IM- PROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE REPAIRING AND PAVING OF ROADS AND OTHER PLACES, THE APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR PREPARING AND DRESSING STONE SLABS AND BLOCKS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Reinhold Kühn, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, and Empire of Germany, temporarily resident at New
Bridge Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE REPAIRING AND
PAVING OF ROADS AND OTHER PLACES, THE APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE
FOR PREPARING AND DRESSING STONE SLABS AND BLOCKS.”
Scaled the 4th October 1872, and dated the 18th June 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Reinhold Kühn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th June 1872.
I, REINHOLD KÜHN, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, and Empire
3 of Germany, temporarily resident at New Bridge Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE REPAIRING AND PAVING OF ROADS
AND OTHER PLACES, THE APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR PREPARING AND
DRESSING STONE SLABS AND BLOCKS," to be as follows:-
"
This Invention relates, firstly, to means and apparatus for facilitating
the repairing and paving of roads, streets, and other places, and consists

page_text: of a series of rammers, plungers, drivers, or mallets arranged in a
moveable framing, and in which they are permitted to fall by their own
weight after being lifted or raised by cams, lugs, or other appliances
upon a horizontal shaft, which receives a rotary motion by steam,
manual, or other power. The rammers or their equivalents may be of a
any size, shape, and weight, and can be'lifted to any height to accomodate
the force of the blow to the position and nature of the surface or of the
substructure.
In fresh laying a street with, say, the ordinary cubes I level the sub-
soil or the coarse gravel to a greater height than is usual, and place the
cubes upon it, I then cause my apparatus to ram these stones into the
subsoil to the required depth, whereby a hard, solid roadway is made,
capable of withstanding the heaviest kind of traffic without fear of
indentations or hollows being formed, as is the case when laid and
rammed home by hand labour.
Secondly. I propose to fit chisels or other cutting tools into the rods
or into the hammer heads or mallets, so that worn out and smoothed
surfaces can be redressed. If the cutting tools are fitted in or to the
rods of the heads or hammers I prefer to first remove the heads and
arrange the cutters in the same holes or by the same appliances.
I arrange the framing so that the rammers or the tools can be worked
at an angle. By this means unlaid blocks or slabs can be cut or dressed
by power and more economically than by hand.
I so adopt my mechanism that any portion can be thrown into and
out of gear to determine the number of rammers or cutting tools to be
put into operation, and also for producing a twisting or a hewing action.
I do not limit my Invention to ramming or dressing blocks, as
macadam and other roads can be rammed or redressed in the same
manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Reinhold Kühn in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th December 1872.

page_text: temporarily resident at New Bridge Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Reinhold Kuhn, Her special licence that I,
the said Reinhold Kuhn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Reinhold Kuhn, my 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 "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
FACILITATING THE REPAIRING AND PAVING OF ROADS AND OTHER PLACES, THE
APPARATUS BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR PREPARING AND DRESSING STONE SLABS AND
BLOCKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Reinhold
Kuhn, 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 Reinhold Kuhn, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
This Invention relates, firstly, to means and apparatus for facilitating
the repairing and paving of roads, streets, and other places, and consists
of a series of rammers, plungers, drivers, or mallets arranged in a
movable framing, and in which they are permitted to fall by their own
weight after being lifted or raised by cams, lugs, or other appliances
upon a horizontal shaft, which receives a rotatory motion by steam,
manual, or other power. The rammers or their equivalents may be
of any size, shape, and weight, and can be lifted to any height to
accommodate the force of the blow to the position and nature of the
surface or of the substructure.

page_text: In fresh laying a street with, say, the ordinary cubes I level the sub-
soil or the coarse gravel to a greater height than is usual, and place the
cubes upon it, I then cause my apparatus to ram these stones into the
subsoil to the required depth, whereby a hard, solid roadway is made,
capable of withstanding the heaviest kind of traffic without fear of
indentations or hollows being formed, as is the case when laid and
rammed home by hand labour.
Secondly. I propose to fit chisels or other cutting tools into the rods
or into the hammer heads or mallets, so that worn out and smoothed
surfaces can be redressed. If the cutting tools are fitted in or to the
rods of the heads or rammers I prefer to first remove the heads and
arrange the cutters in the same holes or by the same appliances.
I arrange the framing so that the rammers or the tools can be worked
at an angle. By this means unlaid blocks or slabs can be cut or dressed
by power and more economically than by hand.
I so adopt my mechanism that any portion can be thrown into and
out of gear to determine the number of rammers or cutting tools to be
put into operation, and also for producing a twisting or a hewing action.
I do not limit my Invention to ramming or dressing blocks, as
macadam and other roads can be rammed or redressed in the same
manner.
The Invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying
Sheets of Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view of an apparatus consisting of a framing or
flooring A mounted upon wheels B, so that it can be moved about from
place to place either by the engine C which is upon the flooring, or by
animal power. The flooring has attached to it vertical standards D, D,
through the lower part of which and stretching across the machine is a
horizontal shaft E, upon which a series of cams or wipers F are arranged,
the shaft being driven by a belt G over a rigger H upon the engine
main shaft I, and over another rigger or band wheel J upon the cam
shaft. Above cach of the cams is a bowl K on a long arm L projecting
from the back of the rammer shaft or stem M, and by which when the
cam is rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow lifts the stem M
and with it the rammer N to the required height, and then lets it fall
by the bowl clearing the nose P of the wiper, the force with which it

