IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC POWER HAMMERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William-Dredge Player of the firm of W and J. Player of
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Machinists for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC POWER HAMMERS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Dredge Player at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th November 1883.
WILLIAM DREDGE PLAYER of the firm of W and J Player of Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Machinists "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC POWER
HAMMERS
"
My invention consists of the improvements herein after described in pneumatic
power hammers whereby the parts of the hammers are simplified and the said
hammers made more efficient.
My said improvements are particularly applicable to pneumatic power hammers
having moveable fulcrums such as are described and claimed in the Specification of
Letters patent granted to Daniel Longworth on the 8th day of July 1876 No 2794
but my improvements may be applied to other power hammers.
My invention has reference principally to the construction of the hammer head
and the parts by which the said head is connected to the rocking bar by which it
is actuated also the modification or transposition of the parts as hereinafter
explained. The hammer head works between V shaped adjustable guides on the
fixed framing of the hammer. The said hammer head is made of a block of steel
or other hard metal and a cylindrical hole is bored in it through the greater part
of its length so as to convert it into a hollow cylinder. In this hollow cylinder a
piston works having a length about half that of the cylinder. This piston is
raised and lowered by a rocking bar having a moveable fulcrum actuated in any
convenient way the said bar being connected to the piston and cylinder in the
manner hereinafter described. On opposite sides of the hammer head and opening
into the cylinder slots are made When the piston passes either end of these slots
air is compressed in the cylinder and the piston thereby cushioned
In order to prevent any thrust which would otherwise be conveyed to either
side of the piston and cylinder from the movement of the rocking bar a bush
square in cross section is passed through and fits the sides of the slots in the
[Price 8d 1

page_text: hammer head. This bush is secured to the rocking bar by which the hammer head
is actuated by a pin passed through it and also through the sides of the forked
end of the said rocking bar. Or the said pin may be secured to one side only
of the rocking bar; or two rocking bars may be secured to opposite ends of the pin
The piston is slotted and the bush described fits the slot closely at top and
bottom but the slot in the piston is a little wider than the slots in the cylinder so
that the bush has a clearance or space on each side. By this arrangement the
thrust on the bush cannot be transmitted to the piston and cylinder but is all
borne by the sides of the slots in the hammer head.
When highly, heated metal is to be operated upon by the hammer head as in
welding boiler plates or other like operations where from the heat the air cushion
arrangement described cannot be satisfactorily applied at the hammer head I
transpose the arrangement of air cushion cylinder and piston to the crank end of
the rocking bar and make the hammer head solid as usual
By applying the cushioning arrangement as last described the hammer can
advantageously be used for all kinds of work.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Dredge Player in the Patent Office on the 13th May
1884.
1
WILLIAM DREDGE PLAYER of the firm of W. and J. Player of Birmingham in
5 the County of Warwick, Machinists "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC POWER
HAMMERS.
"
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in pneumatic
power hammers, whereby the parts of the hammers are simplified and the said
hammers made more efficient.
My said improvements are particularly applicable to pneumatic power hammers
having moveable fulcrums such as are described and claimed in the specification of
Letters patent granted to Daniel Longworth on the 8th day of July, 1876 N° 2794,
but my improvements may be applied to other power hammers.
My invention has reference principally to the construction of the hammer head
and the parts by which the said head is connected to the rocking bar by which it
is actuated; also the modification or transposition of the parts as herein after
explained.
こ
The hammer head works between V shaped adjustable guides on the fixed
framing of the hammer. The said hammer head is made of a block of steel or
other hard metal and a cylindrical hole is bored in it through the greater part of
its length so as to convert it into a hollow cylinder. In this hollow cylinder a
piston works having a length about half that of the cylinder. This piston is raised
and lowered by a rocking bar having a moveable fulcrum actuated in any convenient
way, the said bar being connected to the piston and cylinder in the manner
hereinafter described. On opposite sides of the hammer head and opening into the
cylinder slots are made. When the piston. passes either end of these slots air is
compressed in the cylinder and the piston thereby cushioned.
In order to prevent any thrust which would otherwise be conveyed to either side
of the piston and cylinder from the movement of the rocking bar, a bush, square:
in cross section, is passed through and fits the sides of the slots in the hammer
head. This bush is secured to the rocking bar by which the hammer head is,
actuated by a pin passed through it and also through the sides of the forked end of
the said rocking bar. Or the said pin may be secured to one side only of the
rocking bar or two rocking bars may be secured to opposite ends of the pin. The
piston is slotted and the bush described fits the slot closely at top and bottom but
the slot in the piston is a little wider than the slots in. the cylinder so that the
bush has a clearance or space on each side. By this arrangement the thrust on the
bush cannot be transmitted to the piston and cylinder but is all borne by the sides
of the slots in the hammer head.
'
When highly heated metal is to be operated upon by the hammer head as in
welding boiler plates or other like opertions where from the heat the air cushion
arrangement described cannot be satisfactorily applied at the hammer head, I'
transpose the arrangement of air cushion cylinder and piston to the crank end of
the rocking bar and make the hammer head solid as usual.
By applying the cushioning arrangement as last described the hammer can.
advantageously be used for all kinds of work.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan and Figure 2 in side elevation a. pneumatic power
hammer of the kind hereinbefore referred to with which my invention is combined;
ዓ

