IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING ROCKS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Thomas Jones and Joseph Henry Wild, both of
Leeds in the County of York Engineers, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR BORING ROCKS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Thomas Jones and
Joseph Henry Wild at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
22nd December 1881.
JOSEPH THOMAS JONES and JOSEPH HENRY WILD both of Leeds in the County
of York, Engineers "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING ROCKS."
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for boring holes in rocks
and hard ground requiring to be removed by blasting, and consists in mounting the
boring rod upon an adjustable travelling frame so that the holes may be bored at
regular intervals; and it also relates to an improved arrangement of parts for
driving, and lubricating the said boring rod.
In applying the Invention to subaqueous boring operations, to which it is
specially adapted, a double vessel or pontoon is provided; the two halves thereof
being placed at a convenient distance apart, and firmly fixed together by means of
ties or girders. On these pontoons we provide a platform and a travelling or
movable frame spanning the space between the two pontoons for carrying the
lifting gear; and the motor or motors for driving the boring apparatus. This frame
is so arranged that after the necessary number of holes are bored along the required
line between the pontoons it can be moved to the position required for the next, or
any other, set of holes, without shifting the pontoons; thereby ensuring perfect
accuracy in boring the holes at the required distance from each other. The
difference in the level of the pontoons, caused by moving the frame, is adjusted by
means of water-tight compartments in the pontoons; which compartments are
filled or emptied as required.
We also provide an dynamo-electric machine, steam or air engine, or other
suitable motor, which we attach direct to the top of the boring rod, for giving
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page_text: continuous rotary motion to the boring tool or cutter, the whole being slung or
supported in position by means of a chain or rope passing over a pulley or pulleys
attached to the travelling frame. The other end of the chain or rope is attached
to a winch or other suitable appliance for raising or lowering the boring tool and
for giving the necessary feed during the progress of the boring. We also provide
a tube of suitable dimensions which is lowered from the pontoons and bored a
short distance into the solid rock so as to get a firm hold therein. The upper end
of this tube reaches the platform, and this forms a guide for the boring tool proper.
The guide tube may be lengthened or shortened according to the rise and fall in
the level of the water by means of short pieces of tube attached or taken off as
required.
By the use of this improved apparatus boring operations may be regularly
carried out in tideways and in rough weather. The dynamo machine or other
suitable motor, such as a small 3 cylinder Brotherhood Engine serves to weight the
boring rod on which it is secured, and renders unnecessary the use of any special
weights for this purpose.
The boring rod is lubricated by a stream of water passing down the hollow
centre thereof in the usual way, but the flexible water supply pipe is connected to
the top of the boring rod immediately below the dynamo or other engine used to
impart rotary motion to the boring rod and tool. A collar pierced with radial holes
is formed_on_the_top_section of the boring rod, and works within a double gland
union, through which water is forced under pressure to the interior of the-boring-
rod.
For boring operations on land, an adjustable travelling platform will carry the
boring rod, working in a guide tube as already described, and the dynamo machine,
or other suitable motor, will be attached direct to the upper end of the boring rod
and serve to weight the said rod; thus rendering unnecessary a large amount of
gearing, flexible driving connections, and separate weighting apparatus; and greatly
simplifying the boring apparatus.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Thomas Jones and Joseph Henry Wild in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd June 1882.
JOSEPH THOMAS JONES and JOSEPH HENRY WILD both of Leeds in the County
of York, Engineers "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BORING ROCKS
"
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for boring holes in rocks
and hard ground required to be removed by blasting, and consists in connecting
the boring tools with an adjustable travelling frame which will facilitate the boring
of the holes at regular intervals and it also relates to an improved arrangement of
parts for driving and lubricating the said boring tools.
