IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING OR BORING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of" IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING OR BORING
ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th November 1873.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR.
DRILLING OR BORING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES," a communication,
to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to improvements in those machines whereby
the drilling or boring of the rocks and other hard substances is effected
by the action of a drill or perforating implement carried and operated

page_text: by a reciprocating piston, which is driven more or less rapidly to and fro
within a cylinder by the force of steam, compressed air, or other elastic
fluid admitted alternately to opposite ends of the said cylinder by a
distributing valve, and the said Invention is designed to diminish the
cost of the construction, to reduce the weight, and increase the strength
and durability of these machines, and to render them generally more
efficient and convenient than heretofore for all purposes for which they
may he emploved.
cost of the construction, to reduce
and durability of these machines, and to render them generally more
efficient and convenient than heretofore for all purposes for which they
may be employed.
The said Invention relates,-.
First. To various improvements in the drilling, boring, or perforating
mechanism.
And, Secondly. To novel stands or supporting frames for the said
machines, chiefly designed for use in tunnelling.
According to the present Invention I make the piston and piston rod
hollow, and form in the interior of the same and extending either
Into this screw I fit a
entirely or partially through it a female screw.
screw shaft or bar formed to receive and hold the drill or perforating
implement at its forward end. The rear end of the screw shaft passes
through the rear end of the frame of the cylinder, and through the boss
of a wheel held by a cap within this end of the said frame. This boss is
formed or fitted with keys or feathers, which fit longitudinal grooves or
channels in the said screw shaft, whereby the said shaft is free to slide
endwise through the said wheel, but is compelled to turn with it. This
wheel is kept from endwise movement by a collar on its boss inside the
cap or end piece of the frame or by other suitable means. By this
construction and combination of parts the feed or forward movement
and the rotation or axial movement of the drill may be both effected by
the manipulation of the aforesaid wheel, and therefore the machine will
be more readily controlled when working. It is necessary that the
piston and piston rod shall be kept from turning while the screw shaft
turns freely in and through it; for this purpose the forward end of the
said rod is formed with flat surfaces, and a stuffing box of corresponding
shape is provided for this part of the said rod to work in. Or I may
employ a pin or stud projecting into a groove in the piston rod, or other
similar means for preventing the turning of the said rod.
The distributing valve has a partially rotating motion for admitting
the steam or other elastic fluid to the opposite ends of the cylinder. This

page_text: partial rotation of the said wheel is imparted to it by means of a double
conical protuberance on the piston rod acting on tappets on the valve
spindle, and so arranged that a reciprocating motion is imparted to the
said spindle and valve as the piston rod works to and fro.
In these machines as formerly constructed this protuberance was
formed with teeth or projections, but I now make the conical or inclined
surfaces quite smooth or plain. I prefer that this valve operating
mechanism should be at the rear end of the machine.
The forward end of the aforesaid screw shaft or bar is formed with a
socket for the reception of the drill or perforator, and the latter is
preferably secured in the said socket by a key or cotter driven trans-
versely through the same.
•
In some instances I make the drill or perforator hollow or tubular
throughout its entire length, and also make the shaft or rod to which it
is attached hollow or tubular, so that there will be a clear passage
through the drill and shaft. I connect a hose to the rear end of the
hollow shaft or rod for supplying water through the same to the drill.
Or I connect the hose to a hollow collar placed on the drill, and thereby
supply the water directly to the same, so that a hollow drill may be used
with a solid shaft or bar. These hollow drills may be used in a machine
constructed according to my present improvements, or with other rock
drilling machines.
The chief advantages of making the drill hollow or tubular are the
facility thereby obtained for introducing water into the hole made in the
rock, and the more ready clearing of the same from the debris or cuttings
produced by the action of the drill.
The aforesaid improved tunnelling frame or stand is constructed with
two triangular side pieces of cast iron or other suitable metal. The
front of this frame is perpendicular or nearly so, and is provided with
any desired number of bearings for cylindrical bars or tubes, whereon
the drilling machines are mounted. The said machines are provided for
this purpose with a clamp or socket, which fits either of the said bars, so
that it will freely turn and slide endwise thereon, and it is provided with
screws and pinching blocks or other suitable means for making it tight
in any position on the said tube or bar. The bearings of these tubes or
bars are split or open on one side, and provided with screws or other