page_text: Figure 3 represents a plan of the hammer head and a portion of the framing and
rocking bar drawn to a larger scale and Figure 4 represents in vertical section the
hammer head, piston and rocking bar drawn to the same scale as Figure 3, the said
Figure 4 exhibiting the arrangement for connecting the rocking bar to the piston
and hammer head.
5
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4.
a is the framing of the power hammer supported on a wall plate or other
support; b is the hammer head working between guides c, c on the fixed framing a;
d is the rocking bar for actuating the hammer head the said bar having a moveable
fulcrum at e as in the patent before referred to, and f is the crank plate for 1
actuating the rocking bar d. The crank plate f is driven in the manner shown in
the Drawing, or in any other convenient way; g is the hollow cylinder in the
hammer head b in which hollow cylinder the piston h works, the said piston being
raised and lowered in the cylinder g by the rocking bar d; i, i are slots in opposite
sides of the hammer head and opening into the cylinder g. When the piston h is
at the middle of the cylinder g as represented in Figure 4 air can pass through the
slots, into the cushioning chambers above and below the piston and when the
piston h passes either end of the slots i, i air is compressed in the cylinder g and
the piston thereby cushioned as will be understood by an examination of the said
Figure 4. The end of the rocking bar d is connected to the hammer head and 2
piston in the following way:- is a busb, square in cross section. This bush is
passed through and fits the sides of the slots i, i in the hammer head b the said
bush being secured to the rocking bar d by the cross pin l. This cross pin passes
through the bush k which is hollow and also through the sides of the forked
end d², d of the rocking bar d as will be understood by an examination of Figures 35
and 4. The piston his slotted at m, the slot m having the same depth as the
bush but the said slot is wider than the bush so that while the bush fits closely
in the slot m at top and bottom there is a clearance or space on each side of the
bush (see Figure 4). By this arrangement the thrust on the bush k from the
movement of the rocking bar d cannot be transmitted to the piston h and cylinder g
but is all borne by the sides of the slots i, i in the hammer head b.
Thus, the reduction to a minimum of the friction on the piston and sides of the
cylinder, is obtained and a permanent air cushion preserved..
Figure 5 represents in plan and Figure 6 in side elevation a pneumatic power
hammer in which the cushioning arrangement is situated at the crank end of the
rocking bar d instead of at the hammer head.
In this arrangement the hammer head n is solid as usual and the crank plate m
carries the hollow cylinder p in which a piston similar to the piston h Figure 4
works. The crank pin in this modification replaces the pin at the hammer head,
the bush, slotted piston and slots in the cylinder p being of the same construction
as corresponding parts in the hammer head and the action of the parts is essentially
the same.
Although my invention is particularly applicable to the pneumatic power
hammers in conjunction with which I have represented it, yet it may be applied to
other power hammers having rocking bars.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details herein described and illustrated as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my invention
"
But I claim as my invention of "Improvements in pneumatic power hammers
First: The construction of the air cushioning arrangement of the hammer head
and the parts by which the hammer head is connected to the rocking bar of the
hammer hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4 of the
accompanying Drawings; that is to say, converting the hammer head into a hollow
cylinder slotted as described and represented, and the combination with the said
hollow cylinder of a piston for the purpose described; also the combination with
the air cushioning arrangement of the square bush m passing through slots in the

page_text: piston and hollow cylinder for effecting the connection of the rocking bar with the
piston and hammer head substantially as described and illustrated.
.
Secondly The adaptation of the air cushioning and connecting arrangements
claimed in the first claim to the crank end of the rocking bar of the hammer as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said William Dredge Player have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty-third day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty four.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT
37 Temple Street
Birmingham
WILLIAM DREDGE PLAYER (L.S.)