IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WINDING PURPOSES
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Andrew Barclay at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
November 1861.
-I, ANDREW BARCLAY, of Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr,.North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BORING AND WINDING PURPOSES," to be
as follows, that is to say:
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of,machinery
adapted for facilitating the operation of boring for minerals or water, and also
for winding the boring rods and the pump.used for clearing the bore. Under
one modification a portable or locomotive engine is used for the purpose. On
the upper part of the boiler shell are arranged two horizontal cylinders, the
piston rods of which work in the direction of the front of the engine, and give
motion to a horizontal shaft, on which is fitted a winding.barrel. On this shaft
is keyed a pinion, which drives a spur wheel, carried on a second shaft; and
also fitted with a winding barrel. On the barrel of the first shaft is wound the
wire rope for lowering and' raising. the pump or cleaner, and on the second
barrel the chain for lifting the boring rods is wound. In front of the horizontal-

page_text: steam cylinders, or in any other convenient position is fitted a vertical cylinder,
with an ordinary slide valve chest at the back part. The spindle of the slide
valve extends upwards some distance above the stuffing box, and this portion
of the spindle is screwed. Two nuts with internal screws corresponding to the
spindle are fitted thereon; these nuts form the bosses of a pair of hand wheels,
by means of which they are readily shifted up or down the spindle. Between
the nuts a loose collar traverses up and down the valve spindle, the extent of
its traverse being regulated by the position of the nuts above and below it.
This collar forms the central part of a crosshead, the extremities of which are
connected by links to another crosshead above. The upper crosslread is con-
nected to the end of the rocking lever which actuates the boring rods, and this
lever is also connected to the piston rod of the vertical cylinder, from whence
it derives its motion. In lieu of this arrangement other modifications of valve
gearing, as used in steam hammers, may be used for the purpose. The steam
is admitted to the upper side of the piston only, the lower part of the cylinder
having an aperture communicating with the atmosphere. The steam upon
being admitted to the cylinder depresses the piston, and so raises the front end
of the rocking lever and the boring rods. The descent of the rods and boring
tool is regulated by controlling the escape of the steam from the cylinder; this
is done by means of a cock fitted in the exhaust pipe. By keeping this cock.
closed the boring rods remain suspended, and the force with which the tool is
caused to descend is regulated with the utmost nicety by simply turning the
cock so as to allow the steam to escape with more or less rapidity. The
arrangement of this part of the machinery may be varied by using counter-
weights for regulating the escape of the steam, instead of a cock in the exhaust
pipe, whilst the arrangement of the traversing nuts on the valve spindle serves
to regulate the extent of motion of the valve and the amount of steam admitted;
to the cylinder. If preferred, the steam may be admitted to the lower-side' of
the piston, the other portion of the details being arranged in accordance there-.
with, and in lieu of using a vertical cylinder as described, it may be arranged
horizontally and be connected with the beam-by-means-of-a-bell-crank lever,
or other equivalent mechanical contrivance. The cylinder is also proposed to
be arranged immediately over the bore, and the boring rods to pass up through.
à hollow piston rod. The position of the cylinder may also be varied by
placing it between the fulcrum of the rocking lever or beam and its free
extremity, to which the boring rods are attached.; the cylinder being placed
either above or below the rocking lever as may be most convenient. A lofty
tripod is arranged over the apparatus, which carries at the upper part slotted

page_text: bracket pieces, for the purpose of suspending the boring rods in lengths.. The
rods are hauled up by means of a clip or catch, which is brought over the slot
in the bracket, and they remain suspended; the hook attached to the winding
chain slides down the rods in readiness to be attached to another length. In
this way a considerable saving of time is effected in the operation of raising
ong lengths of boring rods.