IMPROVEMENTS IN BORING ROCKS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tregay, of Redruth, in the County of Corn-
wall, Mine Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BORING ROCKS,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 18th December 1864, and dated the 14th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tregay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th June 1864.
I, WILLIAM TREGAY, of Redruth, in the County of Cornwall; Mine Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BORING ROCKS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in the use and application of frictional rotary
borers for boring rocks by machinery, however applied, with or without the
use of emery or other sharp powdered substance for facilitating the operation,
and secondly, in the use of the machinery herein-after described for boring
rocks.
In boring rocks I employ friction instead of the jumping and striking.
motion adopted heretofore. I produce the friction or rubbing action by a rotary

page_text: or rapid spinning and rubbing motion of the borer. The boring tools are
made either of iron or steel and of different forms most suitable to the different
kinds of rock to be bored. I sometimes use water for cooling the borers
and facilitating the operation, I also use emery powder or other sharp powder
for facilitating the operation. I apply the motive power either direct from the
engine to the borer, or transmit it by band gearing or other known means as
circumstances may require. I employ steam, water, compressed air, or any
other known motive power.
The annexed Drawing represents an elevation of the apparatus I employ for
boring rocks.
I fix a driving wheel A upon the shaft B, B. This driving wheel may be
connected with the motive power by an endless chain or band, or by toothed
wheels. If an endless chain or band be used, it will be guided and retained
on the driving wheel by guide wheels fixed on the frame as at W; if gear-
ing be applied then instead of guide wheels a gear wheel will be fixed at V on
suitable framework connected with the frame F. The shaft B, B, turns
with the wheel A by means of a key through the slot c, c', made in the shaft
and extending from the wheel A to C', the whole of this part of the shaft is
turned round and smooth in order that in passing through the brasses at D, D,
in the frame, each part of the shaft may in its turn become the bearing while
in those brasses. This shaft is worked forward by the screw S which presses
on the end of the shaft at the point r; at the end of shaft B; B is a piece
of hardened cast iron or steel B¹ fitted in to the end of the shaft to lessen the
friction at that point and to prevent the steel point of S wearing the shaft
itself. This piece of hardened cast iron or steel may be removed from time
to time as it gets worn. The screw S is fitted into a female screw in the
centre of head X, which presses against the frame at G, driving forward
the screw S by the lever h; the end of lever h has a weight hanging on it
or connected with it and passed over a pulley. The lever h fits into the holes
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, in the head X, and is removed from time to time from one to
another of the holes as they appear in succession near the top. The screw S
is kept from turning round by the cross bar Z passing through it just behind
its point and bearing on the guide rods M, M. This screw may be made to
turn by fixing the head X and the female screw it contains to the frame at G-
applying the lever to turn it round at the other end; either way it will
propel the shaft B, B, forward. The shaft B, B, is connected by a male and
female screw at K to the borer L, and as it is being driven forward presses
the borer against the face of the work at S¹, which being rotated rapidly by
the machinery through A and B, bores or drills a hole in the rock. N is a

page_text: box or trough resting and sliding on the guide bars M fitted to and carried
forward by the shaft B, B. This trough is used as a reservoir from which an
archimedian or other screw at u indicated in the substance of the shaft by
dotted lines revolving with the shaft takes the water and forces it through the.
channel t, t, also indicated by dotted lines through the shaft B and bore.
rod L upon the face of the work into the end of bore hole at St. The emery,
quartz, or other sharp powdered substance which I sometimes use is put into
the box N and passes through the channel t, t, with the water into the end of
the bore hole or face of the work being performed.,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Tregay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TREGAY, of Redruth, in the County of Cornwall, Mine Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Tregay, Her special licence that I, the said William Tregay,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Tregay, 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
BORING ROCKS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Tregay, my executors 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 William Tregay, 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

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of improvements in boring rocks relates to boring holes in
rocks by means of rotating or frictional boring tools, which effect the boring
by attrition instead of by impact or cutting as usual. For this purpose I use
a boring tool of iron, or steel, or other metal, according to the nature of the
rock to be bored; this tool is fitted to a spindle mounted on a frame, in which
it has a rapid rotary motion communicated to it. Down the centre of this
boring tool there is a channel or passage through which liquid is forced during
the operation of boring; I generally employ water for this purpose, but acids
may be employed with advantage. The liquid so conducted is discharged at
the point or abrading surface of the tool, which it cools and otherwise aids in
penetrating the stone. This liquid is admitted from a closed reservoir
surrounding the top of the boring spindle, which has a channel in continuation
of the channel of the tool. The upper part of the spindle has a cross hole
communicating between the fluid reservoir and channel in the axis which
always keeps open the communication with the supply. The water or other
fluid is forced into this reservoir by a pump or other apparatus keeping up a
pressure therein if necessary. The water so forced to the boring surface of
the tool not only assists the abrading action of the tool, but carries away the
material removed in boring, and maintains constantly the necessary conditions
for the action of the boring tool. In addition to the introduction of fluid
before mentioned, I sometimes introduce emery or other sharp powder to

