Improvements in Rock-drills.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1392-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rock-drills.
I, SAMUEL GETTY MCKIERNAN, of No. 60 Prince Street, in the City of
Paterson, County of Passaic, and State of New Jersey, U.S.A., Contractor, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in rock-drills and consists in the new and
improved construction of the actuating mechanism for the drill rotating bar, in
the valve and piston operating mechanism, and in the connection of the cylinder
heads with the cylinder, as hereinafter set forth and described.
Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a rock-drill embodying my improve-
ments;
Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the rotating bar controlling disk;
Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section of a modified form of the drill
actuating mechanism;
Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the operating disk used in the modified
form shown in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a similar view of a simplified form of said disk, and
Figure 6 an enlarged detail view of the connection between the upper cylinder
head and the cylinder.
In the drawings in which similar letters, in the several views, indicate similar
parts, a is the cylinder encasing the drill actuating mechanism; 6 is the drill-
carrying-piston having upper and lower heads c and d; e is the inlet pipe into the
steam chest f, in which is placed the valve piston g having two upper heads / and i
and two lower heads j and k. Leading from valve into cylinder a are an upper
port and a lower port m, and a port n leading from the lower chamber of the
chest to the upper chamber of the cylinder a and also a port o leading from the
upper chamber of steam chest to the lower chamber of the cylinder, as indicated
by dotted lines in Figure 1. An outlet port leads from the cylinder a to the
exhaust r.
When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, steam enters the steam chest f
from inlet e and passes from said steam chest into the chamber formed by the
lower valve-piston heads ; and k, and from thence through port n into the upper
chamber of cylinder a. The steam then acts upon the upper head c of the drill
carrying piston b and thus depresses said drill carrying piston until said head passes
the port 1, which enters the chamber of the valve piston above the upper head h
thereof. The steam then enters said chamber of the valve piston and depresses
the valve until the chamber formed by the upper heads hand of said valve piston
are brought opposite the port o, leading from the steam chest f to the lower
chamber of the cylinder a. The port n leading to the upper chamber is then
g
closed. Steam then enters said lower chamber below the lower head d of drill
carrying piston b, and throws said piston upward, until port m of the steam chest f
is opened. Steam from said lower chamber will then pass into said steam chest
below the head h of the valve piston g and throw said valve piston 9 upwards, until
port a leading to the upper chamber of the cylinder a is in communication with the
steam chest, and the port o leading to the lower chamber of the cylinder is closed.
The operation continues as above described whilst the drill is in operation. All
exhaust steam passing between the beads c and d of the drill carrying piston
passes through port p into the exhaust e. The exhaust from the upper and lower
ends of the cylinder a passes through ports n and o respectively (between the discs i
and) into the exhaust e.

page_text: C
The head of the drill carrying piston is tapped for the reception of drill-
rotating-bars, to which shank is firmly secured the disk u having its upper face
toothed. Above this disk u, and having similar teeth on its under surface, is
arranged' a corresponding disk v. The teeth on the surface of these disks u and v
are so cut, that they will allow a rotation of disk u in one,direction only.
The upper disk is placed below the cylinder head a' and is attached thereto
in the following ways.
In Figures 1 and 2 the upper surface of the disk vis furnished with a series of
sockets and arranged radially about the center of the disk. The cylinder
head a' is furnished with a series of alternate pins a² and sockets a³ corresponding
in number and registering with the sockets 1 and 2 in the disk v. The pins a
enter into the sockets v in the disk v, and in the double socket 2 and a³ are placed
spiral springs . These spiral springs are adapted to control the disk v and thus
the lower disk u and the drill rotating bar s.
In Figures 3 and 4 is shown a modified form of a drill rotating device. The
clamping block or plate 3 is pivoted eccentrically to the under surface of the
cylinder head a¹ and operated against spring 5. The upper surface of disk u is
provided with an annular flange or ring u¹, fitting in a groove in the surface
of the plate v.
