IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING OR WORKING ROCK OR OTHER MATERIAL, AND IN STANDS FOR SUCH MACHINERY
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR BORING OR WORKING ROCK OR OTHER MATERIAL, AND IN
STANDS FOR SUCH MACHINERY." A communication from abroad by Alfred
Brandt, of Hamburg, at present residing at Zurich, Switzerland, Engineer.
! .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
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Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd February 1876.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING OR WORKING ROCK OR
A communication
OTHER MATERIAL, AND IN STANDS FOR SUCH MACHINERY."
from abroad by Alfred Brandt, of Hamburg, but at present residing at Zurich,
Switzerland, Engineer.
This Invention relates to engines or machines to be used for boring purposes and
to be driven by hydraulic power. It also relates to stands for boring engines, and
which are so constructed that hydraulic pressure can be employed for fixing them
firmly in the desired positions.
The boring engine is to be worked preferably by water, of, say, from fifty to a
hundred and fifty atmospheres pressure, although the construction is not necessarily
limited to the use of these pressures alone, and the engine is to be made with variable
stroke, automatic advance of the working piston, and automatic adjustment or
setting of the same.
A suitable form of boring engine, constructed according this Invention, consists
essentially of a main cylinder, a distributing cylinder, a distributing valve, a
boring rod, and an arrangement for automatically adjusting the boring tool. A
sluice valve regulates the quantity of water to be admitted.
The distributing cylinder, containing two main pistons and one subsidiary piston,
receives the impulse of its movements from the distributing valve.
The cross sections of the two main pistons in the distributing cylinder are not
equal, the one situate nearest to the subsidiary piston being larger than the second
main piston, by, say, one-half of the cross section of the subsidiary piston. As the
motive fluid entering the distributing cylinder is always situate between the two
[Saver 1

page_text: pistons the arrangement of pistons will be driven in the direction of the subsidiary
piston when there is no pressure acting against the latter, but as soon as the motive
fluid is conducted behind the subsidiary piston a movement in the contrary
direction will take place.
The admission and exhaust of the water to and from the distributing cylinder is
regulated by the distributing valve, in which work two plunger pistons of equal
cross section, which by means of a conducting tube alternately place the space
behind the subsidiary piston of the distributing cylinder in communication with
the motive fluid or with the open atmosphere, This arrangement of pistons in the
distributing valve is set in action by the back end of the hollow boring rod of the
working piston, and is pushed to the required distance according to the direction in
which the working piston moves. This adjustment takes place at once at the com-
mencement of the movement of the working piston so as to allow time for the
operation of the reversal in the distributing cylinder. The time required varies
according to the cross sections of the inlet and exhaust passages of the subsidiary
cylinder containing the distributing valve arrangement.
In order to enable the time to be varied, and consequently also the stroke of the
working piston, two adjustable conical stop valves are arranged in the inlet and
outlet passages of this subsidiary cylinder.
The adjustment or setting of the boring tool as the work progresses is effected at
the time of the back stroke of the working piston by means of a screw spindle and
a nut fixed to the back end of a working piston rod. When the working piston
returns a friction cone fixed to the screw spindle is pressed against a corresponding
conical friction cover, thereby causing during the completion of the return stroke a
rotation of the driving piston, whilst during the forward stroke of the working
piston the rotary motion of the screw spindle is not impeded, and therefore no
rotation of the main piston takes place.
As the screw spindle with the plunger pistons of the distributing valve arrange-
ment is required to follow the working piston during the first interval of its motion,
the nut is so arranged that the friction of the same against the screw spindle can
be so regulated as to admit of this action always taking place. The advance of the
. working piston as the hole becomes deeper is effected automatically as the speed of
the forward stroke of the working piston is greater than that of the return stroke,
although the distributing mechanism is working at a non-varying speed. A lever
with connecting rod is used for adjusting the distributing mechanism, when the
working piston has to move further back in the cylinder, in order to permit of the
boring tool being changed or for other purposes.
The entire boring machinery is supported by a stand consisting of a hollow
cylinder having a plunger piston working therein. Water under pressure is con-
ducted into the hollow cylinder beneath the piston, and the stand can be thus fixed
or clamped securely in any desired position, the pressure of the water holding the
extreme ends of the cylinder and plunger piston against the opposite bearing surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th July
1876.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BORING OR WORKING ROCK OR
OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN STANDS FOR SUCH MACHINERY." A communication
from abroad by Alfred Brandt, of Hamburg, but at present residing at Zurich,
Switzerland, Engineer.
This Invention relates to engines or machinery driven by hydraulic power and
to be used for boring purposes, also to stands for boring engines, which stands are

