Improvements in Machinery for Breaking up Roads.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1898-Accepted. 1st July. 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Breaking up Roads.
We, ROBERT HENRY FOWLER, and THOMAS BENSTEAD, both of the Steam Plough
Works, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object appliances for scarifying or breaking up the
surface of roads previous to repairs, it is applicable for use with a steam roller or
traction engine. According to our invention the scarifying machine is mounted
on the main driving axle and axle bearing around which it is free to turn, and the
main driving axle alone takes the strain and jar of the sacrifying action. The
machine is not fastened to any part of the engine, tank, or boiler, otherwise than
by being pivotted on the main axle, and axle bearing. The machine consists
of a frame which has a balanced action, and carries a set of tools at each end one
set of tools in front of road wheel being balanced by another behind the road
wheel, and when one set of tools is scarifying, the other set is raised out of work.
The frame of the machine is always in tension, and the driving wheels of the
engine always travel on unbroken road. In former inventions with a similar
object, the tools at work are held in the ground by being secured to the firebox,
boiler, or tank of the engine; this is very objectionable, because the jar due to
the tools working in hard roads soon destroys the part of the engine to which the
attachment is made. The frame has two members carried one on each side
of the driving wheel of the roller or traction engine. The outside frame is pivotted
on the main axle and the inside frame on the main axle or on the axle bearing,
and both ends of the frame are free to radiate around the main axle and bearing.
At each end of the machine we carry a head or block into which the scarifying
tools are secured: the depth of work is regulated by means of hand screws, which
control the position of this head or block in relation to the road level and the frame,
so that by lengthening or shortening the screws the tools are raised or lowered.
The jar and vibration on the screws and frame during scarifying is minimised by
springs, which at the same time give certain elasticity causing the tools to
adapt themselves freely to the variation in the roads. To ensure the tools being
kept into work in whichever direction they are travelling, each end of the frame
carries a strut or arm hinged by one end to the frame, and to the other end a
wheel or runner is attached. When working, the leading arm is forced by friction
on the road into a vertical position, the wheel or runner rolling on the road and
thus raising the idle end of the frame carrying the scarifying tools and forcing
the active tools into their work. The trailing arm and wheel or runner take a
horizontal position. On reversing the engine to travel in the reverse direction,
the frame is automatically tilted over, disengaging the set of scarifying tools
that have been working, and bringing the other set of tools into operation. These
hinged arms or struts may be fitted with tines or teeth forming a rake by which
the broken metal is disturbed and levelled at the same operation. Springs placed
between the wheels or runners and the arms or struts give elasticity and prevent

page_text: the scarifying tools from lifting the driving wheels of the engine off the ground,
and cause them to follow more uniformly the contour of the road being broken.
The roller or engine may carry two scarifying machines one on each side.
Dated this 30th day of June 1807
R. H. FOWLER.
THOMAS BENSTEAD.
We, ROBERT HENRY FOWLER, and THOMAS BENSTEAD, both of the Steam Plough
Works, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
The invention has for its object appliances for scarifying or breaking up the
surface of roads previous to repairs, it is applicable for use with a steam roller or
traction engine. According to our invention the scarifying machine is mounted
on the main driving axle and axle bearing around which it is free to turn, and the
main driving axle alone takes the strain and jar of the scarifying action. The
machine is not fastened to any part of the engine, tank, or boiler, otherwise than
by being pivotted on the main axle, and axle bearing. The machine consists
of a frame which has a balanced action, and carries a set of tools at each end, one
set of tools in front of road wheel being balanced by another behind the road
wheel, and when one set of tools is scarifying, the other set is raised out of work.
The frame of the machine is always in tension, and the driving wheels of the
engine always travel on unbroken road. In former inventions with a similar
object, the tools at work are held in the ground by being secured to the firebox,
boiler, or tank of the engine; this is very objectionable, because the jar due to
the tools working in hard roads soon destroys the part of the engine to which the
attachment is made. The frame has two members carried one on each side
of the driving wheel of the roller or traction engine. The outside frame is pivotted
on the main axle and the inside frame on the main axle or on the axle bearing,
and both ends of the frame are free to radiate around the main axle and bearing.
At each end of the machine we carry a head or block into which the scarifying
tools are secured; the depth of work is regulated by means of hand screws, which
control the position of this head or block in relation to the road level and the frame,
so that by lengthening or shortening the screws the tools are raised or lowered.
The jar and vibration on the screws and frame during scarifying is minimised by
springs, which at the same time give certain clasticity causing the tools to
adapt themselves freely to the variation in the roads. To ensure the tools being
kept into work in whichever direction they are travelling, each end of the frame
carries a strut or arm hinged by one end to the frame, and to the other end a
wheel or runner is attached. When working, the leading arm is forced by friction
on the road into a vertical position, the wheel or runner rolling on the road and
thus raising the idle end of the frame carrying the scarifying tools and forcing
the active tools into their work. The trailing arm and wheel or runner take a
horizontal position. On reversing the engine to travel in the reverse direction,
the frame is automatically tilted over, disengaging the set of scarifying_tools
that have been working, and bringing the other set of tools into operation. These
hinged arms or struts may be fitted with tines or teeth forming a rake by which
the broken metal is disturbed and levelled at the same operation. Springs placed

