38

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

January 4, 1918.

ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS
RECENTLY ACCEPTED.

101152. Improvements in the Production of Gas from
Peat, Lignite, or Wood. C. 0. Rasmussen, Vestre Boule-
vard 38, Copenhagen, Denmark.—This invention relates to
the production from peat, lignite, or wood of gas suitable
for illuminating, heating, and the like purposes. By the
process according to the present invention, the gas is pro-
duced from the substances aforesaid in the usual* manner
in closed retorts or retort kilns, and the gas so developed
is again passed, together with steam or hydrocarbon
vapours, through one or more retorts or other suitable
devices containing substances mainly consisting of carbon,
which are maintained in a state of incandescence. For
this purpose, the coke residue or charcoal obtained by
driving off wholly or in part the “ volatile matters ” and
gas of “ carbonising ” coal, peat, lignite, wood, and the
like may be used. In this way carbon monoxide is formed
from a portion of the carbonic acid. In order to produce
a greater quantity of usable gas, and for the purpose of
promoting the formation of carbon monoxide in the gas,
water vapour is conveyed to the retort or retorts, in which
the reduction of the carbonic acid takes place; in addi-
tion to carbon monoxide greater quantities of hydrogen
will also be formed by this process. Or, instead of the
water vapour fluid, pulverulent or vapour hydrocarbons,
such as fuel oils, massut, petroleum, coal tar, lignite, peat,
wood, or the like, or distillates from these substances in
the form of liquid, vapour, or powder, may be added to
the gas ; these hydrocarbons are likewise conveyed to the
retorts, where the decomposition of the carbonic acid takes
place. The aqueous vapour or the hydrocarbons may, how-
ever, also be conveyed to the gas earlier in the gas pro-
ducing process, in which case they may be led into all or
some of the retorts, where the production of gas from the
carbonaceous substances, peat, lignite, or wood takes place.
(Two claims.)

105341. Improvements in Winding, Hoisting, or like
Machinery. Siemens-Schuckertwerke, G.m.b.H., Siemens-
stadt, near Berlin.—This invention relates to winding,
hoisting, or like machinery, in which two cages work oppo-
sitely, that is to sayffeone goes up whilst the other goes
down. A feature of the invention is that the rope of each
cage is provided with safety devices which act in both the
ordinary extreme positions of either rope, and thus over-
winding in either direction is rendered impossible, start-
ing and stopping cams being coupled with both drums, of
which one is fast and the other disengagable or adjust-
able. In the drawing, the drum 1 is keyed to a hollow
axle surrounding the main driving shaft, to which latter
the other drum 2 is fast. Both drums turn in the same
direction, the ropes (29, 31) being, however, wound oppo-
sitely to give the simultaneous up and down movements.
3 and 4 are the halves or discs of an adjustable device for
coupling and uncoupling the axle and shaft. When the
machinery is stopped, the drum 1 can be fixed by the brake
5, and the bolts of the coupling 3, 4 taken out. The other
drum 2 can then be moved slowly by the engine into any
desired relative position for Working the cages (30, 32)
between different levels, the bolts'of the coupling 3, 4
being replaced at the new positions. 6 and 7 indicate the
cam-controlled driving arrangement appertaining to the
drum 1, whilst 8 and 9 indicate that for the fast drum 2.
10, 11, 12, 13 are two pairs of cam discs, each having two

