IMPROVEMENTS IN DRIVING PILES AND IN APPARATUS THEREPOR
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Manwell and James Manwell, both of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Contractors, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRIVING PILES AND IN APPARATUS
THEREPOR."
Sealed the 29th August 1865, and dated the 3rd March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Manwell and James
Manwell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd March 1865.
We; DAVID MANWELL and JAMES MANWELL, both of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Contractors, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRIVING PILES AND IN APPARATUS THERE-
FOB," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the driving of piles for harbours, piers,
docks, wharves, and the like, in a superior and more economical manner;
and-in practising the Invention, when a line or wall of piles has to be driven,

page_text: long gauge or main and guide piles are first driven at regular intervals, such
that the spaces or bays between them will receive a moderate and convenient
number of what are termed sheeting piles. Five piles form a convenient
number for filling up each bay, but it will depend on the size of the timber
used; and the number might in some cases be only four, whilst in others it
might be more than five.
The five or other number of piles to fill up each bay are driven simul-
taneously, being fixed together by hoops, dowels, and dogs, and being fitted
with one knife-edge shoe extending across the bottoms of all the five piles.
This mass of piles is driven in with comparative ease and certainty, being
guided at both sides by the gauge or main piles, whilst the clay or soil is
displaced towards the front and back only, whereas when one or two piles
are driven without being guided on both sides the soil at the open side is
displaced partly in the line of piling, which renders the driving of the next
pile more difficult.
The pile-driving machine is of course made of increased power suitable
for driving the mass of piles, and the ram or falling block is made large
enough to strike the heads of all the five or other number of piles com-
posing the mass, whilst a double-cylinder engine without fly wheel is used
for working the machine instead of the single-cylinder and fly wheel used
with the common machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Manwell and James Manwell in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
MANWELL and JAMES MANWELL, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Contractors, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said David Manwell and James Manwell, Her special licence that we; the
said David Manwell and James Manwell, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said David Manwell and James Manwell,

page_text: our 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 DRIVING PILES
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said David Manwell and James Manwell, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 we, the said David Manwell and James Manwell,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:-
Our said Invention has for its object the driving of piles for harbours,.
piers, docks, wharves, and the like, in a superior and more economical
manner.
And in order that our Invention, and the manner of performing the same,
may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended a Sheet of expla-
natory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing, as an
example, a modification of our improved arrangements which we have found
to be practically successful.
Figures 1 and 2 are a side elevation and a front elevation of pile-driving
apparatus such as we employ, but which does not differ (except as herein-after
explained) from ordinary apparatus. The apparatus is represented as in
operation upon a wall or line of piles, the long piles, 1, 2, 3, 4, being gauge,
main, or guide piles, which are first driven at regular distances apart, according
to the system to which our Invention is more particularly applicable. Five
sheeting piles form a convenient number for filling up each bay or space
between two gauge or guide piles, but the number will, in practice, depend
on the size of the timber employed, and the number might in some cases be
only four, whilst in others it might be more than five.
The five or other number of sheeting piles (5) to fill up each bay are,
by our Invention, driven simultaneously; being fixed together, as shown in
Figures 3, 4, and 5, by a hoop 6, by dowels 7, indicated by dotted lines,

page_text: and by dogs 8, and they are fitted with one knife-edge shoe 9, extending
across the bottoms of all the five piles, and secured by iron straps 10 to each
pile.
Figure 3 is a top view of the mass of piles, whilst Figures 4 and 5 are side
and end views, a portion being supposed to be broken away from the middle
to make the figures of a convenient length. This mass of piles 5 is driven in
with comparative ease and certainty, being guided on both sides by the gauge
or main piles (2, 3, Figure 2, for example), whilst the clay or soil is displaced
towards the front and back only by the long shoe 9, whereas when one or
two piles are driven without being guided at both sides the soil at the
side is displaced in the line of piling, which renders the driving of the next
pile more difficult.
open
The pile-driving machine is of course made of increased power suitable
for driving the mass of piles 5 and the ram or falling block 11 is made large
enough to strike the beads of all the five or other number of piles composing
the mass.
In Figure 2 the masses of sheeting piles at 12 and 13 are supposed to.
have been driven to their lowest position, whilst the mass 5 is supposed to
have been driven not quite to its lowest position. The winch 14, for winding
the hoisting chain, is of the simplest construction, but it is actuated by two
steam cylinders 15, a fly wheel being dispensed with in consequence. The
steam cylinders 15 are placed vertically at each end of the winch and act on
cranks on opposite ends of a shaft above; this shaft having on it a pinion in
gear with a spur wheel on the barrel shaft. By way of example for guidance
we may state that the falling block 11 weighs about three tons, whilst the
cylinders 15 are of seven inches diameter and fourteen inches stroke, and are
worked by steam of about sixty pounds pressure per square inch, the crank
shaft making about 120 turns per minute.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be efficiently performed, we have to state
that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or
delineated, but that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim as
the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1. The simultaneous driving of all the sheeting piles filling up each bay
between the gauge, main, or guide piles, such sheeting piles being fixed
together and fitted with a single long shoe, substantially as herein-before
described.

page_text: And, 2, the arranging or combining together of the parts of apparatus for
driving masses of sheeting piles, substantially in the manner herein described
and delineated.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Manwell and James Manwell,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirty-first day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
DAVID MANWELL. (L.S.)
JAMES MANWELL. (L.S.)