Improvements in Apparatus Employed in Blasting and Cutting Stone.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus Employed in Blasting and Cutting
Stone.
I, WILLIAM WESTWOOD, of Ackworth, near Pontefract, in the County of York,
Quarry Master and Stone Merchant,, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus and means employed for
blasting and cutting stone the object being to avoid undue fracturing and waste
of the material blasted.
According to this invention a cylindrical blast hole is drilled or bored in the
stone and a Vor like shaped channel is cut at each side of and along the said
hole in the direction it is desired that the stone should be cut or split. For
forming the said V or other channels I employ a tool cylindrical but having
V projections or cutting studs on it. The shaft of the tool may have a longitudinal
slot or hole cut in it through which the cutting tool is passed so that the latter
can be removed for re-sharpening or renewal, or the V part may project from
and form a part of a cylindrical drifting tool and may be provided with grooves
which serve for the purpose of clearing the tool and preventing it locking in the
hole.
Dated thin 14th
T
1000
Improvements in Apparatus Employed in Blasting and Cutting
Stone.
I, WILLIAM WESTWOOD, of Ackworth, near Pontefract, in the County of York,
Quarry Master and Stone Merchant, 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: -
This invention relates to improvements in the method of and means employed
for blasting and cutting stone when quarrying, the object being to avoid undue
fracturing and waste of the, material blasted and to provide a means of cutting
the stone in any required line or direction by controlling the fracture.
Such being the nature and object of my said invention, the following is a com-
plete description of same reference being had to the accompanying drawings in
which,

page_text: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved tool employed for cutting the blast
holes.
Fig. is an end view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blast hole formed in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of blast hole with tamping rod in situ.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew methods of connecting the improved tool to the ordinary
drilling tool.
According to this invention an ordinary cylindrical blast hole 1 is drilled or
formed in the stone or other material to be operated upon such hole being indicated
by the dotted lines (Figs. 3 and 4). After the cylindrical hole 1 is formed a
longitudinal V shaped groove or channel 2 is cut in the side of such hole and
in the direction it is desired that the stone should be cut or split. In Fig. 3
two channels 2 are shewn and the stone or rock would be split or cut in the
direction indicated by the arrows whilst in Fig. 4 four channels 2 are shewn
and the rock or stone would be cut or split in four directions as indicated.
For forming the channels or grooves 2 I employ a cutting tool as illustrated
by Figs. 1 and 2 such tool having a preferably rectangular end 3 and V shaped
cutting projections or studs 4, at each end of it and after the cylindrical hole 1
is formed in the usual manner the grooves or channels 2, 2 are cut therein by
means of the improved tool 6 care being taken to cut the grooves in the direction
in which it is desired to split the stone. At 5 are grooves which may be formed in
the tool 6 to assist in its being kept clear as so to prevent choking and locking
in the hole.
The improved cutting tool 6 may be formed on the end of and as part of the
ordinary cylindrical cutting tool, but I prefer to make it a separate tool as shewn
by Fig. so that it can be quickly, and cheaply removed for re-sharpening or
renewal if necessary.
The tool 6 is fixed into the end of the ordinary cylindrical cuting tool 7 (see
Figs. 5 and 6) by having a square projection 8 formed on it such projection being
received in a corresponding recess 9 in the end of the tool 7 and fixed therein by
pin or rivet 10 (see Fig. 5). Or the tool 6 may be screwed into the end of the
tool 7, (see Fig. 6).
When the hole is drilled in accordance with this invention the blasting may be
accomplished in the ordinary manner, but I prefer to charge and tamp the hole
as follows in order to obtain the most beneficial results. After the hole is formed a
cylindrical metal rod 11 (see Fig. 4) preferably tapered at one end and of slightly
less diameter than the cylindrical hole 1 is inserted point first into such hole and
the explosive is placed in the hole 1 around the rod and in the grooves or
channels 2 and the tamping is done at the mouth of the hole and on top of the
rod. The charge is ignited in the ordinary manner and acts with equal force
along the length of the blast hole and the channels 2.
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:
The apparatus employed for splitting and cutting stone when quarrying as
and for the purpose herein described and substantially as illustrated by the annexed
drawings.