Improvements in Rock Drills.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 2nd Feb., 1895
Improvements in Rock Drills.
We HARVEY PEIRCE JONES, Bridge Builder, and GEORGE BELLE JONES,
Miner, both of 137 W 2nd Avenue, Denver in the County of Arapahoe, State of
Colorado, United States of America do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Our invention relates to improvements in rock drills; and the object of our
invention is to produce a comparatively simple machine which may be adjusted at
any angle, which has a vertically adjustable support capable of holding the drill in
almost any kind of a place where it would be desirable to work it, which is provided
with a spring-propelled hammer adapted to strike with great force on the drill,
which may be easily operated by means of a crank handle, which has a very simple
mechanism for turning the drill after each blow of the hammer, which has a sliding
frame or carriage adapted to move easily on its support, and which is constructed
in such a manner that the recoil of the drill serves to feed it forward so as to hold ·
it always in position for rapid drilling.
To these ends our invention consists of certain features of construction and
combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part in this
Specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the views.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine embodying our invention.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same;
Figure 3 is a detail sectional plan, showing the arrangement of the extensible
track and the means for supporting and adjusting the frame;
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section of the drill frame and its
support;
Figure 5 is a detail plan view of the drill frame and its mechanism with the upper
half of the frame removed;
Figure 6 is a vertical cross section on the line 6-6 of Figure 4;
Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of the lever for releasing the pawls of the
drill frame and track;
Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional plan on the line 8-8 of Figure 1, showing in
detail the means for regulating the height of the supporting standard;
Figure 9 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the drill frame and its
support, showing the means of supplementing the feed; and
Figure 10 is a broken inverted plan view of the construction shown in Figure 9.
The machine is provided with a tubular drill frame 10, which is preferably
cylindrical and is composed of upper and lower half sections 11 and 12, which have
meeting flanges 13 adapted to be bolted together and on the under side of the lower
section 12 is a way 14 which receives the track 15, this being of a generally
rectangular shape and provided with flanges at top and bottom, as shown clearly in
Figure 6, to enable it to be dovetailed into the way 14 and also into the bed 16
which serves as a support for the drill frame and which swings on a vertical axis,
so that the angle of the drill may be readily adjusted, the bed having thereon a
transverse sleeve 17 which at one edge is provided with serrations 18 adapted to
engage the similarly serrated part of the boss 19 on the clamp 20 by which the drill

page_text: Irame and the mechanism above described are secured to the supporting standard of
the machine.
The clamp 20 has projecting from the boss 19 a spindle or arm 21, which extends
through the sleeve 17 and a bolt 22 enters the end of this spindle, the bolt being
provided with a handle 23 to enable it to be tightened, and in this way the sleeve 17
may be forced into close contact with the boss 19 so as to fasten the bed rigidly to
the boss, and by loosening the bolt and tilting the bed and again tightening the
bolt the bed may be fixed at any desired angle. The spindle 21 and boss 19 project
from one jaw 24 of the clamp 20, this jaw being hinged to a corresponding jaw 25
and the two jaws have meeting flanges 26 which are held together by a bolt 27,
this being preferably provided with a handle 28.
The clamp 20 is adapted to clasp the standard 29 which is hollow and has, at its
lower end a screw 30 adjustable up and down, and seated in a claw 31 which is
adapted to form the bearing for the lower end of the standard. The upper end of
the standard has an extensible rod 32 which terminates in a rigid claw 33 adapted
to fit against an upper wall, so that in case the drill is used in a mine or equivalent
place the standard may be fastened between two opposite walls and it may be
fastened in either a vertical, horizontal or any other convenient position.
The upper end of the standard 29 has a T34 attached to it, and in this T is held
a follower 35 shaped to fit the rod 32 and forced into close contact with the rod 32
by a bolt 36 which is threaded in the outer end of the T, sce Figure 8, and has a
handle 37 by which it may be turned. It will thus be seen that the standard may
be readily adjusted as to length, that the clamp 20 may be fastened to it so as to
hold the bed 16 in the desired position, and that the bed may be adjusted vertically
as specified, so as to set the drill at the correct angle.
The track 15 is provided, on its under side, with recesses 38 which are adapted to
engage a slide pin 39 which is normally pressed upward by a spring and which is
arranged in the bed 16 so as to move vertically, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. The
lower end of the pin 39 is pivoted to a can: lever 40 on the under side of the bed 16,
and by turning down the lever the pin is drawn down so as to permit the track_15
to be moved freely on the bed and adjusted as desired. The lever 40 is just below
the longitudinal strengthening rib 41 of the bed.
On the upper side of the track is a longitudinal row of ratchet teeth 42, the
inclined sides of which are towards the rear end of the drill frame, and these teeth
are adapted to engage a series of pawls 43 which move vertically in the lower
portion of the tubular frame 10 of the drill, the pawls being pressed downward by
springs and beveled so as to nicely fit the teeth. The shanks 44 of the pawls 43
are held in a plate 45 which is arranged in the frame 10 and which is just above the
bent crank 46 of the lever 47, see Figure 7, which is journaled transversely in the
drill frame and has bent ends 48 which serve as handles so that, by grasping one of
these and tilting the lever, the crank 46 may be thrown against the plate 45 so as to
lift the plate and pawls and permit the sliding of the drill frame on the track 15.
