IMPROVEMENTS, IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL, STONE,. SLATE, OR MINERAL
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Davies, of the Viaduct Works, Crumlin,
near Newport, in the County of Monmouth, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS, IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL, STONE,.
SLATE, OR MINERAL."
Sealed the 17th August 1869, and dated the 1st March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st March 1869.
I, DAVID DAVIES, of the Viaduct Works, Crumlin, near Newport,
in the County of Monmouth, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL, STONE,
SLATE, OR MINERAL," to be as follows:-
In order to cut grooves into coal or other mineral to facilitate-its
being got I employ as the cutting tool a spindle carrying a number of
circular saws set at a slight angle upon it, or other cutters set around

page_text: the spindle might be employed in place thereof. This spindle is carried
in suitable bearings by a truck or carriage in such manner that it can
be set at any desired angle from the horizontal, so that when rotated
the portion of the spindle which projects beyond the bearings and which
carries the saws or tools may be caused to cut grooves into the coal.
or mineral at any desired inclination. The spindle is also so mounted
that it can be caused to sweep in a circle around the truck or carriage,
so that when thus caused to sweep, round it may be caused to cut a
groove in the form of a segment of a circle into the coal or mineral.
For this purpose I prefer to form the framing of the truck or carriage.
which carries the spindle and the apparatus employed for giving motion
thereto in three parts. Each of the end portions of the framing is.
supported by a pair of wheels, one placed on either side of it; these
wheels are to run on rail or tramways laid in front of the face of the
coal or mineral that is being worked. The central portion of the framing
which carries the cutting spindle and the apparatus for giving motion.
thereto is connected to cach of the end portions by axes upon which it can
be turned; the spindle carrying the cutters can thus be brought to any
desired angle from the horizontal, and when the machine is at work
the three parts of the frame are bolted up together so as to form one
rigid frame. The bearings carrying the spindle are carried by a cylinder
supported externally in suitable bearings. in the central frame, so. that
the cylinder may be revolved on its axis by means of a worm wheel
gearing into teeth formed around it. Within the cylinder and carried
by it is the cylinder or cylinders of an engine for giving a rotary motion
to the spindle; this engine may be worked by compressed air or other-
wise. By this arrangement the spindle carrying the cutters can first
be set at any desired angle to the horizontal, and then caused to revolve
at the same time that the cylinder which carries its bearings is rotated
slowly. The spindle will thus be caused to cut a groove in the form of
a segment of a circle into the coal or other mineral..
Another part of my Invention consists in improvements in hydraulic
apparatus for wedging or breaking down coal or other mineral from
its natural bed, and the improvements have for their object so to form
the hydraulic apparatus that it may adapt itself to the shape of any
hole in which it may be placed, whether such hole be straight, angular,
or curved. For this purpose I connect together any number of hydraulic
cylinders either singly or in groups of two or more with connecting

