IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKETS FOR DREDGERS, AND IN THE COUPLING OR MOUNTING OF THE SAME ON THE BUCKET CHAINS THEREOF.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Robert Kinipple, of Greenock, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, and of 2, Westminster Chambers, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
BUCKETS FOR DREDGERS, AND IN THE COUPLING OR MOUNTING OF THE SAME
ON THE BUCKET CHAINS THEREOF.'
"
Sealed the 26th September 1879, and dated the 4th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Robert Kinipple at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th July 1879.
WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, and of Two, Westminster Chambers, in the County of Middlesex... "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKETS FOR DREDGERS, AND
COUPLING OR MOUNTING OF THE SAME ON THE BUCKET CHAINS THEREOF."
IN THE
This Invention, which relates to the improvement of buckets used for dredging
purposes, has principally for its object the saving of the great cost for repairs which
usually takes place when dredging in hard ground or in materials of a character
destructive to the dredging machinery. It has further for its object the more
readily discharging the material from the buckets into the hopper shoots by so
arranging the buckets on pivots or pins that when they pass over the top tumbler
in the bucket ladder they tip or tilt the dredged material into the shoots in a
manner similar to that effected by the ordinary muck wagons used by contractors
on earthworks. It is to be understood however that the buckets are not necessarily
fitted to the chains so as to tilt in the manner described. This construction is
necessary only in cases, where the material dredged is of a clayey nature, which
causes it to adhere to the interior of the buckets, and is therefore not easily dis-
charged therefrom by the simple overturning of the buckets as they pass over the
top tambler. The buckets when not required to tilt may be rigidly attached to the
links of the bucket chain.
The Invention consists in forming the buckets in three distinct pieces, all moveable,
and made to exact gauges; viz.:-1st, a "back," which may be made of forged iron,
body
cast steel, or malleable cast iron, or of other suitable material; 2nd, a " " of
iron or steel, hooped or lipped in such manner that it can be passed over the lip of
the "back," having two tail screw bolts forged on or rivetted to the end of the

page_text: 'body," and which bolts are passed through holes in the turned up end of the
"back," and which when screwed up draw the body tight on to the "back" without
necessitating the use of other rivets or screw bolts beyond the two above described;
3rd, a "lip" or "mouthpiece-of-steel-having-a-shovel,_or_spadelike, or grapnel
form-fitted-to-the-inside of the rim plate of the "body," and stopped or supported
_by_two_wedged formed plates rivetted or otherwise fixed on to the inside of the
"body"This "lip" has a tail carried-down-the inside with an eye in its end for
the reception of a short drawing up or screw bolt which passes through an eye
-bracket-rivetted.on_to_the_inside of the end of the "body."
The pins for the coupling or mounting of the buckets to the ladder-chains-are
formed of ordinary round bars without heads and cotter slots, all which is necessary
for keeping the pins-in place being to form a flat surface on one side of the pins in
the centre, and to insert an ordinary cotter into a slot formed in the link of the
chain for this purpose. By this arrangement a damaged "back" of one bucket, a
damaged "body of another, and also a damaged "lip" of another could be
removed from the three buckets, and the remaining sound portions put together, so
that two out of every three buckets could be put together and used within a short
time, or during the repairs of the damaged portion, and thus not only is time saved
in repairs, but the necessity of keeping a large number of buckets in stock is
avoided, and the buckets would not, as is frequently the case, be thrown on one
side as useless, or as not worth the cost of repairs.
It is further to be understood that the "bodies" and the "lips" of the buckets
may be varied in dimensions, so as to increase or diminish the dredging capacity
of the buckets in accordance with the degree of hardness of the material being
dredged.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Walter Robert Kinipple in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st January 1880.
WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North
"IM-
Britain, and of 2, Westminster Chambers, in the County of Middlesex.
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUCKETS FOR DREDGERS, AND IN THE
COUPLING OR MOUNTING OF THE SAME ON THE BUCKET CHAINS THEREOF."
My said Invention relates to the improvement of buckets used for dredging
purposes, and has for its object principally to effect a saving in the great cost for
repairs which is usually incurred when dredging in hard ground or in materials of
a character destructive to the dredging mechanism. The Invention has further for
its object the more ready discharge of the material from the buckets into the
hopper-shoots by so arranging the buckets on pivots or pins that when they pass
over the top tumbler of the bucket ladder they tip or tilt the dredged material
into the shoots, in a manner similar to that effected by ordinary muck wagons used
by contractors on earth works. The buckets when not required to tilt may be
rigidly attached to the bucket chains.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:-
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section, Figure 2 in plan of underside or back,
and Figure 3 (partly in section) as seen from above, a bucket constructed according
to my Invention, some of the links of the chain being also shewn in these Figures.
According to the said Invention the bucket is made in three distinct pieces or parts,
all moveable, and made to exact gauges, so that either of the parts will be capable
of being used with any of the buckets made to the same gauge. The said parts are
as follows:-
First. A "back" A, which may be of forged iron, cast steel, or malleable cast
iron, or of other suitable material.
Secondly. A "body" B of wrought iron or steel; and,
Thirdly. A steel "lip" or "mouthpiece "C of a shovel, or spade-like, or grapnel
form, all these parts being constructed and fitted together and to the links of the
bucket chains as hereinafter described. The "back" A is formed with ears a,
through which passes the pin or axis d which connects the links of the chain at
this part. This pin d is flattened at the parts where it passes through the said
as to bear on
ears a, and cotters e are passed through slots in the said ears a so
these flattened parts and secure the bucket back A in position, but so that it is
capable of turning with the said pin; or a hole may be drilled through one or all
of the ears a and pin d and a small pin or pins inserted. A projecting part fat
the end of the "back" A bears upon the links of the chain.
"
"
"
The "body" part B forming the sides and front of the bucket is hooped or lipped
at top, or formed in a continuous piece, so that the part at 6 can be passed over the
lip a² of the back A. A band g of wrought iron, or steel, or other suitable
metal is rivetted all round the top of the "body B to strengthen it at this part.
At either side of the end of the "body" B are two tail screw bolts b² (one of which
is shewn in Figure 1) forged on or rivetted to the said "body" B, and in the turned
up end or bottom of the "back" A are two holes, through which the said bolts b³
are passed and screwed up by means of nuts, as at b³, which draw the "body" B
tight on to the "back" A without the use of rivets or other screw bolts additional
to those above described. .
The "lip" or "mouthpiece" C is of steel, and has a shovel or spade like form at
its outer end, and may or may not be cast or formed with claws c¹. It has a tail

