IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DRILLING OR PERFORATING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Rowland Jordan, of Gracechurch Street in the
City of London, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR DRILLING OR PERFORATING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"3
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Rowland Jordan
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th June 1883.
"
THOMAS ROWLAND JORDAN, of Gracechurch Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DRILLING OR PERFORATING ROCKS
AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE
FOR OTHER PURPOSES"
My invention relates to rock drills and other machines in which a reciprocating
piston or similar piece carries a tool or implement and imparts to the same a
reciprocating motion.
My said invention comprises, firstly, a novel arrangement of mechanism for
obtaining a rapid to and fro movement and percussive action of the drill or other
implement, and, secondly, improved means for imparting to the drill or other
tool a movement of rotation around its axis and effecting the feed or advance of
the same in a line with its axis.
I will in the following description refer to my invention as applied to a rock
drill but it will be understood that its application to machines for drilling or
perforating other substances and for similar purposes will be carried into practice
in substantially the same manner.
According to the first part of my said invention I combine with the piston and
piston rod a spiral drum or cam mounted on a shaft or spindle which is arranged
parallel to the said piston rod and at a convenient distance from the same. Оц
the said piston or rod I fix a pin or stud preferably provided with a roller to bo
acted on by the said spiral drum or cam. The latter is preferably constructed by
taking a cylinder and forming on its periphery a spiral blade or ledge extending
partially around the same a gap or opening being left for the roller (as the cam

page_text: blade passes out of engagement therewith at the end of the forward stroke of tho
piston) to descend or move back in the return stroke of the said piston.
The said spiral drum or cam has the required motion imparted to it by bevil
or other suitable gearing from a shaft which is operated by manual, steam, or other
power.
According to the second part of my invention I provide for feeding forward and
rotating the drill-bar and the boring or perforating tool as follows, that is to say,
the drill-bar (which passes through the piston rod and is moved forward by the
feed through the same as the work progresses) has a screw thread formed on a
portion of its length and has in it a longitudinal slot or groove. I attach to a part
of the machine which has no rotation a box'enclosing a ratchet wheel arranged in
combination with a series of pawls; the ratchet wheel is mounted on the drill-bar
and connected therewith by a key or feather which works in the slot or groove
therein; this pawl and ratchet device permits the drill-bar to turn forward or in
the proper direction but prevents its turning backward; on another part of the
drill-bar I arrange a ratchet or clutch device one part of which is fitted to turn
freely on the drill-bar and has on it an arm or projection which, in the recipro-
cating movement of the drill-bar, works in a fixed guide; the other part of the
said ratchet has a key or feather which fits in the groove in the drill-bar thus
effecting the engagement of the ratchet with the said bar without preventing the
feed or advance of the latter; the two parts of the said ratchet are kept in contact
by a spring.
The aforesaid stationary guide is not set parallel to a plane which intersects
any portion of it and the axis of the drill-bar, but is inclined thereto in such a
manner as to impart to the arm or projection on the ratchet a lateral movement,
and through the medium of the said ratchet or clutch this lateral movement of the
said arm imparts rotation to the drill-bar in one direction but not in the other
so that the drill or tool will be turned forward but not backward. The angle
or inclination of the said stationary guide may be adjusted or regulated to give any
desired degree of rotation and feed to the drill or tool.
Instead of the aforesaid ratchet or clutch device I sometimes use a conical
friction apparatus for effecting the feed and rotation of the drill. In this case
I fix on the drill-bar one part of the said conical device and on the surface of the
latter I fit the other part of the said device; the two parts being kept properly
together by a suitable spring; the outer conical part is split or divided longi-
tudinally and has jointed to it a pinching lever, that is to say, a lever so formed
and arranged that when moved in one direction it will close the said split or
divided part and when moved in the other direction will open the same. This
pinching lever has an arm which extends into the said inclined stationary guide,
which, in the reciprocating or to and fro movements of the drill-bar moves the said
lever alternately first in one, and then in the other, direction thereby causing it to
alternatoly open and close the split or divided conical part of the said device; that
is to say as this lever moves in one direction it causes the outer conical part to
grip or pinch the inner cone and at the same time turn it and the drill-ba
forward and when the said lever moves in the other direction it causes the said
outer cone to release the inner cone and turn thereon without moving it or the
drill bar,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Rowland Jordan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th December 1883.
THOMAS ROWLAND JORDAN, of Gracechurch Street, in the City of London,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DRILLING OR PERFORATING ROCKS
AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
My invention relates to rock-drilling and other machines in which a reciprocating
piston or similar piece carries a tool or implement and imparts to the same a
reciprocating motion.
My said invention comprises firstly a novel arrangement of mechanism for
obtaining a rapid to-and-fro movement and percussive action of the drill or other
implement. And secondly improved means for imparting to the drill or other tool
a rotation, or partial rotation, around its axis and effecting the feed or advance of
the same in a line with its axis.
I will, in the following description, refer to my invention as applied to a rock-
drilling machine, but it will be understood that its application to machines for
drilling or perforating other substances and for similar purposes will be carried into
practico in substantially the same manner.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section, and
Figure 2 a side elevation, partly in section, shewing my invention applied to a
rock-drilling machine.
Figure 3 is a face view of a friction clutch for automatically feeding or advancing
the drill-bar.
Figure 4 is a face view of another friction clutch for preventing the backward
movement of the said drill-bar.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, and
Figure 6 an end elevation of part of the frame of the machine
Figure 7 is a central transverse section of an inclined plane or cam for changing
the position of the drill
Figure 8 is an end view of the collar for partially rotating the drill-bar, shewing
also parts connected therewith as heroinafter described
Figures 3 to 8 are all drawn to an enlarged scale.
Like letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the drawings
a is the piston or plunger through which is screwed the drill-bar b. The to-
and-fro movement and percussive action of the drill are obtained by the following
ineans, that is to say-a spiral spring c is arranged within the frame of the
machine and bears against a shoulder a¹ on the said plunger a. A rotary spiral
cam d is mounted loosely on the stud or shaft e which is fixed to. the frame so as
to be parallel with the axis of the plunger and at a convenient distance therefrom.
A collar fis mounted loosely on the said plunger between two fixed collars g, g'.
To this collar is fixed a pin or stud / provided with a roller h' to be acted upon
by the said spiral cam d. The rotary spiral cam draws back the plunger and
compresses the spiral spring c and then releases the plunger which is moved
rapidly forward by the said spring. It will, however, be understood that compressed
air or any other suitable power may be employed, instead of the spring c, for causing
the downward or forward movement of the plunger. The said spiral cam is
preferably constructed by taking a cylinder and forming on its periphery a spiral
thread or ledge d' extending partially around the same, a gap or opening being:

