IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BREAKING STONE
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacques Lazare Charcouchet, of Lyons, in the
Empiro of France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR BREAKING STONE."
Sealed the 5th August 1862, and dated the 28th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacques Lazare Char-
couchet, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th February 1862.
I, JACQUES LAZARE CHARCOUCHET, of Lyons, in the Empire of France, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR BREAKING STONE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a new method of breaking stone by machinery,
worked by steam or other motive power. A strong cast-iron framework
contains or encloses a sifting apparatus formed by a series of parallel bars of
the shape of prisms on which the stone to be broken is placed. The sides of
the sifting apparatus are firmly bolted to a timber frame, to the longitudinal
cross timber of which a powerful hinge is fixed, whereon two moveable anvils
work underneath the sifter, as presently described. These anvils have grooves
or channels cut on their faces, so as to correspond with the bars of the sifter,
into which they fit when the anvils are in their uppermost or horizontal position.
These anvils are raised to a horizontal position and lowered alternately to an
angle of about forty-five degrees, by means of excentrics working on a shaft

page_text: at the top of the cast-iron standards of the machine; from these excentrics
connecting rods descend one on each side of the machine, and are attached by
hooks to the anvils. Above the binge of the anvils a broad leather or steel
band passes over a copper pulley, and is attached to the hinged extremity of
the anvils by means of a projection or stop running along the ends of the
channels. This band is for the purpose of preventing the stone from getting
into the hinge, and impeding the play of the anvils thereon. Two cranks on
the same shaft which works the eccentrics, give a vertical reciprocating motion
to two connecting rods, at the lower end of each of which a heavy block or
hammer is attached, these hammers aided by guides in the standards are
consequently caused to descend upon the stone placed on the sifters and
moveable anvils, the stone is thus broken into pieces, the size of which may
be regulated according to the spaces between the bars of the sifters. The
anvils are raised by the excentrics, while the hammers are forced down by the
cranks, and vice versa, so that after each blow of the hammers, the anvils
leave the spaces of the sifters, through which the broken stone then passes
and rolls down the slanting sides of the falling anvils and out of the machine.
The broken stone is then ready for removal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jacques Lazaro Charcouchet, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACQUES
LAZARE CHARCOUCHET, of Lyons, in the Empire of France, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Jacques Lazare Charcouchet, Her special licence, that I, the
said Jacques Lazare Charcouchet, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as 1, the said Jacques Lazare Charcouchet, 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 BREAKING

page_text: STONE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jacques
Lazare Charcouchet, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing, under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Jacques Lazare Charcouchet, 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, reference being had to the Figures of the accompanying
Drawing, and to the letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention consists of a new method of breaking stone, by machinery
worked by steam or other motive power. A strong cast-iron framework
contains or encloses a sifting apparatus, formed by a series of parallel bars of
the shape of prisms, on which the stone to be broken is placed. The sides of
the sifting apparatus are firmly bolted to a timber frame, to the longitudinal
cross timber of which a powerful hinge is fixed, whereon two moveable anvils
work underneath the sifter as presently described. These anvils have grooves
or channels cut on their faces so as to correspond with the bars of the sifter,
into which they fit when the anvils are in their uppermost or horizontal position.
These anvils are raised to a horizontal position and lowered alternately, to an
angle of about forty-five degrees by means of excentrics working on a shaft at
the top of the cast-iron standards of the machine. From these excentrics
connecting rods descend one on each side of the machine, and are attached by
hooks to the hammers. Above the hinges of the anvils, a broad leather or
steel band passes over a copper pulley, and is attached to the hinged extremity
of the anvils by, means of a projection or stop running along the ends of the
channels. This band is for the purpose of preventing the stone from getting
into the hinge, and impeding the play of the anvils thereon. Two cranks on
the same shaft which works the excentric give a vertical reciprocating motion
to two connecting rods, at the lower end of each of which a heavy block or
hammer is attached. These bammers aided by guides in the standards, are
consequently caused to descend upon the stone, placed on the sifters and
moveable anvils. The stone is thus broken into pieces, the size of which may
be regulated according to the spaces between the bars of the sifters. The
anvils are raised by the excentrics while the hammers are forced down by the
cranks, and vice versa, so that after each blow of the hammers, the anvils
leave the spaces of the sifters, through which the broken stone then passes