page_text: strikes being determined by the weight of the ram and the height to
which it is lifted. The rammer stem M passes upwards and is guided in
its movement by rollers Q, of which there are four to each stem,
the
rollers being fitted loosely upon shafts a, a, connecting the two side
cheeks of a swing frame R, the lower inner end of which is hung upon a
transverse shaft (or pins only) to permit of the rammers and their stems
being set at an angle to the framing. By this means, such as when the
machine is upon an incline or gradient, the rammers can be caused to
fall and deliver their blows vertically upon the surface of the road or
of the subsurface requiring ramming.
The cams or wipers are preferably arranged upon the shaft in positions
to lift the rammers in succession, as shown in the end view, Figure 2,
and so keep up a succession of blows, the number of blows to be given
upon each stone or body depending upon the rate at which the machine
is caused to move forward or backward.
The rammers are arranged within the swing frame R, but some of
them are outside of the machine standards and flooring to enable the
outside ones to work close up to, say, the "curb," and so make the road
complete.
In the foregoing I have described the ramming of stone cubes to form
the surface, but the construction of the machine admits of its appli-
cation to the ramming or levelling of macadam, gravel, and other roads,
as also the ramming of concrete, ballast, or rubbish foundations used as
substructures for roadways upon which cubes or a top-dressing can be
afterwards laid or spread, and then rammed home to form a level and
solid roadway over which vehicles can pass with greater facility than
over any hand-made road.
Figure 3 represents a diagram or sketch sufficient to show what may
be termed a modification of the mode of lifting the rammers mentioned
with reference to the first two Figures. Here the rammers have each a
chain S attached which pass over rollers or chain wheels T, T, and a
link U, which embraces the cam shaft E, and also the cams by which
the links are depressed, and the rammers raised thereby.
The links have rods at their upper ends, which serve to guide them in
conjunction with the shaft in their vertical up-and-down movements, the
rods working between fixed guides V for the purpose. The rammer
stems in this case also work within a swing frame, whose angle can be

page_text: adjusted by the chain being wound up or unwound from the barrel W
on releasing the paul 6 from the ratchet wheel c on the handles d, d,
being turned to the right or to the left, as will be well understood. The
cam shaft E may be arranged to work in slots to determine the height
to which the rammers can be lifted.
The cams and their shaft can be fitted to any part of the framing, say,
in a line with the roller T, the links being horizontal so as to dispense
with the roller T. I propose to fix each cam in position by a screw bolt
passing through its nave or hub, and into or on to, say, a flat upon
the shaft E, the unloosing of which screw will allow the shaft to rotate
without imparting motion to the cam, consequently the rammer in
connection will be thrown out of gear, the nose of the cam by its
superior weight to the other part falling to the lowest point, the
rammer and its stem being supported by its arm L resting upon the
portion e of the cam, which may be padded or cushioned for the purpose
with wood or rubber. This last method gives a greater clearance at the
back of the machine, and facilitates thic stems M being set at a greater
angle than by the first-described method, an advantage of great
importance when the machine has to be used, say, for dressing or
repicking the road surface, in which case chipping or picking chisels or
tools are fastened into the stems in lieu of the rammer heads. The
stems can be prevented dropping too low at any time by lugs or stop
blocks coming foul of other lugs or stop-blocks which are fixed the
framing; or I turn the cam about, and fix it in position by a clip or
other contrivance to hold the stem up and out of action.
upon
The stop-block arrangement will be understood by reference to
Figure 4, being the block upon the stem M, and y the fixed block
upon the framing.
Here
Figure 5 shows another modification of the lifting mechanism.
the stems are lifted by the grip between revolving rollers W and loose
rollers acted upon by weights X on the ends of long arms of levers Y
centred upon the pin Z. The method of driving or lifting the rammers

