Iм- PROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND WORKING LOCK GATES POR DOCKS, HARBOURS. CANALS, AND NAVIGABLE RIVERS
Year: 1862

page_text: Sealed the 3rd October 1862, and dated the 15th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Atkinson Peacock
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th April 1862.
I, RICHARD ATKINSON PEACOCK, of St. Helier, in the Island of Jersey,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING AND WORKING LOCK GATES POR DOCKS, HARBOURS.
CANALS, AND NAVIGABLE RIVERS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to an improved construction of lock gates for
docks, harbours, canals, and other similar purposes, whereby I am enabled to
effect a great saving in the cost of such structures, and also lessen the labour
required for working them. The frame of the gate is formed of a number of
horizontal beams, each built up of eight or other suitable number of planks
of wood rough as they come off the saw. I bed each of these planks
on a layer of putty, and spike the whole together. They may be further
strengthened, if necessary, with compressed oak trenails, and bound together
at intervals by straps, if required. The top of each laminated surface when
complete is coated with asphalte, and sloped so as to throw off the water.
I connect these horizontal beams about the middle of their length by an
upright, constructed in a similar manner to the above, of thin plates bolted
together, and secure the, whole frame to the heel and mitre posts, which are
solid oak, by suitable iron straps and ties at the intersection of the bars. I
further increase the rigidity and strengthen the structure by fitting two

page_text: diagonal bars in the frame of the gate, the bottom end of one of which rests
in a cast-iron shoe, carried by a solid metal heel or pivot embedded in the
pier at the base of the heel post. The second diagonal springs from the
bottom of the centre upright, to which it is strongly secured by through bolts.
The top of this diagonal bar, I prefer to be mortised into the mitre post, so as
to prevent the outer end of the gate from sinking."
My improved gates are so formed that they will maintain their form when
lifted, at the same time dispensing with the ordinary rollers and tramways;
for this purpose I brace up the framing by means of horizontal wrought-iron
truss rods, supported in the middle from two suitable upright truss pieces,
from which the middle supports of the truss rods extend, their ends being
carried into the heel and mitre posts.
My improved gates are further constructed and hung so as to carry their
own weight instead of dragging heavily at the front end on the ground,
thereby accumulating mud and other substances, and so impeding the action
of the rollers on the tramways ordinarily employed; for this purpose, instead
of having the pivot immersed in the water and mud, which is unfavorable for
working large gates, I suspend each gate on a bearing carried by a strong
cast-iron girder built into the upper part of the pier, and otherwise securely
fixed; by this means the pivots are constantly above water, and access may
be had to them at all times to grease and keep them in working order.
Lastly, recesses are formed at the back of each gate, into which the gates
on being opened sweep the mud, where it may remain until carried away,
instead of, as under the present system, being forcibly jammed against the
piers in opening the gates to their full width. Gates so constructed will be
firm and solid enough to carry themselves without rollers and without the
ends dragging heavily.
I further apply the system of trussing lock gates above described to existing
lock gates in order to strengthen them, and to support the weight from the
pivots or bearings, instead of on rollers and tramways on the sole or bed of
the lock.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, 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 Richard Atkinson Peacock, Her special licence that I, the said
Richard Atkinson Peacock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Atkinson Peacock, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 IM CONSTRUCTING AND WORKING LOCK
GATES FOR DOCKS, HARBOURS, CANALS, AND NAVIGABLE RIVERS,"
the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Atkinson Peacock, 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.
upon
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Atkinson Peacock, 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 Sheets of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements relate to an improved construction of lock gates for docks,
harbours, canals, and other similar purposes, whereby I am enabled to effect a
great saving in the cost of such structures, and also lessen the labour and
expense required for working them. The frame of the gate is formed of a
number of horizontal beams each built up of eight or other suitable number
of planks of wood rough as they come off the saw; I bed each of the planks in
a layer of putty, and spike the whole together, they may be further strengthened
if necessary with compressed oak trenails, or by bolts and nuts, and. bound
together at intervals by straps of metal if desired. The top of each laminated
surface when complete is coated with asphalte, and sloped so as throw off
water. I connect these horizontal beams about the middle of their length by
an upright, constructed in a similar manner to the above, of planks bolted
together, and secure the whole frame to the heel and mitre posts, which are
of solid oak or other suitable timber, by suitable iron straps and ties bolted or