I

sr
r
L •

lifts or rises. Of these, 14, 17, 18, 21 are starting cams,
whilst 15, 16, 19, and 20 are stopping cams. 22, 23, 24,
and 25 are rocking arms or levers, provided with rollers
at their ends, and mounted on one common shaft, so that
they are engaged by the cams at the proper times to work
the controlling handle 28. Their motion is transmitted
from their shaft or axle to the said controlling handle or
lever 28 in any convenient manner, for instance, by means
of an arm 26 and a rod or link 27. The cams or rises of
each pair, as shown, are in quadrature to correspond to
the right-angled arrangement of the rocking arms or levers.
29 is the rope end or leg for the disengageable or “ loose ”
drum 1, 30 being the corresponding cage or bucket, which
is shown in its raised position at the bank. 31 is the rope
end or leg for the fast drum 2, its cage 32 being in the
lowered position, and standing at the filling or loading
place. 33 and 34 are the rope sheaves or top pulleys. 35,
36, 37, and 38 indicate respectively the bank, two inter-
mediate levels, stages, or galleries, and the filling place.
When with this arrangement, the drums are properly set
in relation to one another, no matter whether from the
bank or from the filling place, overwinding is rendered
impossible, since each cage is properly guarded independ-
ently by its two stopping cams both at the bank as well
as at the loading position. Moreover, the corresponding
starting cams ensure safe starting from these positions.
(Four claims.)

110185. Improvements in Coal-Cutting Machines. C.
Blanchard, 7, Bays water-road, Newcastle-on-Tyne; and H.
N. Wood, Rainton House, Fence Houses, Durham.—This
invention comprises improvements in coal-cutting machines,
and has for its object to provide an improved method of
and means for effecting the haulage of these machines
along a coal face, while at the same time keeping the
machine close to and parallel with the face. The type of
machine to which this ^invention relates is that in which a
pivoted chain cutter arm is mounted at one end and a
winding drum at the opposite end of the machine. In the
accompanying drawings, figs. 1, 2, and 3 are sectional plan
views of coal-cutting machines operating in accordance
with the present invention. In all the figures, a is the
coal-cutting machine, with the usual cutter arm b oper-
ating in and against a coal face c. The machines are fitted
each with a winding drum d, and with guide sheaves e and
the rope f passes from a haulage post at g to the winding
drum on the machine, and then over the guide sheaves e
on the outer side of the machine, and so to another post h.
In the arrangement seen in fig. 1, the drum d turns around

a vertical axis on the opposite end of the machine to that
upon which the cutter arm b is mounted, guide sheaves e
being mounted one on each side of the drum d. In this
arrangement, the rope f is passed around the guide sheave
e near to the coal face before passing to the drum d, and
from the latter it is passed to the guide sheave e on the
outer side, and then along the outer side of the machine
to the post h. Instead of the rope passing along the actual
outer side of the machine, it may, of course, pass from
th^ guide sheave at the drum end to a guide, sheave at the
cutter arm end, as seen in fig. 2. In the latter figure, the
course of the rope is modified, so that it laps more of the
sheave near the coal face, and less of the sheave on the
outer side than is the case in fig. 1. In a machine in which
the haulage drum revolves around a horizontal axis, as in
fig. 3, the rope may pass directly from a post to the drum
as shown, and from the latter around suitable intermediate

na.z.

b

guide sheaves e1 situated near to such drum. The guide
sheaves are suitably arranged so that a similar passage of
the rope may be adopted whether the machine is cutting
into a right-hand wall or into a left-hand wall. The
sheaves are preferably so arranged as shown that the rope
length from a post to the haulage drum end is as nearly
as possible parallel with the coal face, while at the oppo-
site or cutter arm end the rope length passing from the
coal face to the outer side of the machine is at an appre-
ciable angle to the coal face. It wTill now be readily under-
stood that in operation the machine progresses by hauling
itself along the haulage rope f, and that owing to the fact
that the said rope embraces or engages the outer side of
the machine a, slewing of the latter is prevented during
such operation. (Two claims.)

