AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING THE EXTRACTS OF BARK FOR TANNING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th March
1867. A communication from abroad by Benjamin Irving, of New
York, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Con-
sulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING THE EXTRACTS OF BARK FOR
TANNING AND OTHER PURPOSES," a communication, to be as follows, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawing, forming a part of this Speci-
fication:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1 is a plan of the top of my improved machine; Figure 2 is a right-
hand elevation, and Figure 3 a left-hand elevation of the same; Figure 4 is a
longitudinal vertical section on the line X, X, Figure 1. Like letters refer to
corresponding parts in each of the Figures.
A is the bed of the machine, and B and C the frame. In the frame B are
arranged three pressure rollers D₁, D, and E, in such relative positions as to
cause the roller E to act as a pressure roller upon rollers D and D2; theso
rollers are geared together by cog wheels F, and rotated by means of any
suitable gearing G applied to the opposite end of the axis of the roller E;
this roller is made hollow to allow it to be heated by steam. In the space
between the rollers D1 and D2 and underneath the roller E is a water trough H

page_text: J
having a perforated concave cover to permit the water to rise thro' the
perforations to keep the dish always full of water; the object of this is to
resaturate the slab of bark after it has been pressed between the rollers E
and D', and before passing it between the said rollers E and D to press the
extractive matter from it. Underneath the rollers is a collecting trough I for
receiving the extract as it is expelled from the bark. When the slab of bark
leaves this series of rollers it is discharged upon an endless wire-cloth apron
running over suitable rollers, and rotated by means of a belt K and pulleys
connected with the propelling power of the pressure rollers; the upper half
of the endless apron runs through an oblong water bath L; the object of
this arrangement is to resaturate the bark again so as to dissolve and take up
the extractive matter not previously expelled therefrom before passing it
through or between a second series of rollers M and N in the frame C; the
roller M is made hollow for the admission of steam to heat it. For the pur-
pose of heating the rollers E and M a steam pipe P is secured to the hollow
journals of the rollers and is thus charged, while the water produced by con-
densation in the rollers is taken off by a pipe Q through the hollow journals
at the opposite sides of the rollers. To catch the liquor expressed from the
bark in passing between the rollers M and N a bath or trough R is arranged
underneath them. It will be perceived by this description that a slab of
soaked bark on entering the machine by the feed table S is compressed
between the rollers E and D', which disintegrate the fibre of the bark and
expel all the soluble matter taken up by the water in the first soaking. The
bark is then resaturated by passing through the concave basin or trough H,
thus more of the extractive matter of the bark is taken up, which is expelled
therefrom again by passing between the rollers E and D³. By this operation
the bark (that is its fibrous texture) is entirely disintegrated so as to expose
every fibre of it to the solvent properties of the water in which it is submerged
in passing through the oblong water box L; it is then carried to the second
series of rollers M and N, where the saturated watery extract of the bark is
expelled and the exhausted bark thrown out of the machine in the shape of a
dry flax-like substance.
The working parts of the machine may be greatly modified without departing
from the essential principles of my Invention.