Improvements in and relating to Machines for Drilling, Cutting, or Excavating Rock and other Hard Material in Tunnels, Mines, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 14th Oct., 1890-Accepted. 15th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Machines for Drilling, Cutting, or
Excavating Rock and other Hard Material in Tunnels, Mines,
and the like.
I, GEORGE LAWSON, of Blairbeth House, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Contractor, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction or
arrangement and combination of the parts and mechanical motions of a machine fo
drilling, cutting or excavating rock and other hard material in tunnels, mines, and
other places where such have to be excavated or removed; and relates to the class
of machines in which the tool is reciprocated, and is attached to the outer end of a
piston rod or ram fitted to work in a cylinder by compressed air or other pressure
fluid, the drill or tool working by impact against the face of the rocks to be cut, the
whole being carried on a portable wheeled carriage, some little distance out from the
face of the rock on rails laid in the tunnel, quarry, mine, or other excavation, all of
the improved construction and actuated in the new or improved manner hereinafter
described; and which improvements will enable the drill or drills or cutters to be
turned round in any horizontal or vertical direction and to act at any angle with
great force, and dispense with or greatly reduce the use of dynamite or other
explosives for blasting operations which heretofore have caused considerable loss of
life in excavating rock and other hard materials in tunnels mines and other cuttings.
One construction or general arrangement of the parts of this new or improved
machine consists all as follows:-The supporting frame of the machine would
preferably be of cast iron or it might be of malleable iron, in a nearly rectangular
form, supported on two transverse axles under its front and back ends with the axle
boxes and bearings projecting down to embrace and rest on the journals of these axles,
either outside or inside the carrying wheels on the axles, according to the width of
the rails on which the whole was to be carried, which carrying frame, axles, wheels,
and rails would be all of the ordinary construction, but the carriage would be fitted
and provided with angled lever grippers fitted at their upper ends into swivelling
joints or recesses in line with each other on opposite sides and ends of this carriage
and at their lower ends into loose clamps or grippers set at an angle outwards, or it
might be inwards, from the frame, so that when their lower ends were drawn in or
pushed out according to the angle they were set at by screw bolts passed through
them under the carriage, and over the rails they would force these grippers in
against the rails, or it might be against strong wooden planks laid on the
ground for the purpose, which action of the grippers would secure the carriage
by the action of the screws, and hold it any position in which it was set from the face
of the rock to be cut, and so resist the whole backward pressure of the action of the
fluid forcing out the piston or plunger and tool to cut the rock and give steadiness
to the whole machine and prevent recoil. This carriage would have fitted over it, a
horizontal swivelling or rotating trunnion carrying and bearing frame, fitted either
on a vertical central pin or eye in the frame and carriage, supported on a large face
bearing plate, and turned by a screw wheel fitted on its lower circumference, by a
strong screw spindle gearing into it and carried in bearings preferably transversely
on the upper part of the carriage frame, and having on one end a hand ratchet wheel
and powerful hand lever for turning this screw, and the screw wheel and swivelling
rame, to any angle laterally, the screw also retaining the trunnion frame to any
ngular position to which it is so set. This horizontal swivelling frame would carry
wo vertical side frames, with horizontal trunnion bearings and covers in its upper
end, into which the horizontal journal trunnions on the centre of the actuating
ylinder would be fitted, so as to oscillate vertically nearly equally up and down from

page_text: the horizontal position from the trunnion and cylinder, which would be preferably
at or near the centre of the tunnel to be excavated, both vertically and horizontally.
