IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SWEEPING AND CLEANSING AND WATERING ROADS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thoinas Birbeck, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham,
Builder, and John Richardson, also of Sunderland; Mechanic; for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SWEEPING AND CLEANSING AND
WATERING ROADS."
aled the 15th April 1879, and dated the 22nd October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Birbeck and John
Richardson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd
October 1878.
THOMAS BIRBECK, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Builder, and JOHN
RICHARDSON, also of Sunderland, Mechanic. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
SWEEPING AND CLEANSING AND WATERING ROADS."
The object of our Invention is to construct a machine at a comparatively small
cost, which will effectually sweep and collect or gather up mud and other dirt from
roads without producing any dust or other disagreeable effect, and at the same time
to water the roads when swept.
The machine consists in the first place of a main circular brush extending trans-
versely across the machine. This brush which rotates as the vehicle travels, sweeps
up the mud or dirt into a transverse trough or cavity, and in order to enable the
said brush to properly take up the mud or dirt there is attached to the said trough
a flapper or apron which trails on the ground, and against which the brush acts.
This flapper or apron is by preference made of india-rubber or other suitable
flexible material (with strips of steel at the back if desired to prevent wear), but it
may be made of metal in six-inch or other short lengths hung on a transverse rod.
From the trough or cavity the mud or dirt is carried up an inclined plane by means
of a series of brushes (either flat or circular, rotating) carried by endless travelling
chains, and on reaching the upper part of the incline the mud or dirt falls through
an opening into the cart to which the machine is connected. At one end of the

page_text: main circular brush is a brush for sweeping the channels or gutters, this brush is
placed at an angle so as to throw the mud or dirt under the inain brush. The angle
brush is held by a hanger so that it can accommodate itself to any pitch of the
channel. The main-brush-is-likewise-held-by-hangers which are slotted to allow
the brush to rise or fall. The main brush and endless chains which carry the
travelling brushes are driven-by-gearing-from one of the wheels on which the
machine is mounted. The travelling brushes work in or against guides so as not to
rise from their proper position and lose the mud or dirt. The whole of the brushes,
_ trough, and incline plane (except the angle brush) are enclosed in a casing so that
no dust or dirt is raised into the atmosphere. At the upper part of the casing is
placed a water tank which it is preferred to have removable. This tank is pro-
-vided-with-an-outlet-and spreader at _the_rear of the machine so as to water the
road behind the brushes. As the tank will be emptying in proportion to the cart
getting full, there will never be more than the single load.
At the rear of the machine are a swivel wheel and a lever, the latter of which
takes under a bar on the machine for the purpose of lifting the machine off its
wheels and allowing it to turn on the swivel wheel when the cart to which the
machine is connected is turning round. The driving power is then out of gear. In
order to prevent the machine from being driven when moving backwards, there are
ratchet wheels on the wheels of the machine, and pauls taking into such ratchet
wheels..
Our machine can be connected with any ordinary slush or mud cart, such as are
now in use, so that the mud or dirt is swept up into the cart; but in constructing
new carts we enclose them at the top, except that they have an opening corre-
sponding with the opening before referred to at the top of the incline, and we
mount the cart body so that it can be tipped when the sweeping machine is to be
connected thereto. Then when the cart is full and the machine is disconnected, the
cart can be raised to the horizontal position by a chain and hand wheel or other-
wise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Birbeck and John Richardson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd April 1879.
THOMAS BIRBECK, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Builder, and JOHN
RICHARDSON, also of Sunderland, Mechanic. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
SWEEPING AND CLEANSING AND WATERING ROADS."
The object of our Invention is to construct a machine at a comparatively small
cost which will effectually sweep and collect or gather up mud and other dirt from
roads without producing any dust or other disagreeable effect, and at the same time
to water the roads when swept.
The machine consists in the first place of a main circular brush extending trans-
versely across the machine. This brush which rotates as the vehicle travels sweeps
up the mud or dirt into a transverse trough or cavity, and in order to enable the
said brush to properly take up the mud or dirt, there is attached to the said trough
a flapper or apron which trails on the ground, and against which the brush acts.
This Happer or apron is by preference made of india-rubber or other suitable flexible
material (with strips of steel at the back if desired to prevent wear), but it may be