page_text: means for tightening and slackening their hold on the bars, so that the
latter
may be readily secured and released. The said frame is provided
with wheels which run on rails and also with feet. One or both of these
rails must be V shaped or grooved, and the corresponding feet are made.
V shaped or grooved to fit the top of the said rail. When the machine
is working the frame is lowered upon these feet, and will then be
immovable, but when it is to be moved along the rails the wheels are
adjusted to raise the feet of the frame from the rails. I prefer to have a
platform provided with rails in continuation of the railway for the said
frame or carriage to rest upon when working. The said platform is
provided with feet or points to keep it steady in its place.
The adjustment of the aforesaid wheels is effected by screws passed
through the base or lower rail of the frame, and attached to the journal
bearings of the said wheels. These bearings are fitted to slide vertically
in guides formed on the said frame. Upon the rear of this frame I
place a tank or reservoir for supplying the machine with air and water.
I may modify this part of my Invention by constructing the said
frame with only one triangular piece, provided with wheels to run on
rails laid very close together. Or I construct a stand with four legs or
supports and a short cylindrical bar, whereon the cylinder of the drill
is clamped, as above described. The said stand consists of two parts,
each of which has two legs connected by curved arms. The upper part
of each of these parts is formed with a semi-cylindrical bar forming
one half of the said cylindrical bar. When these two parts of the stand
are placed properly together, and the machine is clamped on the bar,
the said two parts of the stand will be solidly united. By releasing the
clamp the two parts of the said stand may be readily separated, and the
machine removed therefrom.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there
after 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 MACHINERY FOR DRILLING OR BORING ROCKS AND OTHER
HARD SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from abroad by James
Asbury McKean, of Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors. or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, 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 I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention relates to improvements in those machines whereby
the drilling or boring of rocks and other hard substances is effected by
the action of a drill or perforating implement carried and operated
by a reciprocating piston, which is driven more or less rapidly to and
fro within a cylinder by the force of steam, compressed air, or other
elastic fluid, admitted alternatively to opposite ends of the said cylinder
by a distributing valve.
The said Invention is designed to diminish the cost of the construction,
to reduce the weight, and increase the strength and durability of these
machines, and to render them generally more efficient and convenient
than heretofore for all purposes for which they may be employed.

page_text: First. To various improvements in the drilling, boring, or perforating
mechanism.
And, Secondly. To novel stands or supporting frames for the said
machines, chiefly designed for use in tunnelling and quarrying.
The manner in which my said Invention is carried into practise is
clearly shown by the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a
longitudinal central section of a rock drilling machine constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a rear end view of the same;
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 4 is a 1
transverse section on the line y, y, Figure 1.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, illustrate the employment of a hollow drill or
perforating implement in a rock drilling machine.
Figure 10 is a plan of the frame or stand for carrying and supporting
my improved machine; Figure 11 is a side elevation of the same.
Figures 12 and 13 shew rear and front end elevations of the said
frame; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a modification of the same..
Figures 15 and 16 illustrate another form of stand.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
I make the piston rod a hollow, and form in the interior of the same
and extending either entirely or partially through it a female or internal
screw. Into this screw I fit a screw shaft or bar b, formed to receive
and hold the drill or perforating implement c at its forward end. The
rear end of this screw shaft passes through the rear end of the frame d
of the cylinder e, and through the boss f¹ of a wheel f; the latter is held
by means of a sleeve f³, which is secured to the boss, and whose flange f*
projects inside a cap g, forming the end of the said frame, or the said
wheel may be held by other means which will permit it to turn freely
while preventing its cndwise movement. This boss f¹ is formed or fitted
with keys or feathers f, which fit longitudinal grooves or channels 6¹ in
the screw shaft b, whereby the said shaft is free to slide endwise through
the wheelf, but is compelled to turn with it, so that by turning the
wheel the shaft will be turned in the same direction. By this construc-
tion and combination of parts the feed or forward movement and the
rotation or axial movement of the drill are effected by the manipulation