110402. Improvements Relating to Aerial Hopeways. A.
J. C. Brookes, 32, Emperor’s-gate, London, S.W. — The
object of this invention is to enable ropeways to be worked
with greater individual loads and steeper gradients, and
at the same time to relieve the boxheads and the ropes
from excessive wear. For this purpose, the boxheads and
their grippers are so constructed that, in meeting an ascend-
ing rope, the grippers do not grip on to the rope until
brought into substantial parallelism with it, and that as
the boxheads pass from the shunt rails to the gripping
position the load will travel horizontally or substantially
so, instead of having to be raised or moved uphill. Fig. 1
is a side, elevation partly in section of the boxhead passing
from a shunt rail to the rope ; fig. 2 is a plan of same
partly in section. . The boxhead comprises a body casting
a having a central transverse aperture b to receive the sus-
pension pin of the bucket. At the two ends of the cast-
ing a are pockets c having openings in the side walls, into
which are screwed caps d that serve as abutment bearings
for toggle jaws e, shaped to span the rope from above ; the
jaws, which are somewhat tee-shaped in plan (see fig. 2)
have cylindrical limbs e1, with spherical ends, which abut
against the correspondingly-shaped inner ends of the caps
d, the toggle jaws being free to oscillate in all directions
within limits about their abutment bearings in the caps,
and to turn abbut the axes of the limbs e1, which enables
both jaws to adjust themselves to the curve of the rope in
passing over the rope supporting pulleys without sliding
movement between the jaws and the rope. The jaws are
rounded where they meet, and sufficient play is provided
between their upper portions which project one into the
other, as shown in fig. 2, to permit of universal oscillation.
To limit the turning movement of the jaws about the
axes of their limbs e1, stops g are formed on the forward
and rear walls of each pocket c. The toggle jaws e are



71 frn
I 111 n
HL 11! I

pressed downwardly by springs h, the ends of which take
into recesses in the jaws and in covers i that are screwed
on to the casting above holes k through which the springs
project. The caps d at one side are formed as journals,
on which are mounted the grooved wheels I which run upon *
the shunt rails; by this arrangement the boxhead need not
be made longer than usual, and may even be reduced in
length, so that in passing over the rope pulleys 'there will
be little danger of the grip on the rope being released.
The toggle jaws are permitted considerable movement, so
that, when they are not gripping the rope, there is suffi-
cient space between their lower edges to obviate the neces-
sity for the usual very accurate relative adjustment of the
shunt rails and ropes. The front end of the boxhead is
formed with horns m carrying an axle, on which is
mounted a sheave n adapted to travel upon the rope o,
fig. 1, and support the front end of the boxhead as it
passes from the shunt rail p into such a position in rela-
tion to the rope that the toggle jaws e are nearly parallel
with the rope, and thus ready to firmly grip it without
slipping or rubbing friction. (Six claims.)

110411. Improvements in Valve Gear for Rock Drills,
etc. Raynar de Hele St. Stephens, Pendarves-road, Cam-
borne ; and Climax Rock Drill and Engineering Works
Limited, Carn Brea, Cornwall.—The object of the inven-
tion is to obviate friction, and to this end the invention
consists in constructing the ports through which air under
pressure passes entirely around the valve, so that such air

exerts a uniform pressure at all points, and thereby allows
the valve to operate more rapidly than it would otherwise
do. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a drill provided
with the improved valve gear; fig. 2 is a sectional plan,
and figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the line 3—3 and 4—4
respectively of fig. 1. a indicates the working cylinder, b
the hammer piston working therein, and c the rear cover.
d is the passage through which the air enters, and is
exhausted from the front end of the cylinder, e is the
opening in the cover c through which the air enters the
rear end of the cylinder a, and f, f are ports through which
the air is exhausted from the rear end of the cylinder, and
which communicates with passages g, g formed in the
cylinder walls and through the cover c. h is the valve
chest which- is applied to the rear face of the cylinder
cover c, the said valve chest being, as shown, enclosed in
a casing i, which is clamped upon the cover c, the said
casing being advantageously provided with an extension k,
which, with the plug I, constitutes a cock for controlling
the air supply, m is the valve arranged according to the
invention, and which, as hereinbefore stated, is formed
with two portions of different diameter, the portion n con-
stituting what is termed the head of the valve, and the
portion o the stem. This valve is located in a central hole
bored in the valve chest, and having the parts n1, o1 of
different diameters, in which the parts n, o respectively
slide, p, q are ports which respectively open into the
parts n1, o1 of the valve chest, the port p extending entirely
around the said valve chest, and being in open communi-
cation through the passages r, r, with a recess s behind the
valve chest in open communication with the air supply,
whilst the port q communicates with the passage d in the
cylinder wall. The positions of these ports with respect
to the valve are such xyith relation to the driving fluid
supply passage e that when one port is uncovered by the
valve, the other is covered, t is a groove formed in the
stem of the valve m, and u is a port which communicates
with the portion of the valve chest, in which the steni
slides, and also with an exhaust passage, which latter, in
the drawing, is in the form of a circumferential groove v
around the valve chest, and which circumferential groove
at all times communicates with the exhaust passages g, g,
fig. 2. With the arrangement described, it will be seen that
the rear end b of the stem of the valve m is always exposed
to the driving fluid supply, whilst the head of the valve
is always directly open to the cylinder. When the piston
b and the valve m are in the position shown in figs. 1 and
2, the driving fluid will enter the rear end of the cylinder
through the passages r, the port p, and the opening e, and
drive the piston b forwards. During such forward move-
ment of the piston the fluid pressure acting against the
front of the head of the valve prevents the said valve from



