An Improved Grab.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 8th Jul, 1890-Accepted, 23rd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Grab.
1, CHARLES 'ALMER GEE, of Oxford Terrace, Weymouth, in the County of Dorset,
Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of a grab adapted to fill itself by rotation
when lowered into any ordinary soil such as sand, gravel, shingle or clay.
In carrying out my invention I construct the bucket of the grab of a number
of hinged sections or jaws through which slides a pointed shaft in such a manner
as to protrude when the sections are open and rest upon the soil, and to drill
into the soil and thereby form a pivot for the bucket to rotate upon.
The sections are opened and closed respectively by means of rods and chains
attached thereto and to collars sliding upon the said shaft which is attached to a
chain passing over the jib of a crane to the engine thereof by swivel joints which
allow of the shaft and bucket being rotated.
The bucket is lowered by means of a. telescopic tube through which the shaft-
chain passes and through the extension of this tube the bucket can be lowered to
any required depth.
The required rotary motion is imparied to the bucket through the medium of a
toothed wheel fixed on the top length of tube, the said wheel being driven by
a pinion mounted in a cradle hereinafter described and operated by a telescopic
shaft having universal joints and leading to the engine of the crane. The whole
weight of the bucket and telescopic tube is sustained by the top of the jib upon
which the tube swings to allow of the jib being raised and lowered, the said
cradle works within the jib and serves to steady and guide the tube and is fixed,
when required, by any suitable means such as by a wedge and lever under the
control of the engineer.
When the full bucket is raised it is suspended by means of a fork slung from
the cradle and then opens and discharges its contents, a pivotted spring tappet or
lever on the said fork at the same time actuating weighted catches which then
serve to keep the bucket in its open position.
The bucket is lowered in its open position and, as soon as it touches the soil,
the retaining catches are disengaged and the sections are free to close, the bucket
is then rotated by the means described and will burrow into the soil. The shaft-
chain is then hauled in and the shaft will first be raised clear of the interior of
the bucket and will then raise the collar to which the closing chains of the sections
are attached; the bucket will be thereby closed and will be raised with its contents
to the required height, the fork is then applied to open the bucket and the
catches are thereby moved into position to support the bucket which is then ready
to be again lowered.
Dated the 8th day
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Grab.
I, CHARLES PALMER GEE, of Oxford Terrace, Weymouth, in the County of Dorset,
Photographer, 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 y
the following statement:-
My invention relates to the construction of a grab adapted to fill itself by rotation
when lowered into any ordinary soil such as sand, gravel, shingle or clay.
In carrying out my invention I construct the bucket of the grab of a number of
hinged sections or jaws through which passes a pointed shaft in such a manner as to
protrude when the sections are open and rest upon the soil, and to drill into the soil
and thereby form a pivot for the bucket.
The sections are opened and closed respectively by means of rods and chains
attached thereto and to collars upon the said shaft which is attached to a chain (passing
over the jib of a crane to the engine thereof) by a swivel joint which allows of the
shaft and bucket being rotated,
The bucket is lowered to any required depth by passing the crane-chain through
telescopic tubes.
The required rotary motion is imparted to the bucket through the medium of a
toothed wheel fixed on the top length of tube, the said wheel being driven by a pinion
mounted in a cradle and operated by a telescopic shaft having a universal joint and
leading to the engine of the crane. The whole weight of the bucket and telescopic
tubes is sustained by the top of the jib upon which the tube swings to allow of the jil,
being raised and lowered, the said cradle works within the jib and serves to steady and
guide the tube and is fixed, when required, by any suitable means.
When the full bucket is raised it is suspended by means of a fork slung from the
cradle and then opens and discharges its contents, a pivoted spring tappet or lever on
the said fork at the same time actuating a weighted catch or catches which then serve
to keep the bucket in its open position.
To enable my invention to he fully understood I will describe how it can be carried
into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a grab constructed according to my invention and shewn
suspended from the jib of a crane, the bucket of the grab being closed and in the act
of being raised.
Figure 2 is a similar view of part of the telescopic tubes with the bucket open ant
raised.
Figure 3 is a section on the line A B of figure 1.
Similar letters in both the figures indicate similar parts.
a, a are the sections or jaws (four in number) of the grab-bucket hinged at b, b to a
casting c loose on the shaft d; d is the pointed shaft which passes through the interior
of the sections or jaws a and protrudes therefrom when the jaws are open as in figure 2,
the shaft d extending upwards into the telescopic tubes hereinafter more fully
described.
e, e are the rods for opening the jawsa, which rods are attached to the jaws at fand
to a collar g
which is capable of sliding upon the shaft d but is forced to rotate there-
with by means of a feather on the shaft d.
i, i are the chains for closing the jaws a; the said chains are attached to the inner
sides of the jaws and pass over pulleys upon the casting c to a collar k fixed upon the
shaft.d, so that when the shaft is raised the chains will be drawn upwards and will
draw the jaws a together.