page_text: between the wheels or runners and the arms or struts give elasticity and prevent
the scarifying tools from lifting the driving wheels of the engine off the ground,
.and cause them to follow more uniformly the contour of the road being broken.
The roller or engine may carry two scarifying machines one on each side.
The annexed drawings show a machine for breaking up roads. It is arranged
in accordance with our invention. The drawings also show a portion of a steam
roller or traction engine in conjunction with which the machine operates.
Figure 1 is a side elvation, and Figure 2 is a plan partly in section. Figures 3
aud 4 show separately one of the struts or arms.
a is. the main axle, and b the road wheel mounted upon it. c and care
respectively the inside and outside members of the frame of the machine, they
are connected across at c² ². This frame is carried by the axle and axle bearing
on which it is able to turn; the machine is not otherwise in any way connected
with the engine which carries it. dd are heads or blocks in which road breaking
tools ee are secured by keys ff. These blocks are jointed to the outer ends of the
frame and can turn about the joint pins gg. hh are powerful springs. ii are
hand screws which work through screwed sockets on the frame. The springs hh
are interposed between the hand screws and the blocks d, the springs in each case
surrounding a pin and by means of the screws the blocks can be set down until
the points of the tools e e penetrate the road surface to the depth required. The
pins g g at each end of the frame also serve to connect with it the struts or arms k.
is a wheel or runner mounted in, the frame and this can slide longitudinally
for a short distance along the strut or arm k. 12 is a powerful spring interposed
between the frame 11 and the strut or arm k. nn are auxiliary tines carried on
the strut or arm to aid in breaking up the road surface. The machine is shown
in its working position in Figure 1, the direction of travel being from left to
right. It will be seen that the fore end of the frame of the machine is raised
being supported by the strut or arm and the wheel or runner at the lower end
thereof. The stop screw p upon the strut or arm rests against a suitable abutment
and keeps the strut or arm in position. The fore end of the frame being thus
supported from the road surface the hinder end of the frame is depressed so that
the tines at this hinder end penetrate the surface of the road, more or less according
as they are adjusted by means of the hand screw, but they are not rigidly held
to this depth for if the strain should become excessive the spring 12 in the leading
strut or arm will yield somewhat. Also the spring hin connection with the
block or holder in which are the operating tools will yield somewhat to soften
the blow when the points of the tools encounter undue resistance. When the
direction in which the engine travels is reversed and it commences to move say
from right to left, the strut at the fore part of the frame passes from an upright
to a trailing position whilst the strut or arm at the other end of the frame passes
into position to support its left hand end. This change of position takes place
automatically and is aided by the points rr at the extremity of the struts or
these points while passing from one position to the other penetrate the
road surface. ss are holes formed in lugs upon the struts or arms, they serve to
receive pins to sustain the struts or arms in such a position that neither of the
wheels or runners may be in contact with the road surface. This is required
when the machine is out of work and is being transported from place to place.
At the same time the frame of the machine is supported in a mid way position,
it may be by other pins and holes as at tt or otherwise.
arms;
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. Road breaking machinery consisting of a frame carrying road breaking
tools and mounted so as to turn on or about the main axle of a steam roller or

page_text: traction engine and otherwise unconnected with the engine but supported from the
road surface by a wheel or runner bearing thereon.
2. Road breaking machinery consisting of a frame mounted so as to turn on or
about the main axle of a road roller or traction engine and carrying at one end
road breaking tools and at the other a strut or arm with a roller or runner; the
whole being so arranged that the strut or arm at one end of the frame keeps the
road breaking tools at the other end of the frame down to the road surface on
which they are required to operate.
3. A road breaking machine in accordance with the preceding claims and
arranged to operate whilst the engine travels either forward or backward by
providing road breaking tools and a supporting strut or arm at each end of the
frame of the machine.
:
4. In a road breaking machine in accordance with the preceding claims the
application of springs in connection with the supporting strut or arm and the tool
holder in the manner indicated in order to lessen the shocks to which these parts
are exposed while at work.
5. A road breaking machine substantially as described and illustrated by the
annexed drawings.