Steam Shovels and Steam Shovel Work E-Book

Hermann

• Herausgeber: Science & Technology Publishing
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 93

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Steam Shovels and Steam Shovel Work is a comprehensive and authoritative treatise on the use, operation, and management of steam shovels in excavation and construction projects, written by E. A. Hermann. This detailed volume, first published in the early 20th century, serves as both a technical manual and a historical record of the pivotal role steam shovels played in transforming the landscape of civil engineering and large-scale earth-moving operations. The book meticulously covers the evolution of steam shovel design, from early rudimentary machines to the more sophisticated and efficient models of its time, providing readers with a thorough understanding of their mechanical components, power systems, and operational principles. Hermann delves into the practical aspects of steam shovel work, offering in-depth discussions on site preparation, excavation techniques, and the handling of various types of soil and rock. The text is richly illustrated with diagrams, photographs, and technical drawings that clarify the construction and function of different shovel types, including railroad-mounted, track-mounted, and revolving shovels. The author also addresses the logistics of moving and assembling steam shovels, the selection of appropriate equipment for specific tasks, and the maintenance and repair of these complex machines. In addition to technical guidance, Steam Shovels and Steam Shovel Work provides valuable insights into the management of shovel crews, the organization of work on large projects such as railroad construction, canal digging, and mining operations, and the economic considerations involved in steam shovel use. Case studies and real-world examples illustrate the challenges and solutions encountered in the field, making the book an indispensable resource for engineers, contractors, and historians alike. With its blend of technical detail, practical advice, and historical context, Steam Shovels and Steam Shovel Work stands as a testament to the ingenuity and industriousness of the era that harnessed steam power to reshape the world. It remains a vital reference for anyone interested in the history of construction technology, the mechanics of heavy machinery, or the monumental projects that defined the age of steam.

Leseprobe

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 Shovels1-19"2.—Steam Shovel Work19-41"3.—Disposition of Material41-55"4.—Cost of Steam Shovel Work55-57

INDEX.

Ballast, plowing, 48Blasting, 39, 52Brine, sprinkling earth, 52Cars, dump, 19, 41, 47Flat, 42Loading, 19Unloading, 42, 47Cost of work, 55Cuts, 28, 36, 39Time for, 17Widening, 19Explosives, 39, 52Fills, trestles for, 47Grades, construction track, 34Cutting down, 28Grading, 25Gravel train, 42, 45, 50Engines for, 50Unloading, 48Leveling, 53Loading cars, 19Gangs for, 21, 22, 23Operating, men for, 18Plow, Barnhart, 43Gravel, 42Plowing, cable for, 50Gravel train, 48Hauling engine for, 51Winter, brine for, 52Railways, construction, 33Reducing grades, 28Widening cuts, 19Railway work, 18, 28, 33Rapid unloader, 51Spreaders, 53Steam shovels, Barnhart, 6Boilers, 9Bucyrus, 4Clement, 10Daily capacity, 41Description, 5Giant, 12Invention of, 1Little Giant, 12Industrial Works, 10Machinery of, 5Marion S. S. & Dredge Co., 6Number of men, 18Operation, 16Osgood, 2Otis-Chapman, 14Repairs, 19Souther's, 14Thompson, 4Toledo F. & M. Co., 8Types, 3Victor, 8Vulcan Iron Works, 12Tools, 16, 18Track, arrangement of, 19Narrow gage, 47Trains, dirt, handling, 19, 42, 45, 48, 50Trestles for fills, 47Widening cuts, 19

STEAM SHOVELS AND STEAM SHOVEL WORK.[1]By E. A. Hermann, M. Am. Soc. C. E.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.