This cylinder would have fitted on or under one or both of its trunnions a screw
toothed quadrant, having a longitudinal screw spindle gearing into it or into both
when two quadrants are used and which would be geared together, working in
bearings on the lower side of the horizontal swivelling frame, with a powerful
ratchet wheel and lever on either spindle at one end, so as to turn and hold the acting
cylinder at any angle vertically on its trunnions at which it was desired to work the
drill. A strong malleable or cast iron bow frame would be erected up from the sides
of the carriage frame, on opposite sides of the trunnion, with the strong central bow
part above the cylinder in which a strong vertical screw would be fitted exactly over
the vertical axis of the horizontal trunnion swivelling frame. This screw spindle has
a broad head on its upper end which acts on a strong block between it and the roof of
the tunnel and works into a large screw wheel nut rotated in a steel block in the
upper part of the bow frame by a screw wheel on its outer circumference and screw
spindle gearing into a screw wheel formed on the outer circumference of this nut,
carried in horizontal bearings on the upper steel block or bow frame, and actuated by
a powerful ratchet wheel and lever fitted at one end of the screw spindle, so as to
tighten up this central vertical screw against the block in the roof, and thus secure
the whole carriage with its boring cylinder in any desired position against the power
of the lower angled lever securing the carriage frame to the rails or longitudinal or
transverse sole plates on the ground. The vertical oscillating and horizontal swivelling
actuating trunnion cylinder would have a piston or plunger fitted in it with strong
piston rod projecting out through a stuffing box in its front end to which the tool
would be secured by couplings and cotters or otherwise to secure any size and
description of hammering, drilling, or cutting tool desired, and would preferably have
a back end cover for withdrawing the piston and its ram piston rod. The piston in
this cylinder would be actuated generally by compressed air, but other pressure fluids
might be used such as gas, steam, or water, where these were more suitable or
convenient, admitted to a piston or slide valve casing, preferably secured on the
upper back end of the cylinder, with a port leading into the back end of the cylinder
behind the piston. The spindle of this valve would project out through a stuffing
box in the front end of the valve chest, preferably with a small crosshead working in
slide guides, to be actuated automatically by a rod carried forward to a short lever on
a wiper shaft, mounted in bearing brackets over the stuffing box end of the cylinder,
this wiper shaft having a long tappet lever projecting down on one side of the piston
rod in front of the stuffing box, which would be actuated by a tappet or tappets or
other equivalent secured on the coupling end of the connecting rod, to push the lever
and valve in the casing backwards, each time the tool and piston, reached the extreme
opposite ends of their stroke. That is, when the piston was pushed to its extreme
inner end, the tappet and its lever would open the valve and permit the pressure air
from the valve casing to enter the cylinder behind the piston against a spring cataract
and push the piston and its tool outwards to strike the face of the rock, the cataract
opening the valve to the front end of the cylinder to bring the piston back for the
next stroke, and giving time for the piston and drill to act against the face of the rock.
Or the valve might be worked this way positively in both directions by a hand lever
mounted at the back of the cylinder and casing connected by a side rod or rods
projecting forward to the crosshead from the lever which would be conveniently placed
for the man to work it behind the carriage. Other arrangements of slide and piston
valves and tappet lever gearing may however be used for admitting the pressure fluid
to the opposite ends of the cylinder, such as used for other reciprocating rock drills,
air and steam rivetters, and hammers and the like, space being left beyond the ports
at opposite ends of the cylinder for pressure air to cushion the piston after it reached
its backward or forward effective stroke, to prevent the possibility of breaking the
ends of the cylinder. The cutting tools or chisels of this machine would be secured
to and act in the line of the axis of the piston rod, and they might be made of any
desired size and form of splitting chisel or boring face, and when desired to be used

page_text: for boring holes, the chisel would be secured and fitted in the piston rod so as to be
rotated in the coupling socket in line with the axis of the piston rod, and have a screw
or other ratchet motion fitted on it to automatically turn the drill a certain distance
at each inward stroke of the piston and tool, as in other rock drills. And although only
one cylinder and tool have been described as mounted on one carriage, where wide
tunnels had to be cut, two or more of such cylinders and tools might be mounted on
the same carriage.
1011 T
7000
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Machines for Drilling, Cutting, or
Excavating Rock and other Hard Material in Tunnels, Mines,
and the like.