page_text: pins, so as to form a chain in such a manner that the hydraulic cylinders.
may adapt themselves to the shape of any hole. into which, the instru-
ment may be inserted, which hole may be formed either by sawing,.
cutting, drilling, or boring. The pistons or rams of the cylinders are by
preference placed at right angles to the connecting pins and are forced
outwards by water pressure from, a force. pump either singly or
collectively, and when so, forced out they cause the sections containing
them to yield in different directions until they have received a bearing
in any irregular shaped hole,, into which the instrument may be.
placed. I prefer thus to connect together three or more sections (cach
carrying one or more hydraulic cylinders). by connecting pins. which
each pass through the ends of two sections and form a round connection
between them; these pins. have each a channel formed around them
which communicates with a water passage in each section, so that
the pin not only serves. to connect the sections together, but also, serves."
to form a clear water passage from one section. to. the other in what-
ever position the links. may be placed relatively to each other.. Or the
hydraulic instrument may be made in such a form that the separate
sections (cach containing one or more of the hydraulic cylinders) may
be connected together either by longitudinal bolts, links, straps, bands,.
transverse pins, or the said sections. or hydraulic cylinders may be placed.
inside of a thin metal, tube made in, such a form as to allow the cylinders.
to yield so as to take a bearing in any irregular shaped hole, into which.
the instrument may be placed. The said tube or shell may, if necessary,
be made flexible by making it in the oval or spiral form so as to allow.
the said sections of hydraulic cylinders to yield more readily. When.
the sections of hydraulic cylinders are arranged as above I prefer to.
make the ends of each separate section, either convex or concave,
circular or hemispherical, or with a ball and socket, so that cach joint
may take a part of the thrust due from the rams when subjected to
pressure. When the sections of hydraulic cylinders are so arranged
inside of a tube or otherwise the water passage may be made continuous
from one section to the other by separate straight, bent, spiral, or union
pipes or connections so that cach cylinder may be supplied with water from
one pipe, or where desired cach section may be supplied with a separate
feed pipe, which feed pipes may be all connected to one branch pipe
leading to one or more force pumps as desired, which force pumps may
be made, if necessary, with a vacuum chamber for the purpose of
receiving the waste water, thereby relieving the back pressure on the

page_text: hydraulic rams when it is necessary to withdraw them for the purpose
of placing packing on the top of them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of thic conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
DAVIES, of the Viaduct Works, Crumliu, near Newport, in the County
of Monmouth, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said David Davies, Her special licence that I, the
said David Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said David Davies, my executors, administrators, 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 APPARATUS FOR GETTING
COAL, STONE, SLATE, OR MINERAL," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said David Davies, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 I, the said David Davies, 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 :-
In order to cut grooves into coal or other mineral to facilitate its being
got I employ as the cutting tool a spindle carrying a number of circular

page_text: saws set at a slight angle upon it, or other cutters set around the spindle
might be employed in place thereof. This spindle is carried in suitable
bearings by a truck or carriage in such manner that it can be set at any
desired angle from the horizontal, so that when rotated the portion of
the spindle which projects beyond the bearings and which carries the
saws or tools may be caused to cut grooves into the coal or mineral at
any desired inclination. The spindle is also so mounted that it can be
caused to sweep
in a circle around the truck or carriage, so that when
thus caused to sweep round it may be caused to cut a groove in the form
of a segment of a circle into the coal or mineral. For this purpose I
prefer to form the framing of the truck or carriage which carries the
spindle and the apparatus employed for giving motion thereto in three
parts. Each of the end portions of the framing is supported by a pair
of wheels, one placed on either side of it; these wheels are to run on
rail or tramways laid in front of the face of the coal or mineral that is
being worked. The central portion of the framing which carries the
cutting spindle and the apparatus for giving motion thereto is connected
to each of the end portions by axes upon which it can be turned; the
spindle carrying the cutters can thus be brought to any desired angle
from the horizontal, and when the machine is at work the three parts of
the frame are bolted up together so as to form one rigid frame. The
bearings carrying the spindle are carried by a cylinder supported exter-
nally in suitable bearings in the central frame so that the cylinder may
be revolved on its axis by means of a worm wheel gearing into teeth
formed around it. Within the cylinder and carried by it is the cylinder
or cylinders of an engine for giving a rotary motion to the spindle; this
engine may be worked by compressed air or otherwise.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal vertical section, Figure 2 a plan,
Figure 3 a transverse section, and Figures 4, 5, and 6 end views of a
machine constructed as above described for cutting grooves into coal.
a is the spindle carrying cutters a¹, a¹; this spindle, as shewn at
Figure 1, is carried in bearings on the under side of the cylinder b, and
is formed with a crank a² by which it is driven around the upper end of
the cylinder; b is a flange.resting on the ring c, which forms the central
length of the three lengths into which the framing of the machine is
divided. On two opposite sides of this ring are flat surfaces d', d', from
which the axes e, e, project; these flat surfaces come against corre-
sponding surfaces on the two end portions of the framing, and the

