
Frederick Stuckey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 17th September 1872.
We, BERIAH SHEPHERD, of Beverley, near Wellington, in the County
of Salop, Engineer, and FREDERICK STUCKEY, of Merthyr Tydfil, in the
County of Glamorgan, Wine Merchant, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
TUNNELLING AND Excavating, and FOR OTHER LIKE Uses,” to be as follows :—
Our Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described,
in constructing and arranging the parts of machinery or apparatus for
tunnelling and excavating, and for other like uses.

page_text: We will describe our Invention as applied to tunnelling. The
machine is by preference supported upon a travelling base plate working
on rails or a tramway. Upon the said base plate is supported in the
axis of the proposed tunnel a fixed hollow shaft in which another
tubular shaft works, the latter advancing and retiring in the former
by a screwing motion. The said inner or tubular shaft carries at its
front end a series of three or other number of radial arms, the said arms
being capable of adjustment so as to lengthen or shorten them, according
to the diameter of the tunnel to be made. Each of the said arms carries
at its outer end a bracket supporting one or more chisel-pointed tools, 1
these tools being situated in lines parallel to the axis of the inner
tubular shaft. By the slow rotation of the said inner tubular shaft
and arms the said chisel-pointed tools cut a circular groove or ring
in the rock upon which they are operating. On one or both sides of
each of the radial arms a series of cylinders is fixed, the axes of the said 1
cylinders being parallel with the axis of the inner tubular shaft. The
cylinders are fitted respectively with pistons and piston rods, the front
end of the piston rod carrying a curved tool, and the rear end being
provided with a pawl and ratchet or other equivalent mechanical
arrangement by which a slow intermittent rotatory motion may be 2
given to the piston rod. The cylinders are provided with the usual
valves and gearing, by which steam or condensed air is supplied to the
said cylinders, and a rapid percussive motion combined with a slow
rotatory motion is given to the several tools.
The steam or condensed air is conveyed to the several cylinders 2
through the inner tubular shaft described. By the operation of the
said tools a series of radial holes is made in the rock, and by withdrawing
the inner tubular shaft so as to liberate the tools from the holes giving
a partial rotation to the said shaft, in order to bring the cylinders
opposite to another portion of the rock, and renewing the action of the 3
cylinders and tools another series of holes is formed, and so on until
the whole surface of the rock has been sufficiently bored or honey-
combed.
By the action of the chisel-pointed tools carried by the brackets
on the ends of the arms a circular groove is cut external to the 3
portion operated upon by the percussive tools. The said chisel-pointed
tools and percussive tools may be used either alone or in conjunction ;
or the said percussive tools may be made to produce a series of con-

page_text: centric grooves or rings by the slow continuous motion of the inner
tubular shaft and radial arms. The precise method of using the machine
must be determined by the nature of the rock or material to be operated
upon.
Although we have only described our Invention in connection with
tunnelling, yet our said Invention is also applicable to the excavating
of coal, and when worked vertically instead of horizontally to the sinking
of wells and shafts, and to excavating generally.
When used for getting coal and for tunnelling or excavating where
blasting is or may be resorted to, such of the cylinders only are put into
operation as will make the required blast holes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Beriah Shepherd and Frederick Stuckey in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th March 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BERIAH
SHEPHERD, of Beverley, near Wellington, in the County of Salop,
Engineer, and FREDERICK STUCKEY, of Merthyr Tydfil, in the County
of Glamorgan, Wine Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Beriah Shepherd and Frederick Stuckey,
Her special licence that we, the said Beriah Shepherd and Frederick
Stuckey, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Beriah Shepherd and Frederick Stuckey, our executors, admini-
strators, 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, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR TUNNELLING AND EXCAVATING, AND FOR OTHER LIKE USES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Beriah Shepherd and
Frederick Stuckey, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal.

page_text: of one of us or them, 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 we, the said Beriah Shepherd and Frederick
Stuckey, 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, that is to say:-
6
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in 1
constructing and arranging the parts of machinery or apparatus for
tunnelling and excavating, and for other like purposes.
We will describe our Invention as applied to tunnelling. The machine
is by preference supported upon a carriage working on rails or a
tramway; upon the said base plate is supported in the axis of the 1
proposed tunnel a hollow shaft in which another tubular shaft works, the
latter advancing and retiring in the former by a screwing motion, the
said inner or tubular shaft carries at its front end a series of three or
other number of radial arms, the said arms being capable of adjustment
so as to lengthen or shorten them according to the diameter of the 2
tunnel to be made, each of the said arms carries at its outer end a
bracket supporting one or more chisel-pointed tools, these tools being
situated in lines parallel to the axis of the inner tubular shaft; by tho
slow rotation of the said inner tubular shaft and arms the said chisel-
pointed tools cut a circular groove or ring in the rock upon which they 2
are operating; on one or both sides of each of the radial arms a series of
cylinders is fixed, the axes of the said cylinders being parallel with the
axis of the inner tubular shaft; the cylinders are fitted respectively with
pistons and piston rods, the front end of the piston rod carrying a
curved or other tool, and the rear end being provided with a pawl and 3
ratchet, or other equivalent mechanism arrangement by which a slow
intermittent rotatory motion may be given to the piston rod; the
cylinders are provided with the usual valves and gearing by which steam
or condensed air is supplied to the said cylinders, and a rapid percussive
motion combined with a slow rotatory motion is given to the several 3
tools. The steam or condensed air is conveyed to the several cylinders
through the inner tubular shaft and screw described; by the operation

