IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR GETTING COAL OR OTHER MINERAL
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Alexander, of Gartsherric Iron Works, in
:
the County of Larnark, North Britain, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR GETTING COAL OR OTHER
MINERAL."
Scaled the 3rd: November 1874, and dated the 3rd September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Alexander at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd September 1874.
I, JOHN ALEXANDER, of Gartsherrie Iron Works, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR GETTING COAL OR OTHER
MINERAL," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to mineral cutting machinery operating on
the principles of that described in the Specifications of Letters Patent
granted to Peter Gledhill, and dated 21 November 1866 (No. 3063),
of Letters Patent also granted to Peter Gledhill, and dated 29 December;

page_text: 1869 (No. 3759), and of Letters Patent granted to the present applicant,
and dated 19 December 1871 (No. 3438), and comprises improvements
in details and in the manner of arranging and combining the parts, the
object being to simplify and strengthen the parts, and to render the
machinery more efficient and less liable to get out of order.
A coal cutting machine of the kind referred to operates by means
of a series of cutters carried by an endless chain, this chain being
stretched by a gib, and moved by means of a cylinder or cylinders
worked by compressed air or otherwisc.
One of the present improvements consists in mounting the gib so
that it can be swung or set round in either direction from its usual
position at right angles to the coal or mineral face into a position
paralled to the face. This is done for the purpose of enabling the
machine to cut its way into and out of the coal face without the
preparation previously required. The inner end of the gib is curved
or set up out of the plane of the endless chain, and is formed with a
large eye to fit and turn on an annular flange formed on the under
side of the main plate of the machine. The gib is held by an annular
plate bolted on beneath it after it is put into its place. The rim of the
eye of the gib is formed with worm teeth, and the gib is turned or
swung as required by means of a worm wheel engaging with these
teeth, whilst the gib is fixed in its right angle position after being
entered into the coal face by bolts, for which provision is made in it
and in the main plate.
A second improvement consists in simplifying the driving gearing by
arranging. a single spur .wheel and pinion between the shaft of the
sprocket wheel which drives the endless chain, and a pair of cylinders
placed at right angles to cach other and connected to onc .crank.
The pinion and crank shaft are formed in one piece, and of steel or
bronze.
A third part of the Invention relates to the chain links and cutters,
and consists in making them so that there may be a cutter to every
link instead of every alternate link as heretofore. Each of the improved
links is made with one end solid and the other formed into two checks
to embrace the joint tongue of the next link. The cutter is simply
a short piece of bar steel rolled with a slight concavity on one side,
and fits into a counterpart slot formed across the solid part of the

page_text: link, being held by a pinching screw. The cutters are by preference
formed alternately with the cutting edge square across, and with the
edge rounded. The links are made of phospor or similar bronze, or of
steel.
A fourth part of the Invention relates to the feed or progressive
motion for moving the machine along the coal face as the cutting
proceeds. A pitch chain is stretched between fixed points at each
end of the line of traverse of the machine, and with this chain there
engages a sprocket wheel fast on a short horizontal feed shaft carried
by the machine, such shaft receiving a periodical motion from the
driving spur wheel. The feed shaft has fast on it a pair of reversed
ratchet wheels with catches for preventing the shaft from turning back,
either being used accordingly as the machine is moving in one direction
or the other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Alexander in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd March 1875,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ALEXANDER, of Gartsherrie Iron Works, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, send-greeting.
>
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Alexander, Her special licence
that I, the said John Alexander, my executors, administrators, and.
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Alexander, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the.
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS -
IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR GETTING COAL OR OTHER MINERAL," upon the;
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Alexander, my executors.
:

page_text: or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Alexander, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to mineral cutting machinery operating on
the principles of that described in the Specifications of Letters Patent
granted to Peter Gledhill, and dated 21 November 1866 (No. 3063),
of Letters Patent also granted to Peter Gledhill, and dated 29 December
1869 (No. 3759), and of Letters Patent granted to me, and dated
19 December 1871 (No. 3438), and comprises improvements in details
and in the manner of arranging and combining the parts, my object
being to simplify and strengthen the parts, and to render the machinery
more efficient and less liable to get out of order.
A coal cutting machine of the kind referred to operates by means
of a series of cutters carried by an endless chain, this chain being
stretched by a jib, and moved by means of a cylinder or cylinders
worked by compressed air or otherwise.
And in order that my present Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same may be properly understood; I hereunto append a
Sheet of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and
representing so much of the coal cutting machine as appears to be
necessary for explaining my improvements. In these Drawings the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
t
Figure 1 is a sectional plan showing the cast-iron plate 1 forming
with the wheels 2 the carriage of the machine, and having on it two
cylinders 3, with their pistons, valves, and usual details for obtaining the
requisite motive power from the action of compressed air.

page_text: Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections as at right angles to each other
showing the gearing for obtaining the progressive movement of the
machine along the coal face.
Figures 4 and 5 are a plan and an edge view of one of the links of tho
endless chain of cutters.
And Figures 6 and 7 are a vertical section and an inverted plan
showing the mode of connecting the jib to the under side of the.
machine.
One of my present improvements consists in mounting the jib 4 so
that it can be swung or set round in either direction from its usual
position, which is at right angles to the coal or mineral face, into a
position parallel to the face, or approaching such parallel position.
This is done for the purpose of enabling the machine to cut its way.
into and out of the coal face without the preparation previously required."
For this purpose the inner end of the jib 4 is curved or set up (as best
seen in Figure 6) out of the plane of the endless chain 5, and is formed
with a large eye or ring 6 to fit and turn on an annular flange 7 formed
on the under side of the main plate 1 of the machine. The jib 4 is
held by an annular plate 8 bolted beneath it to the flange 7 after it is
put in its place. The rim of the eye 6 of the jib is formed with worm
wheel teeth, and the jib is turned or swung as required by means of a
worm or screw 9 engaging with these teeth, the spindle or shaft of this
worm being turned by means of a ratchet lever by hand, or by feed,
or progressive gearing actuated by the machine itself. The jib 4 is
fixed in its right angle position after being entered into the coal face
by bolts 10, for which provision is made in it and in the main plate .1..
When the jib is set lengthways of the machine, or nearly so; the machine..
can be placed in its proper working position in front of the coal face
without the face being previously holed or cut out for the entrance of
the jib. The cutter chain is then set in motion and the jib is gradually
worked round by means of the screw or worm 9 acting on the worm
wheel teeth on the eye 6 of the jib, the jib thus cutting its way into the
coal face as it assumes its position at right angles to the face. Whilst
the jib 4 is being swung round the wheel 2 at the corner is removed and
a. strut or post is fixed between the opposite corner and the roof to:
prevent the machine from tilting.

page_text: A second improvement consists in simplifying the driving gearing by
arranging a single spur wheel 11 and pinion 12, the pitch circles of
which are shown in red in Figure 1 between the shaft 13 of the sprocket
wheel 14 which drives the endless chain 5, and a pair of cylinders 3
placed at right or other angles to each other on the plate 1, and con-
nected to one crank 15. The pinion 12 and crank shaft 15, 16, are
formed in one piece, and of steel or bronze. The crank shaft 15, 16,
and the sprocket wheel shaft 13, are carried in lower bearings in the
main plate 1, and in upper bearings in a spider legged bracket or frame
piece 17 bolted down on the plate 1.
A third part of my Invention relates to the chain links and cutters,
and consists in making them so that there may be a cutter 18 to every
link 5 instead of every alternate link, as heretofore. Each of 1
my im-
proved links is made with one end solid and the other formed into two
cheeks to embrace the joint tongue formed on the solid part of the next
link. The cutter 18 is simply a short piece of bar steel held by a bolt.
against a projecting part of the solid end of the link; but as I do not
in the present Specification make any claim as to the cutter or mode
of fixing it, it is unnecessary to describe the same more minutely. The
links 5 are made of phosphor or similar bronze, or of steel.
A fourth part of my Invention relates to the feed or progressive.
motion for moving the machine along the coal face as the cutting.
proceeds. A pitch chain 19, Figure 2, is stretched between fixed points
at the ends of the line of traverse of the machine, and with this chain.
there engages a sprocket wheel 20 fast on a short horizontal feed
shaft 21 carried partly by the bracket 17, and partly by another
bracket 22. This feed shaft 21, which receives a periodical motion
from the driving spur wheel 11, has fast on it a pair of reversed
ratchet wheels 23, with catches 24 for preventing the shaft from
turning back, either being used accordingly as the machine is moving
in one direction or the other. The feed shaft 21 is turned by means
of a bevil wheel 25 loose on it, but capable of being engaged with it
by a clutch 26 which can be moved into and out of gear as required.
in the usual way by a forked lever not shown. The bevil wheel 25
on the feed shaft gears with a bevil wheel 27 on a stud fixed to a part
of the bracket 17, and this last bevil wheel 27 is formed in one piece
with a star wheel 28 which is acted on by one or more studs 29 on the
driving spur wheel 11, the stud or studs 29 turning the star wheel 28

page_text: a certain distance each time one is brought round by the rotation of the
spur wheel 11.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to
the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe
to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The mounting of the jib to turn into or out of the coal face,
substantially in the improved manner and for the purposes herein-before
described, the ordinary position of the jib being at right angles to the
side of the machine.
2. The arranging and combining together of the driving cylinders and
gearing in the improved and simplified manner, substantially as herein-
before described.
3. The making of the links of the endless chain with a cutter on
every link, and in the improved manner herein described and delineated.
4. The arranging or combining together of the feeding or progressive
motion details in the improved manner, substantially as herein described
and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Alexander, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
•
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN ALEXANDER. (L.S.)