IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE FORMATION OF ASPHALT AND OTHER PAVEMENTS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Thomas Parlour, of Rutland Street,
Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the, Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE FORMATION OF
ASPHALT AND OTHER PAVEMENTS."
Sealed the 31st December 1872, and dated the 3rd July 1872.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Joseph Thomas Parlour
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 3rd July 1872, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
THOMAS PARLOUR, of Rutland Street, Pimlico, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE FORMATION OF ASPHALT AND OTHER PAVEMENTS,'
and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and
have made solemn Declaration that I am the true and first Inventor
thereof.

page_text: Figure 8 is a side elevation of a hammering apparatus to be used
for laying asphalt or similar material, and also for securing blocks or
pieces of wood or stone in pavements, foundations, and other similar
work.
Figure 9 shows my improved apparatus for mixing and spreading
concrete, asphalt, and other like materials.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing:
a is a frame of wood, iron, or other suitable material, and which is
made to extend across the road or other way to be paved; 6 is a roller
of cast iron or other suitable material mounted on the shaft c; which is
provided with rollers c¹ or blocks whereby it is supported and guided in
the guideways a' of the frame ȧ. The shaft é does not turn; the roller b
is so fitted upon the said shaft c that it will both turn and slide thereon.
The said roller is moved from end to end of the frame by the endless
chains & which pass over the pulleys d', d²; the pulleys & are fixed on
the shaft d³, which is turned to operate the chains d by steam or other-
wise; or instead of using these chains I may move the rollers to and fro
by means of toothed racks placed on the frame and pinions on the roller
shaft geared into the said racks; or I may use screws properly arranged
in the frames to give the required movements to the roller.
Inside the roller I place à series of gas burners e, and supply the
same with gas through a flexible pipe e¹, which is connected to any
convenient gas pipe in the vicinity of the work.
In cases where gas is
not easily obtainable I may heat the roller by a fire of coal, cokc, or
other combustible material, for which purpose I use a fire basket or
grate suspended upon the shaft inside the roller; or I may heat the said
roller by steam or hot air. The ends of the shafts c are supported in
blocks fitted in carriages c³ to which the aforesaid flanged rollers c
are attached. The said carriage is provided with screws c' whereby the
blocks are raised or lowered to adjust the roller to the required
thickness of the asphalt or other material.
The frame a is designed to be supported upon the side walks when
the apparatus is in operation, the said frame then resting upon the
parts a which project beyond the roadway or surface being covered with
the asphalt or other material. To give additional weight to the frame
where it is not found sufficiently heavy I provide the apparatus with
tanks or boxes ƒ which may be filled with stone or other heavy materials.

page_text: The parts of the frame are also provided with castor wheels to
facilitate the adjustment of the frame. These wheels have screws g¹,
whereby they are set down to carry the frame when it is to be adjusted
and raised to let the parts a bear on the side walk or other surface when
the required adjustment of the frame has been accomplished.
The guideways a' are curved or otherwise shaped to give the required
formation to the surface of the road. The ends of the guiding surfaces
are curved or sloped upward as shown to raise the roller clear of the
gutters and curbstones or edges of the side walks. The lower edge a
of the frame is shaped to correspond with the said guideways, and this
edge rests on the surface of the finished pavement and determines the
formation or pitch of the same. For adjusting the roller bendwise
upon the shaft c I use the fork h, which is fitted upon the long screw. h¹,
and is moved in either direction by turning the said screw. The arms h²
of the fork are just far enough apart to admit the said roller between
them, and when the fork is moved in either direction the roller is carried
with it. The screw is provided with a crank handle ³ or other
convenient means whereby it may be turned.
When the said apparatus is to be used it is placed in the proper
position over the road or other surface to be paved. The asphalt or
other substance is laid loosely upon the bed or bottom, which must first
be prepared for its reception in the usual manner. In laying or
spreading the asphalt or other substance I may use the apparatus
herein-after described or other suitable means.. Then the gas or fire is
lighted inside the roller, and when the latter is sufficiently hot it is
drawn across the surface of the asphalt to and fro till the same has
been properly pressed down or compacted. Then the said roller is
moved endwise by means of the contrivance above described and again
drawn to and fro till a portion of the pavement equal to the width of
the frame has been completed. Then the apparatus is raised upon the
castor wheels g and moved forward thereon to cover another portion
of the surface to be paved. The apparatus is then again lowered to
rest firmly on the ends a² of the frame, and the above operations are
repeated.
In laying or constructing asphalt pavements I sometimes use in
combination with the aforesaid roller the apparatus illustrated in
Figure 3. This apparatus consists of a rake i, leveller , and broom or
brush mounted on the lever . The latter has its fulcrum at i' on a