page_text: of the said tools a series of radial holes is made in the rock, and by
withdrawing the inner tubular-shaft so as to liberate the tools from the
holes, giving a partial rotation to the said shaft in order to bring the
cylinders opposite to another portion of the rock and renewing the action
of the cylinders and tools, another series of holes is formed, and so on
until the whole surface of the rock has been sufficiently bored or
honeycombed, or the whole surface of the rock may be removed
simultaneously.
By the action of the chisel-pointed tools carried by the brackets on the
ends of the radial arms a circular groove is cut external to the portion
operated upon by the percussive tools; the said chisel-pointed tools and
percussive tools may be used either alone or in conjunction, or the said
percussive tools may be made to produce a series of concentric grooves
or rings by the slow continuous motion of the inner tubular shaft and
radial arms. The precise method of using the machine must be
determined by the nature of the rock or material to be operated upon.
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal vertical section (partly in side
elevation) and Figure 2 in end elevation (partly in cross section) a
machine or apparatus for tunnelling or excavating, the parts of which
are constructed and arranged according to our Invention. The same
letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
a is the carriage of the machine provided with wheels 6 working on
the tramway or rails c, c, the said carriage a supports a hollow shaft d,
the said shaft being situated in the axis of the proposed tunnel, this
shaft d turns in bearings d³, d³, on the carriage d, a rotatory motion
being given to the said shaft in the manner herein-after explained;
within the hollow shaft d is a second hollow or tubular shaft e, the said
shaft e rotating with and being capable of advancing and retiring in the
said outer shaft d, the two shafts d, e, are connected together by keys f
on the outer shaft working in a longitudinal key way g in the inner
shaft, the said keys and key way as is well understood permitting of the
sliding of the inner shaft without disconnecting it from the outer shaft;
on the front end of the inner tubular shaft e is a series of three (or other
number of) radial arms h, k, capable of adjustment so as to lengthen or

page_text: shorten them according to the diameter of the tunnel to be bored, this
adjustment is effected by making each arm in halves, the end of one
half of the arm sliding within the hollow of the other half arm, the two
halves after adjustment being fixed together by the cross bolts and nuts
as represented in Figure 2 where the fixing bolts are marked i, i; each
of the arms à carries at its outer end a bracket & supporting one or more
chisel-pointed or other tools; one of these tools only marked 7 is
represented in the Drawing.
A slow rotatory motion is given to the outer shaft d and through the
keys to the inner shaft e and radial arms h, h, by means of the worm
wheel m, on the end of the said outer shaft with which worm wheel a
worm n gears. The worm n is driven by a band passing over the
pulley p on the worm shaft. By the slow rotation imparted to the radial
arms h, h, in the manner described, the tools / carried thereby are made
to cut a circular groove or ring marked 9, Figure 2, in the rock upon
which they are operating. As the cutting or boring tools make their
rotation it is necessary to gradually advance them nearer to the rock.
This slow advancing motion is effected by means of the screw box s
fixed in the end of the inner shaft e the advance being equal to the
pitch of the thread of the screw on each rotation of the shaft e,
excepting when the screw itself is made to rotate as herein-after
explained. The rate of advance of the tubular inner shaft e may be
modified and its retiring motion effected by means of the gearing
represented in Figure 1. The said gearing consists of the following parts:
―t is a toothed wheel made fast on the spindle of the screw r; this
toothed wheel gears with a toothed wheel u turning loose on the shaft u?
fixed in the end of the outer shaft d. The loose collar of the wheel u
carries a second toothed wheel which gears with a tooth wheel wo on the
loose collar carrying the winch or handle x. On the rotation of the
outer shaft d the fixed spindle u³ on which the collar carrying the
toothed wheels u and v works, is carried round the screw and the loose
collar carrying the winch or handle & rotates, the said loose collar and
winch performing with the toothed wheels represented about eight
rotations to each semi-rotation of the shaft d. By varying the relative
diameters of the toothed wheels t, u, v, and w, any proportion between
the rate of rotation of the shaft d and the winch x may be obtained,
and the arms h advanced at the required speed to suit the rock being
operated upon. When the winch x is at liberty to rotate, the advancing
0