I, GEORGE LAWSON, of Blairbeth House, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Contractor, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 sheet of drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :- 3
My invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction, or
arrangement and combination of the parts and mechanical motions of a machine for
drilling, cutting, or excavating rock and other hard material in tunnels, mines, and
other places where such have to be excavated or removed; and relates to the class
of machines in which the tool is reciprocated, and is attached to the outer end of a
piston rod or ram fitted to work in a cylinder by compressed air or other pressure
fluid, the drill or tool working by impact against the face of the rocks to be cut, the
whole being carried on a portable wheel carriage, some little distance out from the
face of the rock on rails laid in the tunnel, quarry, mine, cr other excavation, all of
the improved construction and actuated in the new or improved manner hereinafter
described; and which improvements will enable the drill or drills or cutters to be
turned round in any horizontal or vertical direction and to act at any angle with great
force, and dispense with or greatly reduce the use of dynamite or other explosives for
blasting operations which heretofore have caused considerable loss of life in excavating
rock and other hard materials in tunnels, mines, and other cuttings.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying the
same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended an
explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to indicate
corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are a side elevation and plan respectively partly in section of one
construction of my new or improved machine for drilling, cutting, or excavating rock
and other hard material in tunnels, mines, and the like, and showing one of the drills
as broken away.
Figure 3 is an end sectional elevation of the machine, corresponding to and taken
near the line 1-1 in Figure 1, showing the securing bow frame as in position
screwed against the roof of a tunnel or mine; and
Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the upper part of the machine corresponding to
Figure 3.
Referring to these drawings, the supporting carriage frame A, A', of the machine
is preferably constructed of cast iron, but it might be of malleable iron, in a nearly
rectangular form, supported in two transverse axles B B under its front and back
ends A' with the axle boxes and bearings A" projecting down from the sides A, A,
to embrace and rest on the journals of these axles B, outside the carrying wheels B
on the axles B, but it might be inside, according to the width of the rails on which
the whole was to be carried, which carrying frame axles B, wheels B₁ and rails would
be all of the ordinary construction, but the carriage A A³, is provided with angled

page_text: L
lever grippers C fitted at their upper ends into swivelling joints or recesses C₁ in line
with each other on opposite sides and ends of this carriage A, A¹, preferably two at
the sides A and one at the ends A' and at their lower ends each into loose clamps or
grippers set at an angle outwards from the sides and ends of the frame A A¹ and
resting on beams or planks Z laid on the rails or on plates on the ground, so that
when the lower ends of these levers C were drawn in according to the angle they were
set at by screw bolts C2 passed through them under the carriage A A¹ and over the
rails, they would force the lower ends CC of these grippers C in against the rails,
or against the said strong wooden planks Z laid on the ground for the purpose, which
action of the grippers C would secure the carriage by the action of swivel blocks and
nuts (on the screwed ends of the bolts C2, and hold it any position in which it was
set from the face of the rock to be cut, and so resist the whole backward pressure of
the action of the fluid forcing out the piston or plunger and tool to cut the rock
and give steadiness to the whole machine and prevent recoil, the construction and
arrangement of which is hereinafter described. This carriage A, A', has fitted over
it, a horizontal swivelling or rotating trunnion carrying and bearing frame D D'
fitted by a strong eye to turn on the vertical central pin D secured in the centre
eye A² of the frame carriage A A' supported on the large face bearing plate D¹, and
turned by a segmental screw wheel D2 bolted or secured on the outer circumference,
of the lower turned base D¹ by a serew gearing into it in the centre of the horizontal
screw spindle D carried in bush bearing plummer blocks D₁ secured preferably
