IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL OR OTHER MINERALS WITHOUT THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES; ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fairbairn Hall and William Low, both of
Haswell Colliery, in the County of Durham for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL OR OTHER MINERALS WITHOUT THE
USE OF EXPLOSIVES; ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fairbairn Hall
and William Low at the Office of the Cominissioners of Patents on the
24th October 1883.
WILLIAM FAIRBAirn Hall and William Low, both of Haswell Colliery in
the County of Durham, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL OR
OTHER MINERALS WITHOUT THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES; ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES
"
Our present invention relates to apparatus used for getting coal by splitting large
masses of such coal by the aid of a sufficient number of holes first bored in it in
suitable positions; and more especially to apparatus for which we have obtained
Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent dated July 6th A.D. 1883 and numbered 3370.
Our said former invention consisted essentially of a wedge, screw, and levers,
combined and operating together for the purpose of applying mechanical force to
breaking down masses of coal in the way described; and our present invention
consists of novel forms of apparatus for effecting the same object mechanically by
means of arrangements which are very simple, cheap, and effective.
We take a compound bar of iron or steel or other sufficiently strong material and
of such size that it can be introduced into a hole bored in the coal or other
substance to be broken. This compound bar consists of two parallel bars ono above
and one below united together at their front ends, and having fitted freely into
them above and below, at the part where the splitting force is to be applied, two
moveable blocks, the inner parts of which meet or nearly meet between the bars
when the compound bar is inserted into the hole, but are capable of separating
sufficiently to split the coal or other substance when they are forced apart with
sufficient force. At the front end of the compound bar between its two parts wo
fit and fix a wedge the point of which is directed backward or outward so that it
[Price 4d1

page_text: can enter between the front ends of the blocks described, and we arrange a second
similar wedge the point of which is directed forward or inward so that it can enter
between the back ends of the blocks. In this way, therefore, if the two wedges are
forced toward each other the two blocks are separated with corresponding force,
remaining parallel and being actuated by the wedges both at their front and
back ends.
"
In order to force the wedges together as described, we arrange behind the outer
wedge a bar of sufficient strength by which it can be thrust forward, and we fit
the outer end of this bar into or against a sliding block which fits upon and can
travel backward and forward along the parallel bars, and to this sliding block we
attach the inner end of a screw of sufficient length and strength. The outer ends
of the parallel bars are attached together, after having been preferably bent
outward so as to allow inore space between them, by means of a connecting piece
of steel or sufficiently strong inaterial which also serves as a bearing in which
revolves a strong nut having a thread fitted and turning upon the central screwed
bar which passes through it. The nut is provided with flanges by which it is
prevented from moving end ways, and it also has a tangent toothed wheel formed
or fixed upon it and actuated by a short transverse endless screw revolving in
bearings also formed upon or fixed to the connecting piece described. To one or
both ends of the endless screw a moveable handle or lever can be fitted by which
the endless screw can be turned round, thus causing the tangent toothed wheel and
nut to revolve, the latter in turn forcing the screwed bar, which is unable to revolve
inward or outward with great force.
It will be seen-that the effect of the force applied is divided between the two
wedges, the outer wedge being thrust in by the screwed bar operating upon tho
moveable crosshead and bar, whilst the inner wedge is drawn out by the equivalent
force acting in the opposite direction upon the nut and parallel bars. The action of
the two wedges upon the blocks which are to be separated is therefore simultaneous
and uniform, and the splitting of the coal or other substance is effected very
uniformly, evenly and regularly. If the separation of the blocks is insufficient to
effect the desired object the wedges can be separated by withdrawing the outer
one, and additional wedges or packing pieces being inserted the operation can be
repeated.
The apparatus may be applied in any desired position and may be used for the
purpose of getting or splitting other minerals or hard substances instead of coal.
We make the several parts of the apparatus so that they can be readily taken to
pieces when required, and they may be stayed and strengthened where necessary.
The novel apparatus described may be used for other purposes, such for instance
as expanding the ends of tubes, the necessary modifications being made in the
shape of the wedges and separating blocks, of which latter more than two may be
used if required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said William Fairbairn Hall
and William Low in the Patent Office on the 8th July 1884.
WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN HALL and WILLIAM Low both of Haswell Colliery in
the County of Durham "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GETTING COAL OR
OTHER MINERALS WITHOUT THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES
"I
Our present invention relates to apparatus used for getting coal by splitting
large masses of such coal by the aid of a sufficient number of holes first bored in it
in suitable positions, and more especially to apparatus for which we have obtained
Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent dated July 6th A.D. 1883 and numbered 3370.
In the Specification of our said former Letters Patent, we described and shewed
an arrangement consisting essentially of a wedge, screw, and levers, combined and
operating together for the purpose of applying mechanical force to breaking down
masses of coal; and we also described a method of arrangement in which a wedge
is arranged at the front end of two moveable blocks by which the coal is split as
well as at their other ends; and our present invention consists of novel forms of
apparatus in which two wedges are used in the manner described, and of the means
by which such wedges are actuated, so that the entire apparatus is very simple,
cheap, and effective, and at the same time light and readily moved from place to
place as required.
In the accompanying drawing, which is in illustration of our invention, figure 1
is a side view, figure 2 a plan, and figure 3 a view of the outer end of one of our
improved apparatus. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the
several figures. A is a bar or supporting frame of iron or steel or other sufficiently
strong material and of such size that it can be introduced into a hole bored into
the coal or other substance to be broken.
The bar consists of two parts a' and a parallel and connected together at their
front ends at b, and having fitted upon them above and below, at the part where
the splitting force is to be applied, two moveable blocks c, c', the inner parts of
which meet or nearly meet when the bar is inserted into the hole in the coal as
shewn in cross section in figure 4, but are capable of separating far enough to split
the coal when they are forced apart with sufficient force. At the front end of the
bar A we fit a wedged the point of which is directed backward and outward so
that it can enter between the front ends of the blocks c, c¹, and we arrange a
second similar wedge d the point of which is directed forward or inward so that
it can enter between the back ends of the blocks c, c'. If, in this arrangement, the
two wedges d, d, are simultaneously forced toward each other, the blocks c, c', are
separated from each other with proportionate force, remaining parallel and being
actuated by the wedges both at their front and back ends.
In order to force the wedges toward each other in the method of arrangement
just described, we arrange behind the outer wedge da bar e of sufficient strength
by which the wedge can be thrust forward, and we fit the outer end of this bar e
into or against a sliding block f which can travel backward and forward on the
bar A, and to this block f we attach and fix the inner end of a screw g of sufficient
length and strength. At the outer end of the bar A is fitted a bearing / in which
revolves a strong nut i of steel or other sufficiently strong material having an
internal thread fitting and turning upon the screwed bar g.
The nut is provided with flanges by which it is prevented from moving
end ways, and it also has formed or fixed upon it a tangent toothed wheel '

page_text: nctuated by a corresponding short transverse endless screw 2 revolving in
bearings m, m², carried by the bearing h. The bearing h may be made in two
parts bolted together as shewn, in order to fit it upon the revolving nut i.
A lever can be fitted upon one or both ends of the transverse screw for the
purpose of turning it round. In order to use the apparatus described, the
wedges d, d', are separated by turning the endless screw and nut i so that
the screwed bar g and wedge d' are withdrawn until the blocks c, c¹, can come
sufficiently near together to enter the hole in the coal.
They are then adjusted at the proper point where the splitting force is to be
applied, the endless screw being turned gently in the opposite direction until the
two blocks c, c', are pressed against the coal at the top and bottom of the hole.
The turning of the endless screw by one or more levers fitted upon its ends is
then continued, and as the blocks c, c', are unable to move endways in the hole by
their friction against the top and bottom of the hole, it follows that the wedge d¹
will be forced in between their outer ends by the pressure of the screw g against
it, whilst the wedge d' will be drawn out between the inner ends by the reacting
pressure of the revolving nut i upon the bar A and as the pressure increases the
coal is cracked and eventually a mass of it is gently and quietly split and broken
down.