page_text: in one direction, as shown by the arrow, by the friction between itself
and the shaft or shank of the rammer lifts the rammer to the height
required. The long arm of the lever L is continued downwards as at L',
and upon it slides a wedge head W and shank H. Upon the shaft or
shank of the rammer is fastened an adjustable tappet or striker T.
When the ram has been lifted by the friction driving drum to the
required height the tappet T strikes against the under side of the wedge
head W, the wedge head being wider than its shank, it forces the
wedge head between the long arm L' of the lever and the bolt S fixed
in the side plates P. The long arm L' of the lever being thus forced in
towards the machine the short arm L" carrying the friction roller F is
lifted or removed away from the shank of the rammer, which being
thus no longer acted upon by the friction driving drum falls by its own
weight and delivers its blow. The wedge head is left jammed or
fastened between the long arm L' of the lever and the bolt S. In
falling at the end of the fall the tappet strikes the pin or lug 1
projecting from the wedge shank, which draws the wedge head down,
again releases the lever, so that it again presses the shank of the rammer
against the friction driving drum, and thus again lifts the rammer for
the action to be repeated. Any lift required can be given to the
rammer by fixing adjustable pins in the shank of the wedges, so that
the tappet may strike against these instead of the under side of the
wedge. Thus the tappet when striking against the under side of the
wedge head has a lift of 3 feet, but if a pin be inserted at a so that
it will be struck by the tappet the ram will only lift 2′ 6″ at b,
2 feet at c, 1 foot 6 inches, and so on. On the ram head is a projection
or tappet R, so that if the ram descends below a certain level the lever
is thrown in, and the pressure being thus removed from the friction
driving drum the ram will not lift again. This prevents the ram from
ramming the road down below the proper level, and the ram will not
again come into action until coming as the machine advances to higher
ground the ram will be forced upwards, and the lever being thus
released the ram will again come into operation. The ram shanks and
friction drum are of wood in order to give the necessary bite or adhesion.
Each ram has its own lever and friction rollers, so the motions take
place consecutively and independently of each other, but they are all
driven by the same continuous wooden roller or friction driving drum
shown separately in Figure 7, the friction rollers F', F", acting as guides
to the rams which are also guided by the levers passing between them.

page_text: By preference the friction drum is made with the end edge of the
grain of the wood projecting outwards as affording more biting power
and lasting longer, and it is fixed on a square iron shaft turned round at
the ends for the bearings.
The spur wheel S fixed upon the shaft of the drum is driven by the
pinion P upon the fly wheel shaft U, the rim of the fly wheel V is grooved
and driven by a rope X passing round the pullics p, p, which rope at
one end passes round and is driven by a pulley or wheel on the engine,
the other end passing round a pulley fixed in an upright standard or
anchor. By this arrangement the machine can travel the distance
between the engine and the return pulley, which can be fixed any
distance from the machine or engine, without in any way affecting the
length of the driving cord or rope, or requiring any rearrangement.
This will be found an easily worked arrangement, as the speed at which
the rope and fly wheel shaft revolve give them great leverage over the
machine. The travel of the machine can either be effected by means of
a chain or rope pulled by the engine, or the leading wheels of the frame
can receive motion from the drum shaft by means of a worm and wheel,
or train of wheels or other gear.
1
The frame is supported and carried on two leading wheels in front,
the wheels being kept narrower than 6 feet, the width of the face of the
rammers, so that the rammers can be worked close up to a curbstone.
It is carried by one guide wheel behind, which can be left to trail if the
machine is required to advance in a straight line, or in going round a
curve the wheel can be set to any angle by means of the check nut
wheel N, and wheel or handle Y. The rammers weighing about cwt.
each can be lifted to any height up to 3 fect, and will make from 50
to 100 blows per minute. L' is a bandle projecting at right angles from
the long arm L' of the lever. An attendant standing in front can by
pushing any of the handles from him throw its hammer out of gear, or
by pulling the handle towards him can put its hammer into motion
again. A spring catch is attached to this handle, so that by pushing
any handle in till it catches under the beam B its hammer is thrown out
of gear, and will no longer rise and fall.
The end of the timber framing is kept back from the row of rammers,
so that in working up hill they may not fall back foul against it. The
whole of the friction and lever gear is fixed to and carried by side plates,

