A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING CONTENTS OF CUTTINGS, EMBANKMENTS, OR OTHER EARTH-WORKS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Imray at the Office of the
A communication
Commissioners of Patents on the 16th October 1880.
from abroad by Jules Canale, of Paris, France.
JOHN IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.
"A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING CONTENTS OF CUTTINGS,
EMBANKMENTS, OR OTHER EARTH-WORKS." [A communication from abroad by
Jules Canale, of Paris, France.]
The apparatus according to this Invention consists of two parts. The one part
is a rectangular plate or flat frame having along each side and one end a groove to
receive a slide, the edges of the grooves being graduated with equal divisions, and
the slides graduated with verniers having clamping screws by which they can be
secured at any part of their respective grooves. There are also at one end of the
plate or frame two other slides which can be moved along and clamped at any part
of two graduated guides which are perpendicular to the lateral grooves. A straight
graduated rule pivotted to one of the end slides, so that by moving them this
rule can be set at any required angle and distance from zero, representing, for
example, the inclination of the ground; and other straight graduated rules are
pivotted to the end and lateral slides so that they also can be set at any required
position and angle, representing, for example, the slope of a cutting or embankment.
By setting some of these rules according to measurements there is presented on the
plate or frame a model profile of the cutting or embankment, which, by means of
others of the rules, can be divided into triangular or trapezoidal portions, the
measurements of which are shewn to scale on the graduated guides and rules.
These measurements may be dealt with arithmetically to compute the areas and
solid contents of the work, but in order to abridge the labour of multiplication the
second part of the apparatus may be employed. This part also consists of a
rectangular plate or flat frame having slides fitted to move along its sides which are
graduated, the slides being provided with verniers and clamping screws. There is
also a straight rule pivotted near one end of the plate or frame and capable of
being set at different inclinations to the side guides, and there is a graduated
transverse guide bar which can be slid along the side guides, and along which a
slide with vernier and clamping screw can be moved perpendicularly to the side

page_text: guides. By setting the inclined rulo so as to cross one of the side scales at a given
point corresponding to a certain number, and setting the transverse slide to a given
point on the transverse guide bar corresponding to another number, and then moving
the transverse guide bar until the edge of its slide meets the inclined rule, this bar
will attain a point on the side guide shewing the product of the two numbers. It 5
is convenient to graduate the side guides to various scales, and to mark those on
the one side tenths of those on the other side, the smaller denomination being
suitable for setting the rule, and the larger for reading the products.