



Produced by Chris Curnow, Chris Jordan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)









                             STEAM SHOVELS

                                --AND--

                          STEAM SHOVEL WORK.


                  By E. A. HERMANN, M. Am. Soc. C. E.


                                 1894.
                   ENGINEERING NEWS PUBLISHING CO.,
                               NEW YORK.




          Copyright. 1894, by Engineering News Publishing Co.




CONTENTS.


                                         Pages.

  PART 1.--Steam Shovels                   1-19

    "  2.--Steam Shovel Work              19-41

    "  3.--Disposition of Material        41-55

    "  4.--Cost of Steam Shovel Work      55-57




INDEX.


Ballast, plowing, 48

Blasting, 39, 52

Brine, sprinkling earth, 52


Cars, dump, 19, 41, 47
  Flat, 42
  Loading, 19
  Unloading, 42, 47

Cost of work, 55

Cuts, 28, 36, 39
  Time for, 17
  Widening, 19


Explosives, 39, 52


Fills, trestles for, 47


Grades, construction track, 34
  Cutting down, 28

Grading, 25

Gravel train, 42, 45, 50
  Engines for, 50
  Unloading, 48


Leveling, 53

Loading cars, 19
  Gangs for, 21, 22, 23


Operating, men for, 18


Plow, Barnhart, 43
  Gravel, 42

Plowing, cable for, 50
  Gravel train, 48
  Hauling engine for, 51
  Winter, brine for, 52


Railways, construction, 33
  Reducing grades, 28
  Widening cuts, 19

Railway work, 18, 28, 33

Rapid unloader, 51


Spreaders, 53

Steam shovels, Barnhart, 6
  Boilers, 9
  Bucyrus, 4
  Clement, 10
  Daily capacity, 41
  Description, 5
  Giant, 12
  Invention of, 1
  Little Giant, 12
  Industrial Works, 10
  Machinery of, 5
  Marion S. S. & Dredge Co., 6
  Number of men, 18
  Operation, 16
  Osgood, 2
  Otis-Chapman, 14
  Repairs, 19
  Souther's, 14
  Thompson, 4
  Toledo F. & M. Co., 8
  Types, 3
  Victor, 8
  Vulcan Iron Works, 12


Tools, 16, 18

Track, arrangement of, 19
  Narrow gage, 47

Trains, dirt, handling, 19, 42, 45, 48, 50

Trestles for fills, 47


Widening cuts, 19




STEAM SHOVELS AND STEAM SHOVEL WORK.[1]

[Footnote 1: Copyright by Engineering News Publishing Co., 1894.]

By E. A. HERMANN, M. Am. Soc. C. E.

Part I.--Steam Shovels.


The following article originated in a short paper which was read before
a local society of civil engineers, and there were so many requests
made for this paper and the illustrations presented with it that the
author was led to believe that there was a demand for such information.
Believing that a better understanding of the capabilities of these
machines will serve a useful purpose in economizing money, time and
labor in the execution of work to which they are adapted, the author
presents in this article the information learned by a long practical
experience in this special class of work. Descriptions of the various
steam shovels can readily be found in the trade catalogues of the
different manufacturers, but very little has been published on the
manner of using them in the execution of different classes of work, and
the disposition of the excavated material after it has been loaded on
cars or wagons. This part of the subject will receive most attention,
and although much of it may seem very elementary to those who have had
an extended experience in operating steam shovels, it may be entirely
new to the much larger number who have had few or no opportunities for
doing work of this kind. It has been the aim of the author to condense
the reading matter as much as possible, making it a point to use many
illustrations in place of lengthy explanations, thus presenting the
subject more clearly than by extended descriptions.

[Illustration: FIG. 1. ELEVATION AND HALF PLAN OF OSGOOD STEAM SHOVEL;
Osgood Dredge Co., Albany, N. Y.]

The steam shovel, or steam excavator, is a modified form of dredge
adapted for excavating material on dry land. It was designed and
patented by a Mr. Otis, about 1840, and like most new inventions the
first machine built was a very clumsy affair, but even in this
crude state it possessed many advantages for removing large masses
of material. Its merits were recognized in its earliest stages, and
with increased experience in its operation improvements were soon made
which rendered it almost indispensable on all works requiring large
quantities of excavation.

It was not until 1865, however, that the machine came into general use.
About this time the largely increased railway construction created an
active demand for the steam shovel, which demand was quickly supplied
by several manufacturers, whose machines vary in distinctive designs of
various parts, but the principles of operation are essentially the same
in them all.

Types of Steam Shovels.--There are three types of steam shovels: First;
machines mounted on trucks of standard gage, transported from place to
place in freight trains (or propelled by their own power), and intended
for railway work only. Second; machines mounted on wheels of other than
standard gage, transported in sections by boat or wagon, or loaded
complete on flat cars, and intended for both railway and other work.
Third; machines mounted on wheels fitted for transportation over common
roads, propelled by their own power, and intended for railway and other
work.