In applying the Invention to subaqueous boring operations, to which it is
specially adapted a double vessel or pontoon is provided, the two halves thereof
being placed at a convenient distance apart, and firmly fixed together by means of
ties or girders. On these pontoons we provide a travelling or movable frame fitted
with a platform and spanning the space between the two pontoons. This frame
serves to carry the lifting gear and the motors for driving the boring tools-The
frame is so arranged that after the necessary number of holes is bored along the
required line between the pontoons it can be moved to the position required for the
next or any other set of holes without shifting the pontoons, thereby ensuring
perfect accuracy in boring the holes at the required distance from each other. The
waterway between the pontoons is preferably bridged across by loose planking, a
single plank being taken up wherever required to allow the boring tool to pass
freely The difference in the level of the pontoons caused by moving the frame
may be adjusted by the filling or emptying of water tight compartiments in the
pontoons as required
We also provide for each boring tool a dynamo-electric machine, steam or air
engine, or other suitable motor, for giving continuous rotary motion thereto, the
whole being slung or supported in position by means of a chain or rope passing
over pulleys attached to the travelling frame, and leading to a winch or other
suitable appliance for tightening or slackening the chain, and thereby raising the
boring tool from or lowering it to its work
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of our improved rock
boring apparatus adapted to a portion.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the
mode of bracing together the double vessel which is constructed with parallel sides
and is furnished with a pair of rails A A laid parallel to each other near the inner
sides of the pontoon-These rails A serve as a railway for the travelling or
movable frame B, which is fitted with a reticulated platform B¹, and rises several
feet above the platform to carry rails B2 for the reception of wheel carriages C C-
The waterway between the pontoons is preferably bridged over by loose planking,
one or more planks beneath the travelling frame B being taken up as required to
allow the boring tools to pass freely.-This planking is not however shown in the
Drawing, for the sake of clearness.
The Drawing shows three of the carriages one for each boring tool. In these
carriages C, are mounted chain pulleys c, around which are laid chains & made fast
at one end to the top of the frame B, and led down to winches D mounted on the
platform B¹ of the frame B.-These chains & severally carry pulley blocks E from
which depend chains e for carrying the motor engines F-for driving and weighting
the boring tools-These motor engines may be of any approved construction and
driven by steam, gas, air or electricity.
In Figures 1, 2 and 3 we have indicated the employment of a Brotherhood
steam engine for this purpose, and at Figure 4 we have shewn on an enlarged scale
the mode of fitting the boring tool to the shaft of the engine, the object being not

page_text: only to apply the direct action of the engine to the tool but also to use the weight
of the engine for holding down the tool to its work.
G is the boring tool, the hollow stem of which is formed in lengths which are
screwed together, and are capable of being readily attached and detached for the
purpose of varying the length of the boring tool in the well known manner to
adapt it to its work. Made fast to the lower end of the shaft f of the motor
engine is a sleeve f' threaded internally to receive a screw coupling piece f2-The
lower end of this screw coupling piece enters a tapped socket in a socket casting H
which is slotted transversely to receive a key h. The uppermost joint or portion
of the boring tool is made solid at its top end and shaped to fit a socket in the
socket piece H.-This top end is also slotted to receive the key / which when
passed through it secures the tool to the motor engine.
Immediately below the solid part of this uppermost joint of the boring tool, and
at the commencement of the hollow portion thereof the metal is thickened to allow
of its being pierced radially without weakening the part, and to form shoulders
against which fit the ends of an annular water box, I, provided with glands for
rendering the same watertight-This water box is supplied by a pipe i with water
at pressure from a steam pump K, and it is intended to deliver a stream of water to
the boring tool so as to drive out the borings from the bored hole-In some
instances in order to guide the tool in its work we first, before applying the tool,
insert into the rock a guide tube such as that shewn at LLL Figures-1-and-2
This tube we furnish like the boring tool with a ring of diamond cutters and
operate it by hand or otherwise so as to make it take a firm hold in the rock, its
position therein being determined by the operator, that it may correspond exactly
to the position intended for the hole which the boring tool is to form―This guide
tube is built up of suitable lengths in the same way as the boring tool and to any
desired height, and it thus serves as a guide for the tool while the tool is entering
the rock and afterwards serves to steady it while the boring is proceeding.
On starting to work the attendants slacken the chains d by unwinding the
winches, and thereby allow the suspended motor engines to press their tools into
work. As this work proceeds the attendants continue slowly to lower the engines
and cause them to press down the tools while imparting rotary motion thereto.-
For the purpose of driving the engines F steam supply pipes m leading from a
boiler M are connected with the steam chambers of the several engines.-These
pipes are made flexible in order to allow for the vertical movement of the engines.