It will be seen that when the disk u is turned in the direction of the arrow
(Figure 4), the force of spring is overcome and the groove v of the eccentric
plate binds but loosely upon the annular ring u¹ and offers no resistance to the
rotation of said disk u; but when it is attempted to rotate the disk u in the
opposite direction, the groove of plate ³, under influence of spring binds tightly
upon the ring of disk u and prevents the rotation of said disk.
In the form shown in Figure 5, the disk u is provided with a circular flange or
wall u². To the under side of the cylinder head a¹ is pivoted a pawl 6 controlled
by, a spring and is adapted to bind upon the inner side of flange u² of disk .
When said disk u is rotated in the direction. of the arrow, the spring 7 is depressed
allowing the pawl to bind very slightly against the wall of the disk; but
should the disk u attempt to rotate in the opposite direction, the pawl assisted
by springs 7, binds tightly against said wall 2 and thus prevents rotation.
In all drills of the character described the up and down motion of the drill
carrying piston exerts a great strain upon the cylinder heads a¹ and a³, and fre-
quently, when said cylinder heads a¹ and a* are simply bolted to the cylinder, the
strain is sufficient to fracture or break one or both of said heads.
In the present improvement it is proposed to connect said cylinder heads a¹
and at by rods or bolts a passing through flanges y y¹ of the cylinder and cylinder
heads respectively and bolted by means of nuts z. Between the nut z and the
flange of the cylinder head is placed a washer 22 and an elastic strip or
bushing ¹. This elastic strip z¹ allows of a slight yielding of the cylinder head,
sufficient to maintain an elastic but firm connection between the cylinder heads
and the cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
:-
1. The combination with, the cylinder, the cylinder head the piston, valve
heads h, i, j, k, and, valve chest f, of the ports n, o, leading from said chest f, to
opposite ends of the cylinder, and ports. l, m, leading from said cylinders: to the
upper and lower piston.chambers and the exhaust port p, and elastic connections
between the cylinder heads and the cylinder, all arranged substantially as described.
2. The combination with the cylinder, the piston, the valve, steam chest and
ports communicating with the chest, and cylinder, of the drill rotating bars engaging,
the piston and of the toothed disks u and v. engaging with; each other, the upper
disk of which is provided with a. series of radially arranged sockets, and of the
cylinder head a' having a series of radially arranged alternate pins and sockets.

page_text: registering with the sockets in said disk and spiral springs placed in the combined
sockets of said cylinder head and disk, substantially as described.
v
3. In a rock-drill the combination of the drill rotating bar s, and toothed disk u,
with the toothed disk having in its upper surface a series of radially arranged
sockets and with the cylinder head a' having in its upper surface sockets corre-
sponding with certain sockets in the disk and carrying pins engaging in certain
other sockets in said disk r and with spirally arranged springs placed in the
combined sockets of said cylinder head and upper disk, substantially as described.
4. In a rock-drill the combination of the drill rotating bar and disk u having
on its upper surface an annular ring u³, with the cylinder head a' carrying on
its under surface an eccentrically pivoted plate v³ having groove and. controlled
by spring, said plate and groove being adapted to clamp and bind the
ring u of disk u when said disk is attempted to be rotated in one direction, but
to bind loosely and allow the rotation of said disk in the opposite direction,
substantially as described.
5. In a rock-drill the combination of the drill rotating bar and disk u bearing
on its upper surface a circular flange or wall u², with the cylinder head a¹ carrying
on its under surface an eccentrically pivoted pawl 8 controlled by spring v², said
pawl being so arranged as to press firmly upon the flange u² of disk u and thus
prevent said disk from rotating in one direction, but to press loosely upon said
Hange u and allow the rotation of said disk in the opposite direction, substantially
as described.
6. The herein described elastic connection of the cylinder heads with the
cylinder, which consists of the bolts & nuts and elastic strips ¹¹ all arranged
substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of November 1909
J. P. BAYLY,
18, Fulham Place, W., Agent for the Applicant.