The object of this arrangement of pawls and ratchet teeth is to enable the drill
frame to be fed forward by the recoil, as the pawls, being suddenly checked by the
teeth, cause the rebound to throw the drill frame forward, and to enable the pawls
to always quickly engage the teeth they are arranged so that when one is in close
engagement with a tooth another will be a third of the way up a tooth and the
other will be two-thirds of the way up a tooth.
On the side edges of the bed 16 are teeth 49, the teeth on the opposite sides being
of opposite pitch, and these teeth are adapted to engage rigid pawls or arms 50 on
the slides 51 which are mounted on rods 52 held in lugs 53 on the sides of the
irame 10, and the slides are pressed by springs 54 so as to hold the arms 50 in close
contact with the teeth 49. When the arms are not to engage the teeth, they may
be turned up and held in catches 55 on the sides of the frame 10. The object of
this arrangement is to supplement the feed, that is, the ratchet teeth 42 and pawls 43,
as when drilling overhead the arm 50 on one side may be made to engage the
teeth 49 so as to assist in holding up the drill frame and take the strain off the feed,

page_text: while in drilling down, the opposite arm will be thrown in engagement with the
teeth so as to prevent the drill from being fed too rapidly. For horizontal work
both arms may be thrown out of engagement with the teeth.
In the front end of the tubular drill frame is a ratchet wheel 56, the teeth of
which are on one side, as shown in Figure 4, and this ratchet wheel has an
clongated hub which serves as the drill holder 57, and the hub projects outward
through a reduced end 58 of the drill frame and inward into a suitable bearing 57ª,
see Figure 5. The drill holder receives the end of the drill shaft 60 which projects
through the inner end of the drill holder so as to receive the bolt of the hammer,
and the outer end 59 of the drill holder is enlarged and provided with a transverse
key-way to receive a key 61 which extends through a key-way notch 61* in the
drill shaft 60, thus locking the shaft to the drill holder so as to prevent its
displacement, but the notch 61 is wider than the key so that the drill has sufficient
independent movement to permit it to enter the rock when struck by a hammer,
but the recoil causes the shoulder of the key-way to strike the key, thus moving the
drill holder and frame in the manner described below. The key 61 is held in place
by a spring pin 61° which projects through the thick end 59 of the drill holder and
into a socket in the key as shown clearly in Figure 4.
The inner end of the drill shank projects slightly beyond the drill holder, so that
it may be effectively struck by the sliding hammer 64 which moves in guides 65
consisting of transverse ribs in the tubular drill frame, and the hammer has a reduced
shank 66 which is preferably circular in cross section, this projecting into a spring
barrel 67 which is held in the inner end of the frame 10, the barrel being held in
suitable ribs or supports 68 and it has a collar 70 abutting with one of the ribs so
as to prevent the displacement of the barrel. The rear end of the spring barrel 67
is closed by a cap 71 which is provided with slots 72, like those of the ordinary
bayonet joint, adapted to receive a pin 73 on the spring barrel, and this arrange-
ment enables the cap to be adjusted longitudinally and held securely so as to give
the desired tension to the spring 69 which is a powerful spring capable of throwing
the hammer 64 forward with the desired force.
On the top of the hammer 64 is formed a rack 74 which engages the mutilated
gear wheel 75, this having teeth on its opposite edges so that it actuates the hammer
twice at every revolution. The gear wheel is hung on the shaft 76 which is
supported in lugs 77 on the sides of the drill frame, and the shaft has squared ends
to receive the crank 78 by which it is turned, both ends of the shaft being squared
so that the crank handle may be applied to either end, as desired. The gear
wheel 75 turns in a slot in the top of the frame 10, and to prevent any dirt or other
débris from falling into the frame the slot and gear wheel are covered by a hood 79.
On one side of the gear wheel are cams 80 which are adapted to engage the bent
end 81, see Figure 5, of the horizontally oscillating lever 82 which is arranged
above the hammer 64 and is fulcrumed on the bolt 83 which holds in place a
saddle 84 serving as a guide for the lever. In the front end of the lever 82 is held
a pawl 85 which is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 56 and is
pressed into engagement with said teeth by a spring 86, see Figare 5.
It will be observed that every time the gear wheel 75 is rotated the cam 80 will
tilt the lever 82 and thus turn the ratchet wheel, drill holder and drill, and the cams
are arranged so that the drill will be turned just after it has been struck by the
hammer. A spring-pressed pawl 56 held in a casing 56, see Figure 4, prevents
the ratchet wheel from turning back. The lever 82.is pushed back, after being
actuated by a cam, by a spring 87 which presses against one side of it, as shown in
Figure 5. The hammer has on opposite sides, projecting arms 88, which are
adapted to strike the cushions 89 when the hammer is thrown forward, these
cushions being arranged on opposite sides of the hammer in suitable recesses in the
frame, and any cushion adapted for. the purpose may be used, but each cushion is
preferably of leather or rubber or both combined, the yielding part being held
between clamping plates which may be adjusted so as to regulate the resiliency of
the cushion.