page_text: of the aforesaid wheel, and therefore the machine will be more perfectly
under control when working.
If desired, instead of having a hand wheel on the screw shaft, as
shewn, I may employ bevil or worm gearing actuated by a crank or
wheel at the side of the machine.
It is necessary that the piston and piston rod shall be kept from
turning while the screw shaft turns freely in and through it; for this
purpose I form in the double conical piece a¹ of the piston rod a longitu-
dinal groove, and secure in the frame d a key or feather i, which enters
the said groove and permits the rod to slide freely endwise, while
preventing its rotation. Or for the same purpose the forward end of the
said rod may be formed with flat surfaces to fit and work through a
stuffing box of corresponding shape. Or I may- employ a pin or stud
projecting into a groove in any part of the piston rod, or may adopt
other suitable means for preventing the turning of the said rod.
F
The distributing valvej has a partially rotating motion for admitting
the steam or other elastic fluid to the opposite ends of the cylinder e.
This partial rotation of the said valve is imparted to it by the double
conical enlargement a¹ on the piston rod a acting on tappets / on the
valve spindle l, and so arranged that a reciprocating motion is imparted
to the said spindle and valve as the piston rod a works to and fro. In
these machines as formerly constructed this enlargement was formed
with teeth or projections, but in this construction the conical or inclined
faces are smooth or plain. I prefer that this valve operating mechanism
should be at the rear end of the machine, as clearly shewn in Figure 1.
The forward end of the aforesaid screw shaft or bar is formed with a
socket for the reception of the drill or perforator, and the latter is
preferably secured in the said socket by a key or cotter 6* driven
transversely through the same as in Figure 1.
In some instances I make the drill or perforator c hollow or tubular
throughout its entire length, as shewn in Figure 7, and also make the
shaft or rod 6 to which it is attached hollow or tubular, as in Figures 5
and 7 so that there will be a clear passage through the drill and shaft.
When using this hollow drill I connect a hose to the rear end of the
hollow shaft or rod for supplying water through the same to the drill.
Or I connect the hose to a hollow collar placed on the drill, and thereby
supply the water directly to the same, so that a hollow drill may be

page_text: used with a solid shaft or boss. These hollow drills may be used in a
machine constructed according to my present improvements, or with
other rock drilling machines. The chief advantages of making the drill
hollow or tubular are the facility thereby obtained for introducing water
into the hole made in the rock, and the more ready clearing of the same
from the débris or cuttings produced by the action of the drill.
The frame d, cylinder e, and valve chest m are cast in one piece of
any suitable metal, and preferably of the form shown; and this con-
struction of the frame and cylinder in combination with the peculiar
construction of the operative parts of the machine renders the same very
light, portable, and generally convenient.
The aforesaid improved tunnelling frame or stand, as shewn in Figures
10, 11, 12, and 13, is constructed with two triangular side pieces n of
cast iron or other suitable metal. The front of this frame is perpen-
dicular or nearly so, as shewn in Figure 11, and is provided with any
desired number of bearings n¹ for cylindrical bars, or tubes n², whereon
the drilling machines are mounted. The said machines are provided for
this purpose with a clamp or socket, which fits either of the said bars, so
that it will freely turn and slide endwise thereon, and the said clamp is
provided with screws and pinching blocks or other suitable means for
making it tight in any position on the said tubes or bars. The bearings n¹
of these tubes or bars n² are split or divided on one side, and provided
' with screws, as shewn in Figure 11, or other means for tightening and
slackening their hold on the bars n², so that the latter may be readily
secured and released. The said frame is provided with wheels o, which
run on rails p, and also with feet q, q. One or both of these feet may
be shaped or grooved, as shewn in Figure 13, to gripe the top of
the rail more effectually. When the machine is working the frame rests
upon these feet, and will then be immovable, but when it is to be moved
along the rails the said feet are raised from the rails, and the frame is
borne upon the wheels o. This adjustment of the frame to transfer its
support from the feet to the wheels and vice versa is effected by screws r
passed through the base or lower rail n³ of the frame to the journal
bearings o¹ of the wheels o. These bearings are fitted to slide vertically
in guides n* formed on the said frame. At the rear of this frame I
may place a tank or reservoirs for supplying the machine with air and
water,

