IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING WEDGES OR TOOLS FOR BREAKING UP COAL OR OTHER MINERAL
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, CUTHBERT BURNETT of Hartlepool in the County of Durham Engineer, do
horeby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING
WEDGES OR TOOLS FOR BREAKING UP COAL OR OTHER MINERAL," to be as
follows:-
:-
According to this invention I construct such tools of the following principal
parts; viz, rolling friction appliances, such as rollers or balls, a wedge capable of
moving between two parallel bars inserted in the bore, the said rollers working
between the wedge and the bars (or vice versa, a parallel rod or frame capable of
moving between two wedge shaped or sloping bars) and means for causing the
rollers to ascend on the said wedge or sloping faces and thus forcing the bars apart,
whereby the walls of the hole are cracked and burst, and the mass of coal into
which such holes are bored is broken up. The relative arrangement and formation
of the parts may be varied while the aforesaid main features are preserved. I
prefer to make the holo a little deeper than the line of "kirving."
In one form I use a bar formed with a wedge shaped ond part and head. This
bar is capable of being pushed into the bore hole, thereby causing, say, two rollers
on each side of it to ascend on the sloping sides of the wedge and thereby force
apart two parallel bars inserted in the bore hole. The rollers are mounted between
side plates and guided in position by a feather or feathers or otherwise guided
relatively to the aforesaid wedge and bars. It will be observed that the wedge
bar travels twice the distance of the rollers. If the thicker end of the wedge is
near the end, the wedge bar has to be pulled forward, but if the thinner end of the
wedge is near the end, the wedge bar bas to be pushed into the bore hole for the
purpose of bursting it.
Or the wedge parts may be on the side bars whilo tho wedging or jambing bar
which is to be pushed forward with the rollers is made parallel. If the side bars
are thickest at the end in the bore hole the wedging bar has of course to be pushed
forward into the hole when the tool is to act, but if the side bars taper towards the
end inserted in the bore hole the wedging bar has to be pulled out.
Or the taper may be given partly to the side bars and partly to the wedging
bar, and the slope of the side bars may be either in one direction or the other.
Or I may mount a series of rollers zig zag fashion in a frame formed at the end.
of the jambing bar and so that when the tool is moved the rollers jamb against
each other and against the aforesaid sloping sido bara.

page_text: The aforesaid wedging bar is at one end, outside the bore hole formed with
screw thread, and a nut thereon is with an interposed washer or ball bearing made
to turn against the outer ends of the aforesaid side bars thereby pulling out or
pushing in the wedging bar (all according to the disposition of the wedge surfaces).
For the purpose of turning the nut (which may work on ball bearings) I form it
with pawl teeth and mount on its cylindrical shanks a lever similar to a ratchet
brace lever and may be provided with an upper and a lower pawl which may be
held together by an India rubber loop spring or by other springs or may have only
single pawl. Between the aforesaid washer ends of the side bars which when in
position may be placed flush with the face of the coal or any other convenient
position to suit the circumstances of the case I place a plate in or on which I form
a slot to receive the fulcrum pin of another lever which I will call the slow feed
lever and which, when its edge is brought against a roller on the first named or
quick feed lever, causes it to be moved, but at a less angle than the angle at which
it is moved itself, thus gaining pressure while losing speed. The two levers are
held together by an India rubber loop spring or other suitable means. By shifting
the fulcrum in the slot, adjustment is obtained according to the power required to
be exerted. The quick feed lever is worked first, a bar of suitable working length
-being inserted in a socket -at-its-end and when the resistance becomes too great
I put the bar in the socket of the slow feed lever.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, CUTHBERT BURNETT of Hartlepool, in the County of Durham Engineer, do :
hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING
" and in what
WEDGES OR TOOLS FOR BREAKING UP COAL OR OTHER MINERAL
manner the saine is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
According to this invention I construct such tools of the following principal
parts viz-rolling friction appliances such as rollers or balls, a wedge capable of
moving between two parallel bars inserted in the bore the said rollers working
between the wedge and the bars (or vice-versa a parallel rod or frame capable of
moving between two wedged shaped or sloping bars) and means for causing the
rollers to ascend on the said wedge or sloping faces and thus forcing the bars apart,
whereby the walls of the hole are cracked and burst, and the mass of coal into
which such holes are bored is broken up. The relative arrangement and formation
of the parts may be varied while the aforesaid main features are preserved.
I prefer to make the hole a little deeper than the line of "kirving."
In one form I use a bar formed with a wedge shaped end part and head This
bar is capable of being pushed into the bore hole thereby causing say two rollers
on each side of it to ascend on the sloping sides of the wedge and thereby to force
apart two parallel bars inserted in the bore hole. The rollers are mounted between
side plates and guided in position by a feather or feathers or otherwise guided

