Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Millstones.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left. 15th July, 1889-Accepted, 24th Aug.. 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Millstones.
I CHARLES JOHN POTTER of Heaton Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cement Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to provide apparatus by which millstones may be fed
with a regular uniform and readily adjustable feed.
The material to be fed to the stones is caused to pass from a hopper to one side of a
cylindrical casing closely fitting within which and concentric with it is a spindle or
wheel with blades projecting from it to the inner circumference of the cylinder.
As the wheel is revolved the spaces between its blades become alternately filled
with material at one part of their revolution and at another part deliver the material
to the stones.
The wheel is revolved in the following manner :-The axis of the wheel has fixed
upon it a ratchet wheel with which pawls carried by an arm which rocks around the
axis are made to engage. The arm is drawn in one direction by a spring and in the
opposite direction by a connecting rod which is coupled to a vertical rocking lever
frame. The lever frame is itself rocked by the action of an eccentric on a vertical
spindle which is made to revolve with the stones.
The eccentric bears against a roller carried by the frame and the feed can be varied
by raising or lowering the roller so as to bring it nearer to or further from the axis on
which the frame rocks. The eccentric is a long one so that the roller remains bearing
against it in whatever position the roller may be moved into.
To avoid serious breakdown in case of the revolving measuring wheel getting
set fast a break is made in the connecting rod and the parts are tied up with
copper wire or coupled by other yielding connection which will yield if too great a
strain comes upon it.
Feeding apparatus constructed in the above manner is much more regular in its
action than the ordinary shaker feed and the quantity fed by it can be arrived at by
counting the number of revolutions made by the wheel per minute and by weighing
the quantity of material ground by the stones within a certain time whereby a basis is
fixed for measuring the feed according to the position of the roller and the number of
revolutions of the wheel which when once set to work at one speed can be relied upon
to continue at that speed without attention.
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Millstones.
I, CHARLES JOHN POTTER of Heaton Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cement Manu-
facturer, 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 object of the invention is to provide apparatus by which millstones may be fed
with a regular uniform and readily adjustable feed.
The material to be fed to the stones is caused to pass from a hopper to ono
side of a cylindrical casing closely fitting within which and concentric with it is.
a spindle and wheel with blades projecting from it to the inner circumference of
the cylinder.
As the wheel is revolved the spaces between its blades become alternately filled
with material at one part of their revolution and at another part deliver the material to
the stones.

page_text: The wheel is revolved in the following manner-The axis of the wheel has fixed
upon it a ratchet wheel with which pawls carried by an arm which rocks around the
axis are made to engage. The arm is drawn in one direction by a spring and in the
opposite direction by a connecting rod which is coupled to a vertical rocking lever
frame. The lever frame is itself rocked by the action of an eccentric on a vertical
spindle which is made to revolve with the stones.
The eccentric bears against a roller carried by the frame and the feed can be varied
by raising or lowering the roller so as to bring it nearer to or further from the axis on
which the frame rocks. The eccentric is a long one so that the roller remains bearing
against it in whatever position the roller may be moved into.
In order that my said invention may be more fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation (partly in section) of feeding mechanism arranged in
accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same, and
Figure 3 is a plan.
a is the mill-stone cover, and upon this the apparatus is mounted in such a position
as to deliver the material to be ground into the eye of the upper mill-stone. is a
hopper which receives the material from a spout above. c is a casing into which the
material passes from the hopper. d is a wheel mounted within the casing; it has two
circular ends and blades d' d' connect these ends. The material to be ground descending
from the hopper is able to enter the cavities in the wheel and fill the spaces between
the blades for the casing is open on the side next to the hopper so that the material
can descend freely into the cavities. A slide is provided at e by which the entrance
to the casing from the hopper can be partially closed when found necessary. On the
delivery side, the casing is open at the periphery and the material falls out from
between the blades; it then descends by a spout to feed the mill-stones.
The wheel is mounted upon an axis and this is carried in two bearings, one of
them is formed upon the casing at c and the other is attached to the casing by the
arms g g and the screws g¹. When these screws are removed the feeding wheel can
be taken out of the casing. The feeding wheel has upon its axis a ratchet wheel h
and with the teeth of this wheel four pawls i i engage. These are carried by arms k k
which are free to rock upon the axis of the wheel. The pawls are spaced a quarter
tooth apart so that only one pawl engages at a time. The upper end of the arins are
-connected together and a coiled spring connects them with the hopper. The arms k
This frame is
are also connected by the rod m with the rocking lover frame n.
pivotted by its lower end and its pivots are carried by the bearings a¹ a¹ one is fixed
directly upon the mill-stone cover and the other upon a bar bolted to it. The frame
carries the screw spindle o and on this spindle the wheel o' is able to turn freely between
collars. By turning the screw by a handle provided at its upper end the wheel o¹ can
be raised or lowered and when it is brought to the position desired it can be clamped
These
by a clamping screw n¹ on one of the bearings in which the screw turns.
bearings are formed upon the frame and the upper bearing has a thread cut within
it into which the screw engages. The spring keeps the wheel o' in contact with an
eccentric p. This eccentric is upon a spindle p' which is free to turn in a bearing g at
its upper end and at its lower end it is coupled with the driving bar of the mill-stone.
This spindle p' is called the damsel spindle and by its rotation it imparts movement to the
frame n through the larger or smaller angle according to the position in which the
wheel o¹ is set. This movement is imparted by the connecting rod m to the arms k
carrying the pawls, and the pawls rotate the ratchet wheel and the feeding wheel d
step by step. is a spring pressing upon the periphery of the ratchet wheel to prevent
it over-running. The connecting rod m is made in two parts, there is a socket at m
on the one part into which the stem of the other part enters and is secured by a pin
'of copper wire passing through both the socket and the stem. This arrangement is
made in order that should the feeding wheel be set fast by any accident no serious

page_text: breakage of the machinery shall result; the two parts of the connecting rod simply
pull apart the one from the other. When the obstacle is removed they can easily be
connected again by the insertion of another pin into the hole in the socket and the
stem.
Feeding apparatus constructed in the above manner is much more regular in its
action than the ordinary shaker feed and the quantity fed by it can be arrived at by
counting the number of revolutions made by the wheel per minute and by weighing
the quantity of material ground by the stones within a certain time whereby a basis is
fixed for measuring the feed according to the position of the roller and the number
of revolutions of the wheel which when once set to work at one speed can be relied
upon to continue at that speed without attention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. Apparatus substantially as described for feeding millstones, and consisting in a
wheel, rotating within a casing in connection with a feed hopper and having cavities
which receive the material, carry it forward and deliver it to the stones; such wheel
being so geared that its speed can be adjusted to a suitable proportion to the speed of
the rotating stone as herein set forth.
2. Apparatus substantially as described for feeding millstones, and consisting of a
feeding wheel rotated by the aid of a pawl or pawls connected with a lever which
receives from an eccentric rotating with the stone, a rocking movement which is
adjustable to regulate the feed as herein set forth.
3. Apparatus substantially as represented by the drawings annexed.
CHAS. J. POTTER.