IMPROVE- MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING CYLINDRICAL OR COLUMNAR PIERS OR FOUNDATIONS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Milroy, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
Sealed the 7th February 1871, and dated the 13th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Milroy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th August 1870.
I, JOHN MILROY, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING CYLINDRICAL OR COLUMNAR PIERS OR FOUNDATIONS," to be
as follows, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object the constructing of cylindrical or
columnar piers or foundations in an improved manner when composed of
concrete, brickwork, or stonework.
One part of the Invention consists in making the piers, in sections,
either complete circular sections or segmental sections, and in sub-
sequently transferring sucli sections to and fixing them in their intended

page_text: situations, instead of constructing or building up the piers piecemeal
in situ. The sections may be conveniently formed on a platform in
frames or moulds, each frame or mould being separated and removed
from one section and being used to form another whilst the one is drying
and hardening. If, however, it should be more convenient, the frames
may be filled up in situ, and so as on removal to leave the sections or
segments of the cylinder in place ready for sinking.
The second part of the Invention relates to an improved curb or shoe
to be used with cylindrical or columnar piers or foundations. The curb
at present in use is in the form of a cylindrical wedge, the interior of 1
which being rapidly contracted upwards from its bottom edge causes
great resistance in sinking, particularly in comparatively firm soils.
The improved curb is a cylindrical iron shell surmounted by an
annular plate, on which rests the bottom course of the building, or the
bottom section or sections of the concrete, brickwork, or stonework. ]
The outer edge of the annular plate corresponds with and is supported by
the cylindrical shell, and the plate is additionally supported by radial
brackets or feather plates fixed inside of the shell. A curb of the
improved kind may be more easily sunk than the older kind, and will
require less excavation. The cylindrical shell may be made to extend:
more or less below the annular plate to suit different soils.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Milroy in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JoHN
MILROY, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Milroy, Her special licence that
I, the said John Milroy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as. I, the said John Milroy, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time

page_text: 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 CONSTRUCTING CYLIN-
DRICAL OR COLUMNAR PIERS OR FOUNDATIONS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Milroy, 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 John Milroy, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the constructing of cylindrical or
columnar piers or foundations in an improved' manner when composed
of concrete, brickwork, or stonework.
One part of my Invention consists in making the piers in sections,
either complete circular sections or segmental sections, instead of con-
structing or building them up piecemeal in situ.
The second part of my Invention relates to an improved curb or shoe
to be used with cylindrical or columnar piers or foundations; the said
improved curb being a cylindrical iron shell surmounted by an annular
plate on which rests the bottom course of the building or the bottom
section or sections of the concrete, brickwork, or stonework.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and showing a
practically successful modification of my improved arrangements. In
these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same
or like parts wherever they are repeated.
I prefer to construct the pier of a series of annular sections or rings 1;
one of which is shown in plan in Figure 1, Sheet 1 of the Drawings.
Each section is formed on a platform 2, and within a frame or mould 3,

page_text: which may be conveniently constructed of wood, as shown, and in four
or other convenient number of segments; Figure 2 is a vertical section
of the platform 2; and Figures 3 and 4 are respectively inside and
outside elevations of one of the segments of the frame 3. The arrange-
ments delineated are those which I adopt when building up each ring with
bricks bonded in strong Portland cement. An annular layer of wood 4
of the shape of the ring 1 is fixed down upon the platform 2; and its
outer edge serves as a guide for setting the segments of the frame 3 in
their proper positions, whilst its inner edge serves as a guido in shaping
the eye of the ring when building up the bricks. When the ring 1 is
made of concrete an internal frame is required for shaping the eye. The
ring 1 is shown as formed with a mortise 5 at one side and a tenon 6 at
the other, which are for connecting or locking together a series of the
columns or cylindrical piers when constructing foundations for a con-
tinuous pier or quay. Four holes 7 (or it might be any other convenient
number) are moulded in the ring 1 by means of loose pieces of wood 8
(Figure 2) set in sockets in the platform 2, and withdrawn when the
building of the ring is completed. Similar loose pieces of wood 9,
are set in sockets formed for them in the platform at the sides of the
mortise 5 and tenon 6, to be afterwards withdrawn separately so as to
free the segments of the frame or mould 3 from those parts, and thereby
facilitate the removal of the segments. In building the ring the Portland
cement is applied so as to form a smooth coating on the outer and inner
cylindrical surfaces; this being particularly attended to in regard to the
outer surface in order to as much as possible reduce the frictional
resistance to the sinking of the pier or column. Whilst the ring 1 is.
being built the segments of the frame 3 are held together by screw
bolts 10; but on the completion of the building these bolts are loosened
and the segments are separated and removed, after which the ring 1 is
allowed to set and harden for about five days, when it can be removed
from the platform, either to be stored or to be at once placed on a pier
or column that is being sunk or constructed in situ.
Figure 5, on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, is a vertical section showing a
ring 1 as being lowered down upon the bottom portion of a pier or
column already in process of being sunk, and also showing my improved
curb or shoe; Figure 6 is a plan of the curb, and Figure 7 is a plan of
the simple and convenient holder I employ for lifting the rings 1 by,
and which is shown in elevation in Figure 5. This holder consists of a
three-armed frame 11, having levers 12 jointed to the outer ends of the

