IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, AND FOR EXPANDING THE AIR FOR DRIVING SUCH MACHINERY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Hurd, of Grove House, Walton, near
Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineer, and Edward Thornhill
Simpson, of Thornhill House, Walton, near Wakefield, in the
County of York, Soap Manufacturer and Colliery Owner, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING
COAL AND OTHER MINERALS, AND FOR EXPANDING THE AIR FOR DRIVING SUCH
MACHINERY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 11th February 1873, and dated the 1st November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Hurd and
Edward Thornhill Simpson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st November 1872.
We, FREDERICK HURD, of Grove House, Walton, near Wakefield, in
the County of York, Engineer, and EDWARD THORNHILL SIMPSON, Of
Thornhill House, Walton, near Wakefield, in the County of York, Soap
Manufacturer and Colliery Owner, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR Ex-

page_text: cavating Coal aND OTHER MINERALS, AND FOR EXPANDING THE AIR FOR DRIVING
SUCH MACHINERY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
Our improved machinery for excavating coal and other minerals
consists in the use of a cutting wheel; the periphery or stocks in which
the cutters are fixed is placed eccentric to the fulcrum on which the
cutters revolve; the cutters are driven by an ordinary bevel pinion, and
the pressure is resisted by conical antifriction bowls, thus dispensing
with guides and slides. The cutters are put into or taken out of cut
by a swivel nut and screw acting on the lever in which the cutters
revolve.
The leading end of the machine is kept in position on the rails when
at work by a bowl mounted in a differential lever with a screw and self-
acting adjustment to adapt itself to the irregularities on the face of the
coal.
The cutters are made of plain square steel set sideways above and
below, and allowing for clearance of the disc, and they are adjustable
radially to vary the depth of cut according to the quantity of the coal or
mineral. Or the cutters may be driven by a double pinion with bevel
teeth, and a recess to embrace the inner centre ring.
Another part of our Invention consists of an instrument or apparatus
for heaving up the bottoms of the coal or other mineral after being
undercut when the top portion has been removed. This instrument
consists of a double wedge-shaped shovel, which is forced in by a screw
and ratchet or other equivalents.
Our improved apparatus for expanding the compressed air used for a
driving coal getting or other machines consists of a retort containing a
perforated crucible; the air is conveyed into the crucible which generates
the heat for expanding the air which thus escapes to the outer chamber
of the retort, and is then conveyed to the engine to be driven. A check
valve is placed near the entrance of the crucible to prevent the air
escaping back.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Hurd and Edward Thornhill Simpson
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
HURD, of Grove House, Walton, near Wakefield, in the County of York,
Engineer, and EDWARD THORNHILL SIMPSON, of Thornhill House,
Walton, near Wakefield, in the County of York, Soap Manufacturer and
Colliery Owner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Frederick Hurd and Edward Thornhill Simp-
son, Her special license that we, the said Frederick Hurd and Edward
Thornhill Simpson, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Frederick Hurd and Edward Thornhill Simpson,
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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING COAL AND OTHER
MINERALS, AND FOR EXPANDING THE AIR FOR DRIVING SUCH MACHINERY, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Frederick Hurd and Edward Thornhill Simpson, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of our or 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 we, the said Frederick Hurd and Edward Thorn-
hill Simpson, 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 (that it to say) :—
The nature of our Invention consists in the use of a cutting wheel,
the periphery or stocks in which the cutters are fixed being placed

page_text: eccentric to the fulcrum on which the cutters revolve.
The cutters are
driven by an ordinary bevel pinion, and the pressure is resisted by anti-
friction bowls, which also act as drivers, thus dispensing with guides and
slides. The cuttters are put into or taken out of cut by a swivel nut
and screw acting on the lever or radial arm in which the cutters revolve,
or by a pinion and quadrant. The cutters are made of plain square steel
set sideways above and below, and allowing for clearance of the disc, and
they are adjustable radiably to vary the depth of cut according to the
quality of the coal or mineral. Or the cutters may be driven by a
double pinion with bevel teeth, and a recess to embrace the inner centre
ring.
- The leading end of the machine is kept in position on the rails when
at work by a bowl mounted in a differential lever with self-acting
adjustment to adapt itself to the inequalities on the face of the coal.
Our improved apparatus for expanding the compressed air used for
driving coal getting or other machines consists of a retort containing a
perforated crucible which is charged with ignited fuel. A check valve
or valves is placed near the entrance of the crucible to prevent the air
escaping back.
Another part of our Invention consists of an instrument or apparatus
for heaving up the bottoms of the coal or other mineral after being
undercut when the top portion has been removed. This instrument
consists of a double wedge-shaped shovel, which is forced in by a screw
and ratchet or other equivalents; the same instrument is applicable for
bringing down the coal.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the seven accom-
panying Sheets of Drawings.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is an clevation partly in section; Figure 2 is a
transverse sectional elevation; and Figure 3, a plan of the upper part;
and on Sheet 2, Figure 4, is a plan also partly in section of our
improved machinery for excavating coal and other minerals. a, a, are
the cylinders, the pistons of which are moved to and fro by compressed
air, steam, or other motive power. The cylinders are fixed to a suitable
framing supported on the carrier wheels a¹, and the level of the framing
and its angle can be adjusted by the regulating screws a*. The piston
rods a³ of the cylinders a are connected to cranks on the crank shaft b

page_text: as usual; upon the crank shaft is fixed a worm b', gearing into the
wheel c¹ on the upright shaft c, at the lower end of which is a mitre
pinion gearing into the pinion d³ on the horizontal shaft d, on which
is also fixed the bevel pinion d' gearing into the large bevel wheel e,
which is supported on a bevelled centre piece screwed to the radial
arm h. The radial arm h fits in the socket h', which has a toothed
segment on part of its circumference, and the pinion g, which is driven
by the hand wheel g', mitre pinions g³, horizontal shaft g³, worm g‘, and
wheel g³, gears into the said segment, and moves the cutter wheel e
either to the right or left of the framing as may be required.
The large
bevel wheel e is cast or fixed to the periphery or stocks e¹, in which the
cutters e are fixed; these cutters are made of plain square steel set
sideways above and below and central, as shown in Figure 17, to allow
for clearance of the disc, and they are held in the stocks by set screws.
The cutter stocks e¹ are eccentric to the fulcrum on which the large
bevel wheel e revolves. When the wheel e revolves the cutters act on
the coal with greater effect during one half of the revolution than they
do at the other half revolution, and while the smaller radius of the
eccentric is towards the coal the whole machine is drawn forward in the
direction of the arrow by the self-acting hauling rope or chain, which is
wound on the drum i, shown in Figure 1 and in dots in Figure 4, by the
bevel pinions ¹, one of which is fixed on the horizontal shaft ² shown
best in Figure 3; to this shaft is fixed the bevel pinion gearing into
the two wheels it, which are loose on the cross shaft, but connected to
it when required by the sliding clutch box ; to the cross shaft ở is fixed
the bevel pinion gearing into the wheel 8 on the upright shaft 2, to
which is also fixed the worm i¹º, see Figure 1, gearing into the wheel "
fixed to the axle of the drum i. The direction in which the machine is
traversed can be reversed by moving the sliding clutch box into gear
with either of the clutches on the wheel *; upon the cross shaft ³ is
fixed a hand wheel by which the machine can be moved by hand.
As the larger radius of the eccentric comes into action the cutters take
fresh hold on the coal, and these alternate actions are repeated until the
whole seam is underçut. The pressure on the eccentric wheel e is resisted
by the conical antifriction bowls j, which revolve in bearings fixed to
the radial arm h and socket h³, thereby dispensing with the guides and
slides heretofore employed.
The leading end of the machine is kept in position so that the carrier
wheels a¹ may keep on the rails when at work by the bowl k mounted

