Treatment of Beet-root, Sugar-cane, and other Substances.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 14th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 16th Dec., 1887
Treatment of Beet-root, Sugar-cane, and other Substances.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to mechanical means for opening, closing, and fastening the
doors of diffusing apparatus such as is hereinafter described and particularly applicable
to cylindrico-conical diffusers of great capacity, designed for the treatment of beet
root, sugar cane, bagasse and other materials.
The movable bottom of the diffuser constituting the discharge door is articulated at
the centre of its height and provided with a counter weight which has the effect of
balancing the said movable bottom in any positions and therefore of rendering the
operation thereof very easy.
The opening of the bottom is effected by means of two rods, supported in suitable
sockets attached to or formed upon the shell of the apparatus between the hinge of the
door and the axis of the diffuser.
Each of these rods is capable of turning freely in the said sockets and is screw-
threaded at its lower part and carries a nut which slides freely in a guide fixed to the
diffuser. To each nut is articulated one end of a rod the lower extremity of which is
connected to the door of the diffuser so that when these screwed rods are turned in
one or the other direction the nuts are moved upwards or downwards, the door of the
diffuser being consequently opened or closed.
These two opening rods are connected with each other at their upper ends by a
shaft and bevel gear wheels, and are actuated by a single crank.
The movable bottom of the diffuser when closed is secured at points diametrically
opposite to the opening rods or on the opposite side of the axis of the said diffuser
relatively to the said opening rods, by the following means.
Two rods screw threaded at their lower portions and hereinafter termed locking rods
are supported in bearings upon the shell of the diffuser.

page_text: Each screw thread carries a nut to which are articulated two connecting rods united
at their lower extremities to a link having a counterweight. These connecting rods
are guided in grooves in the sides of the bearings supporting the locking rods.
These guides on the one hand prevent the nuts from turning upon the screws, and
on the other hand keep the links having counter-weights against the diffuser.
A small rod pivotted upon each locking rod-carrying socket, and having at its lower
part a slot, limits at a certain moment the vertical descending motion of the closing
link, and from this moment causes it to describe an arc of a circle upon the lower axis
of the small rod and disengages this link from the catch rivetted to the door which
then becomes free and can be opened.
The two locking rods are connected with each other at their upper part by a shaft
and gear wheels actuated by a single crank.
To open the apparatus at the moment when the emptying is to be effected it is
sufficient to turn the crank actuating the locking rods in order to cause the connecting
rods to descend and then the links. When by the descending motion a pin rivetted
to an ear of each link has arrived at the bottom of the slot of the small rod, the said
link describes an arc of a circle until the catches have been liberated; the movable
bottom then opens freely under the action of the charge to be emptied, combined with
the rotation in one direction of the opening rods which limit the descent.
After having emptied the apparatus the opening rods are turned in the opposite
direction by means of the crank, so that the bottom, under the action of the counter-
weight combined with that of the closing rods, passes back to the closed position.
The door is thus acted upon at two points, and the closing screws are compressed
only upon a very small length between the nut and the bearing of these screws; The
links raised by the fastening rods are placed automatically under the catches by the
action of their counterweight. It is then only necessary to act powerfully upon the
four rods and to make the joint tight and the apparatus ready to receive a new
charge.
The door is thus supported at four points, which puts it in very good conditions of
resistance, and ensures a good closing.
By means of these arrangements the operation is performed from the top of the
apparatus without loss of time and without necessitating any great manual labour to
effect the discharge of the diffuser.
Dated this 24th day of February 1887.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to Diffusing Apparatus for Use in the
Treatment of Beet-root, Sugar Cane, and other Substances.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention relates to mechanical means for opening and closing, and fastening
the doors of diffusing apparatus such as is hereinafter described which means are
particularly applicable to cylindrico-conical diffusers of great capacity, designed for
the treatment of beet-root, sugar cane, bagasse and other materials.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is an elevation of diffusing apparatus provided with the improved means
for opening and closing the same.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the apparatus in a position at right angles to that shown
in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a section partly on the line a b and partly on the line c, d, Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan.
Figure 5 is a front view of the joint of the discharge door and of the opening and
closing mechanism.
Figure 6 shows a section on the line e, f Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a front view of the fastening mechanism.
