Improvements in and Apparatus for Removing Sand, Mud, and like Materials from Tidal-stream and River Beds, Bars, and other Submerged Banks or Beds, and Docks.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1890-Accepted, 10th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Removing Sand, Mud, and like
Materials from Tidal-stream and River Beds, Bars, and other
Submerged Banks or Beds, and Docks.
I, JAMES TAYLOR, of 59, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, in the County of Chester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:—
According to this invention, the sand or mud is removed from tidal stream and
river beds, bars, and other submerged banks or beds, by moving over the surface of
the matter to be removed, a scraping or agitating suction intake device, having
connected with it a pipe, through which the water, and matter disturbed by said
device, is removed, or drawn to the surface of the water, and delivered into suitable
vessels or receptacles.
A suitable mode of carrying out the above method of dredging bars, rivers, and
other submerged beds, consists in employing a navigable vessel, say one having four
screws, two at each end, and employing on it a suitable pump or pumps, such as
centrifugal or other pumps, and a pipe or pipes connecting this pump or pumps with
the scraping or agitating intake device below; that is to say, the pump or pumps
and the device below by which the surface to be dredged, is agitated, are connected
by suitable flexible or other pipes.
The suction intake device is so designed that it will stir or turn up the sand
or mud, and the sand or mud so disturbed will be directly drawn into and up the
suction pipe by the action of the pump. One form of device consists of a flat
base or shoe of metal with a front opening, protected by a grid, and it is provided
with one or more plough shares or moving agitators suitably operated, the function
of which is to stir up the sand, mud, or silt, so that it will be in suspension in
the suction water; the form of the plough share or moving agitator being such as
to turn up and lead the sand or silt into the mouth of the suction pipe. The
intake device may be also provided with a drum or drums or roller or rollers, or
wings in the form of a sledge, which are so fitted as to prevent it from sinking into
or taking too deep a hold in the ground being dredged. The drum, rollers or sledge
pieces also enable the device to be easily moved over the ground.
In connection with the intake agitating device there is also provided a closing
door, consisting of tines or arms fixed on a shaft within it, and so arranged that
should obstructions, such as mats, or like rubbish, be met with, the extra pressure
occasioned would cause the closing of the door and the shutting off of the intake,
the door being opened by suitable gear from the dredging vessel.
The device is provided with suitable provisions for attaching towing chains.
The dredging is run into hopper barges, or tanks in the dredging vessel, and
conveyed away to the place of discharge.
I would remark that the forms and construction of apparatus according to this
invention may be, and will necessarily be varied according to the nature of the work
to which it is put and other conditions of its application, and therefore it is to be
understood that the invention is not confined to the particular forms or constructions
of apparatus herein above specified.
Dated this 1st day of March 1890
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Removing Sand, Mud, and like
Materials from Tidal-stream and River Beds, Bars, and other
Submerged Banks or Beds, and Docks.
I, JAMES TAYLOR, of 59, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, in the County of Chester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
According to this invention the sand or mud is removed from tidal stream and
river beds, bars, and other submerged banks or beds. by moving over the surface of
the matter to be removed, a scraping or agitating suction intake device, having
connected with it a pipe, through which the water, aud matter disturbed by said
device, is removed, or drawn to the surface of the water, and delivered into suitable
vessels or receptacles.
A suitable mode of carrying out the above method of dredging bars, rivers, and
other submerged beds, consists in employing a navigable vessel, say one having four
screws, two at each end, or having paddle wheels, and employing on it a suitable
pump or pumps, such as centrifugal or other pumps, and a pipe or pipes connecting
this pump or pumps with the scraping or agitating intake device below; that is to
say, the pump or pumps and the device helow, by which the surface to be dredged is
agitated, are connected by suitable flexible or other pipes.
The suction intake device is so designed that it will stir or turn up the sand or
mud, and the sand or mud so disturbed will be directly drawn into and up the
suction pipe by the action of the pump. One form of device consists of a base or
frame of metal with a front opening (which may be protected by a grid) and is
provided with one or more plough-shares or moving agitators, the function of which
is to stir up the sand, mud, or silt, so that it will be in suspension in the suction
water; the form of the plough share or moving agitator being such as to turn up
and lead the sand or silt into the mouth of the suction pipe. The intake device may
be also provided with a drum or drums or roller or rollers, or wings in the form of a
sledge, which are so fitted as to prevent it from sinking into or taking too deep a
hole in the ground being dredged. The drums, slippers, rollers, or sledge pieces, also
enable the device to be easily moved over the ground.
The intake device is so arranged that should obstructions be met with, they may
be got rid of, and for this purpose the shares or agitators are adapted to act as doors,
and, by reversing the dredger, the door shuts and closes the intake; the door may be
opened by suitable gear from the dredging vessel.