The first machines built were of the second type. As now constructed
they are mounted on a wide wooden frame or car body, supported by
four small wheels of 7 ft. to 8 ft. gage, thus placing the machinery
close to the ground, with a wide base of support. In transporting this
machine from one place to another, not on the line of a railway, it is
necessary to take it apart, forward the sections and put them together
again at the site of the new work. The machine is built with a view
to rapid dismantling and re-erection, and for work requiring a large
machine for economical excavation, located in hilly country not yet
made accessible by rail, or requiring transportation by boat, it is
the machine most generally used. Its ready adaptability to all kinds
of work in any location has made it the favorite machine with many
general contractors whose work includes large contracts for railway
and other excavation. For transportation by rail this machine is run
onto an ordinary flat car, only the crane being detached and loaded on
a separate car. With this manner of shipment the machine can be made
ready for railway work very quickly, but for exclusive railway work
a machine of a later design has come into use and is now generally
preferred for this class of work.

[Illustration: FIG. 2.--THOMPSON STEAM SHOVEL; Bucyrus Steam Shovel &
Dredge Co., South Milwaukee, Wis.]

This is the machine of the first type, resting on a wooden or iron car
body, supported on trucks of standard gage, with an iron or steel crane
from 18 to 26 ft. high over the track when in working order, and which
can be lowered to 14 ft. to permit shipment through tunnels and under
low overhead bridges.

Machines of the third type are generally of smaller capacity than the
others; they have come into general use only within the past few years,
but are now multiplying rapidly in numbers as their utility for nearly
all kinds of work is better appreciated. They are especially adapted to
smaller jobs and work not readily accessible by rail, but where common
roads are available.

These three types are shown in Figs. 1 to 9, representing the machines
of seven of the principal manufacturers.

Steam shovels will excavate any kind of material except solid rock,
and they will load rock if it has been broken up by explosives into
pieces of not more than 3-4 cu. yd. in size. The materials excavated
by them are mostly sand, loose gravel, all kinds of clay, cemented
gravel, hardpan, clays mixed with bowlders and other small stones, ore,
phosphate rock, loose rock and thin seams of slate, shale or sandstone.

These machines are used for excavating material, loading it on cars or
wagons for ballasting tracks; for filling trestles, streets, roads,
dams, lots and new city additions; for widening embankments for double
track, side tracks, yards, shops and station grounds; for cutting down
street, road and railway grades; grading lots and new city additions,
railway yards, shop and station grounds; widening cuts, removing land
slides, stripping coal fields, ore beds and stone quarries; digging
canals and drainage ditches, loading clays for brick yards, etc.

Construction of Steam Shovels.--The general plan of construction of
the machines, shown in Figs. 1 to 9, is essentially the same in all,
and consists of a strong frame, mounted on wheels, forming the base
to which all working parts are attached. The boiler and machinery are
placed near the rear end of the frame, and the mast, or post, and crane
at the front end. The crane is made in two pieces connected only at
the top or point, and at the foot of the mast. Between these pieces,
serving as guides, is the dipper handle, carrying at its farther end
the dipper or scoop. To the top of the post (or to the foot in some
machines) the swinging circle is secured.

[Illustration: FIG. 3.--BARNHART STEAM SHOVEL; Marion Steam Shovel Co.,
Marion, O.]

The most used, and hence the most important part of the machinery of
the steam shovel is the gearing imparting motion to the hoisting drum,
actuating the chains by which the dipper is raised and lowered. It is
in almost constant use, and is often subjected to severe shocks in hard
digging. Of all parts of the machinery it is the most likely to break
or rapidly wear out. Naturally it has received the most attention of
any part of the steam shovel in all efforts to improve the design,
strength and durability of the machine. There are a number of different
gears in use, and essentially they are either friction clutches or
positive gearing. The use of the former subjects the machinery and
crane to less severe shocks, and can be thrown in and out of gear more
rapidly, but it wears out quicker, often causes delay by heating, and
requires frequent repairs. Positive gearing exposes the machinery
and crane to more severe shocks in hard digging, and must be started
slower, especially in hard material, but while these machines are a
little slower than those operated with friction clutches, they are less
subject to the expense of repairs and delay due to the disarrangement
of the hoisting gear, so that their total output of material about
equals, and sometimes exceeds, the quicker moving friction gear machine.

The mechanism for thrusting the dipper into the bank is attached to the
crane, and the forms most generally used are as follows:

1. A chain, one end of which is attached to the rear end of the dipper
handle, and the other end wound around a drum receiving its motion by
an endless chain passing over a sprocket wheel connected to the axle
of the sprocket wheel at the top of the mast, over which the hoisting
chain passes, thereby revolving both wheels. This drum is thrown into
gear by a friction clutch, and its motion regulated by the cranesman's
lever and footbrake.

