IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK DRILLS, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Sturgeon, of Leeds, in the County of
York, and William George White, of New Malden, in the County
of Surrey, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCK
DRILLS, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES AND OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 11th December 1874, and dated the 16th June 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Sturgeon and
William George White at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 16th June 1874.
We, THOMAS STURGEON, of Leeds, in the County of York, and
WILLIAM GEORGE WHITE, of New Malden, in the County of Surrey,.
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN ROCK DRILLS, PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAM ENGINES
AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
In the first place our improvements relate to the construction of the
cylinders used in rock drills, steam engines, and for other purposes, and

page_text: consists in forming the said cylinders of two pieces of tube, the one
within the other, so as to leave an annular space between the outer
and the inner tube. This annular space is stopped at the ends. An
opening or openings near one end open a communication between
this space and the interior of the cylinder, and another opening
or series of openings in the outer tube open into the annular space.
Another opening or series of openings is formed through both tubes
near the end opposite to that at which are the openings leading
from the annular space to the interior of the cylinder, and these
openings are shut off from communication with the others by means
of a solid spacing piece. These openings and the annular space
thus form the steam ports and communicate with the valve, which
may be of any suitable construction.
cases the annular
space may be divided into two separate chambers communicating with
opposite ends of the cylinder.
In some
In the next place our Invention consists in arranging the drill bar
used in rock drills so as to pass through a hollow screw, to which the
necessary feed is imparted, so that the feed motion will take place
centrally with the drill bar, and when the drill has got to the extremity
of the feed allowed by the screw it may be pushed further out into an
advanced position. The screw may be attached to the drill bar by
means of clamps. The drill bar may be notched or serrated so as to
give greater holding power to the clamps. A screw, such as that
described above, carrying the drill bar through it, is caused to work
through a nut, either formed in a hollow piston rod or otherwise, so 2
that the cylinder may remain in position while the feed screw or nut
has the necessary motion imparted to it to advance the drill, which
can be shifted forward through the hollow screw when a deeper cut is
required.

page_text: not to strike the rock repeatedly exactly on the one spot. For this
purpose we use a hollow screw, as above described, with the drill bar
within it, the screw being attached to the drill bar by clamps. In con-
nection with this we use a twisted rod, upon which works a nut having
a similar twist formed within it. This nut is connected to the piston
rod so as to move up and down simultaneously with the piston. A
partial rotating to-and-fro motion is thus imparted to the twisted rod, to
one extremity of which we attach a lever, which by means of a ratchet
or other suitable gear imparts an intermittent rotating motion to the
screw, which imparts a similar rotating action to the drill bar, and also
causes the screw to feed forward through a nut. To the other end of
the twisted bar we connect the valve or valve gear in such a manner as
to cause the motion of the bar to impart the necessary motion to the

page_text: drilling machine in conjunction with a diving bell to which it is fixed, so
that the diving bell forms the stand or frame to support the machine.
By this arrangement the working parts are kept from contact with the
water. We prefer to use a machine constructed in accordance with
the above description, but other descriptions of rock drills may also be
used.
Our Invention consists in the next place in the construction of a
machine suitable to be used under water without the use of a diving
bell. In this machine, instead of the piston working in a cylinder, we
use a cylinder formed in such a manner that it is capable of expanding
and contracting similar to the bellows of a concertina. When the feed
screw and drill bar are carried through the cylinder it should be made
of an annular form. The steam or other fluid is admitted to this
cylinder to give the forward stroke, and the back stroke is produced by
a spring or springs causing the cylinder to collapse. We thus dispense
with the use of a piston rod working through stuffing boxes through
which water might be drawn into the cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Sturgeon and William George White in
the. Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
STURGEON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, and WILLIAM
GEORGE WHITE, of New Malden, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Sturgeon and William
George White, Her special license that we, the said Thomas Sturgeon
and William George White, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Thomas. Sturgeon and William George.

page_text: case is shewn as a taper plug valve, which may be of any other
suitable construction. In some cases the annular space may be divided
into two separate chambers communicating with opposito ends of the
cylinder. Cylinders constructed on the principle above described are
also applicable to steam engines and other purposes.
In the next place our Invention consists in arranging the drill bar
used in rock drills so as to pass through a hollow screw to which
the necessary feed is imparted, so that the feed motion will take
place centrally with the drill bar, and when the drill has got to the
extremity of the feed allowed by the screw the bar may be pushed
further out into an advanced position, the screw being drawn back ready
for a fresh start.
:
This
Figure 2 is a general view of a rock drilling machine in position for
vertical drilling, and Figure 3 is a view of the same machine in position
for horizontal drilling. I, 1, is, the drill bar which passes through the
hollow screw m, m, a portion of which is shewn in section in Figure 1,
the dotted lines indicating the depth of the thread of the screw.
screw may be attached to the drill bar by means of the clamps n, n.
The drill bar may be notched or serrated, as shewn in Figure 4, so as to
give greater holding power to the clamps. A screw, such as that described
above, carrying the drill bar through it is caused to work through a nut
either formed in a hollow piston rod or otherwise, so that the cylinder
may remain in position while the feed screw or nut has the necessary
motion imparted to it to advance the drill, which can be shifted forward
through the hollow screw when a deeper cut is required.
In the Drawings the hollow screw which carries the drill bar is
shewn as passing through a nut formed in a hollow piston rod, shown
in section at o, o, Figure 1, but a portion only of which appears
at o' and o² in Figures 2 and 3.
Another method consists in using an
the central opening, or two or more
centrally between them.
annular cylinder with a nut in
cylinders with a nut placed
Our improvements also consist in an improved method or arrange-
ment of mechanism for causing the same motion which works the valve
to impart the feed, and also to give a rotating motion to the tool. by.
which the cutting edges are caused continually to change their position.