page_text: "
piece with an eye at its end. Inside the "body" B are rivetted or otherwise
fixed two inclined or wedge shaped guide-plates h, in which the sides of the "lip" C
slide and are supported. The "lip" C is secured to the "body" B by a screw
bolt passing through-a-bracket-piece-rivetted inside the end of the "body" B,
- the claws c¹, when such are formed on the part C, projecting over the edge-of-the-
bucket body, as seen in Figures 1-and-2. The.nut is secures this screw bolt i, and
as the "lip" C is drawn up thereby, its sides are wedged firmly in the side guide
pieces. The claws c¹ may be dispensed with--if desired, and bolts passed through
the lip" C and the upper part of the "body B, and secured by nuts, may be
employed to fasten them firmly together. Teeth c-may-be formed on the "lip" C,
as indicated by the dot and pick lines in Figure 1, the said teeth being of any
convenient size, number, and distance apart: The outer band g has formed on or
fastened to it bearing pieces g² in such position as to rest on the links of the chain,
as shewn in Figure 3. Figure 4 shews in longitudinal section my Invention applied
in a modified form to a bucket attached at both ends to the chain links in the usual
way. According to this arrangement the "lip" C is fitted so that its tail piece c²
is outside of the "body" B of the bucket, the said "lip" C having claws c¹ cast
thereon, which lay hold of the inside of the strengthening ring which is inside
the "body" B. Teeth, similar to that shown at c in Figure 1, may be formed on
the said "lip" C if desired. Wedge formed or guide plates, similar to those marked
h in Figures 1 and 3, are employed, but they are of course in this case on the
outside of the "body" B. The tail piece c² of the part C has one or more holes at
its end for the reception of the hooks of hooked drawing up screw bolts *, which
pass through one or more holes in the turned up end of the "back A, where they
are each provided with a nut is for drawing up the "lip" C, in a manner similar to
that described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
"
The bushes between the holes in the ears a and the pins d which connect the
links of the chain may be secured to the said ears and the said pins secured in
place as shewn in Figure 4. The bush d³ is secured by a pin d² with a head
passing through a hole in the bush d³ and into the solid metal of the ear a of the
"back" A, the hole in the bush being so much larger than the hole in the ears a
that it will contain the head of the pin d. The said pin d² being passed from the
interior of the bush d³ into its place, it is retained there by the pin d when passed
through the links. The said pin d is secured by a split pin k passed through the
collar and pin d. The sections of the two pin holes in Figure 4 are shewn in
different planes, that at one end as being taken across the ear a of the "back" A,
shewing the manner of securing a bush d³, and that at the other end being taken
across the pin d and collar between the said ears a, shewing the manner in which
the pin d is secured.
In buckets constructed according to my Invention a damaged "back" A of one
bucket, a damaged "body" B of another, and also a damaged "lip" C of another,
could be removed from the three buckets and the remaining sound portions put
together, so that two out of every-three-buckets could be put together and used
within a short time, or during the repairs of the damaged portion, and thus not
only save time in repairs, and the necessity of keeping a large number of buckets
in stock, but the buckets would not, as is frequently the case, be thrown on one
side as useless, or at all events not worth the cost of repairs.
When the buckets are attached to the chains, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
the links of the chain upon which the projections g² rested first passing over the
tumbler and leaving the said projections, on the further movement of the chain the
bucket tips, tilts, or falls over until the projections g² again rest on the links of the
chain, thus giving a jerking movement to expel the contents of the bucket. This
contrivance for tipping or tilting the bucket is necessary only in cases where the
material elevated by the buckets is of a clayey nature, which causing it to. adhere
to the interior of the bucket, it is therefore not easily discharged therefrom by, the
simple overturning of the buckets as they pass over the top tumbler.i
..
The bodies and lips of the buckets may be varied in dimensions, so as to increase

page_text: or diminish the dredging capacity of the buckets in accordance with the degree of
hardness or other condition of the material being dredged.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I wish it
to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention, but what I consider to be
novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
">
First. The herein before described improvements in the construction of buckets
for dredgers, whereby the "body" (B) is rendered readily attachable to and separable
from the "back" (A), and the "
"lip or mouthpiece (C) is rendered readily attachable
to or separable from the "body" B, all essentially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
Second. Coupling or mounting the buckets of dredgers with or on the bucket
chains thereof, essentially as and to give the tipping or tilting action herein before
described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Robert Kinipple, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
WALTER ROBERT KINIPPLE. (L.S.)