page_text: on a differential elbow lever k³, to one arm of which is connected one
end of the hauling rope or chain; this rope or chain passes around a
snatch block, which is anchored at the end of the bank to be undercut,
and then taken back to the drum i on which it is wound, as shown in
Figures 24 and 26.
The shaft a, shown in Figures 1 and 4, with the pinions a gearing
into the toothed wheels cast on the carrying wheels a¹ are for traversing
the machine along the rails at inclines, or when it cannot be easily
pushed along by hand."
Figures 5 and 6 represent the air expanding retort, which consists of
the outer chamber 7, within which is the retort made of black lead and
fire-clay, or other suitable material. The retort is held in the
chamber by the lid, which is coupled to the branch pipe 1, see
Figure 4, connected to the cylinder valve boxes.
When the fuel in the retort is ignited the retort is taken to the
machine, and connected to the branch pipe ; the compressed air tube
is then coupled to the pipe 1, and the air turned on. The air after
passing the valve & enters the retort 1 through the perforations in
its end; the instantaneous expansion of the compressed air closes the
valve 1, and the air forces its way through the perforations in the
retort and lid to the branch pipe P, as shown by the arrows in
Figure 6.
On Sheets 3 and 4 Figures 7 to 12 represent different views of a
machine for getting coal constructed according to a modification of our
Invention, and which we call the "swivel bogy machine." The
cylinders a, a, are set diagonally, and the connecting rods from these
cylinders are jointed to the double crank b² fixed to the vertical shaft b,
on which is keyed the worm b¹ gearing into the wheel c¹ on the
horizontal shaft c, to which is fixed the bevel pinion & gearing, as before
described, into the cutter wheel e, which is provided with eccentric
cutter stocks, as before described. The cutter wheel revolves on a bevel
centre piece fixed to the radial arm h, which fits in the socket h¹; this
socket carries the antifriction bowls j, and is provided with a toothed
segment, into which the pinion 9 gears; the motion is communicated to
the pinion g, as shown in Sheets 1 and 2. The hauling drun i is in
this arrangement a continuation of the shaft c, and the hauling rope or
chain after passing around a snatch block, as before described, is con-
nected to the self-adjusting differential lever k¹.

page_text: The trail end of the hauling rope or chain after passing around the
conical drum i is carried over a trail pulley suspended from the frame n³,
see Figure 10, and the weight attached to the trailing end of the hauling
rope or chain takes up the slack.
The valves m for admitting the compressed air to the cylinders a are
moved to and fro by the segment pinions m³, each of which is actuated
by a bowl on the cross head acting on the tappet m³.
The whole machine is supported on the bogy frame n, which is sup-
ported on the carrier wheels a¹, and the footstep of the shaft b forms
the fulcrum on which the radial arm h swivels; the frame n¹ can be
swivelled round independently of the radial arm. The plough shoes n³,
shown in Figures 8 and 12, are to prevent or remove the debris from the
cutters lodging on the rails in front of the wheels a¹; these plough shoes
can be fixed to either side of the machine.
Figures 13 and 14 represent a modification of the admission valve m;
in this arrangement the valves are segmental, and they are worked by
an incline on the cross head acting on bowls jointed to arms pro-
jecting from the valve spindle. The ports are set diagonally, and the
valves, which are held against their faces by springs in the boxes m* or
by external pressure, are square, so that the slightest rotary motion of
the valve causes the ports to be considerably opened; or the edge of
the valve may be set diagonal to correspond with the diagonal port.
On Sheet 5 Figure 15 is a section of the cutter wheel e, showing how
it may be driven by means of the double bevel pinion d', which is cast of
steel with the shaft d. The wheel e is cast with an inner rim fitting
between the two portions of the double pinion d', thus dispensing in this
case with the antifriction bowls ; or other guides. The radial arm h is
made to swivel by the screw h³, see Figure 16, which acts on the ratchet
lever h³, carrying a pawl catch taking into the teeth on the radial
arm h.
Figure 17 shows the position of the cutters e³ in the eccentric cutter
stock e¹.
Figures 18 and 19 represent a modification in the gearing for driving
the eccentric cutter wheel e. In these views b is the vertical shaft
shown in Figure 7; and 61, a spur pinion gearing into the wheel o,
revolving on the conical stud o¹; the wheel o has studs passing through