transversely on the upper part of the carriage frame A A', and having fitted on one
or both ends D5 an ordinary hand ratchet wheel and powerful hand lever for turning
this screw spindle D³ Dill and swivelling trunnion frame D', D, to any angle laterally,
the screw D³ also retaining the trunnion frame D D¹, to any angular position to
which it is so set on the carriage A A¹. This horizontal swivelling frame D D'
carries two vertical side frames D, with horizontal trunnion bearings and covers on
each side in its upper end, into which the horizontal journal trunnions E' on the
centre of the actuating cylinder E is fitted, so that the cylinder E may oscillate
vertically to a nearly equal angle up and down from the horizontal position on its
trunnions E which would be preferably at or near the centre of the tunnel to be
excavated, both vertically and horizontally. This cylinder E has fitted on or under
one of its trunnions E' a screw toothed quadrant or segment F, having a
longitudinal screw spindle F1 gearing into it working in bearing blocks at F2 on
the lower part of the horizontal swivelling frame D°D', with the ends F" of its
spindle squared for having mounted on it an ordinary powerful ratchet wheel and
lever for turning and holding the acting cylinder E at any angle vertically on its
trunnions E¹ at which it was desired to work the cylinder E and drill z. A strong
malleable or cast iron bow frame G, is secured by broad flanges G₁ at its lower
ends to brackets A³ secured on the sides A A, or it might be down to the top of the
carriage frame A, A¹, on opposite sides of the trunnion, with the strong central bow
part above the cylinder having secured in it a bush bearing G in which a
screw nut G³, is turned and fitted with a strong vertical screw G₁ exactly over the
vertical axis of the horizontal trunnion swivelling frame. This screw spindle G¹
has a broad gripping head G³, on its upper end which acts on a strong block or
beam Z between it and the roof of the tunnel and works into the large screw wheel
nut G³ rotated in the steel block G2 in the upper part of the bow frame G by a
screw wheel 9 on its upper outer circumference and screw spindle g¹ gearing into
it carried in horizontal bearing brackets g² secured on the upper part G" of the
bow frame G. The screw spindle g has square ends at g" for mounting an ordinary
powerful ratchet wheel and lever, so as to turn the screw nut G³, and tighten up
this central vertical screw G*, Go, against the block Z in the roof, and thus secure
the whole carriage with its boring cylinder in any desired position against the
power of the lower angled levers securing the carriage frame A A¹ to the rails
or longitudinal or transverse sole plates Z on the ground. The vertical oscillating
and horizontal swivelling actuating trunnion cylinder E has a piston or plunger E
fitted in it with strong piston rod E' projecting out through a stuffing box in its

page_text: front end E and to the end of which rod E² the tool z is secured by the coupling
and cotters E or otherwise to secure any size or form of hammering, drilling,
or cutting tool z desired, and has preferably a back end cover E³ for withdrawing
the piston E and its ram piston rod E2. The piston E in this cylinder E is.
actuated generally by compressed air, but other pressure fluids might be used such
as gas, steam, or water where these were more suitable or convenient, admitted by
a central branch H¹ and ports H11 to the centre of the distributing or slide valve-
casing H, preferably secured at E on the upper back end of the cylinder E, with.
one port e leading into the back end of the cylinder E behind the piston E", and
another port e leading to the front end of the cylinder E on the inner end of the
piston. The slide valve is preferably made in the form of a double piston valve e², ell,
working in its cylindrical case e over the said ports e el, between which valves the
pressure air is admitted as indicated by the arrows in Figures 1 and 3 A, the latter
being a transverse section of the casing H on the line 2-2 through the centre
ports H, H, Figure 2. The spindle e of this valve e² el projects out through a
stuffing box in the front end of the valve chest H, with a small crosshead f which
may or may not work in slide guides, to be actuated automatically by two side.
rods carried forward and jointed to the bow lever f2, f, on a wiper shaft f3.
mounted in a bearing bracket fill screwed to a stud bracket f4 projecting out
from a socket in the upper front stuffing box end E of the cylinder E. This.
wiper shaft 3 has the upper bow end 2 of the lever f2 f11 secured to it and
has the lower forked arms f¹¹, projecting down on opposite sides of the piston.