page_text: made of metal in six-inch or other short lengths hung on a transverse rod. From
the trough or cavity the mud or dirt is carried up an inclined plane by means of a
series of brushes (either flat or circular, rotating), carried by endless travelling
chains, and on reaching the upper part of the incline the mud or dirt falls through
an opening into the cart to which the machine is connected. At one side of the
machine is a brush for sweeping the channels or gutters, this brush is placed at an
angle. This angle brush is held by a hanger so that it can accommodate itself to
any pitch of the channel. The main brush is likewise held by hangers which are
slotted to allow the brush to rise or fall. The main brush and the endless chains
which carry the travelling brushes are driven by gearing from one of the wheels on
which the machine is mounted. The travelling brushes work in or against guides
so as not to rise from their proper position and lose the mud or dirt. The whole of
the brushes, trough, and inclined plane (except the angle brush) are enclosed in a
casing so that no dust or dirt is raised into the atmosphere. The body of the
machine is set at an angle from the main shaft to bring the end of the transverse
brush on a line with the wheels of the machine and cart, so that the brush can
work quite up to the kerbstone. At the upper part of the casing is placed a water
tank which it is preferred to have removable. This tank is provided with an outlet
and spreader at the rear of the machine, so as to water the road behind the brushes.
As the tank will be emptying in proportion to the cart getting full, there will
never be more than the single load.
At the rear of the machine is a swivel wheel with an arrangement for lifting the
machine off its wheels and allowing it to turn on the swivel wheel when the cart to
which the machine is connected is turning round. The driving power is then out
of gear. In order to prevent the machine being driven when moving backwards,
there are ratchet wheels on the shaft of the wheels of the machine, and pauls taking
into such ratchet wheels.
Our machine can be connected with any ordinary slush or mud cart, such as are
now in use, so that the mud or dirt is swept up into the cart; but in constructing
new carts, we enclose them at the top, except that they have an opening corre-
sponding with the opening before referred to at the top of the incline.
The accompanying Drawings represent a machine constructed according to our
Invention. Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a longitudinal section.
Figure 3 is a bird's-eye view with some of the upper parts removed to allow the
internal arrangements to be seen. C is the main circular brush extending trans-
versely across the machine. X is the transverse trough or cavity into which the
brush C as it rotates sweeps the mud or dirt. Z is the flapper or apron attached to
the trough X, and trailing along the ground. This flapper is made by preference of -
vulcanized india-rubber or leather, so that it can accommodate itself to irregularities
in the road, while it sustains no damage if the machine be backed suddenly; or, as
before mentioned, this flapper may be made of metal in 6 inch or other short
lengths hung on a transverse rod. K, K, are a series of brushes carried by endless
travelling chains L, L; these brushes carry the mud or dirt from the trough X up
the inclined plane B, at the upper part of which is an opening f through which the
mud or dirt falls into the cart U. The brushes K, K, are by preference made with
a metal plate , as seen in Figure 2, to carry up the body of the mud or dirt while
the brush proper follows in the rear.
C² (Figure 3) shews in dotted lines the angle brush for working in the channels
or gutters; it would however only be necessary in towns where the channels are
very deep; it is provided with a lever for lifting it off the ground when not required
to work. It is held by a hanger so that it can accommodate itself to any pitch of
the channel. The main brush C is likewise held by hangers S which are slotted
to allow the brush to rise and fall. R, R, are the wheels on which the machine is
mounted. On the shaft or axle e of these wheels is a toothed wheel O with which
gears a wheel P on a shaft c. On this shaft is a pin wheel M, and on the shaft of
the brush C is a corresponding pin wheel M; around these pin wheels passes an
endless chain d, so that the motion which the wheel P receives from the wheel O is

page_text: transmitted to the brush C. N is a flanged sheave or pulley for the purpose of
bringing the chain d to a level lead with the pin wheel M on the shaft of the
brush C. There is another pin wheel G on the shaft c, and a corresponding wheel
Gon the shaft a;-around-these-wheels passes.an endless chain J, so that the rotation
of the shaft c is transmitted to the shaft a. This shaft a and another shaft b carry
pin wheel H, H, around which pass the endless chains L, L, carrying the brushes
K, K; the brushes thus receive the required travelling motion. These brushes
work at their ends in or against guides W, W, so that they cannot rise from their
_position in travelling up the inclined plane B. The angle brush C is driven by
gearing in the manner indicated in the Drawings. The brushes C, K, K, and the
inclined plane B are enclosed in a casing as shewn, so that no dust or dirt can
-escape. The-top of the casing is in halves which are connected to the sides by
hinges composed of iron bands; by opening the top the internal parts can be got at
for oiling, &c. A is a water tank above the casing, and which it is preferred to
have removable. T is a spreader fitted to an outlet of this tank. E is a swivel
wheel fitted to the lower end of a screw shaft. By rotating this shaft by means of
the hand wheel D and bevel gearing seen in the Drawing, the machine with its
wheels R, R, is lifted, and the weight rests on the wheel E; the machine can then
be turned in its own length when attached to the cart U. F is a lever to lift the
main brush off the ground when not required to sweep. There are ratchet wheels g
on the shaft e, into which wheels pauls Y pivoted to spokes of the wheels R, R,
take; these pauls and ratchet wheels prevent the brushes being driven when the
machine is moving backwards, and when the pauls are lifted clear of the ratchet
wheels the machine travels without driving the brushes.
There are hooked arms h fixed to the front of the machine to hook on to eyes or
loops on the cart U. i is a transverse board to prevent the back throw of the dirt
brush C.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim,
-
First. The general arrangement or combination of parts forming an improved
road sweeping and cleansing machine as hercin-after described and represented in
the accompanying Drawings:
:
Second. The combination with the trough or cavity X of the flapper or apron Z
constructed so as to accommodate itself to irregularities of the road as herein-before
described.
Third. The swivel wheel E and parts connected therewith for lifting the weight
of the main wheels R, R, to facilitate the turning of the machine as herein-before
described.
Fourth. The employment and arrangement of the angle brush as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Birbeck, for myself, and on behalf of
the said John Richardson, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nine-