IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERS AND PILE-DRIVERS TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th January 1865.-A communication, from abroad by Charles Michel
Nillus, Ernest Ferdinand Nillus, Albert Emmanuel Nillus, and Jean
Joseph Manlius Crouvés, of Rue St. Sebastien, Paris, in the Empire of
France.
I, WILLIAN EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAMMERS AND PILE-DRIVERS
TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction and combination of
parts constituting a hammer or pile driver, which presents the following
peculiarities, viz. :-
1st, a long stroke of piston, and consequently a heavy fall of the hammer
may be obtained with a comparatively limited height of apparatus.
2nd, great height of the anvil below the framing and great width between
the lower standards of the said framing are obtained by which the operation
of forging is greatly facilitated.
3rd, a good vertical direction of the hammer is insured throughout its
entire stroke.
4th, a cushion of air may be introduced between the cylinder and the
hammer so as to prevent the sudden rising or jumping of this latter..
The hammer carrier, which is hung on the bottom of the piston rod, is

page_text: made hollow and surrounds the steam cylinder. The interior of this hammer
carrier communicates with the external atmosphere by means of two or more
openings made at a height which nearly corresponds to one half the stroke of
the piston.
The hollow hammer carrier is provided with openings for the admission of
air which is compressed on the ascent of the piston, and immediately after the
expansion of the compressed air the atmospheric air enters the openings and
fills the hammer carrier, thereby preventing a vacuum from being produced.
By adapting to the lower part of the cylinder a solid piston or a hempen or
metallic packing the air may be entirely compressed, and its dilation employed
for driving the hammer back. This arrangement would present great advan-
tages for pile-driving apparatus.
The water which might accumulate at the bottom of the hammer carrier is
driven off by the cushion of air through a pipe at bottom before the bottom
of the hammer carrier has reached the end of its stroke:
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Where the compressed air is utilized, as above explained, a- valve is
adapted so as not to allow the pressure of the compressed. air to increase
above that in the steam cylinder either by applying it directly upon the
hammer carrier or outside to avoid vibrations, communication being established
by means of a flexible tube of caoutchouc, gutta percha, or other suitable
material covered or not with wire.
The hammer carrier has grooves formed in its sides for the reception of
vertical guides adapted to the framing in order that whatever may be the
descent of the hammer it will always be guided in a perfectly vertical direction;
or the hammer carrier might have iron rings shrunk upon it, and carrying
notched wings for the reception of the guides.