IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF BEETROOT AND OTHER PULPS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn'
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF BEETROOT AND OTHER PULPS,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A com-
munication from abroad by Hugues Champonnois, of Paris, in the
Empire of France.
Sealed the 9th October 1869, and dated the 14th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th May 1869.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF BEETROOT AND OTHER PULPS,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication
to me from abroad by Hugues Champonnois, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates more particularly to the separation of the juice
in a pure state from beetroot pulp, and to the machinery or apparatus

page_text: employed therein, and consists essentially in the employment of two
rotatory pressing cylinders working side by side, but to the extent of
about one-half their circumference only, in a convenient closed semi-
cylindrical receptacle, and having their surfaces provided with very
narrow continuous slits or openings made circumferentially round the
cylinders in substitution for a covering of wire cloth, perforated metal,
and other like appliances hitherto used, and which are liable to become
rapidly clogged up. These continuous circular or if desired helicoidal
slits are expanded towards the interior of the cylinders to prevent
clogging as much as possible, and are kept clean by the action of
suitable thin blades or "doctors," which remove any tenuous particles
of pulp which may gain entrance therein. The pulp to be operated
upon is introduced under pressure into the closed receptacle through a
suitable inlet pipe, and is directed by a guiding diaphragm equally along
the entire lengths of the cylinders. The pulp is squeezed between the
two cylinders, and the juice passes into the interior of the cylinders
through the continuous slits before referred to, and may subsequently
be strained or filtered in any convenient manner. On first entering the
receptacle the pulp encounters the diaphragm before referred to, and
then separates into two streams, right and left, which pass in contact
with two adjustable plates hinged to the diaphragm, which plates
prevent the immediate access of the pulp to the cylinders, and being
perforated or provided with very narrow slits enable a portion of the
juice to be first separated from the pulp before it encounters the pressing
cylinders.
T

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her
special license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF BEETROOT AND OTHER PULPS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication from abroad
by Hugues Champonnois, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
The said Invention relates more particularly to the separation of the
juice in a pure state from beetroot pulp, and to the machinery or
apparatus employed therein, and has for its object the providing a
straining or filtering surface for the pressing cylinders which shall not
be liable to become clogged by the adhering thereto or the accumulation
thereon of the solid or tenuous particles of the pulp, the openings being
at all times perfectly permeable, whilst the juice itself is allowed to pass
through them in a highly pure condition. This result is obtained by the
use of a smooth metallic filtering or straining surface, that is to say, a
surface presenting no rough parts to which the pulp can attach itself.

page_text: The employment of smooth surfaces is one of the essential conditions
for effecting the clearance of the accumulated pulp, but there exists on
the other hand an inconvenience in the use of these surfaces in any
arrangement in which the pulp.is not under pressure, inasmuch as the
slippery nature of the pulp causes it to glide away from the action of
the cylinders. These filtering surfaces in order to admit of the juice
passing through at its maximum of purity without the openings ceasing
to be always equally permeable should, by preference, be provided with
very narrow continuous circumferential slits of from th to ths of a
millimetre in width, arranged transversely to the axis, in substitution
for circular perforations, as hitherto practised without success, or for
rectangular openings, such as those of wire gauze or perforated plates,
since these holes become filled with pulp, which cannot be detached
without stopping and cleansing the apparatus. The continuous circular
slits are disposed as close together as possible, and are widened or
expanded on the interior, in order to facilitate the clearance of the
tenuous matters which may enter therein. This arrangement of con-
tinuous circular slits in the direction of the motion of the cylinder admits
of the knives or "doctors" readily detaching the caked pulp without
encountering any obstacle, and removing all the particles of pulp which
may lodge in these slits, thereby ensuring their constant permeability.
In carrying out this Invention the cylinders are placed to the extent
of one-half their diameter in a box which receives the pulp, the junction
being hermetically closed, and the pulp introduced under a certain
pressure, either by means of a pump or other forcing apparatus, or
simply by head pressure.
Although this peculiar filtering or straining surface answers satis-
factorily to a certain extent, a difficulty common to cylindrical presses
of every description presented itself, that is to say, the juice which has
been separated from the pulp, but still remains near the openings, is
absorbed by the pulp, which swells out on leaving the points of contact
of the cylinders. In order to remedy this defect I employ very thin
knives, which, as the surface they have to act upon is perfectly smooth,
may come so near as to skim the same; these knives advance to the
point of contact of the cylinders, so as to detach the pulp and remove
it from the wet surfaces. The knives are each formed of a blade of
steel sufficiently rigid to be maintained in its position, hut as slender
as possible at the part which is in contact with the cylinders. In lieu