It will be seen that the effect of the force applied is divided between the
wedges d, d, the outer wedged being thrust in by the screw g operating upon
the sliding block f and the thrust bar e, whilst the inner wedge d is drawn out by
the equivalent force reacting through the nut i upon the bar A.
The action of the two wedges d, d', upon the blocks c, c¹, which are to be forced
apart is therefore simultaneous and uniform and the splitting of the coal or other
substance is effected very uniformly, evenly, and regularly.
If, when the points of the wedges have been brought together as described,
the separation of the blocks c, c¹ is insufficient to effect the desired object the
operation can be continued by causing the points to pass over each other until a
separation of the blocks c, c², is effected equal to the united thickness of the two
wedges d, dr.
It is evident that the apparatus as above described and illustrated may be
modified more or less.
For instance, and as an illustration of such modifications, the bar A may be
made central as shewn in side view partly in section in figure 5, the wedges d, d¹,
being made circular in transverse section so as to form conical wedges, the
blocks o, cl, fitting upon them as shewn in figure 6. The central bar A is shewn
having a right and left handed screw formed upon it and fitting upon corresponding
screw threads formed in the conical wedges d, d, and the outer end of the bar A is
shewn fitted simply with a lever by which the bar can be turned round without
the introduction of an endless screw or tangent toothed wheel.
It is evident if the wedges d, d', are separated as shewn in figure 5 until the
blocks C, c¹ can be introduced into the hole in the coal, and the bar A be then
turned round until the wedges are drawn sufficiently together to jam the blocks c, c¹,
in the coal, that upon continuing to turn the bar A with sufficient power the
conical wedge d will be drawn out and the conical wedge will be simultaneously
forced in, separating the blocks o, c', which will remain parallel and even as in the
arrangement first described and shewn. Instead of the wedges d, d', being
themselves screwed inside they may be fitted with square or other nuts.
It is not necessary that the bar A should be provided with a right and left
handed screw. In figure 7 it is shewn having a single screw only fitting into one
of the conical wedges d', the bar A passing through and revolving in the other
wedge d without a screw, the action being the same as in the apparatus last
described, save that it is slower.
In figures 7 and 8 the conical wedges & d' are shewn provided with longitudinal
grooves n, n¹, in which fit corresponding keys o, o, upon the blocks c; c¹, in order
1 with the hin A

page_text: In figures 10, 11, and 12, another modification is shewn in which the bar A is
shewn with a right and left handed screw upon it, working through corresponding
cylindrical nuts upon the sides of which are formed the wedges d, d', which enter
between the opposing edges of the blocks c, c¹. In this way, as in the method last
described the wedges are prevented from turning round with the bar A.
Apparatus constructed according to our invention may be used for other purposes,
such for instance as expanding the ends of tubes, the necessary modifications being
made in the shape of the wedges and separating blocks, of which latter three or
more may be used instead of two only. In figure 9 are represented in cross section
three such blocks.
Apparatus constructed according to our invention may be applied in any required
position and it may be used for the purpose of getting or splitting other minerals
or hard substances as well as coal.
We prefer to make the several parts of the apparatus so that they can readily be
taken apart and put together as required, and they may be stayed and strengthened
where required.
As we have already explained, we do not confine ourselves to the precise form,
proportion, and arrangement, of apparatus constructed according to our invention,
which may be varied to suit the circumstances and purpose for which it is to
be used.
We are aware that wedges have been used for breaking down coal in collieries,
and we do not make any claim generally to their use for such purpose; but having
described our invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, we claim :—
The combination of the two wedges d, d, acting in opposite directions upon two
or more moveable blocks c, c, with the screwed bar acting substantially as
described for the purpose of forcing the wedges d, d', toward each other, the
screwed bar being operated by a lever either directly or with a nut i, tangent
toothed wheel k, and endless screw l, all substantially as and for the purpose
described and shewn in the drawing.
In witness whereof we the said William Fairbairn Hall and William Low have
hereunto set our hands and seals this 3rd day of July in the year of our Lord 1884.