page_text: so as not to strike the rock repeatedly exactly on the one spot. For
this purpose we use a hollow screw, as above described, with the drill
bar within it, the screw being attached to the drill bar by clamps. In
connection with this we use a twisted rod p, Figures 1, 2, and 3, upon
which works a nut q. This nut is connected with the piston rod so as
move up and down simultaneously with the piston. A partial rotating
to-and-fro motion is thus imparted to the twisted rod p, to one extremity
of which we attach a lever ", which by means of the ratchet gear s
imparts an intermittent rotating motion to the screw, which imparts a
similar rotating action to the drill bar, and also causes the screw to feed
forward through the nut. The ratchets actuates the screw by means of
the key t, Figure 1, which fits into a key groove formed throughout the
length of the screw. To the other end of the twisted bar we connect
the valve or valve gear in such a manner as to cause the motion of the
bar to impart the necessary motion to the valve.
In the next place our Invention consists in certain improvements in
the method of mounting and fixing the machine. Upon the cylinder
we form a portion of a sphere, as shewn at u, Figures 1, 2, and 3, con-
centric with the cylinder, and this spherical part fits into a suitable
formed strap v so as to form what is known as a ball-and-socket joint.
Legs w¹ and w², Figures 1 and 2, are attached to this strap in such a
manner that they can be moved further out from or nearer to the centre
as the case may require. The strap v fits round the spherical part u on
the cylinder, upon which it may be tightened by means of a nut so as
to fix the cylinder in the desired position. The legs are arranged so
that by altering their position they will support the machine in a
vertical or in a horizontal position. We prefer to use three legs (only
two of which are shewn in the Drawing, the third being out of view).
which are jointed to the strap when the machine is used for vertical
work, but when it is required to use the machine horizontally we tako
one of the legs w² off the strap and attach it to the back portion of the
machine, as shewn in Figure 3, so as to form a strut to resist the back
thrust of the blow, the front being supported by the other two legs.
The ends of these legs are pointed, and they are furnished with.
dises x, x, or plates which can be adjusted so as to rest upon the ground,
and upon which loose stones or other materials may be piled in order.to
form a weight so as to steady the machine while at work.

page_text: In the next place our Invention relates to apparatus for drilling rocks
under water, and consists in using a rock drilling machine working
within a diving bell to which it is connected in such a manner that the
diving bell forms the stand of the machine. An apparatus of this kind
is shewn in Figure 5, in which the machine shewn is one made in accord-
ance with certain other parts of our Invention already described, but
which would in this case be used in the inverted position shewn in the
Drawing, in order to bring the valve and feed gear under the eye of the
man in the diving bell. The upper chamber y of the diving bell
is made of the shape shewn in the Drawing in order that when 1
necessary the machine may be set to work at a slight angle. The upper
clamp merely acts as a guide, the lower one being the holding clamp.
This machine should be worked by compressed air, which might be
supplied by an air compressor on some adjacent bank, or on a barge
overhead, and carried through the flexible pipes z, z, to the machine.
Having thus particularly described the nature of our said Invention
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, we would have it
understood that what we claim is,―
1
1st. Constructing cylinders for rock drills, steam engines, and other
purposes, of pieces of tube with annular space between them, and 2
openings formed the steam ports, substantially as described.
2nd. Arranging the drill bar to pass through the hollow feed screw
so that the drill may be pushed further out when required.
3rd. Using an annular cylinder with the feed nut in central opening,
or two ore more cylinders with the feed nut placed equidistant between 2
them.
4th. Imparting feed and rotary motion to the drill by the same
mechanism which works the valve, substantially as described.
5th. Carrying the cylinder in a ball-and-socket joint concentric with
the cylinder, and arranging one of the legs to be taken off and attached 3
to another part of the machine so as to form a strut when the machine
is used horizontally.
6th. Fixing discs or plates on the legs so as to allow of their being
weighted with loose stones, substantially as described.

page_text: 7th. Connecting a rock drilling machine with a diving bell so that
the diving bell forms the stand thereof, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William George White, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
F. H. STEVENSON,
40, Webber Row,
Waterloo Road,
S.E.
W. G. WHITE. (L.S.)