Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1888
Specification Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
ΕΠΟΠΑΠ
DRODHEAD WESTBROOK, or Imadeipnia, .I ennsyl-
vania, United States of America, Counsellor at Law.
I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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 by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to machines for mining coal and more particularly to those
which have revolving augers to penetrate the coal and also to cut horizontal or vertical
channels in the same to separate it and extract it in portions from the surrounding
mass.
The object of the invention is to improve the construction of machines of this kind
lessen their weight and diminish the co-efficient of friction, protect the mechanism from
injury and facilitate their operation.
With these objects in view this invention consists essentially in a horizontal guide
mounted on a standard to support the operative parts of the machine and guide them
in boring or channelling; furthermore in the combination with the driving mechanism
of automatic mechanism for causing the auger to progress in its work in boring or to
channel horizontally or vertically; furthermore in an improved construction of the
auger-driving mechanism; furthermore in a construction of the bearing of the auger-
supporting part which will greatly diminish the friction and wear of such bearing;
furthermore in an improved and more compact assemblage of the different elements of
the machine and their enclosure in a box or housing to protect them from injury by
dust or blows; furthermore in a construction of the auger itself whereby its removal
or attachment may be facilitated; furthermore in a construction of the auger whereby
the knives may be attached to the helices in a manner best adapted to simplify the
manufacture of those knives; and finally in certain novel details of construction.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which
like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying this invention showing the
horizontal guides mounted upon a standard in a manner to be horizontally and
vertically movable and supporting the operative parts of the machine shown housed
"

page_text: and showing the shaft and clutch of the automatic auger directing mechanism with the
warp-chain or cable the auger portion being retracted.
Figure 2 is a side elevation with portions in section showing the horizontal guides
on the standard, the auger portion being extended and showing the construction of the
driving mechanism and a portion of the automatic auger-directing mechanism for
causing progression or lateral or vertical cut of the auger; showing the revolving
auger-spindle and its bearing and the fixed spindle with its tapering projection the
auger-bearing sleeve and the auger proper; and showing the means for lengthening
or shortening the standard.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the machine, showing the machine making a lateral cut and
in dotted lines the position of the machine after having cut a horizontal channel to the
left of the starting point.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of the auger portion of the machine
displaying in detail its construction showing at the centre the revolving spindle;
showing also the outer bearing of the fixed spindle with a part of the body and the
tapering portion of the fixed spindle, and the means for holding this spindle in place;
showing also the auger-bearing sleeve and the means for fixing this to and causing it
to turn with the revolving spindle and for retaining it and the fixing means in place,
as well as the means for keeping the fixing and retaining means in place and for
preventing escape of oil; and also showing the auger proper and the means for
attaching this to the auger-bearing sleeve.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the auger-portion of the machine taken
on a plane at a right-angle to that at which Fig. 4 was taken showing in addition to
what displayed by Fig. 4 a key in the slot cut through the ends of the revolving
spindle and the auger-bearing sleeve serving as the means to cause the auger bearing
sleeve to revolve with the revolving spindle.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the auger proper showing more particularly the
construction for attaching the knives.
In these drawings represents a horizontal guide consisting of two side-pieces a a
held together by an end-piece or strap al and by plates or castings a².
B represents a standard consisting of a fixed portion b having a claw on the outer
end a fixed screw nut b' at its other end and an intermediate sleeve 62 provided with
collars or clamp rings 63 and of a movable portion or screw 4 having a claw on its
outer end and bearing a hand-wheel 6 by which it can be turned in the nut to
lengthen or shorten the standard. The screw-nut 61 is preferably split and provided
with a bolt by means of which sufficient pressure may be exerted upon the screw to
hold it in place when desired.
The horizontal guide A is slung or swung to the standard by means of arms C
which are attached to the top and bottom plates a² at cc¹ and are pivoted to the
standard upon its sleeve by a bolt passing through a boss C² integral with the upper
collar or clamp-ring of the sleeve. A heel-piece a³ on the under plate a² rests against
the lower part of the sleeve b².
The sleeve can be secured at any height on the standard by means of the clamp-rings.
It will be obvious that by the attachment of the guide to the standard this
can be swung laterally on the standard or be raised vertically on the same.
Between the sides of the horizontal guide is the operating mechanism of the machine
and this is contained in a box or housing which serves to protect it from injury by dust
or by blows.
D designates this box or housing and it is composed preferably of two castings held
together by bolts.
