IMPROVEMENTS TN COUPLINGS FOR BORING TOOLS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Tilley, of Queen Street, Cheapside,
in the City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
TN COUPLINGS FOR BORING TOOLS."
Sealed the 15th April 1868, and dated the 20th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Henry Tilley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th November 1867.
I, THOMAS HENRY TILLEY, of Queen Street, Cheapside, in the City of
London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR BORING TOOLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel mode of coupling the rods used in boring
earth with each other and with their boring tools. The common practice is to
screw one end of the rod and to fit it into a screwed socket in the adjoining
rod and the same arrangement has been adopted for securing the boring tool.
It has however been found that the severe strain to which the boring apparatus
is subject in working through hard ground frequently causes the screwed ends to
snap at the shoulder and thus the operation is greatly delayed besides constant
expensive renewals of rods being required. In order to avoid these difficulties.
I make the coupling rods with a screwed socket at their oppostie ends to
receive a detached screw, and the tools I form with a similar screwed socket.

page_text: The screw I form with a coarse thread and either nick its ends or give it a
square head (of smaller section than the screw) at its opposite ends to
facilitate the insertion of the screw in its socket and withdrawal therefrom
when required. When the screw has been inserted for about half its length
in the socket of one rod it is ready to receive the socket of another rod at its
opposite end. The effect of the twisting strain put on the rods when the
apparatus is in work will be to draw the rods closer together and to throw the
strain upon the screw in the direction of its axis. Instead therefore of the
boring apparatus having a tendency to break under strain at the couplings it
will be strongest at those parts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Henry Tilley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAB
HENRY TILLEY, of Queen Street, Cheapside, in the City of London, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Henry Tilley, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Henry Tilley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Henry Tilley, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR BORING TOOLS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Henry Tilley, 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 Thomas Henry Tilley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-.

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a novel mode of coupling the rods used in boring
earth with each other and with their bits or boring instruments. The common
practice is to form a screw on one end of the rod and a tapped socket on the
other, and to fit the screw of the one rod into the socket of the adjoining rod;
the like arrangement has also been adopted for attaching the boring instru-
ment to the coupling rod. It has however been found that the severe strain
to which the boring apparatus is subject in working through hard ground
frequently causes the screwed ends to snap at the shoulder, and thus constant
expensive renewals of rods are required, besides great loss of time being
incurred by the suspension of operations while the renewals are being effected.
In order to avoid these difficulties I make the coupling rods with a screwed
socket at their opposite ends to receive a detached coupling screw made alike
at both ends, and the stem of the bit or boring instrument I form with a
similar screwed socket so that by inserting the screw for say one half of its
length in one socket and screwing the socket that is to be coupled up on the
other end of the screw a firm and strong coupling is obtained."
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in section the sockets of two
adjoining rods with the coupling screw in its place, and Fig. 2 is a similar
view with the parts detached.
A and B are the tapped sockets of two coupling rods, or it may be of a rod
and the stem of a boring instrument, and C is the screw by which the sockets
are held securely together. This screw C is formed with a coarse thread, and
it may be nicked at either end to enable a screwdriver to act upon it, but I
prefer to form the screw as shewn in the Drawing, that is, with a square head
(of smaller section than the screw) at its opposite ends to receive a spanner
and facilitate the insertion of the screw in its socket and its withdrawal
therefrom when required. The screw having been inserted for about half its
length in the socket of one rod is ready to receive at its opposite end the
socket of another rod which is screwed into its place or withdrawn therefrom
after the ordinary manner of coupling boring tool rods.
From the foregoing explanation it will be readily understood that the effect
of the twisting strain put (when the apparatus is in work) upon rods coupled
according to my Invention will be to draw the rods closer together and to
throw the strain upon the screw C in the direction of their axis. Instead
therefore of the boring apparatus having a tendency to break under strain at
the couplings it will be strongest at those parts.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Couplings for Boring Tools," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim, coupling the parts of which boring tools are composed
in the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Henry Tilley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
THOMAS TILLEY. (L.S.)