page_text: axes enter holes formed to receive them. Through each of the flat sur-
faces d' slots de, d, are formed concentric with the axis e, and through
these slots bolts h, h, are passed, which also pass through holes in the
end frames ff; the ring c carrying the cylinder & can thus by turning
on its axis be inclined in one or other direction and be then rigidly
fixed to the end portions f,f, by the bolts h. The end frames f,f, carry
rollers, as shown, to run on rail or tramways. On one of the axes e is
keyed a worm wheel into which gears a worm e' carried in bearings on
the framing of the machine; the worm is provided with a hand wheel,
so that by turning this hand wheel the axis e can be turned in its
bearing, and the ring c may thus be brought to any desired angle.
Within the cylinder bare formed the two cylinders k, k, of the engine by
which the spindle has 'motion given to it. The piston rods of the pistons
working in these cylinders are connected to a cross head working against
the fixed guides ; the cross head 7 by a connecting rod is coupled to
the crank pin of the crank of the spindle a. On the spindle is the
eccentric m which gives motion to the sliding valve n by which the
admission of steam or 'compressed air to the cylinders k, k, is controlled;
the valve is sliown clearly at Figure 3. On the exterior of the cylinder b
is a ring of teeth be into which gears a worm o furnished with a handle o',
so that by turning this whcel the cylinder 6 can be rotated slowly. By
this arrangement of mechanism the spindle a carrying the cutters can
first be set at any desired angle to the horizontal, and may then be
caused to revolve at the same time that the cylinder is rotated slowly.
The spindle will thus be caused to cut a groove in the form of a segment
of a circle into the coal or other mineral. When the machine has cut
groove it may be shifted forwards along the rail or tramway and
again caused to cut another similar groove, as represented by the dotted
lines in the Drawing.
its
b
I would remark that I do not confine myself to the exact arrangement
as shown, as it may be considerably altered without departing from the
principle of my Invention; but what I claim is, the so combining a
spindle carrying cutting tools with a supporting carriage and driving
machinery that the spindle may not only be set at any desired angle, but
may also be caused to revolve on its own axis at the same time that it is
caused to sweep round in a circle, as herein described.
Another part of my Invention consists in improvements in hydraulic
apparatus for wedging or breaking down coal or other mineral from its

page_text: natural bed, and the improvements have for their object to so form the
hydraulic apparatus that it may adapt itself to the shape of any hole in
which it may be placed, whether such hole be straight, angular, or
curved. For this purpose I connect together any number of hydraulic
cylinders either singly or in groups of two or more with connecting
pins, so as to form a chain in such a manner that the hydraulic
cylinders may adapt themselves to the shape of any hole into which the
instrument may be inserted, which hole may be formed either by sawing,
cutting, drilling, or boring. The pistons or rams of the cylinders are by
preference placed at right angles to the connecting pins, but they may
be placed parallel to the joint pins, as shown in dotted lines on Sheet
No. I., and are forced outwards by water pressure from a force pump
either singly or collectively, and when so forced out they cause the
sections containing them to yield in different directions until they have
received a bearing in any irregular shaped hole into which the instru-
ment may be placed. I prefer thus to connect together three or more
sections (each carrying one or more hydraulic cylinders) by connecting
pins, which each pass through the ends of two sections and form a round
connection between them; these pins have each a channel formed
around them, which communicates with a water passage in each section,
so that the pin not only serves to connect the sections together, but also
serves to form a clear water passage from one section to the other in
whatever position the links may be placed relatively to cach other. Or
the hydraulic instrument may be made in such a form that the separate
sections (each containing one or more of the hydraulic cylinders) may be
connected together either by longitudinal bolts, links, straps, bands,
transverse pins, or the said sections or hydraulic cylinders may be placed
inside of a thin metal tube made in such a form as to allow the cylinders
to yield so as to take a bearing in any irregular shaped hole, into which
the instrument may be placed. The said tube or shell may,
if necessary,
be made flexible by making it in the oval or spiral form, so as to allow
the said sections of hydraulic cylinders to yield more readily. When the
sections of hydraulic cylinders are arranged as above I prefer to make
the ends of each separate section either convex or concave, circular or
hemispherical, or with a ball and socket, so that each joint may take a
part of the thrust due from the rams when subjected to pressure. When
the sections of hydraulic cylinders are so arranged inside of a tube or
otherwise the water passage may be made continuous from one section
to the other by separate straight, bent, spiral, or union pipes or cou-