The movable bottom of the diffuser constituting the discharge door is pivoted at X
and provided with a counterweight A which has the effect of balancing the said
movable bottom in any position and therefore of rendering the operation thereof very
easy.
The operations of opening or closing and fastening are performed by means of four
rods B BCC provided with actuating cranks D D and guided at their upper ends by
sockets E cast integral with the upper part of the apparatus. The lower ends of the
said rods rest in sockets forming bearings and preferably cast in one piece with the
lower part of the diffuser.
The opening mechanism placed between the articulation of the door and the axis of
the diffuser comprises the two rods B B capable of turning freely in the said sockets.
Each of these rods is screw-threaded at its lower part and carries a nut J which
slides freely in a guide M fixed to the diffuser. To each nut is articulated one end of
a rod N the lower extremity of which is connected to the door of the diffuser, so
that when these screwed rods F F are turned in one or the other direction the nuts are
moved upwards or downwards, the door of the diffuser being consequently opened or
closed.
The two rods B B are connected with each other at their upper ends by a shaft G
and bevel gear wheels, and are actuated by a single crank D.
The movable bottom of the diffuser when closed is secured at points diametrically
opposite to the opening rods or on the opposite side of the axis of the said diffuser
relatively to the said opening rods in the following manner.
Each rod has a screw thread at its lower end and is supported in bearings S upon
the shell of the diffuser.
Each screw thread R carries a nut T to which are articulated two connecting
rods H H-united at their lower extremities to a link L having a counterweight. These
connecting rods H H are guided in grooves in the sides of the bearings S supporting
the locking rods.
These guides on the one hand prevent the nuts T T from turning upon the screws
and on the other hand keep the links L, having counterweights, against the diffuser.

page_text: A small rod W pivoted upon the fixed part forming a socket, and which carries at
its lower part a slot, limits at a certain moment the vertical descending motion of the
closing link, and from this moment causes it to describe an arc of a circle upon the
lower axis of the small rod and disengages this link from the catch P riveted to
the door, which then becomes free and can be opened.
The two rods are connected with each other at their upper part by a shaft G¹ and
gear wheels actuated by a single crank D.
To open the apparatus at the moment when the emptying is to be effected, it is
sufficient to turn the crank D actuating the rods C in order to cause the connecting
rods H to descend and then the links L. When by the descending motion a pin riveted
to an car of each link has arrived at the bottom of the slot of the small rod the said
link describes an arc of a circle until the catches have been liberated; the movable
bottom then opens freely under the action of the charge to be emptied, combined
with the rotation in one direction of the opening rods B which limit the descent.
After having emptied the apparatus the rods B are turned in the opposite direction
by means of the crank D, so that the bottom, under the action of the counterweight A
combined with that of the closing rods, passes back to the closed position. The door
is thus acted upon at two points, and the closing screws are compressed only upon a
very small length between the nut and the bearing of these screws. The links raised
by the fastening rods are placed automatically under the catches K K by the action of
their counter weights. It is then only necessary to act powerfully upon the four
rods B B and C C to make the joint tight and the apparatus ready to receive a new
charge.
The door is thus supported at four points, which puts it in very good conditions of
resistance, and favours a good closing.
It will be seen that by means of these arrangements the operation is performed from
the top of the apparatus without loss of time and without necessitating any great.
manual labour to effect the discharge of the diffuser.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The mode or method of closing doors of diffusers, such as is described above
and represented in the accompanying drawing; this method being characterized by
the employment of four rods actuated from the upper part of the apparatus, two of
which B B, serve for the opening motion and two, CC, for the fastening motion, thus
enabling four supporting points to be obtained for the door of the diffuser.
Second. The two rods B B placed near to the axis of articulation of the door, and
screw threaded at their lower parts and connected to the door by means of a rod N
articulated upon a nut which is fitted upon the screw thread of the rods B B and
which slides in a guide M, the said two rods being actuated simultaneously by a
crank D and transmitting gear.
Third. The two rods placed at a greater distance from the hinge of the door
than the rods B B and each being provided at its end with a screw thread traversing
a nut T which nut is connected to a fastening link L having a counter weight, by
means of two rods H H which are guided on each side of the bearing of the rods CC;
the fastening link having a counter weight engaging with and disengaging from the
catches KK riveted to the movable bottom P of the diffuser during its rise or
descent.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.