page_text: of knives of a single piece, rigid blade carriers may also be employed,
having a thin narrow blade attached either by tin solder or by rivets,
similar to scythes with attached backs. A thin band of spring steel
may also be employed, and stretched by a screw, similar to saw frames.
However closely together the continuous circular slits may be disposed
the distance apart will always omit or pass over some of the tenuous.
particles, and although these may not occasion any great inconvenience
in the subsequent working, yet it is very desirable to separate them.
The arrangement of the press and the method of feeding the same
with pulp remedy to a great extent this defect. The pulp itself applied
and caked or accumulated on the surfaces of the cylinders is caused to
filter the greater part of the free juice of the injected pulp, and to
retain the light particles which it contains before its application on to
the open surfaces. The juice may morcover be filtered on its exit from
the cylinders by causing it to pass into screens of fine wire gauze,
similar to those of starch works, or screens composed of hemp or wool,
or on to woollen cloths disposed similar to the endless cloths of paper
manufacturers. Filtration may also be effected through beds of porous
substances, straw chopped and pounded, or, what is better, of pulp
already pressed and divided, the latter in addition to its mechanical
effect having the property of fixing and retaining the fatty and viscous
matters. The filtration may be conducted either by the ordinary down-
ward method, or upwards, so that the heavy matters may be deposited
in a chamber provided beneath the filter, whence they may be drawn off
from time to time through a cock. By this means the filtering material
is better utilized, as it has simply to act on the lighter portions in
suspension in the juice. The press cylinders are applicable to any
substance, whether to the pulp of starch works or to any similar pulp.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of the
pulp press complete; Figure 3 is a vertical section, and Figure 4 a
horizontal section of one of the press cylinders, shewn detached; and.
Figures 5 to 10 shew in detail various modifications which may be
made in the construction of the cylinders.

page_text: The press proper is composed of two cylinders A, A', placed parallel the
one with the other, so as to turn tangentially to the interior of the semi-
circular surrounding case B, the covers of which (fastened by segments 8,
as shewn in Figure 5) carry the pedestals b, b', which receive the axes
of the cylinders, and the distance between which may be varied at will
by the aid of the screws c, c. A continuous circular but somewhat
slow motion is transmitted to the cylinders in reverse directions by
means of two worm wheels. D, D, fixed respectively on the axes of the
cylinders A, A', and gearing with the endless screws e, e, formed on
the shaft E, which is actuated from a prime mover through the pulley P.
The pulp is introduced into the outer casing through the tube B', and
a diaphragm 13 (shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2, and in full lines in
Figure 2) disposed in the casing B causes the pulp to be divided into
two parts, and directs it to the extremities of the cylinders at their
mouth or opening. The pulp is thus conducted between the two
cylinders, and escapes tangentially, it being detached by the flexible
blades L, L, after having been subjected to a considerable degree of
pressure between the external walls of the cylinders forming the filtering
surface bercin-before referred to, which is the distinguishing feature of
the system. For this purpose the cylinders are entirely openworked, as
shewn in Figures 3 and 4; they are composed of uprights a connected
by arms to the central shaft, and to the circumference by a series of
rings a' cast with external vertical bars a. The cylinder thus formed is
placed on the lathe in order to screw cut it, that is to say, to form at
regular intervals a succession of small helical annular grooves, which
serve to retain the bars a³, forming an uninterrupted spiral round the
cylinder. These bars are of a triangular form in cross section, so that
at the exterior they almost touch one another, leaving hetween them
simply a slit of from one-tenth to two-tenths of a millimetre, whilst
towards the interior they rapidly widen, in order to admit of the free
passage of the juice.
This filtering surface with narrow slits may be composed in various
other ways in order to render its application more practical. For
example, in Figures 5 and 6, the cylinder is supposed to be entirely
of cast iron, and the longitudinal plates a turned and screw cut. The
wire a is in one piece, and it is wound spirally throughout the whole
height of the cylinder; but in order to prevent the elongation of the
wire by the strain of the pressure, which would break it at its extremity,