page_text: otherwise secured at the intersections of the beams; I further increase the
rigidity and strengthen the structure fitting two diagonal beams in the
frame of the gate, the bottom end of one of which rests in a cast-iron shoe
carried by a solid metal pivot embedded in the large block of stone at the base
of heel post. The second diagonal springs from the bottom of the centre
upright, to, which it is strongly secured by through bolts. The top of this.
diagonal bar, I prefer to be mortised into the mitre post so as to prevent the
outer end of the gate sinking. These diagonals are also made of several planks
or thicknesses of wood, and with the layers of the horizontal beams and uprights.
are all interlaminated, so to speak, as to be all of one thickness or substance
and all in the same plane.
My improved gates are also so formed that they maintain their form when
lifted or hung from one end only in the manner of a door, and it therefore enables
me to dispense with the ordinary rollers and tramways disposed at bottom of
dock gates to carry their weight. For this purpose, I brace up the framing
ly means of horizontal wrought-iron truss rods supported in the middle by
two suitable upright truss pieces, from which the middle supports of the truss;
rods extend, the ends being carried into the heel and mitre posts.
My improved gates are further constructed so as to carry their own weight.
instead of dragging heavily at the front end onthe ground, thereby accumulating.
inud and other substances which in ordinary gates much impedes the action
of the rollers on the tramways usually employed in dock gates, but with which
I dispense as before mentioned. For this purpose instead of having the pivots.
or bearings that carry the weight of the gate immersed in the water and mud,.
which is unfavorable for working large gates, I suspend each gate at the..
top on a pivot carried by a strong cast-iron girder built into the upper part of
the pier and otherwise securely fixed; by this means the pivots carrying the
weight are constantly above water, to which pivots access may, be had at all.
times to grease and keep them in working order. The better to sustain the.
weight of the gate from the girder post before-mentioned, I connect the mitre.
post or outer edge of the gate with the boss which serves as one of the pivots,
by two wrought-iron tie bars (more or less) the one leading to the bottom of
the mitre post and the other to a point near the upper part of the gate.
Lastly, I provide recesses at the back of each gate into which the gates on.
being opened sweep the mud, where it may remain until carried away, instead of,
as under the present system, being forcibly jammed against the piers in opening
the gates to their full extent. Gates thus constructed will retain their form.
and have sufficient, strength to carry themselves without rollers, and at the.
same time without the ends dragging in the bed of the lock.

page_text: I further apply the system of pivoting, trussing, and hanging lock gates,
above described to existing lock gates in order to strengthen them, and support
the weight from the pivots instead of on rollers and tramways on the sole or
1
DRAWINGS
Figure 1 represents a lock gate constructed, mounted, and fitted according.
to my Invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section at the upper horizontal beam;
Figure 3 is a general plan of a part of those gates on a small scale, while
Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing more especially the frame-
work of the gate, the planking and other parts being omitted. The framing
consists of the longitudinal beams A, A, heel post B, and mitre post C, two.
diagonals D, D, and an upright centre post E. This framing, with the
exception of the heel and mitre posts, which I make of solid oak or other
approved solid timber, are made of combined planks or layers of wood as
indicated by the upper beam, so are also both of the diagonals and upright E,
all in the same plane or thickness, and interlocked the one into the other; for
.this purpose I use eight or other number of thicknesses of planks. In this
illustration I have. shown eight, which are numbered in the Drawing
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,, which are so arranged that some of the planks in each
of the beams A, centre' post E, and diagonals D, are continued throughout
their length of those parts in one piece, while the others are cut and have
parts removed to allow of the intersection of the continuous pieces of timber'
as will be readily understood as follows by reference to the Drawing, Figure 4.
In the beams A (the same description applies to all the beams), the planks
1, 4, and 7, are continued throughout the breadth of the gate in one piece
while all the others are cut and have parts removed to allow of the intersection
of the continuous length of the post. E and diagonals D, D. In the upright
post planks 3 and 6 are in one length from top to bottom, while in the.
diagonal the planks numbered 2, 5, and 8, are in. one length from top to
bottom of the gate.
In making these gates I take planks rough as they come from the saw
(which saves expense), and bed them one to the other with a layer of putty
and spike them together; secure them also at intervals by compressed
trenails, in the manner of planking ships, or by wrought-iron bolts and
nuts. They may be further bound together by metal straps a, a, as shown in
one of the beams A, A, if desired. The top of each laminated surface, when
complete, is covered with a coating of asphalte, and its surface sloped so as to
run water off its surface; the whole of the parts of the gate are tarred as

page_text: usual. The ends of the beams A and diagonals D are mortised or let into
the heel and mitre posts, and the framing is constructed of the curved form
desired; to retain its form I apply two upright truss pieces F, F, which are
checked into or notched to receive the edge of several beams A, A, on the
truss pieces are extended truss standards G, G, to bear the truss rods (bars
of iron) H, H, which are secured at each end into the heel and mitre posts.
By tightening up these rods, a little more curve and tension may be imparted
to the gate, as well understood in trussing girders. A gate, if properly thus
constructed, has sufficient rigidity in itself to support its own weight from its
gudgeons, and therefore does not require tramways and rollers underneath to
support it, and therefore obviates the necessarily heavy drag consequent on
such bearing. To further insure this, and in combination with my improved
mode of hanging lock gates, I apply two diagonal suspension rods I, I, see
Figure 1, from the upper pivot, which throw a part of the weight of the
extreme part of the gate directly on that pivot. The frame of the gates is
suitably tied together by metal straps b, b, as seen in Figure 1. The gate is
planked and caulked in the usual manner to make it water-tight. S, S, re-
presents the mud recess which I sink in the face of the pier near the bottom
of the lock, and extending throughout the whole length of the gate recess'
into which the gate sweeps the mud, if any exists, and prevents compression
thereof arising between the gate and the pier. This mud may be removed
from time to time as usual, while the culvert M carries it more or less away
by the flow of water from the dock by that channel.
The cast-iron girder K of Drawing is about 14 feet long, and rests on a
bed of solid masonry throughout its entire length, except about 2 feet next
the gate, which overhang and are unsupported. This girder is fastened in
three different ways, namely,-
1st, by four bolts d, d, leaded into the solid masonry, and passing through
projecting parts of the bottom flanch of the girder, upon which are four nuts
screwed down to the top flanch.
2ndly, by a wrought-iron tie rod L, 3 inches in diameter, passing through
a boss at the left hand of the girder, on the top of which it is fastened by a
And the lower end of the rod is fastened by a nut e and iron plate
countersunk above the crown of the arch of the culvert M.
nut.
3rdly, any tendency of the girder to draw forward in consequence of the
weight of the gate is prevented by a wrought-iron tie L' passing round the
last-named boss, and stretching say 30 or 40 feet to the left, and fastened
there against the face of the opposite pier, if such a pier exists. If no con-
venient fastening place exists, such may be made either by driving down piles

page_text: or by building a mortar wall of the length named at right angles to the back
of the pier. All along this wall the tie can pass and be fastened at its extreme
end. Supposing the girder to be sufficiently strong to carry a gate of 45.
tons, a strength which can be certainly and easily obtained, as it rests on a
bed of solid masonry for about six-sevenths of its entire length.
The gate does not rest on the bottom pivot except as will be hereafter ex-
plained. It is suspended from two places, namely, first by a large screw
bolt c, fifty-six inches long and 9 inches diameter; and, secondly, by a collar,
connected to the diagonal tie rods I, I, before mentioned, each 12 inches cross
sectional area. This collar works round one of the bosses on the girder K.
These two points form bearings which can be sufficiently lubricated with
grease. The large screw bolt c passes through a boss of the girder and has a
projection on one side working up and down in a corresponding slot inside the
boss. This prevents the screw bolt from turning round, and when the nut is
turned (by a spanner) the screw must necessarily rise (or sink as the case
may be). The screw bolt may thus rise and the gate be lifted up the hollow
quoins to the extent of two inches. The head of the screw is clasped by a
strong wrought-iron frame which passes some distance down the heel post,
and is bolted through the latter. The nut P, I prefer to make of King's
copper, of which the breaking weight per square inch is 22 tons. This nut
on being turned by the spanner will obviously take, either the whole or part of
the weight off the bottom pivot at pleasure: The nut P has a projecting arm
which catches against an iron pin inserted in one of the holes in the top
flanch of the girder, which keeps the nut in position, and therefore the gate
is suspended at the required height after it has been lifted by the spanner.
The bottom pivot V is not intended to carry any weight when the gates are being
opened or shut, its only use then being to keep the bottom of the heel
post in place. But this pivot will carry the gate which is let down upon it by
turning the large nut if it should be desired to relieve the girder, and when
the bearings require lubricating. I will now suppose that the girder, screw, &c.
are placed in their proper positions, and that the gate has to be put together
in situ. A cast iron shoe of which the elevation is shown at the foot of the
heel post is placed on the bottom pivot. The heel post having been previously
fitted to the hollow quoins is fitted into the shoe, its outsides being made flush
with the outside of the latter. The wrought-iron frame 'R, embracing the
head of the large screw, is then bolted through the heel post. The truss pieces
and mitre posts are also brought into position, and the trusses are fixed and
screwed up behind the mitre post and heel post. And the whole having been
first carefully fixed perpendicular (and propped up off the apron or bed with

page_text: as many pairs of wedges as are necessary) is sufficiently shored, strutted and
stayed to keep it in position until the gate is complete. Two diagonal ties have
then their lower ends passed into mortice holes in the mitre post, and their
upper ends fastened one to each end of a wrought-iron band or collar x, which
works round the back of the boss of the girder, and has fastened on its inner side a
brass friction plate in contact with the boss; each tie being sufficiently
tightened up by the "gibbs and cotters." These ties enable the gate to carry
itself without rollers or tramways.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
First, constructing the framing of lock gates in layers or thicknesses of
planking, disposed and arranged as herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim mounting and supporting the weight of lock gates on
pivots or bearings at top, accessible for lubrication or other purposes as herein-
before described, and also so sustaining the gate as to move with freedom and
without any support from the bottom, as herein-before described.
Thirdly, I claim forming mud recesses in the piers at the back of the gates
as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Atkinson Peacock have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.