IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM EXCAVATORS
Year: 1885

page_text: .
I JOHN BILLINGHAM of 5 Hazlewood Road, Northampton in the County of
Northampton Contractor do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM EXCAVATORS to be as follows:-
It relates to improvements in appliances for the excavation and removal of earth
and other material met with in the formation of railway cuttings, docks, canals and
other works.
I construct a travelling stage or platform, mounted upon wheels or slides, upon
& within which is supported the whole of my apparatus.
At the fore end of the stage I have a curved roller path with an iron rack laid
throughout its length and mounted upon the path on wheels or rollers I have two
travelling bearers each carrying a pivoted arm or lever.
To the fore end of each arm is attached a cutting piece and scoop for excavating
and raising the material, so fixed by a hinge and cranks that it may be made to
tilt over and discharge the material contained.
Mounted also upon each travelling bearer I have a trough the fore end of which
remains always at or near the point of level attained by the scoop when the arm is
raised to its full height, into which trough the material is discharged from the
scoop and conveyed to tip waggons in the rear of the machine, whether by
gravitation or accelerated by means of revolving or travelling blades working
within the said trough.
The two arms are raised and lowered alternately by ropes or chains passed over
pullies and attached to a drum driven by a steam or other engine, which engine is
also supported upon the travelling stage or platform before named.
After an arm has been depressed to its lowest point the whole apparatus is
moved forward a sufficient distance by a rack work or screw motion, causing the
cutting piece to penetrate the earth or material. The arm is then raised as before
mentioned and the scoop becomes charged with the excavated material.
Whilst one of the arms is being raised the other arm is being lowered and the
whole apparatus is moved forward again as before described.
The two travelling bearers also have a lateral motion and after each cut are
moved a sufficient distance by a rack work or screw motion to place the cutting
piece at a new face of the cutting.

page_text: Each travelling bearer carrying the arm and scoop is also provided with a
backward and forward motion by means of rack work or screw so that the thrust
of the arm or lever may be adjusted for a fresh cut after each operation for a
certain number of cuts in the width of the cutting, without the necessity of moving
the general stage or platform.
'I JOHN BILLINGHAM of 5 Hazlewood Road, Northampton, in the County of
Northampton Contractor do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM EXCAVATORS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
It relates to improvements in appliances for the excavation and removal of earth
and other material met with in the making of railways, Docks, Canals and other
works.
I construct a travelling framework or stage mounted upon wheels or slides for
supporting the whole of my apparatus.
At the fore end of the stage I construct an elevated platform upon which I lay
down a curved roller path with an iron rack for supporting and moving a traveller
or travelling bearer upon which is pivoted an arm or lever.
To the fore end of the said arm or lever I attach a cutting piece and scoop for
excavating and raising the material, so fitted that it may be made to tilt over and
discharge the material.
The travelling bearer also carries a trough the fore end of which remains at or
near the level of the scoop. The material is discharged from the scoop into the
trough and conveyed to waggons in the rear of the machine either by gravitation
or by means of revolving blades or bands working within the said trough.
The travelling bearer with the arm and scoop and trough, is used in duplicate (if
required) on one machine the said arms and scoops being raised and lowered
alternately by ropes or chains passing over pullies and attached to a drum driven
by a steam or other engine which engine is supported upon the said travelling
framework or stage.
When an arm has been lowered to the full extent it is thrust forward by means
of working a screw slide on the travelling bearer, or by the moving forward of the
whole machine until the cutter of the scoop has sufficiently penetrated the face of