page_text: standard or is otherwise conveniently supported upon the frame.
One
At
of these apparatus is placed on each side of the said roller b, and when
the same moves in either direction over the loose asphalt the lever is
adjusted to bring the rake and leveller down on the material and they
spread and level the same in front of the said roller. Then when the
motion of the roller is reversed the said lever is adjusted to bring the
broom down upon the rolled or finished part of the asphalt and sweeps
from the same all the loose or surplus portions left on its surface.
the same time the apparatus on the opposite side of the roller is adjusted
to bring its rake and leveller down upon the asphalt, which as the roller
passes over it is spread and levelled as above described. In some cases
I use instead of the roller the flattener or smoother shown in Figures 6
and 7 for pressing down or compacting the asphalt and similar materials.
This contrivance consists of heavy flat metal plates secured to the shaft
c by arms j. The said plates are provided with baskets or boxes j³, in
which a fire is made of coal, coke, or other substance or heated by gas,
hot air, or steam. The latter are then drawn to and fro and moved
across the asphalt or other material in the same manner as the roller..
In Figures 4 and 5 I have shown implements for cutting gutters or
other grooves or channels in the pavement or road. The cutter & is
fixed on a shaft which is intended to take the place of the shaft or
axle c.
The said cutter shaft may be turned by steam or hand power,
and at the same time is moved over the pavement in the direction in
which the gutter or channel is to be cut. The depth of the said gutter
or channel may be regulated by adjusting the said shaft as herein-before.
described.
The contrivance shown in Figure 5 consists of a series of cutters 1,.
carried by the upper bar and guided in the lower bar 13 with their
points projecting through the same. The said cutters are made to
project more or less through the lower bar by adjusting the upper bar,
the two bars being connected by the pieces somewhat like an ordinary
parallel ruler. This implement is to be mounted upon the frame a, and.
drawn across the same with its cutters projecting into the pavement and
cuts the gutters or channels to any required depth therein.
The apparatus illustrated in Figure 8 is designed to be used in place
of the roller b; m is a hammer made of cast iron or other suitably heavy
material, which is formed with a long slot m¹ through which the shaft c
passes. The said hammer has an upward extension m², which works

page_text: through a guide supported on the main frame and attached to the.
chains d; n is a shaft supported in suitable bearings attached to the said
frame and which carries a cam n¹; this cam is arranged to act upon a
shoulder or projection m' on the extension piece of the hammer, and
raise and release the same as the shaft n rotates. A crank or other
suitable contrivance may be used instead of the said cam. The rotation
of the shaft n is effected by means of the toothed wheel n² fixed on the
said shaft and actuated by the endless chains d or other suitable appli-
ances, which also move the hammer along the frame with the shaft e..
By this means the hammer is moved over the asphalt or the blocks of
wood or stone, which are previously placed in the proper position, and the
Isame are by the blows of the said hammer properly smoothed or driven
down and secured. The said hammer may be heated by gas or other:
wise by means of suitable appliances similar to those above described.
In combination with the aforesaid apparatus I use the contrivance
illustrated in Figure 9 for mixing the asphalt, concrete, or other like
material, and depositing the same upon the road or other way to be
paved.. This contrivance may be either placed upon the apparatus shown
in Figures 1 and 2, or may be mounted upon a separate frame a*. It
has a cylinder or case o, wherein are placed a series of mixing and
stirring blades o¹ fixed on the shaft o²; o³ is a hopper into which the
asphalt or other material is placed, and which conducts the said material
to the cylinder o; o' is a door at the bottom of the said cylinder; o³ is a
lever for opening and closing the said door; ) is an endless belt or apron
passing over drums p¹ mounted on shafts p², 13; the latter are geared
in connection with the shaft o² by the toothed wheels 7. The frame a*
may be mounted on wheels ", on which it can be readily moved in
either direction. The beaters or stirring blades o' are operated by means
of the chains &, which gear with a toothed wheel o* on the shaft o³..
The asphalt or other material is mixed in the cylinder o and admitted
from the same to the belt or apron p by opening the door o*, and the
said belt conducts it to the shoots, whereby it is deposited in the proper
position, upon the surface to be paved.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,
First. An apparatus which has a roller, a flattener or smoother, or a
hammer movable and operating as herein set forth within a frame which
is placed and kept stationary over the part of the road or other surface

page_text: on which the pavement or foundation is to be laid while the said roller,
flattener, or hammer operates on the same.
Second. So constructing the frame that it guides the said roller,
flattener, or hammer, and gives the required formation to the surface of
the pavement, as herein set forth.
Third. The contrivances for moving and adjusting the said roller
or other compacting implement within the said frame, as herein set
forth.
Fourth. The appliances for heating the said roller, the flattener or
smoother or the hammer, in combination with the other parts of the
apparatus, as herein set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the roller or other contrivance used as a
substitute therefor, the appliances for levelling, raking, and sweeping
the asphalt or other substance, as herein set forth.
Sixth. Providing the said frame with adjustable castor wheels so
arranged that the said roller may be raised upon the said wheels or
lowered to rest on the side walks or other surfaces, as herein set forth
for the purpose specified.
Seventh. The implements for forming gutters or other channels in
asphalt or other similar pavements constructed and operated as herein
specified.
Eighth. The apparatus for mixing the asphalt, concrete, or other
substance, and depositing the same upon the surface to be paved or
covered therewith, as herein specified.
In witness, I, the said Joseph Thomas Parlour, have hercunto sct
my hand and seal, this Third day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
JOSEPH T. PARLOUR. (L.S.)
Witness,
CHAS. J. GOOCH,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings.