Improvements in the Method of and in the Machinery and Apparatus for Dredging and Excavating.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and in the Machinery and
Apparatus for Dredging and Excavating.
TRUYTONAL
SPECIFICATION.
I ALBERT FERDINAND LINK of 6 Union Court Chambers Old Broad Street
in the City of London Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND IN THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS
FOR DREDGING AND EXCAVATING which invention has been communicated to me
from abroad by Cyrin Van der Elst of Paris in the Republic of France to be as
follows :----
The object of this invention is to construct improved machinery for dredging and
excavating.
In carrying out my invention I use an ordinary portable steam engine which
actuates an endless wire or other rope The length of this rope is suited to the
dimensions and width of the excavation to be made One portion of the rope
presses round the driving pulley or wheel of the steam engine-Another portion
thereof is geared to the Excavator hereinafter described; and another portion
presses round a loose pulley fitted to a portable anchor carriage for extending the
rope.
The engine is placed on one side of the ground to be excavated; the anchor
carriage is placed on the opposite side, and the excavator travels to and fro between
the engine and anchor carriage.
When the ground to be excavated is under water (as in the case of a canal) the
excavator is provided with suitable floating appliances, such as a raft, or barge and
the operation of dredging is analogous to that on land, except that rails are
dispensed with and the buckets are arranged to suit the depth of the water The
engine being placed on one bank and the anchor on the opposite bank.
In excavating on land I provide temporary rails, on sleepers upon which the
excavator moves and the depth of the cut is regulated partly by the thickness of
the sleepers and partly by moveable iron slabs which raise the centre of the drum
hereinafter described both of which means enable the operator to take a deep or
shallow cut, as desired.

page_text: The excavator consists of a strong frame, mounted on four wheels two of which
wheels are driven at a regulated speed by the endless rope as desired; brakes
provided to stop or retard the forward motion of the excavator by stopping the
driving wheels without stopping the motion of the rope. The rope also passes
round a driving pulley, fitted to a transverse shaft on the excavator and actuate
the same by its motion; contact pulleys being fitted to prevent the slipping of
the rope. The shaft is fitted with one or more drum or drums, or analogous
arrangements for actuating the buckets which scoop up the earth or gravel-The
buckets are fitted to an endless chain, the upper end of which is fitted with another
(free) revolving drum, after passing over which each loaded bucket is capable of
being emptied But these buckets are so formed. that they may be reversed and
thus worked in either direction, suitable hand gear being provided whereby the
buckets are reversed and emptied as desired.
As the material is raised by the buckets, it is emptied into waggons or other
vehicles for removal, or into barges if a canal is being dredged, in the usual
manner,
2
When a cutting is being made by the excavator (such as a railway cutting) the
reversible buckets enable the excavator to proceed (as in steam ploughing) in both
directions, towards and from the engine, and when the ground has been excavated
to a sufficient depth, the engine, excavator, and anchor carriage are shifted so as to
take the adjoining cut.
Suitable shifting pullies are provided to impart sufficient tension to the endless
driving rope and means are provided for adjusting the position of the buckets to
suit the nature of the ground and the removal and conveyance of the excavated
earth.

page_text: I, ALBERT FERDINAND LINK, late of 6 but now of 8 Union Court Chambers, Old
Broad Street, in the City of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND IN THE MACHINERY
AND APPARATUS FOR DREDGING AND EXCAVATING," which invention has been
communicated to me from abroad by Cyrin Van der Elst of Paris in the Republic
of France, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this Invention is to construct improved machinery for dredging
and excavating.
And in order that my said invention may be clearly understood, reference is
hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts.
In carrying out my invention I use an ordinary portable steam engine, which
actuates an endless wire or other suitable rope. In Figs 3 and 4 the position of the
portable engine is shewn at a. The engine actuates an endless wire rope b. The
length of this rope is suited to the dimensions and width of the excavation to be
made. One portion of the rope passes round the driving pulley, or wheel, of the
steam engine. Another portion thereof is geared to the excavator or excavators
(a, Figs 3, 4 and 5) herein after described; and another portion passes round a
loose pulley fitted to a portable anchor carriage (a³, Figs 3 and 4) for extending
the rope.
The engine is placed on one side of the ground to be excavated; the anchor
carriage is placed on the opposite side, and the excavator travels to and fro' between
the engine and anchor carriage.
When the ground to be excavated is under water (as in the case of a canal), the
excavator is provided with suitable floating appliances, such as a raft, or a barge
(as shown in Fig. 5) and the operation of dredging is analogous to that on land,
except that rails are dispensed with, and the buckets are arranged to suit the depth
of the water; the engine being placed on one bank, and the anchor on the
opposite bank.
Fig. 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, on the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. b is
the driving rope, which passes round the drum c. The rope is held in the groove
of the drum c by means of the contact rollers c¹ and c³. These rollers are capable
of being tightened up by the right and left hand bolts d and d (Fig. 1.) and thereby
causing the contact of the rope to provide sufficient friction for the power applied
thereto, to prevent slipping. The drum c is fitted upon an axle e e, which is caused
to rotate therewith; and this axle is fitted with discs ffff, which carry rods f¹.
Similar discs and rods ƒ³ and ƒ³ are fitted, as shown; and upon these sets of discs
two sets of buckets gg, fixed to endless chains g¹ glare fitted. But the buckets
are fixed to plate links on the chains g¹ g¹ to render the buckets reversible for acting
in either direction, the plate of the link thus forming a temporary side to the
bucket. The buckets may be reversed by means of the levers h and h¹ the ends of
which may be caused to come in contact with the projections g' of the buckets, and
thus reverse them one after the other as they revolve. Springs are fitted to the
buckets to retain them in position until forcibly reversed. The three armed axle i
is provided to empty the buckets, when desired, at the back end of the machine;
its arms being placed so as to strike the projections g. The wheel on this
axle is driven by a band in a contrary direction to that in which the drum c
revolves,

