Improvements in Rock Drill Carriages.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd June, 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rock Drill Carriages.
We, MATTHEW HENRY LARMUTH, Engineer, and ROBERT BIRKEN HOWARTH,
Manager, both of Todleben Iron Works Cross Lane Salford in the County of
Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to carriages or frames for supporting rock drills used for
sinking shafts or similar purposes and consists in an improved construction or
arrangement of said carriages and parts thereof by means of which the fixing of
the carriages and their removal for blasting and the working of the rock drills in
any position over the whole area of the borehole or shaft is facilitated and time and
labour economised.
In carrying our invention into effect, we arrange a wheel shaped centre with a
flanged or grooved rim, on which a ring made in halves can turn and is supported
by the flanges or grooves of the rim. The centre wheel is formed with three or
more bosses near to the inside of the rim through which bosses three or more legs
made adjustable in length are passed and support the centre wheel on the floor of
the shaft to be sunk or surface of the bore hole, the legs being made adjustable to
suit the various levels of the floor or surfaces. The centre is provided with eye-
bolts for lifting it out of the shaft when blasting is done. To the ring surrounding
the centre three or more, preferably six, radiating stays or stretcher bars are
hinged, said bars being formed or provided with flanges which can be bolted to
contesponding surfaced formed on the ring, by means of swivel bolts hinged to the
ring. The two halves of the latter are bolted together so that when the bolts
tightened, the halves grip the centre wheel. By these means the centre, ring and
stay bars are rigidly connected. The stay bars have screws carrying swivelling claws
arranged at their outer ends which claws can thus be screwed up against the walls of
the shaft and the carriage stayed and fixed in position. Each stay bar carries a
split clamp that can be shifted and turned on the bar and locked in position by
means of a bolt and nuts, the same bolt being utilized to bolt the rock drill against
a facing formed on the clamp and serving as a centre round which the drill can be
turned, thus forming a universal joint, which allows the drill to be set at any
inclination to the surface to be drilled, while by loosening the bolts of the ring the
whole can be turned round the centre.
220
On the middle of the centre wheel a tail-pipe or chamber is bolted formed with
as many branch pipes with cocks and unions as there are stay bars and rock drills
and a union for connecting it to the compressed air supply pipe. The branch cocks
are connected by flexible pipes to the several rock drills. When the drilling has
been finished, the carriage can be lifted out of the shaft after the claws at the outer
ends of the stays and the bolts at their inner ends have been loosened, the drills
remaining attached to the stay bars.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rock Drill Carriages.
We, MATTHEW HENRY LARMTH, Engineer, and ROBERT BIRKEN HOWAREN,
Manager both of Todleben Iron Works, Cross Lane, Salton in the County of
Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
Our invention relates to carriages or frames for supporting rock drills used for
sinking shafts and similar purposes and consists in an improved construction or
arrangement of said carriages and parts thereof by means of which the fixing of
the carriages and their removal for blasting and the working of the rock drills in
any position over the whole area of the bore hole or shaft is facilitated and time
and labour economised.
Our improvements are hereinafter particularly described with reference to the
accompanying sheet of drawings on which
Fig. is a plan of the improved sinking carriage and
Fig. 2 a side view of the same with some of the stay bars removed.
In carrying our invention into effect, we arrange a 'wheel shaped centre A with a
Banged or grovel rim on which a strap on ring is made in balves can turn and is
supported by the flanges or grooves on the rim of said centre A (Fig. 1). The
wheel shaped centre A is formed with three or more bosses (" near to the inside of
the rim, four such bosses being shown on the drawing, through each of which
bosses a leg D Figs. 1 and 2, made adjustable in length is passed. The legs may
be made adjustable in length in the manner shewn, by screwing the upper part and
fixing them in the bosses by a nut and lock unt or in any other suitable way. The
legs support the centre A with its attachments on the floor of the shaft or end
surface of the bore hole and are made adjustable to suit the various levels of the
floor or surface. The centre A is provided with eyebolts E for lifting the whole
of the sinking earringe and drills out of the shaft when blasting is to be done.
To the strap or ring B surrounding the wheel shaped centre A, three or more.
preferably six, radiating stays or stretcher bars are hinged by means of pins G,
Fig. 2, passing through lugs formed on or fixed to the ring B and the end flanges H
formed on or attached to said stretcher bars F. The flanges I are formed with
lateral open slots so that they can be bolted to corresponding facings or surfaces d
formed on the ring B by means of swivel bolts K hinged to the ring B. The
bolts are shewn on Fig. 1 in their bolting or locking position for two of the
stretcher bars and opened for the others. The two halves of the ring Bare
bolted together by bolts 6 and are so adjusted that when the bolts are tightened,
the halves grip the centre A, so that by screwing up the bolts & and K, the centre A,
ring B, and stretcher bars Fare rigidly connected.
The stay or stretcher bars F have jacking screws 1 carrying swivelling claws M
of ordinary construction at their outer ends, which claws M can be screwed up
against the walls N of the shaft and the sinking carriage stayed and fixed in
position thereby. Each stay or stretcher bar F carries a split clamp that can
be shifted and turned on the bar and locked in position by means of a bolt and
nut P. The rock drill R, is bolted by a bolt P against a coned facing formed on
the clamp, the bolt serving as a centre round which the rock drill can be turned on
the facing. In this way a universal joint is formed which allows the rock drill R
to be turned in any direction so that it can be set at any inclination to the surface
to be drilled, while by loosening the bolts of the ring 13 the whole ring and
stay bars F with the drills attached to them can be turned round the centre. By
these means shot holes can be drilled at any point of the area of the shaft floor and
at any inclination to the same.

page_text: On the middle of the wheel shaped centre A a tail pipe or chamber S is bolted,
formed with as many branch pipes T as there are stretcher bars F and rock drills.
These branch pipes are fitted with cocks V and unions for connecting them by means
of flexible pipe W to the several rock drills. The tail pipe or chamber S is fitted
with a union U for connecting to a larger hose pipe communicating with the main
pipe supplying compressed air.
When the drilling has been finished, the carriage can be lifted out of the shaft
after the claws M at the outer ends of the bars F and the bolts K at their inner
ends have been loosened, the bars F remaining suspended on the pins G from the
ring B and the drills attached to the bars F, no part of the carriage or drills having
to be detached nor pipe unions to be disconnected, so that after blasting the carriage
and drills can be replaced into position again for drilling in the shortest possible
time with the smallest expenditure of labour.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In rock drill carriages the arrangement of a centre supported on adjustable
legs and a strap or ring capable of being turned and fixed thereon and provided with
facings for bolting stay or stretcher bars thereto substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. In rock drill carriages the arrangement of a ring that can be turned and locked
on a centre, and stay or stretcher bars hinged to said ring and provided with
flanges for bolting thereto at their inner ends and with jacking screws fitted with
claws at their outer ends, substantially as described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. In combination with sinking rock drill carriages having stay or stretcher bars
that can be turned on a common centre, the arrangement of a fail or chamber (S)
with branch pipes fitted with stop cocks or their equivalents and pipe unions sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
4. The general arrangement or combination of parts of a rock drill carriage for
sinking shafts and similar purposes substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
Dated the 21st June 1893
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.