page_text: and rolls down the slanting sides of the falling anvils, and out of the machine.
The broken stone is then ready for removal.
The mechanical details of this apparatus, will be more fully understood by
reference to the annexed Drawing, in which Figure 1, is a longitudinal section
through E, F, Fig. 8; Figure 2, is a cross section through G, H, Fig. 8;
Figure 3, is a view of the hammer arrangement; Figuro 4, is a section of the
same through A, B; Figure 5, is a section of one of the hammers through
'A, B,; Figure 6, represents the guide slot of the same; Figure 7, shews- the
form of the sifting bar sockets; Figure 8, is a plan of the sifting frame;
Figure 9, is a section of the same through B, C; Figures 10, 11, represent the
bars of the sifter; Figure 12, is a plan of the anvil arrangement. In all
these Figures, tho similar parts of the mechanisin are indicated by the same
letters of reference.
A is the framework with its sifting apparatus; formed by the iron bars a,"
the spacing of which varies according to the size of broken stone required: 6
is a shoot for the introduction of the stone to be broken. The bars a of the
sifter, aro secured by the slots f¹, formed at the extremity of the passage b, and
on the side c of the frame, c, c, which is firmly bolted to the beams d, d, d¹.
B3 is the anvil arrangement, comprising a series of cubes e, slightly rounded*
off at their upper surfaces, and set at equal distances from each other. In'
the length of this anvil are formed the channels in which fit the bars of the
sifter, c is the shaft serving as pivot to the hinge H. The squared extremities
of this shaft work in the slide D, while its length reposes on the forks of the
two buffers E, E, which reduce the shock of the falling hammers, and prevent
by their elasticity the pulverisation of the stone: The two horizontal buffers
F, F, are intended to receive the anvil, which, in falling upon them at an
angle of forty-five degrees, allows the stones passing through the sifter, to roll
towards the reserved space W. G is the articulated block, composed of a
number of hammers equal to the number of anvil cubes, connected by the tie.
bars g, g. These hammers the faces of which are rounded off, are provided
with perpendicular slots, giving passage to square rods or bars bolted down at
h, h'. The object of this arrangement is to render each hammer independent
of its neighbour, (thus compensating the inequality of the stone to be broken)
to prevent oscillation, and to permit of the hammers falling into line, at
cach up stroke. The machinery being set in motion, the stones to be broken,
admitted by the shoot 6 fall on the rounded summits of the anvil cubes e, under
the hammer block. From the independent action of the hammers composing
this block, the inequality of the masses operated on forms no obstacle to the
breaking process, each hammer although checked on meeting the stone imme-

page_text: diately below it, leaving its neighbours free to pursue their descent, until
successively stopped in the same manner. On the completion of the down
stroke, the anvil B being freed turns on its hinge C, and falls on the buffers
F, F. By this movement the bars of the sifter are left open, and give passage
to the stones of the required size, which fall on the anvil below, from whenco
they are thrown down the incline into the case W. This done, the anvil
returns to its place, and in so doing throws under the hammers the unreduced
fragments remaining on the sifter, a further supply of fresh stone is added,
and the different movements above described are repeated as often as may be
required.
Having now described the nature of the said improvements, and the manner
of carrying them into effect, I would have it understood, that I do not confine
myself to the precise details of execution above laid down, as these may be
modified without deviating from the principles or characteristic features of the
Invention. But what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is, the
improved combination of anvils, sifting bars, and independent hammers applied
to the construction of stone-breaking machinery, in manner substantially
as herein set forth, and represented in the Figures of the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacques Lazare Charcouchet, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
L. CHARCOUCHET. (L.S.)