page_text: The depth of the excavation to be made by the buckets is regulated by the
height of the drum c and which height is regulated by means of plates k which
control the distance of the plummer blocks from the frame. are the wheels
which support the machine. These wheels run on (or in) moveable rails m of a
channel form, and which rails are successively shifted as the work proceeds, and the
buckets excavate two parallel channels or furrows between the rails.
When the dredger has travelled from the engine to the anchor, the motions of the
dredger and of the buckets are reversed and the dredger is caused to travel in the
opposite direction, either taking a deeper cut in the same furrows, or, by shifting
the rails, causing it to commence two new furrows.
The rails are of light construction, and fastened to light, portable, longitudinal
sleepers, to facilitate their removal and relaying.
The return rope is carried under the roller o and over the rollers pq; the tension
on the rope being provided for by the weight r (shewn in dotted lines) suspended
by a chain running over a pulley L.
The attendant can regulate the rate of progress of the dredger, while sitting on
the seats, by means of the levert operating brakes upon the wheels . The
buckets act as drivers, and the brakes check the speed, and the forward motion can
thereby be altogether stopped, if necessary, while the buckets are in full work; and
in like manner he can apply the brake w to the drum c, for checking its speed, if
necessary.
The key u is used for turning the nuts d and d¹, which are provided with
from 6 to 12 sides, in order to effect but a small portion of a revolution at one
operation.
The dotted pulley is only required when the chain is lengthened for deep
excavations (as in Fig. 5) which will be readily understood.
My improved excavator, as represented in Figs 1 and 2, may be used in making
longitudinal excavations, for levelling ground and analogous work.
In some cases, as in cuttings and tunnelling, the leading wheels are shifted on to
the axle e of the drums, and the back wheels are arranged so as to allow the chain
and buckets to pass under the back axle.
In Fig. 3 two dredges are shewn at work excavating upon two slopes. By
properly regulating the progressive speed of each, one can be made to ascend while
the other descends: thus economising the power.
In Fig. 4 longitudinal excavation is shewn, which should be effected in layers,
indicated by the dotted lines. The excavated earth is delivered into a wagon, which
transports it away.
In Fig. 5 the method of excavating under water, in deep ditches, canals and
basins, is shewn. In this case the pulley v is used, and the drum e receives its
motion by transmission from the rope drum c. The drum e is itself fastened to
the fore part of the machine, and can be raised or lowered by means of a chain
or strut.
In some cases the machine may be attached to a raft for ordinary dredging work;
the endless rope, however, being necessary in all cases.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1-The application and use of an endless wire rope for actuating dredging
machines substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.
2-The application and use of the reversible buckets g g, capable of excavating
in either direction, substantially as described and shewn in Figs 1 and 2 of the
drawings.
3-The application and use of the adjustable contact rollers c¹ and c³, for causing
the necessary contact and bite in the groove of the drum c, substantially as described
and shewn in Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings.
4-The method of regulating the depth of the channels or furrows by means of
the moveable plates k, inserted between the frame of the dredger wagon and the

page_text: pillar or plummer blocks of the chain drums, substantially as herein before described
and shewn in Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings.
5-The combination of the several and respective parts together forming my
improvements in the method of and in the machinery and apparatus for dredging
and excavating, substantially as herein before described and shewn on the
drawings.
ALL
T