page_text: the escape aperture at the point. A continuation of the fluid channel is also
represented dotted in the spindle c, and terminating in cross holes g¹, g', near
the other end of the spindle. An enlargement c¹ is made at this point of the
spindle, which is embraced by and enclosed within a small reservoir h, h, the only
outlet from which is by holes g¹, g'. The sides of the reservoir fit sufficiently
close to the shoulders of the enlargement c¹ to prevent the escape of the fluid,
or is furnished with leathers for that purpose. The reservoir h is mounted on
two bars i, i, it is free to slide longitudinally therein, and moves with the
spindle in its traverse, which will be herein-after explained. The reservoir
is supplied with water or other fluid by means of a pump (not shown in the
Drawings), which keeps up the necessary supply and pressure of the fluid
required.
Instead of driving the spindle e by the band pulley d a toothed wheel may
be substituted gearing with other suitable toothed gear, through which the
power may be transmitted from the engine or other driving power as circum-
stances may require. This apparatus may be driven by hand, by horse,
water, compressed air, or other motive power. In order to advance the
boring tool and keep the necessary pressure upon it, I mount at one end of
the frame a a screw k, which passes freely through the end of frame a, but is
prevented rotating thereon by a pin or feather fixed in the frame taking into
the longitudinal groove cut in the screw. On the screw k is fitted a hand
wheel m, by turning this wheel in the one direction the boss of the wheel m
presses against the frame a, by which the screw k is drawn through its bearing
and forcibly thrust against the end of the spindle a, thus driving it forward
and keeping the borer up to its work. In order to reduce the friction of
contact of the screw with the spindle, I form on the one a centre point of
hardened steel, and on the other a female centre also of hardened steel; this
may be a separate piece p, as seen fitted to the spindle, so as to be removable
in case it becomes worn and replaced by another. By this arrangement of
parts the advance of the spindle c and boring tool is steadily and forcibly
maintained as the boring progresses, keeping at same time the necessary
pressure on the point of the tool to produce the required effect. Instead of a
hand wheel ma ratchet and pawl or clawker may be employed, to which
notion is given by the driving power, and which will, at regulated intervals,
move the ratchet wheel round one tooth, and so advance the screw k and
spindle c as required. As the spindle advances the reservoir will slide along
the bars i, i, and keep up its communication with the spindle throughout.
Boring tools of various lengths may be employed, and according as the hole
deepens a longer one may be employed until the necessary depth is arrived

page_text: at; they may also be of various forms at the point, as seen at Figures A, B,
C, and D, but I find the square pyramidal point represented at Fig. 3 answers
the purpose very well.
In working this apparatus I mount the frame a on a standard F, see
Figs. 1 and 2, it being placed on an arm G extended from a socket H em-
bracing the standard. The frame a is free to oscillate on the arm G as also to
slide thereon, so as to admit of adjusting its position; it is fixed by a binding
screw T. The socket G is free to rise up and down on the standard F, for this
purpose I provide the standard with a rack 8, into which a pinion t takes
mounted in the socket H. By turning the pinion t by a winch handle or lever
on its axis, the socket G and frame a may be raised or lowered on the standard
and its position so adjusted; a ratchet and pawl on the axis of pinion t will
prevent it rotating, and so support the socket in any position. The standard
FI mount on a pedestal I fixed to a block of stone or flooring in position as
required for the boring operations. When emery or other sharp powder is
used to assist the boring operation, I mix such powder with the water or fluid
introduced by the pump, or it may be previously placed in the reservoir h, but
in either case an agitator should be placed in the enlarged part c³ of the
spindle, and so as to rotate within the reservoir, and so keep the powder in
suspension in the water, and prevent its settling in the reservoir as it would
otherwise have a tendency to do. The powder should also be kept in
suspension in the water, from which the suction pipe of the pump draws, and
I find the centrifugal pump well adapted for the purpose, as it is not liable to
choke in pumping such matters, and besides keeps up the agitation in the
water necessary to keep the powder in suspension. When using powerful
acids it may be necessary to line the fluid channels through which they pass
with some silicious or other lining, and to make or line the trough with some
material not acted by the acids, as also the pump and other parts exposed to
its action. I find sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids, more or less diluted
according to the nature of the rock to be bored, answer the purpose required.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same,
I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the use and application of a frictional rotating borer with or without
a fluid, as and for the purposes herein described.
I also claim the use or employment of emery or other sharp powder to
facilitate the operation of boring rock by means of a frictional rotary borer, as
described.
Secondly, the apparatus berein-before described and represented in the

page_text: Drawings annexed, applied for the purpose of boring rocks in manner herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tregay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 13th day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
W. TREGAY. (L.S.)