page_text: which side plates are capable of being turned upon an axis concentric
with the axis of the friction driving drum, so that the rams can with
the whole of their gear be swung out of the perpendicular and be
worked at any angle required. The rams can be removed at pleasure
by unscrewing or releasing a wedge and chisels, or cutting tools can
be inserted into the ram shanks or stems, or into sockets provided for
them.
I have in Figure 8 shown a pick point suitable for redressing, say, a
stone surface so as to give a better foothold for horses, a circumstance
of importance in some thoroughfares where there is a large traffic,
particularly where the road is upon an incline and worn smooth from
the continual application of skids.
I am aware that road-making machines have been suggested and
patented by earlier Inventors, but the difficulties of determining or
rather of varying the height to which the rammers could be lifted to
give the required blow, of limiting the surface which should be acted
upon by the rammers, of constructing a machine that could be worked
close up to the edge of a curb, of constructing a machine of sufficient
lightness to bring its cost within a range of a contractor's pocket, of
giving to each rammer an action independent of its neighbouring
rammer mechanism, and lastly, of arranging the mechanism so that a
continuous motion is maintained independently of the reciprocating
motion of the rammer shanks.
At present paving stones are placed by hand on the bed prepared for
them and fixed in their places by a falling weight of 50 to 60 lbs. ;
this feeble weight is insufficient to enable the foundation to resist the
pressure of heavier loads. Each paving stone therefore changes its
position in the substructure each time that it is subjected to a heavier
pressure than that which had been used to put it in its place. To
obviate this inconvenience it is necessary that paving stones should be
firmly fixed in the place where they are to remain, and this must be
effected by the employment of a heavier pressure than any to which they
can subsequently be exposed.
By the employment of my Invention paving stones can be immovably
fixed on an undoubtably solid foundation. In laying fresh pavement
the upper layer of earth in which the paving stone is embedded must be

page_text: yielding, consisting only of middling coarse gravel; very coarse gravel
would interfere with the smoothness of the surface.
The effects of my Patent system will in fresh paving immediately
demonstrate the firmness of the foundation according to the level
desired, therefore, and to provide for any later ramming which may
be necessary, the layer of gravel must be laid one or two inches in
thickness.
My Invention is a species of pile driver, which, in connection with a
locomotive, can be worked by two men. The space which can be
rammed at one time by one machine covers a breadth say, of 6 feet,
and the machine consists of twelve single rams of 6 by 6 inches or any
other dimensions, according to the size of the paving stones required.
These 12 rams are put in motion by an indented shaft or its equivalent,
with which they are connected. In one hour this steam ram can easily
finish 6 or 8 square yards of pavement. Taking a street 12 yards wide and
18 yards long, ten steam rams will in the course of 10 hours have rammed
down these 816 square yards to an even and unimpressionable surface.
Not only will these steam rams show such excellent results in the laying
down of new and the transformation of old pavement, but they will be
found to do most important service in the repairing of worn roads. Used
for this last purpose, each of the twelve single rams can be put out of
activity so that only such portions of the road as are higher than the
desired level are driven down to an equal surface with the remaining part.
This operation would require even less time than the pavement above
described, whereby the utmost durability of the pavement is obtained.
By the use of my Invention the whole trouble of taking up and
relaying pavement, with the accompanying interruptions to traffic,
will be in future avoided, or reduced to a minimum of time, trouble,
and expense.
This Invention becomes doubly valuable, indeed it receives its prin-
cipal importance from being transferable into a stone cutting machine by

page_text: the superstructure and convert the whole into a roughly even surface,
upon which every vehicle will pass almost noiselessly without any
obstruction, and upon which the heaviest traction engines can pursue
their traffic. The speed with which this work can be carried on is the
same as that for ramming the foundation to an unyielding mass. The
machine with its twelve cones of 6 by 6 (or 6 by 12) inches will carry one
chisel per square inch, or altogether 36×12=432 chisels. If we take
only 100 blows in one minute the whole machine will strike 43,200
blows. To smoothen 16 square yards in one hour the machine would
thus work for 2½ minutes on each 6 inches that it advanced, giving
108,000 strokes in that time, which would be far beyond what would be
necessary to work a slab of such dimensions to a smooth flag, leaving
the existing interstices between the stones, as necessary to prevent
horses from slipping.
This new system of superstructure for streets and roads is remarkable
for its simplicity, practicability, and cheapness. In the shortest possible
time the feasibility (24 hours perhaps) the longest streets can, with a
sufficient number of machines, be prepared for the heaviest traffic of all
kinds, including locomotive engines.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in 2
what manner the samo is to be performed, I declare that I claim, -
-
Firstly. The construction of the machine shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of
the Drawings, and the method of action of the several parts, by which
roads can be made, rammed, chipped, picked, or dressed.
Secondly. The modification shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawings,
when employed for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly. I claim the construction and arrangement of parts shown at
Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawings, by which continuous succession of
blows can be delivered by rammers or other tools upon road surfaces for
the purposes
described.
Fourthly. I claim the arrangement of mechanism by which the
rammer or tools can be set to work at an angle, for the purposos set
forth.
And, fifthly. I claim laying, dressing, picking, chiselling, or otherwise
operating upon road top or sub-surfaces by a series of tools or appliances &

page_text: fitted in stems, which have an up-and-down motion imparted to them in
the manner shown in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Reinhold Kuhn, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Seventh day of December One thousand
cight hundred and seventy-two.