page_text: arms, and connected by chains 13 to a central ring 14; these connecting
chains are of such a length as that when lifting force is applied to the
ring 14, the strain tends to draw in the upper ends of the levers 12, and
force out their lower ends. The lower ends of the levers 12 are shaped
to catch in cavities formed for the purpose in the bottom edge of the eye
of the ring 1, and when the ring is being lifted the strain acting as
herein-before described prevents the levers from being loosened or
displaced. When the ring 1 has been lowered into its place the upper
chains 13 are slackened and the lower ends of the levers 12 are drawn.
inwards clear of the ring 1 by means of three chains 15 connected to
them. The rings are joined together with Portland cement, either by
laying a bed of the cement in the usual way, or, after a ring has been
lowered into its place, the joint between it and the one next below it is
pointed with cement round the inside and outside, and cement is then
run into the four holes 7 (Figure 1) provided for the purpose,
rammed well in so as to spread throughout and fill up a small space left
for the purpose between the two rings. Bricks may finally be inserted
down the holes 7 to act as dowels between the rings, and thus prevent
any movement of the rings upon each other.
and
In some cases, if it should be found more convenient, the frame 3 may
be applied and filled up in situ, and so as on removal to leave the rings,
sections, or segments of the cylinder or column in place ready for
sinking.
The curb or shoe at present in use is in the form of a cylindrical
wedge, the interior of which being rapidly contracted upwards from its
bottom edge causes great resistance in sinking, particularly in com-
paratively firm soils. My improved curb, however, consists mainly of
a thin cylindrical shell 16, and is much more easily sunk, presenting a
sharper and more elongated entering part, whilst from the extra space
within it the excavating is more easily accomplished. The cylindrical
shell 16 is surmounted by a flat annular plate 17, the outer edge of which
corresponds with and joins the top of the shell 16, and is additionally
supported by radial brackets or feather plates 18, fixed or formed in the
angle inside the shell. The bottom course of the building or the bottom
section or set of segments of the concrete, brickwork, or stonework 19
rests upon the annular plate 17, and is fixed thereto by bolts 20, but
being wider radially than the annular plate 17 is corbelled or bevilled
at its bottom, inner edge.

page_text: I prefer to excavate or remove the soil from the interior of the
cylindrical or columnar piers by means of apparatus of the kind
described in the Specification of certain Letters Patent granted to me,
and dated 26th June 1866 (No. 1701), and I fit guide pulleys 21, 22,
as shown in Figures 5 and 6, for leading chains or ropes for drawing
down the excavating apparatus, so as to make the digging blades enter
the soil preparatory to their being closed in and to the elevating of the
apparatus, as explained in my said earlier Specification.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not 1
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but
that what I believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The constructing of cylindrical or columnar piers or foundations
in sections of concrete, brickwork, or stonework, as herein-before 1
described.
2. The employing of frames or moulds, such as are herein-before
described for constructing sections or portions of concrete or brickwork,
cylindrical or columnar piers or foundations.
3. The lifting of the sections by means of a holder, constructed and 2
acting substantially in the manner herein-before described.
4. The constructing of a curb or shoe for cylindrical or columnar piers
or foundations of concrete, brickwork, or stonework, with a cylindrical
or polygonal shell projecting down below its comparatively broad
annular top, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Milroy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
2
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN MILROY. (L.S.)