page_text: 3
left for the roller (as the spiral thrend passes out of engagement therewith at the
end of the forward stroke of the plunger) to descend or move back during the
return stroke of the said plunger. The said rotary spiral cam has the required
motion imparted to it by a bevel pinion i which gears with the bevel wheel j on
the driving shaft k. This shaft is operated by manual, steam, or other power. A
ring a' of india-rubber, or any other suitable cushion is provided for diminishing
the shock produced by the downward or forward movement of the plunger a.
I provide the following means for effecting the feed or advance of the drill-bar
and the boring or perforating tool at each stroke of the plunger, that is to say ;—
A ring of steel or other suitable material surrounds the lower part of the
plunger a. This ring has three wedge-shaped slots l' as shown in Figure 3, in
each of which slots a small steel roller m is placed. These rollers are of sufficient
diameter to nearly fill the space between the plunger and the top of the slot at its
larger end, and are held in contact with the plunger by springs n, thus forming a
friction clutch. A shoulder is formed on the plunger above the ring land a
collar or nut o is fixed on the plunger below the said ring so as to enclose the steel
rollers the length of which is equal to the width of the ring . Two pins or
arms p project from the ring and extend into slots ġ or into stationary guides on
either side, so arranged that, in the reciprocating or to-and-fro motion of the
plunger, the said clutch is caused to partially rotate, first in one direction and then
in the other direction. When this clutch is turned in one direction, the rollers m
are wedged between the tops of the slots and the plunger, so that the latter rotates.
with the said clutch and acts as a nut to advance the drill-bar, which is prevented
from rotating as hereinafter described. When this clutch is turned in the reverse
direction, the rollers m are caused to compress the springs n and occupy the larger
portion of the wedge-shaped slots, so that they no longer exert pressure upon the
plunger, and the clutch, therefore, moves independently thereof.
The collar hereinbefore referred to is made in the form of a friction-clutch
similar to that above described, as shewn in Figure 4, so as to prevent any
movement of the plunger a in the opposite direction to that in which it is moved
by the clutch at its lower end. The collar f is arranged to move to and fro
between the guides f¹, which guides prevent the rotation of the said collar.
The necessary rotation or partial rotation of the drill-bar to change the position
of the cutting edge or point of the drill or other tool during the working of the
same is effected by the following means, vis. ;-A collar r is fitted on the upper
portion of the drill-bar band is secured in the bosss (shewn in elevation in
Figure 5) by a nut r, so that the said collar is free to rotate but is prevented from
moving longitudinally. One end of a spiral springt is secured to the collar r,
the other end thereof being secured to the said boss 8. The collar is provided
with a key w which enters a slot or groove in the drill-bar b as shewn in Figure 8,
so that the drill-bar cannot rotate independently of the said collar. But if it is
desired to unscrew the drill-bar, from the plunger, the key w is withdrawn from
the said slot or groove by the nut w' which fits upon a screw-threaded extension w³
of the said key. This nut is held in place by a screw w³. A pin or stud u
projecting from the collar 7 is acted upon by a revolving inclined plane or cam v
projecting from the face of the bevel driving wheel j. This inclined plane or cam
forces the collar and the drill-bar b to turn about one third or one half of a
revolution, and, as the said inclined plane or cam recedes, the spiral spring t
brings the drill-bar back to its original position. It will be seen that inasmuch as
the plunger is reciprocated three or four times during every revolution of the
driving wheel, this mechanism prevents the descent of the drill-bar in the same
position twice in succession. By these means the said drill-bar is alternately
partially rotated in one direction and then in the opposite direction, instead of
being intermittently rotated in one direction, and the automatic feed of the drill-
bar is not interfered with.
In order that the feed or advance of the drill-bar at each stroke of the plunger
may be regulated, I prefer to form the slots 2 in an end piece a which is screwed
?

page_text: to the frame of the machine as shewn in Figure 1. By placing one or more
washers or rings y between this end piece and the frame, the said end piece can
be so adjusted that the movement of the arms p in the said slots will cause the
clutch to rotate more or less and thus advance the drill-bar to a greater or less
extent.
Having thus fully described my said invention and the manner of performing
the same I wish it understood that I claim :-
First. In a machine for drilling or perforating rocks or for similar purposes, the
employment, in combination with the piston or plunger, of a rotary spiral cam
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Second. In the said machine, the improved automatic mechanism for feeding the
drill-bar through the piston or plunger, substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Third. In the said machine, the combination, with the automatic feeding
mechanism above described, of the means substantially as set forth for changing
the position of the cutting edge or point of the drill or other tool during the
working of the same.
Fourth. The improved machine consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings and
operating as, and for, the purposes, specified.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Rowland Jordan have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twentyeighth day of December in the year of Our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty three
THOMAS ROWLAND JORDAN
THOMAS ROWLAND JORDAN