page_text: I may modify this part of my Invention by constructing the frame as
shewn in Figure 14. In this instance the said frame has only one
triangular piece n, provided with the clip or split bearings n¹ for carrying
the bars n². It is provided with wheels o to run on rails p, and with
feet 9 for supporting it when the machine is working as above described,
but the said feet being provided with adjusting screws q², which serve
the same purpose as the screws r. This frame is also provided with a
screw bar t, whose head is capable of turning upon the same, and
which is screwed fast up to the top of a tunnel to hold the machine
firmly when working in the same. Or I construct a stand, as shewn in
Figures 15 and 16. This stand is formed of two parts A, B, provided
with legs or supports C. These two parts are fitted together at the
centre, and are preferably secured by a bolt D passing through them, as
shown. E is a column upon which the drilling machine is mounted;
this column has a boss E', which is fitted upon the central tubular bar
formed by the inner or adjacent portions of the two parts A, B. The
said boss is fitted to turn upon this bar, so that the column may be
adjusted to any suitable inclination, and it is provided with a pinching
block and screws F, whereby the column may be secured in any
position.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,—
First. In a machine for drilling or perforting rocks and other hard
substances the hollow piston rod with an internal screw, the screw bar
or rod which carries the drill, and is fitted within the said piston rod and
the hand wheel or equivalent device so constructed, combined, and
operating together that the feed or advance of the drill and the rotation
of the same are effected simultaneously and by the movement of the
said wheel or other device under the control of an attendant, as herein
set forth.
Second. The combination of the said hollow or tubular piston rod
and screw bar, and its operating wheel or equivalent device, with the
cylinder, frame, valve spindle, and the tappets, operated by the conical
protuberance or enlargement of the piston rod, substantially as herein
set forth and for the purposes specified.
Third. A hollow drill or perforator in combination with the hollow
screw bar or with a hollow piston rod in a rock drilling machine, as
herein set forth and for the purpose specified.

page_text: Fourth. The frame or stand shewn in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13 of the
Drawings, provided with a bar or bars across the front for supporting
the drilling machines and permitting their adjustment to any desired
position, and with the wheels and feet and the screws or other devices
for adjusting the frame, to be supported either by the feet or by the
wheels upon the rails, as herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The frame or stand shewn in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13 of the
Drawings, provided with a bar or bars across the front for supporting
the drilling machines and permitting their adjustment to any desired
position, and with the wheels and feet and the screws or other devices
for adjusting the frame, to be supported either by the feet or by the
wheels upon the rails, as herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The modified construction of the said frame or stand, as shown
in Figure 14 of the Drawings.
Sixth. In a stand or frame for supporting a rock drilling machine;
the split or clip bearings for the bars or tubes upon which the drilling
machines are clamped, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Seventh. The stand or frame shewn in Figures 15 and 16 of the
Drawings, constructed in two parts, mounted on legs or feet and fitted
together either with or without a bolt for securing them, and provided
with an adjustable column secured by a pinching block and screws or
by other suitable means, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
JA'. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)