Having thus specified generally the nature of my invention its description will
now be proceeded with in reference to the drawings hereunto annexed, and forming
a part of this Specification, by way of explaining more fully the nature of my
invention. The drawings and the description of them set forth together a special
construction of apparatus designed to carry out my invention the nature of which has
been above explained.
In the drawings the same letters and figures of reference are used to denote the
same parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dredging apparatus according to my invention,
provided with a tank, to receive the dredgings.
Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus.
65 suction
Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation, Figure 4 is a half plan-also partly in section,
and Figure 5 is a half end elevation shewing the detail of construction of a
intake device. This example is designed with two suction pipes, instead of one as in
the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2.

page_text: With reference to the drawings, a designates the "suction" intake device; b is or
are the suction pipe or pipes as the case may be ; c is the pump, it being of the
centrifugal type, connected to the intake device a, by the suction pipe b ; and a denotes
generally the dredgor vessel. In the dredger shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the vessel d
is provided with one central stern suction pipe b, leading from the pump c down
through the well e to the suction intake device a; whilst in the device shewn in
Figures 3 to 5 two suction pipes are used, ranged one on each side of the dredger
vessel.
The device a shewn in Figures 3 to 5 consists of a metal base or frame f
made in two parts, each part having a "suction" intake chamber k provided with
a mouth or opening.g. Across the opening or mouth 9 there is provided the
plough-share device i, mounted on the shaft h, such devices being made of duplex
form and adapted to move upon the shaft h and reverse their position with respect
to the mouth g.
The function of the plough-share device i is to stir or plough up
the sand, mud, silt, or other material being dredged, so that it will be carried in
the suction water, and lead such material into the mouth g.
are drums or rollers mounted on the frame f and so fitted as to prevent its sinking
into or taking too deep a hold of the ground being dredged.
"
Each "suction intake chamber extends the full width of its frame f, and the
frames are separated by the central neck k¹. At the outside of the chambers k
are provided the suction pipes which lead up to the pumping apparatus in the
vessel d. These are connected to the frames by an internal pipe 6 which passes
through the chambers k. The pipe b' is free to move axially in the frames f and
work in the journals 62 and 3 whereby it can adjust itself in relation to the
position of the frame f. The internal connecting pipe 6 of the pipes b is pro-
vided with openings 6, through which the dredgings or spoil passes from the
chambers k to the pipes b, and with a diaphragm 6 to isolate the actions of the
two pipes b.
The examples of suction pipes shewn are of metal and of rigid construction, but
they may be of flexible construction if desired, in which case a suitable provision
is made on the device a for attaching towing chains from the barge.
When the suction pipes are of rigid construction, the dredger can push the device a
before it as well as draw it behind; in which case the plough-share device i
assumes the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 3.
By this invention moorless "suction" dredging can be carried out, the dredging
vessel delivering the spoil into the tank d' therein, or into a hopper barge alongside as
shewn in Figure 2 in dotted lines.
The dredger shewn is provided with stern and bow screws and has separate engines.
It is therefore obvious that it can be manoeuvered in any direction by itself or with
barges alongside, at the will of the steersman, dragging or pushing the suction device
along with it, the dredging being run into hopper barges or into tanks in the dredging
vessel, and conveyed away to the place of discharge.
I would remark that the forms and construction of apparatus according to this
invention may be, and will necessarily be varied according to the nature of the work
to which it is put, and other conditions of its application, and therefore it is to be
understood that the invention is not confined to the particular forms or constructions
of apparatus hereinabove specified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described improvement in or connected with removing sand, mud,
and other materials from tidal streams and river beds, bars, and other submerged
banks or beds, docks, and the like, consisting in moving over the surface of the
matter to be removed a scraping and agitating "suction" intake device having con-
nected with it a pipe or pipes through which water, and the matters disturbed by the

page_text: scrapers or agitators are drawn in by pumps and carried to the surface of the water
and delivered into suitable vessels and receptacles.
2. Moorless dredging apparatus substantially as described, that is to say, apparatus
consisting mainly of a vessel provided with a suction" intake device adapted to be
moved over the surface of the matters to be dredged as described, said device communi-
cating with suitable pumping apparatus on the dredging vessel by which the matters
are drawn into said device, elevated, and discharged into a tank in the vessel, or into
barges alongside said vessel, or other receptacle.
3. An intake device for "suction" dredging, having a device or means such as
herein set forth for stirring and ploughing up the material to be dredged, and adapted
to be worked as herein described.
دو
4. In a moorless " suction dredging apparatus, a "suction" intake device
provided with a reversible agitating and ploughing device, such as i, and so
arranged that the apparatus will work in a forward or backward direction; substan-
tially as set forth.
5. The "suction" dredging apparatus, arranged, constructed and adapted to
operate as set forth with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.
6. The "suction" intake device for moorless dredging apparatus, constructed as set
forth with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1890
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.