page_text: nections, so that each cylinder may be supplied with water from one
pipe, or, where desired, each section may be supplied with a separate
feed pipe, which feed pipes may be all connected to one branch pipe
leading to one or more force pumps, as desired, which force pumps may
be made, if necessary, with a vacuum chamber for the purpose of
receiving the waste water, thereby relieving the back pressure on the
hydraulic rams when it is necessary to withdraw them for the purpose of
placing packing on the top of them.
On Sheets 3 and 4 of the Drawings hereunto annexed are shown
chains of hydraulic cylinders such as above described, and constructed in
the manner I prefer. In the chains shown on Sheet 3 there are two
hydraulic cylinders in cach section or length of the chain.
Figure 7 is a side view of the apparatus; Figure 8 a longitudinal
section, and Figures 9, 10, and 11 transverse sections of the apparatus.
The manner in which the pin joints are formed for connecting together
the adjacent ends of two sections or lengths and maintaining the water
passages is clearly shown at Figures 8 and 10. At Figure 8 is also
shown the manner in which water under pressure is supplied from a
pipe a at one end of the apparatus through a passage passing through
cach of the joints to the lower ends of each of the hydraulic cylinders
through passages which are marked b, b. By this arrangement, when
water under pressure is supplied to the apparatus through the pipe a, all
the rams of the hydraulic cylinders will be simultaneously forced out
from their cylinders. The manner in which the water passage is led
through the joint is clearly shown by the Drawing, so that it is un-
necessary to give any detailed description of it. The plungers are
prevented from being forced out entirely from their cylinders by outlet
passages, which allow water to escape from the cylinders so soon
as the rams have moved out to the end of their stroke. Figure 11,
a section of hydraulic cylinders placed within a cylindrical metal
tube.
On Sheet 4, at Figures 12 and 13 of the Drawings hereunto annexed,
is shown an apparatus similar to that above described, except that the
apparatus is composed of two sections or lengths only, each containing
three or it might be more hydraulic cylinders, and that the apparatus is
so arranged that water under pressure may first be admitted to the
hydraulic cylinders in one section or length, and be subsequently
introduced into the hydraulic cylinders of the other section or length.

page_text: To effect this the passage leading from the supply pipe a is caused to
branch in two opposite directions, as shewn in the sectional view,
Figure 13. One of these branch passages opens into the passage b by
which water under pressure is supplied to the hydraulic cylinders in the
section or length to which the pipe a is attached, and the other branch
passage opens into another passage 6 which is led, as shewn, through
the joint by which the two sections of the apparatus are connected
together. The passage of fluid under pressure from each of these branch
passages to the passages is controlled by screw valves c, as shewn, so
that water under pressure may be admitted to or shut off from the
hydraulic cylinders of either section or length of the chain apparatus.
Figure 14 shews an apparatus in which the joints between the sections
or lengths of the apparatus are formed in a somewhat different manner
to that above described. In this apparatus each alternate section or link
is formed with two hydraulic cylinders, whilst the other link or links is
formed with three hydraulic cylinders, and the section carrying two
cylinders is forked at its end to embrace the end of the section or length
next to it.
I would remark that I do not confine myself to the exact forms or
construction of the apparatus shewn in the Drawing, as apparatus of a
like naturo may be constructed in a variety of ways; but that what
I claim is, the construction of hydraulic apparatus containing a nuniber
of hydraulic cylinders jointed together so as to form a chain to enter or
yield in any shaped hole.
In witness whereof I, the said David Davies, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
DAVID DAVIES. (L.S.)