page_text: the cutting, when it is raised to a given height and the material is discharged. The
arm and scoop is again lowered and adjusted for a fresh cut while the duplicate arm
and scoop is being raised and charged with material.
I will now proceed to describe my invention more minutely by reference to the
accompanying drawings, and the letters and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of the machine, A. A represents the general platform
or travelling stage and carried on wheels a. a. a to run on rails a¹ and for sake of
stability I prefer three lines of rails instead of two as is usual, Upon the platform
I have an engine b, working a drum or winding apparatus c.
An elevated platform B. having a curved front is erected upon the platform A at
the fore end thereof and upon the top of the said elevated platform B I construct a
curved roller path e, having flanged or grooved guides, and an iron rack f, the
roller path and rack forms a curve or seginent of a circle radiating from a point
nearly perpendicular to the roller drum and guides g. Mounted upon the roller
path I have a travelling bearer C fitted with a pinion wheel h, to run in the iron
rack. and provided with suitable grooved and tongued plates to correspond with
the guides e, of the roller path, The travelling bearer Ċ is also furnished with
slides i, Fig. 4 fitted at right angles to the roller path and with a screw motion to
give it a backward and forward movement; upon the top of the travelling bearer C
is pivoted an arm or lever D supporting at the fore end à scoop or bucket E and at
the back end a pulley j, The arm or lever is free to move up and down vertically.
The scoop or bucket is furnished with a cutting edge k, or it may have a serrated
or pronged termination-according to the nature of the material to be excavated,
In connection with or near unto the scoop I have a shoot or trough 1, so arranged
that when the scoop has become charged with excavated material and raised to a
given height, the material will discharge itself by gravity or otherwise through an
opening in the side or end of the scoop into the shoot or trough 1, whence it passes
into waggons or special contrivances hereinafter described.
I prefer the trough l, to branch off at or near the scoop or bucket into two parts
one portion passing on each side of the arm or lever shewn in Fig. 2, 1. l.
To assist the discharge of material through the trough I have an endless flexible
strap or band s. running over a series of rollers within the said trough and return-
ing underneath it and reentering the same through a slit or opening conveniently
placed therein t. Figs 1. and 2.
To facilitate the removal of the excavated material I have a trough F on the
elevated platform B, and at right angles to the line of cutting.
Within this trough F. I have an endless flexible band or strap v. carried on
a series of rollers and returning underneath, motion being given to it by one or
more rollers worked by a small engine or other power, this band may be extended
beyond the limits of the machine to any convenient distance.
When the arm or lever is raised the excavated material passes down the shoots
or troughs 1, into the trough containing the endless (delivery) band and is thereby
carried away from the machine into waggons or from the cutting as the case may
require.
When necessary. I place the endless delivery band or strap and trough F length-
ways instead of at right angles to the cutting and thereby dispose of the material
at the rear of the machine.
In place of the endless delivery band or strap in the trough, I may use an
endless line or train of travelling boxes Fig. 5. connected together by chains or rods
and driven by a revolving block m.
The arm or lever is raised and lowered by means of a wire rope n, passing from
the pulley j, at the end of the arm D, and under the roller g, and wound onto a
drum c.
I do not confine myself to the use of one arm or lever but may use two or more
arms or levers with their appurtenances and travelling gear working upon the same
roller path and rackway, in which case I use additional drums in such manner that
the arms or levers are raised and lowered alternately.

page_text: Fig. 4. represents the details of the travelling bearer C in Fig. 1. above
described.
In order to prevent the machine from a backward movement when in operation
I apply a clutch bar o, connected with a screw jack or similar appliance to fix to
the rail on each side and secured to the framework A of the machine. By means
of this appliance which may be lengthened the whole machine is thrust forward.
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 curved roller and rack path for supporting and moving the travelling
bearers carrying the Arms or Levers, as described in Figure 2, e and f.
2. The pivoted Arm or Lever with scoop attached mounted upon the travelling
bearer shewn in Figure 1. D.
3. The endless bands or straps v. 8 running upon rollers within the troughs l. 1.
for carrying and delivering the excavated material, shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
4. The endless train of travelling boxes or skips shewn in Figure 5.
5. The general construction, combination and arrangement of parts of the
Excavating Machine or any modified arrangement thereof substantially as
herein before described and represented in the drawings attached hereto and
Figured 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.