The box is retained in the guide A by longitudinal flanges d at its upper and lower
margins which are planed to work smoothly upon the edges of the sides a of the
horizontal guide.
A tightening or locking device d' of any suitable construction holds the box and the
operating mechanism firmly in position at any desired point on the guide.
The upper part of the box is provided with a removable cover to enable examination
of the internal parts of the machine and facilitate their lubrication.

page_text: As before remarked the box contains the operating mechanism of the machine and
this consists of two groups, one, E, for driving the auger and one, F, for guiding it,
causing it to progress longitudinally or penetrate or to cut horizontally or vertically,
that is to say laterally or up and down..
Referring to the driving group el designates a main shaft having crank wheels e
fixed at each end and passing through bosses e bored out to receive it and located
immediately under the cover.
Within the box and fixed upon the shaft e is a bevel wheel which engages with
another bevel-wheel e fixed upon the upper end of a counter-shaft e to the lower end
of which is fixed another bevel-wheel e which meshes with a further bevel-wheel e
fixed upon a shaft or revolving spindle g belonging to the auger-portion G of the
machine.
Referring to the guiding group on the spindle g is a worm f which engages the
teeth of a gear-wheel which gear-wheel is the first of a train ending at the shaft f2.
This shaft carries a chain or cable-gear f³ connected with it by means of a friction
clutch operated by a hand-wheel ƒ A warp-chain or cable f runs at one end
through the chain-gear and is secured at the other end either at the upper and outer
extremity of the guide A as shown in fig. 1 or at any other place convenient for the
desired movement of the auger.
It will be clear that as the crank-wheels e are turned rotary motion will be imparted
through the intermediate gear to the spindle g and that this in turn will give motion to
the shaft through the intermediate gear, causing this when the warp chain is properly
held to wind and pull upon it.
The revolving spindle g is held at its rear end where it is also provided with thrust
collars in bearings bored out to receive it in a bricket ' at the rear of the box and at
its front end is held in a stationary spindle 2 which is fitted to and runs through the
forward part of the box and through a bracket or nut holding it firmly in
position. A part of the stationary spindle g2 projects considerably beyond the front
end of the box and this part has the shape of an elongated cone in order to serve as a
bearing for a tapering sleeve g' which revolves upon it. This tapering sleeve o iş
fastened to the spindle g by means of a key y which fits into a slot cut through the end
of each. To hold the key in place and thus keep the sleeve fixed to the spindle a
nut is screwed on the end of the spindle y against the key and to prevent the
assembled nut, sleeve, shaft and key from coming apart and also to form a tight joint
so that oil fed to the inner part of the tapering sleeve g as hereinafter described cannot
escape but will be led from the tapering sleeve y upon the revolving spindle g through
a spiral groove g" a cap g is screwed upon the end of the tapering sleeve.
The auger proper is designated by the letter G'. It is so turned on its interior as to
fit the outside of the tapering sleeve and is held in place upon this sleeve by means
of a hinged bolt go. The auger has regular helices g" and to these helices are rivetted
the knives g¹².
In a tapering auger the angle of the helix with the axis varies from end to end
provided the thread of the screw remains constant. Therefore a form of knife suitable
for the rear end of the auger could not be of the proper shape for the outer end if the
helices were of a uniform pattern throughout its whole length.
In order to use only one standard knife the difference in the angle of the helix at
each point where a knife or cutter is attached must be corrected by shaping the helix
at that point according to the variation.
To this end a boss G¹³ is provided at each point where a knife or cutter is to be
rivetted and the face of each boss is provided with an incision forming an angle that
will be equal to and have its sides parallel with those of any one of the others the angles
of the faces of the bosses thus being constant with the axis and so capable of holding
the knives with their cutting edges always set at the proper angle with the axis of the
auger.
This correction of the shape of the helices at the point of fastening of each knife or
cutter, permits the use of only one pattern of these knives or cutters and thus greatly
simplifies the manufacture of these knives or cutters.

page_text: The auger portion of the machine is properly supplied with oil at the circular
space g, between the rear end of the tapering sleeve and the stationary spindle, and
the oil is fed forward by the movement of the sleeve on the stationary spindle between it
and the supporting spindle along a spiral groove g³ into the cap, whence it passes
backward along the revolving spindle.