2. A rack on the dipper handle operated by a pinion attached to a shaft
revolved and regulated as above described.

3. A small double cylinder engine operating either a pinion and rack as
above described, or revolving a drum with a chain attached to it, and
the rear end of the dipper handle as described in the first case.

4. A long steam cylinder attached to the dipper handle, whose piston
rod is connected to the dipper, extending or withdrawing it as desired.

[Illustration: FIG. 5.--VICTOR STEAM SHOVEL; Toledo Foundry & Machine
Co., Toledo, O.]

The thrusting mechanism used in the last two cases imparts a rapid,
steady and powerful motion, but the extra engines or steam cylinder and
their connecting steam pipes involve a complication which often more
than balances their advantages.

Swinging the crane in a horizontal direction is generally accomplished
in one of the following three ways:

1. A chain passing around the swinging circle attached to the post,
and wound around drums connected to the engine by positive gearing or
friction clutches.

2. A wire rope passing round the swinging circle and connected to the
piston rods operated by two long steam cylinders.

3. A chain passing round the swinging circle and wound around a drum
connected to a small reversible engine.

The mechanisms used in the last two cases have the same advantages,
but also suffer from the same objections urged against employing small
engines or a steam cylinder for thrusting the dipper into the bank.

The engines are either of the upright type with a single steam
cylinder, or of the horizontal type, with double horizontal steam
cylinders. The size of the cylinders varies for machines of different
capacities, ranging from 8 by 10 ins. to 10 by 12 ins. for the upright
engines, and 6 by 8 ins. to 13 by 16 ins. for the horizontal engines.

The upright type of boiler with submerged flues is usually preferred,
as it occupies only a small space. Horizontal boilers of the locomotive
type are used in a few machines, and are more economical in the use of
fuel, but occupy too large a floor space. Forced draft is used in both
types of boilers, and they are generally worked to the limit of their
capacity. The usual working pressure is 90 lbs. per sq. in. The safety
valve is generally set to blow off at 120 lbs. per sq. in. The boiler
is supplied with water either from an upright circular sheet iron tank
located in a corner of the machine, behind the boiler, or from a sheet
iron box tank hung under the floor. These tanks usually hold about
1,000 gallons of water, enough to run the machine half a day. The water
is obtained by a pump or siphon from the tender of a locomotive on
railway work, or is hauled to the machine by wagon on other work.

[Illustration: FIG. 6.--CLEMENT STEAM SHOVEL; Industrial Works, Bay
City, Mich.]

In some machines the frame or car body is made of wood, generally
oak, often incased with heavy plate iron. In others it is constructed
of iron or steel I-beams and channels. In all machines it is strongly
built and braced with a view to sustain the weight of the working parts
and to resist the shocks to which it is subjected. The floor is usually
of 3-in. oak plank.

The mast or post is made of cast or wrought iron, strongly braced and
guyed to the frame. It is the pivot about which the crane swings, and
easy working in its bearings is of great importance for the rapid and
economical operation of the machine. In order to prevent breakage or
delay it should never be permitted to wabble by neglecting to promptly
tighten its braces and guys in case they should work loose. The
post should always stand vertical, or practically so, to insure the
horizontal motion of the crane and avoid unnecessary straining of the
swinging gear. For this reason the machine should be set practically
level before beginning operations; and using a small mason's level is
better than trusting to the eye, when blocking under the track and
adjusting the jack screws for this purpose.

The crane is secured to the post, and is made of wood, iron or steel,
strongly and compactly built to resist the shocks to which it is often
subjected. It is from 14 to 20 ft. high above the track or ground,
varying with machines of different sizes and manufacture, and swings
horizontally through an angle of 180 to 240 degrees, with a radius of
15 to 20 ft. In some machines it must be detached from the post for
shipment, in others (mostly those made for railway use exclusively)
it can be lowered to a height of 14 ft. above the track, thereby
permitting shipment without detaching from the post.

The dipper, scoop, or bucket is made of iron or steel, shaped somewhat
like a coal scuttle. Its cutting edge is protected by four teeth
made of steel or steel pointed. These teeth are easily removed for
sharpening or replacement. Dippers vary in size from 1/2 cu. yd. to
2-1/2 cu. yds. capacity. They also vary somewhat in shape, according
to the material to be excavated, though no special provision is made
for this unless there are very large quantities of the same kind of
material to be removed; or for machines working in a certain class
of material only, like ore loaders. For general work in all kinds of
materials the dipper is seldom changed.

For soft, tenacious material, likely to adhere to the inner sides of
the dipper, and not drop out promptly when the bottom door is opened
for unloading, the dipper is shaped as shown in Fig. 10, with a larger
bottom than mouth. In hard, or dry soft material the section shows
parallel sides, as in Fig. 11. For general use the bottom of the dipper