1 is the chain to which the shaft d is attached by a swivel joint which allows of the
shaft and bucket being rotated, as will be well understood.
m, m, m, m are the telescopic tubes through which passes the chain / whereby the

page_text: bucket is lowered to the ground, the said tubes being prevented from rotating upon
one another and upon the shaft d by means of feathers and grooves. The whole of the
telescopic tubes m are, however, capable of rotating together, the top one being for
this purpose suitably mounted in a socket n pivoted at o to the jib p of the.
crane.
q is the toothed wheel through the medium of which the required rotary motion is
imparted to the tubes m, shaft d and bucket a, the said toothed wheel being fixed on
the top length of tube m, as shewn in figure 1; r is the pinion for driving the wheel q;:
s is the shaft of the pinion » mounted in bearings t, t on the cradle hereinafter
described and operated by a telescopic shaft connected to the pinion shafts by the
universal joint w leading to the engine of the crane, not shewn in the drawing.
The chain passes over the pulley on the jib p of the crane to the engine, and the
telescopic tubes m being suspended at o from the jib p, the whole weight of the bucket a
and tubes m are sustained by the jib, and the tubes can swing inwards and outwards.
when the jib is raised and lowered, the cradle working through the jib p and thereby
Serving to steady and guide the tubes m. The cradle can be fixed, when the position
of the jib has been adjusted, by any suitable means such as by a wedge and lever (not.
shewn in the drawing) under the control of the engineer.
y is the fork, slung upon rods z from the cradle u, and serving to support (and
thereby open) the bucket a when the same, having filled itself, is raised, the fork for
this purpose being moved by the engineer into the position shewn in figure 2 under-.
neath a flange a upon the collar g. is the pivoted spring tappet or lever carried
by the rod c of the fork y and serving, when the fork is moved into its supporting
position, to raise the weighted tail end of the catch d' which is pivoted to a collar el
fixed to the shaft d and thereby cause the catch to engage with the flange a' of the
collar g and thus keep the bucket a open when the fork y is removed.
The grab is operated as follows:-
Suppose the bucket a to be in its raised position, as shewn in figure 2, and the jib p.
of the crane to have been placed in proper position, the fork y is withdrawn from the
collar g and the crane-chain is paid out until the bucket rests upon the ground, with
the point of the shaft d just entering the ground, the telescopic tubes meanwhile
becoming elongated. As soon as the bucket touches the ground the weighted catch d
becomes disengaged from the collar g, when the jaws a will be free to close. The bucket is.
then rotated by means of the toothed gearing rand gas herein before described and will
burrow into the ground, the shaft d also entering the ground and acting as a pivot for the
bucket. The rotation of the bucket is then stopped and the chain is hauled in whereby
the shaft d will first be raised until the collar k has drawn up the chains i sufficiently
far to close the jaws as shewn in figure 2; the bucket will then be raised with its.
contents the telescopic tubes m meanwhile being caused to slide within one another by
When the
the collar e fixed on the shaft & bearing against the innermost tube m.
bucket has been raised to the required height the fork y is placed in engagement with
the collar g and, the weight of the bucket and contents being thereby transferred from
the collar k, chains i and shaft d to the collar g, the latter will by means of the rods e.
open the jaws a and discharge the contents of the bucket directly the shaft d is lowered.
The pivoted spring tappet will meanwhile have lowered the catch d which when the
fork y is removed will support the bucket and keep it in its open position ready to be
again lowered and so on."
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 I
claim is :-
1. A grab having a bucket adapted to rotate and burrow into the soil and fill itself
when lowered onto the ground, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a grab, the combination of a bucket constructed of a number of hinged and
pointed sections or jaws adapted when rotated to burrow into the ground, of a

page_text: suspended shaft, adapted to enter the ground and form a pivot for the rotating bucket
and to automatically close the jaws when the bucket is about to be raised, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
3. In a grab, the combination with a bucket constructed and operating as described,
of the means for opening the bucket and discharging its contents and keeping it open,
substantially as set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
4. In a grab, the combination with a bucket and a suspended shaft constructed and
operating as described, of telescopic tubes designed to be suspended from the jib of a
crane and through which the said shaft and the crane-chain pass and work, and means
for rotating the said tubes and shaft together, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
5. The improved grab hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
⚫ Dated the 8th day of July 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.