page_text: formed in an embossment ƒ provided for this purpose, and perforated,
so that each end may rest there without breaking. In order to retain
them therein a small split casing g is applied to the embossment and
secured by a nut.
Another modification is shewn in Figures 7 and 8. It consists in
turning the cylinders to a smaller diameter, and without cutting a screw
thread thereon, and composing the filtering surface of hoops or rings A*
made in one piece of bronze turned and hollowed out, so as to enable
the juice to clear; these rings, the height of which is optional, are
independent the one of the other, and may be replaced separately in
case of damage. In lieu of cutting a spiral thread on the cylinder, as
shewn in Figures 5 and 6, it may be cut after the manner of a comb,
and circularly, as shewn in Figures 9 and 10. In this case the metallic
threads are composed of separate hoops of copper wire, or, which is
preferable, of steel wire, the ends of which are bent and enter the
orifice, where they are fixed by a bar h retained at the interior by
bolts i. By this means the damage of one wire may be readily repaired
without the necessity for the renewal of the whole. In lieu of making
the cylinder entirely of cast iron, the external part to which the wire is
applied may be composed of casings made in several pieces, which are
fitted on to the central portion of the cylinder, and may be independent
the one of the other, so as to be readily replaced in case of damage.
These casings may be of cast iron when they are covered with steel
wire, or of bronze if the wire employed is to be attached by tin soldering
to the screw threads. They may also be obtained without a covering, by
forming with the aid of a cutting tool apertures wide on the interior
and narrow at the exterior, similar to the strainers employed in paper
manufactories; these strainers perfectly fulfil the required conditions of
smooth surface and narrow slits, in order that their clearance may be
effected by the action of the knife which detaches the pulp therefrom.
The construction of this, however, is costly; in lieu therefore of employing
a cutting tool to form these openings, it is sufficient to impress the sheet
of metal in order to produce by compression, by the aid of a rolling
mill, for example, the slits of a truncated conical form on the side which
is to be the interior, and extending as near as possible to the external
surface. As regards the narrow opening at the external part, this may
be easily made by turning after the cylinder has been encased, or

page_text: by inserting from the conical side thin sharp cutting blades, which
readily penetrate by reason of the slight thickness of metal left at this
part. It will be understood that in order to connect and maintain the
hoops together it is necessary to leave a portion of its metal between
them, which forms a tie piece; this is obtained without difficulty by
forming hollows or cavities on the projecting parts of the roll, which
leaves portions of metal on the plate. These metal plates may be
prepared in strips of greater or less width, and secured on the open-
work cylinder, either by brazing them, so as to form casings, or by
attaching them at their extremities in the manner herein-before described
with reference to the steel wires.
The object of this latter modification is merely to simplify the con-
struction of the filtering surfaces, whilst still retaining the same principle
which forms the base of the Invention, videlicet, smooth filtering surfaces,
from which the pulp may be always detached by the knives and leave
the openings in their original state. As before stated, the pulp when
injected at the centre comes in contact with a diaphragm B', which
causes it to be diffused over the whole height of the cylinders, and to
be divided into two parts, which extend over the internal side of the
vat; but in its traverse the pulp bathes the whole surface of the
cylinders, and a layer of pulp is applied and caked thercon. The pulp
there leaves a portion of its free juice, and arrives at the openings in a
state of greater consistency, thereby preventing any of the loose pulp
being carried away, which necessarily takes place when the pulp in a
fluid state arrives at the perfectly clear and open slits. In order to
ensure the regularity of these two currents, the one of the caked or
accumulated pulp in the direction of the motion of the cylinders, the
other in the reverse direction (plates F, shewn by dotted lines in
Figure 2, and in detail in Figure 2) may be provided and hinged to the
diaphragm, for the purpose of regulating the action of cach current,
such shutters being perforated if required, or slit, or formed of any
suitable open form, and constituting a partition between the vat and
the cylinders; but the liquid pulp on entering the vat encounters tho
diaphragm, and is divided into two portions, which by bathing the
surface of the permeable partition leave a portion of their free juice.
The pulp proceeds to the end of the vat, where it becomes directed
on to the open surface of the cylinders, but it has then sufficient con-
sistency to retain the light particles which remain fixed in it. It will

page_text: be understood that the first separation of the juice which takes place
when the loose pulp is conducted through a layer of caked or ac-
cumulated pulp, which acts as a filter, ensures the juice being obtained
of the requisite purity.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may
be used or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The application and use to and in the separation of fluids or
juices from the solid portions of beetroot and other similar pulps of
pressing cylinders having perfectly smooth surfaces in which con-
tinuous narrow slits or openings are made circumferentially, in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Second. The combination of the peculiar smooth pressing cylinders
A, A', the thin bladed flexible knives or doctors L, L, and the dia-
phragm B, in conjunction or not with the hinged plates F, F, when such
parts are arranged and made to operate together, substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of
November Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.