page_text: It will be seen from the above description that the drill may be arranged at any
necessary angle and when the gear wheel 75 is turned, the teeth of it push the
hammer back against the tension of the spring 69, and when the teeth leave the
rack on the hammer, the spring throws the hammer violently forward against
the drill and, at the same time, the arms 88 strike the cushions 89 which absorb a
portion of the shock and at the same time assist in the recoil which effects the feel,
and the drill frame is thrown forward against the key 61 and the drill shaft which
causes the frame to suddenly recoil, but its backward movement is prevented by the
pawls 43 catching against the teeth 42 and so that the drill frame is again thrown
forward, thus carrying the drill into close proximity to the rock which is being
drilled. As soon as the blow is struck on the drill the cam 80 and lever 82 turn
the ratchet wheel and drill in the manner already described.
It will be also understood from the above description that as the mechanism is all
contained in the tubular frame, it is kept from getting clogged with dirt, and the
whole mechanism is protected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,―
1. A rock drill, comprising a supporting standard, a bed adjustably secured to
the standard, a longitudinally movable track on the bed, a fastening device to hold
the track to the bed, a drill frame arranged to slide on the track, a ratchet con-
nection between the drill frame and the track, and drill mechanism carried by the
frame, substantially as described.
2. The combination, of the bed having ratchet teeth thereon, the track supported
on the bed and provided with ratchet teeth, the drill frame carrying drilling
mechanism, the pawls in the drill frame to engage the teeth of the track, and the
spring-pressed slides on the sides of the drill frame having arms to engage the
teeth of the bed, substantially as described.
3. In a rock drill, in combination, a supporting bed having ratchet teeth 49 and
having a track-way, a drill frame longitudinally movable thereon, and spring-
pressed slides 51 on the drill frame having arms 50 adapted to move into
engagement with such teeth, substantially as shown and for the purposes
described.
4. The combination, with the bed having at opposite sides the ratchet portions,
the teeth of which incline in reverse directions, the track supported on the bed and
provided with ratchet teeth, the drill frame carrying drilling mechanism, the pawls
in the drill frame to engage the teeth of the rack, and swinging slides secured on
the opposite sides of the drill frame, spring-pressed in opposite directions, said slides
having arms adapted to be moved into engagement with the teeth on the bed, all
arranged substantially as shown and for the purposes described.
5. The combination, with the bed frame, the drill frame comprising a casing
longitudinally movable on the bed and the drill holder carried thereby having at n
point within the casing a ratchet wheel, of the spring-pressed hammer held within
the casing, having a ratchet portion, the revoluble mutilated gear wheel held to
engage such rack portion, said gear having a cam at one side, and an oscillating
lever pivoted in the casing, having one end held to engage the ratchet wheel and
the other in engagement with the cam on the gear wheel, all substantially as shown
and described.
6. The combination, with the drill frame casing, the revoluble drill holder therein
having a ratchet wheel, and the spring-pressed hammer having a rack portion, of
the mutilated gear journaled within the casing, adapted to engage the said rack
portion, said gear having cams at one side, the pivoted lever 82 held in the casing,
having one end held in engagement with the cam, and a spring-actuated pawl held
in the opposite end of the lever and adapted to engage the ratchet wheel, all
substantially as shown and described.
7. A rock drill, comprising a supporting standard, a bed clamped to the

page_text: standard, a track longitudinally adjustable on the bed, a drill frame carried by the
track, drilling mechanism mounted in the drill frame, and ratchet devices to feed
the drill frame forward by the recoil of the drill, substantially as described.
8. In a rock drill, the combination with the drill frame and its support, of the
reciprocating drill in the frame, a cushion for the drill and hammer, and
mechanism for feeding the frame forward by the recoil of the drill, substantially as
described.
9. The combination, with the drill frame and its support, of the drill holder in
the frame, the drill mounted in the holder, the reciprocating hammer to strike the
drill, the arms on the hammer, and cushions arranged in the paths of the arms,
substantially as described.
10. The combination with the drill frame, the revoluble drill holder therein, the
ratchet wheel on the drill holder and the spring pressed reciprocating hammer, of
the mutilated gear wheel to move the hammer against its spring, the cams on the
side of the gear wheel, the tilting lever mounted in the frame and actuated by the
cams, and a pawl carried by the lever to engage the ratchet wheel of the drill
holder, substantially as described.
11. In a rock drill, the combination with the revoluble drill holder, of the drill
having a notch in its shank, the key extending through the drill bolder and the
notch in the drill shank, and the spring pin to hold the key, substantially as
described.
12. A rock drill, having its several parts constructed and arranged substantially
as shown in the drawings and described in the foregoing Specification.
101
1004
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.