The operation of this coal cutting machine is as follows:-
The standard B is first placed in position at the proper distance from a bank of
coal as shown in figures 2 and 3 and the warp chain or cable f which engages the
chain gear f³ is fastened at the end of the guide A say on a ring there. The box D
is left free to move upon the horizontal guide by the release of the tightening or
locking device d' which releases the pressure of the clamp or other form of rotating
device holding the box D in place.
The friction clutch f is made to act by means of the hand wheel f" and then the
operator turns the crank or cranks e¹.
As the auger rotates the chain gear pulls upon the warp chain or cable f thus
forcing the mechanism and the auger forward and causing the auger to penetrate
the bank the debris resulting from the penetration being fed out by the action of the
helices.
After the auger has been allowed to bore nearly its entire length the motion of the
crank e¹ is stopped and the box is fixed in position by means of the tightening or
locking device ',
The warp chain or cable is then detached from the end of the horizontal guide is
passed around a pulley on the box and is attached to any suitable point adjacent to the
imachine either to a wall of the bank or to a post. If the crank be now again set in
motion the movement of the machine will be one of rotation upon. the axis of the
standard B the drawing upon the warp chain f by means of the chain gear f³ effecting
this result.
It is evident that by simply attaching the chain to a point on the side of the coal
cutter opposite to that at which it has just been attached the movement of the machine
may be reversed.
Hence the movement of translation of the machine is always toward the point to
which the fixed end of the warp chain is secured.
If it be desired to cut a vertical channel the warp-chain should be fastened to the
roof above the outer end of the horizontal guide and the auger would then rise
describing a vertical circular channel having the axis of the boss e² for a centre.
It is clear that with the warp chain and chain gear the auger can be made to bore
the coal and also to channel it vertically or laterally simply by guiding the said warp
chain and attaching its fixed end according to the work to be done.
It will be apparent that the chain feed will be equally effective should the machine
be placed upon a guiding device other than the horizontal guide A and the standard B 4
and I do not therefore limit the invention to its connection with either of these
particular parts.
auger
All the gearing which is used to transmit the motion of the cranks to the
and also to the warp chain being entirely inclosed the dust of the coal cannot enter
the bearings and interfere with the lubrication and furthermore by being so inclosed 4
the mechanism is perfectly protected from blows and other causes of injury.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In a machine for mining coal the combination with a standard, of a horizontal
guide-arm pivotally connected thereto and capable of lateral and vertical swing 5
during the operation of cutting and serving to support the operative parts and guide
them in making the cut substantially as described.
2. In a mining machine in combination with the driving mechanism, mechanism
connected therewith and driven thereby to direct the augur in boring and guide its
vertical and lateral movements substantially as described.
3. In a mining machine the combination with the revoluble spindle driven by

page_text: suitable means said spindle mounted in a bearing at the rear of the fixed spindle
serving as an additional bearing to the revoluble spindle and elongated to serve as
a bearing for the revoluble sleeve and the revoluble sleeve fixed to the revolving
spindle substantially as described.
4. In a mining machine the combination with the revoluble spindle driven by
suitable means said spindle being mounted in a bearing at the rear of a fixed spindle
serving as an additional bearing to the revoluble spindle and elongated to serve as
a bearing for a revoluble sleeve the revoluble sleeve fixed to revoluble spindle and
the auger proper upon the revoluble sleeve and secured to the same, substantially as
described.
5. In a mining machine the combination of the revoluble spindle having the bearing
at its rear with the fixed spindle serving as a bearing at its front and provided with
a conical elongation which form a bearing for the revoluble sleeve that carries the
auger proper substantially as described.
6. In a mining machine the combination of the spindle with the automatic guiding
mechanism driven by said spindle and consisting of a train of wheels, a shaft, the
train extending from the spindle and imparting motion to the shaft and a warp-chain
or cable one end of which is secured to the shaft and the other end at a point in
the direction in which the auger is desired to move substantially as described.
7. In a mining machine the auger proper G consisting of a sleeve having helices
said helices provided with bosses g³ to which the knives are secured whereby
proper inclination of the knives is obtained substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
8. In a mining machine the combination with the revoluble spindle the sleeve g³
fixed to the spindle by means of a key go and nut g at its forward or outer end.
9. In a mining machine in combination with the fixed spindle and the sleeve
turning upon the same and provided with an oil groove of the revoluble spindle
fastened at its forward or outer end to the sleeve by a key and nut this being covered
by a cap g substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dat this 17th love of January 1888
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.