page_text: motion of the tubular shaft e upon the screw is unaffected, but if the
winch x is prevented from rotating then the rotation of the outer shaft d
occasions an amount of rotation in the screw equal to that which
would have taken place in the winch x had it been at liberty to move,
but the rotation is in an opposite direction.
and arms are thus made to advance rapidly.
The screw and tube e
The winch x also serves
to produce the rapid retiring motion of the inner shaft e.
Instead of employing the screw and gearing represented the inner
shaft e may be advanced direct without a screwing motion.
By combining with each of the radial arms h, h, of the machine
several chisel-pointed or other tools arranged at short distances apart,
several concentric circular grooves or rings may be cut or bored simul-
taneously in the rock.
We will now describe the percussive tools which may either be used
alone or in combination with the tools l. In the Drawing we have only
represented a single percussive tool applied to one of the arms of the
machine, but it must be understood that a series of the said percussive tools
is affixed to each of the radial arms h, and on one or both sides thereof.
The percussive tool is marked 1, the said percussive tool being fixed on
the end of the piston rod 2 of a piston working in the cylinder 3 the said
cylinder being fixed on the radial arm h of the machine. The said
cylinder 3 is supplied with steam or compressed air by means of a pipe
entering the outer end of the screw which is hollow, the said pipe
passing from the said screw along the inner shaft e and out at the
opening e', from whence it passes to the valve box 5 of the cylinder 3.
The steam or condensed air pipe is furnished with an union joint at the
front end of the machine, or where it enters the screw r; 4 is the slide
valve rod worked in the manner represented from the piston rod 2.
In addition to the reciprocating motion given to the percussive tools by
the action of the pistons in the cylinders 3, the said tools have a slow
intermittent rotary motion given to them. This is effected by a pawl
carried by the pawl lever 6 worked from the piston rod 2, giving an
intermittent motion to the ratchet wheel 7, and the latter transmitting
its motion through a worm to the worm wheel 8 fixed on the piston
rod 2. We do not however limit ourselves to the arrangement
represented for giving the intermittent rotary motion to the percussive
tool 1.

page_text: In using the percussive tools 1 for boring a series of radial holes in
the rock the radial arms h have only a sliding motion given to them for
gradually advancing the said tools nearer to the rock, the band being
thrown off the pulley p on the worm shaft. The advancing motion of
the inner shaft e and arms h may in this case be given by turning the
winch x.
After a series of holes has been bored the tools 1 are liberated
from the holes in the rock by withdrawing the inner shaft e, and by
giving a partial rotation to the said shaft the cylinders 3 and tools 1
may be brought opposite to another portion of the rock, and the said
tools be made to operate upon the fresh portion of the rock, and so on
until the rock is sufficiently bored or honeycombed.
When the machine is to be used for boring or cutting in the rock by
means of the percussive tools 1, 1, a series of concentric rings, or for
boring or removing the whole surface of the rock at one operation a slow
continuous rotatory motion is given to the arms h, h, of the machine in
the manner before explained. In this case the acting ends of the per-
cussive tools are either in the same vertical line or the said tools are
arranged in a step like form, the acting end of each tool being situated
slightly in advance of that next below it. The chisel-pointed tool / may
be used with the percussive tools 1 when working as last described, in
which case a circular groove is cut external to the portion operated upon
by the said percussive tools.
Scoops or elevators may be attached to the radial arms h, h, for the
purpose of receiving or picking up the material cut by the machine, and
shooting the same into waggons or receptacles. These scoops or elevators
are not represented in the Drawing.
Although we have only described and represented our Invention in
connection with tunnelling, yet our said Invention is also applicable to
excavating in coal and other mines; and when worked vertically instead
of horizontally, to the sinking of wells and shafts, and to excavating a
generally.
When used for getting coal, and for tunnelling or excavating where
blasting is or may be resorted to, such of the cylinders of the percussive
tools only are put into operation as will make the required blast holes.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and illustrated,

page_text: as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of our
Invention. But we claim as our Invention the improvements in
machinery or apparatus for tunnelling and excavating, and for other like
uses herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Draw-
ings, that is to say, the combination or arrangement substantially as
described and represented of the two hollow shafts d, e, radial arms h, h,
and brackets k carrying the chisel-pointed or other tools 2, the said parts
being constructed and operating substantially as described and illus-
trated.
"
Also combining with the radial arms h, h, of the machine a series of
percussive tools constructed and operating substantially as described and
illustrated, whether the said percussive tools be used alone or in con-
junction with the chisel-pointed or other tools represented in the
Drawings.
Also the combination or arrangement of parts constituting the gearing
described and represented for producing the advancing and effecting the
retiring motion of the inner hollow shaft carrying the radial arms of the
machine.
In witness whereof, we, the said Beriah Shepherd and Frederick
Stuckey, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth
day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three.
25 Witness,
THOMAS JONES,
Innkeeper,
33, High Street,
Merthyr.
(L.S.)
BERIAH SHEPHERD.
FREDERICK STUCKEY. (L.S.)