Improvements in Hydraulic Apparatus for Compressing and Baling Cotton, Hemp, Jute, and other Substances.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1888
Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1888
Improvements in Hydraulic Apparatus for Compressing and Baling
Cotton, Hemp, Jute, and other Substances.
We PHILIBERT BONVILLAIN, Engineer, and FRANÇOIS LOUIS JULIEN GUYON,
Merchant, both of Calcutta, Bengal, India, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The improved hydraulic apparatus constructed according to this invention is chicfly
designed for baling cotton, hemp, alfa, jute, and other textile or bulky material which
is easily compressible in a rapid manner. One feature of this apparatus is the special
arrangement of three presses, two of which are designed to effect an initial or first
pressure, and a finishing press placed between the former two, which arrangement
enables three bales to be in course of formation at the same time, the material for one
bale being introduced while a second bale is subjected to an initial or first pressure,
and the third to a final pressure, and as these three operations are simultaneous, any
loss of time is obviated. Another feature consists in the combined application of a
movable grate and a special truck made of steel and having two independent compart-
ments, which grate being caused to move freely above the three presses enables the
material, that has been subjected to an initial or first pressure, to be intermittently
transported without expenditure of much power above the finishing press, whilst its
empty compartment passes above the casing charged with material to be compressed.
A third feature of our hydraulic apparatus consists in the application of a movable
vice mounted upon a truck and designed to rapidly take hold of the finished bale and
remove the same for tying or binding it so that it will not interfere with the other
operations of the press.
In order to make our invention well understood, we have represented in the
accompanying drawings an improved hydraulic apparatus constructed according to
the said invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation partly in section.
Firm is a side elevation partly in section, and

page_text: Figure 3 a plan of the said apparatus.
When no material is in the press, and the truck C is on the left hand side, that is to
say above the casing A and the finishing press F, the casing B is free and is rapidly
filled through the doors a, a the large size of 140 x 150 metre enables the casing to
be much more rapidly and easily filled than in the presses heretofore constructed.
The casing being filled, the truck is moved to the right hand side so that its
compartiment on the right-hand side exactly covers the casing B, its compartment on
the left-hand side passing at the same time above the finishing press F. The doors a a
are then closed, and the inlet cock or valve of the press B is opened, so that the latter
commences to compress the material enclosed in the casing B.
By causing the truck to move from the left to the right hand side, the empty
casing A is set free or uncovered and filled without loss of time. The desired quantity
of the material to be pressed being ready to hand in proximity to the doors of the
apparatus, the filling of a casing can be effected as rapidly as the initial or first
pressure in the opposite casing, so that these operations take exactly the same time.
When the casing A has been filled, the press B reaches the end of its stroke, and
by automatic means closes its inlet cock or valve and immediately the doors a, a. At
this moment, in order to free the press B, the movable grate G is placed between the
teeth of the plate of this press, being rapidly put upon the lower part of the frame
of the truck C. The discharge cock of the press is then opened and the descending
plate frees the truck C, leaving the bale that has received an initial or first pressure in
the compartment of the truck and to rest upon the movable grate carried by a truck H.
This movable grate and its truck are represented in front and side elevation and in
plan in figures 4. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
The truck C having become free is pushed to the left-hand side above the casing A
which is now filled. The doors b, b, are immediately closed, the inlet cock or valve
of the press A is opened, and a second bale receives a first pressure while the casing B
which has become free is filled.
While the empty compartment of the truck C has been moved so as to cover the
full casing A, the compartment charged with the bale that has received a first pressure
in B is caused by the same movement to pass above the finishing press F.
The cock or valve of this press being opened, the teeth of its pressing plate
engage with the bars of the movable grate G which, becoming free again, is
immediately removed by the same suspended truck H which had previously intro-
duced it and moved to the casing A where the second bale receives the first pressure
and where it is now required.
The final pressure to which the bale is subjected is rapidly effected. As soon as it
has terminated the movable vice E, shown in front and side elevation and in plan in
Figures 7, 8 and 9, seizes the bale. At this moment the attendant opens the dis-
charge cock or valve of the press F so that the plate of this press descends, and if at
the same time the lateral door P of the carriage C is opened, the bale is completely
disengaged from the press but is held between the claws or cheeks of the vice. To
the latter is imparted an energetic back movement, thereby moving the bale a little
further away to be tied or bound without interfering with the operation of the press.
During this time the material contained in the casing A has received an initial or
first pressure, the doors b, b, which are opened wide by an automatic disengaging
device allowing the introduction of the movable grate. The plate of the press A
descends, and the truck (having been liberated is pushed above the casing B which
is now filled. By the same motion the bale which has just received an initial or first
pressure in A is transported above the press F to be finished as above described, while
the press B commences with a third bale, and so on.
As will be seen from the foregoing description, there is no time lost through
stoppages, and the apparatus enables three bales to be formed at the same time, that
is to say, one bale for which the material is being introduced, another bale which
receives its initial or first pressure, and a third bale which is subjected to a final
pressure.
This special arrangement of three presses, while, it obviates any loss of time,, also