When an engine has followed down its tool to a given distance the tool stem must
be detached therefrom and lengthened by the insertion of another joint piece, the
engine being raised for that purpose and the operation may then proceed as
before.
Fig. 5 shews an arrangement of gearing which may be used for reducing the
speed imparted to the horing tool by the motive power engine.
In this figure a dynamo-electric machine is represented as employed for working
the tool-On the shaft f of the engine is keyed a spur pinion 1, which gears into a
spur wheel 2 on the axle of which is keyed a pinion 3.-This pinion gears into a
wheel 4 keyed on a short shaft 5 which is screwed to the socket piece H of the
boring tool These gear wheels which may be of any desired proportion are
enclosed in a box N made fast to the motor engine and constituting a coupling
piece for the engine and boring tool.
In this case the sleeve f¹ and the screw coupling piece f are removed, the
coupling piece, or gear box N temporarily taking their place.
By thus interposing the gear box between the motor and the boring tool the
motor may still be driven at a high speed even though circumstances should
necessitate the driving of the tool at a comparatively slow speed.
Fig. 6 shews in section the lower end of the boring tool which we prefer to
employ, it being surrounded by a guide tube as above explained. The tool consists
of a number of short tubes screwed together and fitted with a ring of diamond

page_text: cutters thus leaving open the centre of the tool for the discharge of water into the
bored hole.
In cases where there is a possibility of the hole filling up again with silt after,
the boring tube is withdrawn, such as in jointy strata or where hard and soft parts
occur alternately, we bore the hole to the required depth with a hollow tool
sufficiently large to allow of the explosive material being passed down through the
tube to the bottom of the hole: thus when the tool is withdrawn the explosive
will be left in its proper position ready for firing.
By the use of this improved apparatus, boring operations may be continuously
carried on in tideways and in rough and fair weather-As the dynamo machine or
other suitable motor such as a three-cylinder Brotherhood engine serves to weight
the boring rod on which it is secured the use of any special weights for this
purpose is rendered unnecessary.
For boring operations on land we propose to employ an adjustable travelling
frame and platform similar to that above described for carrying the boring rods
but with addition of vertical guides for steadying the motor so that the services of
one of the attendants can be dispensed with, the dynamo-machines or other suitable
motors being suspended from chains and attached direct to the upper end of the
boring rods, and serving to weight the said rods, thus rendering unnecessary a
large amount of gearing, flexible driving connections, and separate weighting
apparatus, and greatly simplifying the construction of the machine.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in
Apparatus for Boring Rocks," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent we claim.-.
Firstly In combination with a travelling frame, a suspended motor or motors
connected directly with the boring tool or tools, and capable of following the
progress of such tool or tools while operating the same, in the manner and for the
purpose above set forth.
Secondly: In combination with a travelling frame fitted with a suspended motor
or motors for driving the boring tools or tools, a winch or winches for controlling
the vertical motions of the tool or tools and regulating the pressure imparted to
such tools by the weight of their suspended motors.
Thirdly: In combination with a rotating hollow boring tool, the means above
described for supplying water thereto, consisting of a water box surrounding the
boring tool stem at a point below that at which rotary motion is imparted to the
said tool, and fed through a flexible pipe from a pump or its equivalent, such water
being discharged into the hollow stem through holes pierced therein.
Fourthly: In combination with a suspended motor connected directly with the
boring tool, the interposition between the shaft of the motor and the tool stem, of
gearing for gaining power and transmitting a reduced speed to the boring tool
when acting upon rocks with boring tools of large diameter.
Fifthly: The adaptation of the travelling frame and suspended motors, with their
boring tools, to a double pontoon, as described, for the purpose of boring a series of
holes over the whole area between the two pontoons without shifting their
moorings.
In witness whereof we the said Joseph Thomas Jones and Joseph Henry
Wild have hereunto set our hands and seals the Twenty-first day of June
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two