page_text: relatively to the aforesaid wedge and bars. It will be observed that the wedge bar
travels twice the distance of the rollers, that is, along the feathers. If the thicker
end of the wedge is near the end the wedge bar has to be pulled forward, but if the
thinner end of the wedge is near the end, the wedge bar has to be pushed into the
bore hole for the purpose of bursting it. The accompanying drawings will fully
illustrate the manner in which my invention may be carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a mining wedge tool constructed
according to my invention and showing its application in one form to a scam of
coal. Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same tool. Figure 3 is a longitudinal
vertical section. Figure 4 is a cross section and Figure 5 is a plan with a portion
removed of the wedge end of the tool drawn on a larger scale than the previous
Figures 1 and 2 Figuros 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 show some of the varying forms of wedges
which may be used in connection with the invention. Figure 11 is a longitudinal
vertical section. Figure 12 is a vertical cross section and Figuro 13 is a plan of
the tool where rollers are employed carried by a frame on the movable bar or wedge.
Figure 14 is a longitudinal vertical section. Figure 15 is a cross section on
line A. B. of Figure 14 Figure 16 is a plan and Figure 17 is a cross section
(through upper lever slide) of ratchet with differential duplex lever for operating
the tool. Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in all the Figures.
a is the bar; b is the head or wedge shaped end thereof, c is the bore hole;
d, d are the parallel bars or feathors inserted in the bore hole c; e, e, are the rollers
or balls as shown at Figures 1 to 10, these rollers are carried or supported in loose
or slotted bearings in frames e', el, although the frames are not repeated in all the
views. These rollers or balls may vary in diameter relatively with each other. At
Figures 11, 12 and 13 the rollers are shewn mounted zig-zag fashion in a frame:
The rollers c, e are mounted on pivots or bearings as shown. e is the frame and e"
the pivots, shows the line of "kirving" and it is preferred to drill the holo c
somewhat beyond this "kirving" line and as shown at Figure 1 so that a heavy
strain may be obtained on this line or as near to it as possible. g shows tho
screw thread on the outer end of the bar a which is operated by the differential
duplex lever ratchet brace hereafter more particularly referred to and described.
Figure 6 shows the bar a wedge shaped and the bars d d parallel. The wedge
parts may be as shown at Figure 7 on the side bars & while the end of the wedging
or jambing bar & which is to be pushed forward with the rollers e is made parallel.
If the side bars d are thickest at the end in the bore hole c the wedging bar a has
of course to be pushed forward into the hole c when the tool is to act, but if the
side bars & taper towards the end inserted in the bore holes c the wedging bar has
to be pulled out.
a
Or the taper may be given partly to the side bars d and partly to the wedging
bar a and the slope of the side bars d may be in either one direction or the other
all as shown at Figures 8, 9 and 10.
At Figures 11, 12 and 13 a series of rollers e is mounted zig-zag-fashion in a
frame forined at the end of the jambing bar and so that when the tool is moved
the rollers jamb against each other and against the aforesaid sloping side bars.
With reference to Figures 14, 15, 16 and 17 the aforesaid wedging bar a is at
one end and outside the bore hole c formed with screw-thread gand a nut h thereon
is with an interposed washer or ball bearing i made to turn against the outer ends
of the aforesaid side bars d, d, thereby pulling out or pushing in the wedging bar a
(all according to the disposition of the wedge surfaces) For the purpose of the
nut h which may work on or against ball bearings i I form it with pawl teeth /¹
and mount on its cylindrical shanks h" a forked lever k similar to a ratchet brace
lever which I provide with an upper pawl and a lower pawl which may be held
together by an india-rubber loop spring m or by other springs. The pawls are
carried by a pin on the fork k or may have only single pawl Between the
aforesaid washer ends of the side bars which when in position may be placed flush
with the face of the coal or any other convenient position to suit the circumstances
of the case I place a plate n to which the side bars d are attached in or on which

page_text: I form a slot o as shown at Figures 14 and 17 to receive the fulcrum pin p of
another lever ', which I will call the slow feed lever and which when its edge is
brought against the roller q pivoted between the fork portion of the first named or
quick feed lever k causes it, the quick feed lever k, to be moved but at a less angle
than the angle to which it is moved when worked directly thus gaining pressure
while losing speed. The two levers k and k¹ are held together by an india rubber
loop spring k or other suitable means. By shifting the fulcrum p in the slot o
adjustment of the lever k¹ is obtained according to the power required to be
exerted. The quick feed lever k is worked first, a bar of suitable working length
being inserted in a socket at its end, and when the resistance becomes too great
I put the bar in the socket of the slow feed lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
In mining wedges or tools for breaking up coal and other minerals.
First The combination with wedge shaped jambing bar and parallel bars or
feathers or with wedge shaped sido bars and parallel jambing bars or with
taper side bars and taper wedging bar of anti friction rollers or balls arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
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Second-The employment of such antifriction rollers or balls where the same
are carried in a frame on a movable bar or wedge substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated with reference to Figures 11, 12 and 13 of the accom-
panying drawings.
Third:-The construction and arrangement of differential duplex lever tools or
appliances for operating the bar wedgo and rollers all substantially as and for-the
purposes set forth,