page_text: it carrying the antifriction bowls o³, gearing into the cogs of the cutter
wheel e.
The cutters e are fixed into the cutter stocks e¹ by a split
tightening cotter; the cutter stocks are cored out, as shewn by dotted
lines to reduce the weight.
Figures 20 and 21 represent another modification in the gearing for
driving the eccentric wheel e. In this case the antifriction bowls o³ are
mounted on studs fixed on the internal wheel o³, which is driven as
above described.
On Sheet 6 Figures 22 and 23 represent one of our improved coal-
getting machines at work, tunnelling or driving a heading in the seam;
in this machine the cutting wheel e, previously described, is arranged to
cut at any height and at any angle in the seam, and to make the side
cuts as well. The telescope shaft for supporting the cutter is similar to
that described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the
within-named Frederick Hurd on the Twenty-fifth day of March One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, No. 906. In this arrangement
the telescope shaft, and parts acting with it, instead of being supported.
on a screwed pillar as before, are now supported in vertical slides, which
are swivelled entirely round, as shown, either when the machine is at
work or at rest. After the sides and bottom cuts have been made the 2
coal is held up by the wedge A, as shown, while the top cut is being
made. When all the cuts have been made the machine is moved back a
little; the wedge A is removed, and the wedge instrument x, hereafter
described, is then brought into operation to bring down the coal, which
breaks nearly straight, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 22. In 2
some seams the coal will drop by its own weight without the use of the
wedge instrument.
Figures 24 and 25 represent another of our improved coal-getting
machines, particularly adapted for undercutting in thin seams; this
machine has been fully described in reference to the former Sheets of 3
Drawings.
On Sheet 7 Figures 26 and 27 represent another of our improved
coal-getting machines suitable for extra thin seams; this machine has
also been previously described in reference to the former Sheets of
Drawings.
Figure 28 represents our improved instrument or apparatus for up-
heaving the bottoms of the coal after the top portion has been undercut
3

page_text: and removed. This instrument consists of the cast steel or other metal
wedge x, which is forced forward by the screw y, and this screw is
turned round by the lever and catch acting in the toothed wheel y¹.
The catch is reversible; the end of the screw y works in a socket,
which abuts against one of the cast props or puncheons B, and the
adjustable stay C serves to increase the resistance of the screw y. The
wedge may also be forced forward by hydraulic or other power.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, we wish to observe that we do not
intend to limit ourselves to the details given, as they may be varied or
modified; but what we claim is,-
First. The combination of under driving bevel gear with the eccentric
circular rim of cutters, whereby the cutting hold is secured, and the
hauling force reduced.
Secondly. The application of the anti friction bowls j to resist the
bevel driving gear, thus dispensing with guides or stays for the cutter
rim.
Thirdly. The combination of the eccentric circular rim of cutters
driven by internal double bevel gear with inner rim, thuș dispensing
with guides, as shown in Figure 15.
Fourthly. The combination of an eccentric circular rim of cutters
with anti friction bowls as drivers, and to dispense with guides, as shown
in Figures 18, 19, 20, and 21.
Fifthly. The improved mode of constructing cutters and securing
them to the cutter stocks by tightening split cotters, as shown in
Figures 18 and 19.
Sixthly. The coring out of the cutter stocks to reduce the weight of
the cutter rim, as shown in Figures 18 and 19.
Seventhly. The application of a screw and ratchet lever for swivelling
the radial arm, as shown in Figures 15 and 16.
Eightly. The combination of the differential elbow lever k¹ with the
bowl and hauling rope or chain and snatch block, as shown and
described.
Ninthly. The trailing ball to take up the slack of the hauling rope or
chain, as shown and described in reference to Figure 10.

page_text: Tenthly. Supporting machines for excavating on a bogy frame or
frames.
Eleventhly. The plough shoes n², shewn in Figures 8 and 12, for the
purpose described.
Twelfthly. The retort 7, and parts acting in combination therewith,
for expanding and intensifying the pressure of compressed air instan-
taneously before entering the cylinders of engines driven by air.
Thirteenthly. The valves marked m in Figures 8, 9, 13, and 14, and
the mode of working them as described.
Fourteenthly. The wedge-shaped shovel marked x, shown and
described in reference to Figure 28, or any modification thereof.
And, lastly. The general combinations and arrangements of the parts
forming machines. for excavating coal and other minerals, and the
various improvements described, whether used collectively or separately.
In witness whereof, we, the said Frederick Hurd and Edward
Thornhill Simpson, have hereto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-eighth day of April One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.