page_text: so constructed that nyaratne pressure can be employed for mixing them mimiy m
the desired position.
The boring engine is to be worked preferably by water of from fifty to one
hundred and fifty atmospheres pressure, although the construction is not necessarily
confined to the use of these pressures alone. It is made with variable stroke,
automatic advance of the boring rod, and automatic setting or adjustment of the
same.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed two Sheets of Drawings, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, and Figure 3, Sheet 2, of the accompanying Drawings
represents in longitudinal section a boring machine or engine constructed according
to this Invention, the entire length being shewn broken into three parts for con-
venience of Drawing; Figures 4, 5, and 6, are sections taken along the lines X, X,
Y, Y, and Z, Z, respectively.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section of the stand for the boring machine or engine,
and Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of the same drawn to a sinaller scale.
The machine consists essentially of the main cylinder A, the distributing
apparatus B, the distributing valve C, the rod D, and the arrangement E for
automatically adjusting or settling the boring tool. The rod D comprises the hollow
rod m, the large piston n, the small piston o, the rod p, and the tool holder q. The
valve d, Figure 2; admits the water for driving the boring rod, and as long as it is
left open this water under pressure has constant access through the passage o¹ to the
space in front of the smaller piston o; the distributing apparatus B serving merely
for alternately admitting the water under pressure to the space behind the larger
piston n or allowing the escape therefrom. The rod D will therefore in the first
case be driven forward by the excess of pressure on the larger piston n, and in
the second case be pushed back by the water pressing constantly on the smaller
piston o.
The distributing apparatus B is provided with the inlet a¹ and outlet a² for the
water driving the boring rod, and contains two main pistons b, b, and one subsidiary
piston c, which receive the impulse of their movements from the distributing
valve C.
The cross sections of the two main pistons b, b', in the distributing cylinder are
not equal, the piston b' situated nearest to the subsidiary piston having a cross
section larger than that of the second piston b by one-half the cross section of the
subsidiary piston c. As the water under pressure entering the distributing appa-
ratus B at a is always situated between the two main pistons b, b', they will on
account of their different cross sections tend to be driven in the direction of the
subsidiary piston c when there is no pressure acting against the latter in the con-
trary direction; as long as this is the case the passage n', and consequently the larger
piston n of the rod D, will communicate with the atmosphere, and the pressure of
the water in the smaller piston o of the rod D will hold or force the rod D back.
But as soon as water under pressure is allowed to pass from the distributing valve
C, Figure 3, to the subsidiary piston c, the entire arrangement of pistons 6, 61, c,
will be pushed in the contrary direction into the position represented by the
Drawings, and the water coming from the pipe a¹ will then pass through the
passage n to the larger back piston n of the rod D, and overcoming the pressure
of the water against the smaller front piston o will drive the rod D forward.
The admission and exhaust of the water to and from the distributing apparatus B
is therefore regulated by the distributing valve C provided with the piston d, which
by means of the tube e, e, establishes communication between the space behind the
subsidiary piston c of the distributing apparatus B alternately with water under
pressure and with the atmosphere. The piston d in the distributing valve C is
pushed to the required distance to or fro by means of a clip ring h on the rod D
gearing into a forked lever i embracing the end of the piston d. The required dis-

page_text: placement of the piston d occurs at the commencement of the movement of the
rod D, so as to give time for the operation of reversing the distributing apparatus B.
It is evident that the length of time required for the movement of the piston d
will vary according to the cross sections of the inlet and exhaust passages of the
distributing valve C.
In order to be able to vary as desired this length of time, and consequently the
stroke of the rod D, two adjustable valves or cocks f and g, Figures 3 and 6, are
arranged in the inlet and outlet passages f¹ and g of the distributing valve C.
The setting of the boring tool is effected automatically during the back stroke of
the rod D. The partial rotation of the rod D required for setting the boring tool
is effected by a screw spindle h¹ and a nut ¿¹ fixed to the back end of the said rod D.
When the rod D is making its return stroke it at first takes the screw spindle h¹ a
short distance with it, and thereby causes the friction cone k fixed to the screw
spindle h to be pressed against a corresponding conical friction cover l, thus fixing
the spindle during the completion of the return stroke, and thereby causing the
rotation of the nut i, and consequently also of the rod D. During the forward stroke
however of the rod D the rotary motion of the screw spindle is not prevented
and therefore no rotation of the rod D takes place.
The advance of the rod D as the hole becomes deeper takes place automatically
as the speed of the forward stroke of the rod D is greater than that of the return
stroke, whilst the distributing mechanism works at an equal speed in both directions.
The length of stroke of the boring rod at each blow may be about an inch and
a half in the construction shewn.
As shewn in Figures 7 and 8, the entire boring machinery is held at t by a stand
consisting of the hollow cylinders having the plunger or piston working in it.
Water under pressure is conducted into the hollow cylinder s beneath the piston i',
and the stand can be thus fixed or clamped securely in any desired position, the
pressure of the water forcing the opposite ends s and of the cylinder's and
piston against the opposite bearing surface of the tunnel or other place where
the machinery may be erected.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Specifi-
cation set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
1
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)