%

Hg.4

b i T‘7

Fig ?	. g

is



being moved forward qnder the pressure acting upon the
smaller exposed rear area. When, however, the piston has
moved far enough to uncover the exhaust port f, the pres-
sure on the front of the valve is suddenly released, where-
upon the pressure acting upon the rear end of the valve
pushes the said valve forward to close the port p and open
the port q, also. As, however, the port p extends entirely
around the valve chest, the lateral pressure exerted upon
the valve will be uniform at all points of its circumference.
Immediately the port p is opened, the air enters the front
end of the cylinder, and drives the piston b rearwardly.
During the rearward movement the fluid behind the piston
will escape through the ports f, f until the said piston has
covered the exhaust ports f, whereupon the air imprisoned
behind the said piston is gradually compressed until the
total pressure acting on the larger front exposed area of
the head of fhe valve is greater than that acting upon the
rear end of the stem, whereupon the valve is reversed so
that the piston is again driven forward, as before described.
During this forward movement the fluid in front of the
piston is driven out through the passage d, the port q, the
recess t in the valve, the passages u. and the circumferen-
tial groove v to the exhaust. (Two claims.)

110413. An Improved Process of Distillation and Still.
Simon-Carves Limited and J. H. Brown, 20, Mount-street,
Manchester.—This invention relates to an improved pro-
cess of distillation, and still for carrying out the same.
In practice with the existing types of column stills, it is
impossible to store up in advance, by pre-heating the rich
oil, the necessary amount of heat to satisfy the demands
for latent heat, and provide for the other heat losses, and
at the same time maintain the temperature of the rich oil
at the outlet of the still above the boiling points or points
of gasification of the absorbed products. Especially is
this the case where more than one product is absorbed, and
where the percentage of absorption or saturation is high,
and particularly so where the absorbed products have a
high latent heat, or where the rich oil has a low specific
heat. Separation of the absorbed products, therefore, is
not effected by distillation pure and simple. It is effected
partly by distillation and partly by volatilisation or vapor-
isation. The latter operation can be effected irrespective
of temperature, and, as is more correctly, and hereinafter
referred to as, carburetting. In actual practice, after the
first tray of the still distillation decreases, and carburetting
commences until at the last tray carburetting alone takes
place. In many cases very great trouble is experienced
owing to emulsification of the rich oil, caused by the oil
becoming “wet” during separation. This emulsification
is brought about by an insufficiency of calories being avail-
able to make good the consunfption of latent heat in conse-
quence of an undue proportion of carburetting and too
small a proportion of distillation taking place in the still.
In such cases, too much heat is taken from the live steam
fed into the still, separation is effected by carburetting at
a low temperature, heat- is of necessity absorbed, and a
part of the steam is condensed, thus yielding up its latent
heat to supply the deficiency of heat units, and the con-
densation being gradual and intimate, due to the wide
diffusion of the steam, emulsification consequently results.
The emulsification of the rich oil renders the latter useless
for re-use as an absorbent, and the oil must, therefore, be
“ dried ” before it can be again used as an absorbent. The
present invention has for its object to overcome the diffi-
culties and objections above pointed out, and to make good