rod E2 in front of the stuffing box E, which would be actuated automatically by
the coupling E11 as a tappet or tappets secured on the piston rod E2 to push the
arms f, and the rod f¹ and valve e², e¹¹, in the casing e backwards, each time the
tool and piston, reached the extreme inner end of their stroke as shown in this
position of the ports in Figure 1. That is, when the piston E was pushed to its.
extreme inner end, the coupling tappet E and its lever f" would open the valve e*
and permit the pressure air from the valve casing e to enter the port è and cylinder E.
behind the piston E, the valve ell at the same time opening the port e¹ from the
inner end of the cylinder E, to the exhaust port of the casing H, to push the
piston E and its tool z outwards to strike the face of the rock. And for bringing
the tool and the piston E" back from the inner end of the cylinder E the valve eel
would be reversed by the hand lever a a¹ having its upper end a¹ fulcrumed to a
bracket a secured to the back end H2 of the casing H conveniently placed for the
attendant to operate it, by a crosshead a² and side rods a³ to the front end cross-
head of the valve, which on pushing in the hand lever a would cause the piston
valve to open the ports e¹ to the pressure air in the centre casing e³ and at the
same time make the piston valve e² to open the port e from the outer end of the
cylinder E to the exhaust end H2 of the casing H, and thus push the piston E¹¹ to
the inner end of its cylinder E as shown in this position in Figure 1, ready for.
the automatic forward action as before described. The exhaust of the pressure air or
fluid takes place from opposite ends of the casing H beyond the piston valves e², ell, out.
through the port h and branch / from the inner end H³ of the casing H, as indicated
by the arrows in Figure 1. Or the valve e², el, might be worked this way positively
in both directions by the hand lever a a¹ mounted at the back of the cylinder E and
casing H. Other arrangements of slide and piston valves and tappet lever gearing
may however be used for admitting the pressure fluid to the opposite ends of the
cylinder E, such as used for other reciprocating rock drills, air and steam rivetters
and hammers and the like, space being left beyond the ports at opposite ends of the
cylinder for pressure air to cushion the piston after it reached its backward or forward
effective stroke, to prevent the possibility of breaking the ends of the cylinder, or
have a cushion or buffer ring of india-rubber or other equivalent elastic material as
indicated at E³. The cutting tools or chisels z of this machine would be secured to
and act in the line of the axis of the piston rod E2, and they might be made of any
desired size and form of splitting tool of cross, or other boring face; and when
desired to be used for boring holes, the chisel might be secured and fitted to the piston

page_text: rod E², so as to be rotated in the coupling socket E, in line with the axis of the
piston rod E2, and have a screw or other ratchet motion fitted on it to automatically
turn the drill a certain distance at each inward stroke of the piston E" and tool z as
in other rock drills. And although only one cylinder E and tool have been
described as so mounted in trunnions on one carriage A, where wide tunnels had
to be cut, two or more of such cylinders and tools might be mounted on the same
carriage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.-
First. The construction, or general arrangement and combination of the parts of a
machine for drilling, cutting, or excavating rock and other hard material in tunnels,
mines, and the like, in which a boring or excavating tool is used actuated by a piston
working within a cylinder mounted on a portable or traversing carriage with horizontal
swivelling and vertical oscillating trunnion frames and their actuating and holding
screw gearing and fittings, all substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. The securing of a rock drilling machine carriage by angled lever grippers,
and their cross or transverse screws, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third: In a rock drilling machine, the construction and use of a traversing or
portable carriage with horizontal swivelling or rotating trunnion frame, in com-
bination with a vertical swivelling or oscillating trunnion frame and their actuating
screw gearing which set and hold the cylinder and tool at any required angle
horizontally or vertically, substantially as and for the purposes herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In a rock drilling machine the construction and use of a traversing carriage
with a bow frame in which is fitted a screw nut and vertical screw spindle with head
and block which works against the roof of the tunnel or mine, substantially as and
actuated in the manner and for the purposes herein described in reference to and shown
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 13th October 1890.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.