page_text: enables nearly all the complicated mechanism of the known presses and all their
, heavy counterweights to be dispensed with.
The aforesaid movable vice of steel is mounted on a truck and is adapted to
oscillate freely upon its axis 0: It is constructed in such a manner that when the
bale is received between its claws its back part is heavy enough for the vice when
placed in the vertical position to remain in it so to facilitato the tying or binding of
the bale. As soon as the bale is tied or bound the vice is by a sudden motion brought
back to the horizontal position in which it is kept by the movable support K which is
quickly moved forward by the lever L. By causing the cam lever X to move through
quarter of a turn, the vice is opened and releases the bale, and if at this moment
pressure is exerted upon the lever the vice swings a little, the result being that the
bale will roll on the ground.
In
When the vice is to seize the bale between the claws or plates of thep ress, it must
be closed that is to say, the lever of its eccentric or cam a must be vertical.
order to facilitate the introduction of the vice the bale must be pressed a little more
than it is finally.
The doors a, a and b, b do not open on hinges, they are simply removed by the
action of a counterweight c, which is a little heavier than these doors, as soon as the
pistons for causing the initial or first pressure arrive at the end of their stroke and
actuate the automatic disengaging. devices. A single man who is placed at some
distance from the press at the height of the pulleys R for the counterweights c, c
will be sufficient for rapidly moving these doors back by a single jerk or movement
as soon as the corresponding casing has. been filled again. By allowing much play
to these doors (5 centimetres) and bevelling their edges as well as those of the
corresponding parts of the truck C any friction is obviated.
This arrangement enables us to place the operating levers and those for closing the
doors a, abbas well as the lever or handle of the inlet and outlet cock of the press
in charge of a single man who is placed at some distance from the press.
The truck C can be made of a single body, but we prefer to have two separate
compartments each forming as it were, an independent truck having a central axle in
common with the other truck.
This arrangement of a double truck has the advantage of rendering the operation
of the two compartments of the truck quite independent of each other, which is
necessary in practice.
The result of our arrangement of the three presses and the employment of the
truck C, by reason of the simplicity of the movements is that stoppages and
loss of time which are very important factors in the best presses heretofore used
can be obviated.
The improved apparatus being much simpler than the presses now in use, can
be made stronger and more durable so that it is less liable to get out of order."
As all the operations of the apparatus are absolutely simultaneous, and the time
occupied by every displacement of the truck and the opening and closing of the doors
is only about five or six seconds, the production of the improved apparatus is
nearly two bales per minute or at least a hundred bales an hour, whereas with the
best presses at present in use only twenty-two or twenty-three bales are obtained per
hour.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is ;-
The improved hydraulic apparatus for baling cotton, hemp, alfa, jute and other
bulky materials that are easily compressible, this press being substantially characterized
by the following features viz.
First. The special arrangement of three presses, namely a finishing press placed
between two presses for exerting initial or first pressure, so as to enable three bales to
be compressed simultaneously.
Second. The employment of the truck having two compartments in connection

page_text: with the movable grate mounted upon another truck and designed to momentarily
support in one or the other of the said compartments the compressed bale for the
purposes of
(a) Conveying a bale that has received an initial pressure above the finishing
press;
(b) Uncovering the opening of the empty casing so that it can be immediately
filled; and
(c) Causing the empty compartment ready to receive a bale that has been
subjected to an initial or first pressure; to move above the full casing.
Third. The movable vice mounted upon a truck and designed to rapidly seize the
finished bale and remove the same for tying or binding it.
All substantially as above described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of April 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants.