Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 31st Dee., 1887
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Artificial Fuel.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, No. 4, South
Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication froin abroad by Aimé Robert, of Gilly,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of improved machinery or apparatus for
the continuous rapid and economical manufacture of briquettes or blocks and balls of
artificial fuel as will be hereinafter more fully described, and the invention consists
mainly in the employment of a kneader supported on a framework, the said kneader
delivering the material at the right and left hand sides or at several sides at one time
or at one side only as may be desired into the moulding machines on which it is
mounted, the kneader being surmounted by a chimney for carrying off the smell of
the materials under treatment.
The improved machinery or apparatus comprises malaxating or kneading, charging,
conveying, mixing and discharging mechanism for the coal or other material to be
agglomerated and in the said mechanism for converting the said materials into balls,
or oval or other shapes.
The material is placed in a hopper over an archimedean screw which conducts the
material to a crushing mill of ordinary construction operated by driving bands passing
over pulleys placed on beams which also carry the pulley operating the archimedean
screw. The main shaft carrying the pullies of the crushing mill transmits motion to
an intermediate shaft by means of a driving band. On this intermediate shaft are.
keyed six pulleys. One of the said pulleys acts as the driving pulley for this shaft ;
the next pulley serves to throw the pulleys of the distributor in and out of gear.
The next pulley drives the kneader and the next pulley drives the distributor of the
ball moulding machine. The next pulley drives the ball moulding machine and the
last pulley on the said shaft drives the pulley or pulleys of a bucket chain for convey-
ing the treated material into wagons outside the works.
The material in leaving the grinding mill falls into a hopper placed under the lower

page_text: part of the said grinding mill. The material is then taken up by a bucket chain
which raises it in order to deliver it into the kneader through a hopper. Motion is
communicated to the bucket chain from the main shaft by means of fast and loose
pulleys. When the material has been treated in the knender it will be distributed
into shoots placed at the lower part of the drum of the kneader and conducting the
material either into the ball moulding machine or into the briquette or block moulding
machine or into both at the same time.
The frame carrying the kneader is provided at each side with a moulding machine
one for making the balls and the other for the briquettes, these machines can be
worked together or separately as may be required.
When for example it is required to manufacture balls only it is merely necessary to
operate a sliding plate or register placed at the lower part of the kneader in order to
cut off the supply to the briquette machine and the material will then only fall into
the distributor of the ball machine which is also provided with a register so that one
or the other of these two registers can be opened or closed when it is only required
to work one of the machines they can however both be opened when it is required
that both machines shall operate at the same time. Or instead of providing one
machine for moulding balls and another for moulding briquettes two ball machines or
two briquette machines may be provided. Where a double acting arrangement is
employed the balls in the ball moulding machine as fast as they are made fall from
their mould onto an inclined plane which conducts them into a hopper where they are
taken up by the bucket chain which raises them and discharges them into the wagon.
The kneader which is placed between the two machines and which surmounts them
is constructed of a frame on which is placed a receiver provided at its upper part
with a hopper, the whole being surmounted by a chimney for carrying off the smell
which arises from the materials operated upon.
The kneader can be provided with arms, beaters, or the like mounted on a vertical
shaft which is driven by conical gearing actuated by a pulley connected to the pulley
keyed on the intermediate shaft. The briquette machine is constructed of a distributor
for the agglomerated material which supplies the said material right and left into
two briquette moulds working in the usual manner by means of pistons which receive
a rectilinear movement by means of connecting rods actuated by a crank shaft operated
by gearing driven from the main shaft by means of pulleys.
The ball moulding machine is constructed with two pairs of wheels the peripheries
of each pair being tangential and formed with matrices which are closed by the
rotation of the wheels in opposite directions to each other whereby the material is
compressed and takes the form of the mould which the wheels form by their contact.
The force of compression given to the tangential wheels is ten horse power.
I will now describe the machine for manufacturing the balls the construction of
which forms part of my invention.
The tangential wheels are provided on their peripheries with a double row of cavities,
these cavities each form the mould for half a ball and when the wheels turning in-
versely to each other are put in movement, the material when brought between the
wheels will be formed into balls by taking the form of the moulds which are formed
by the wheels meeting each other; this arrangement has however been already put in
practice but it has been found that the results are unsatisfactory.
According to this invention instead of putting only two wheels in relation to each
other the improved machine is constructed of two pairs of tangential wheels placed
perfectly parallel the one pair to the other; each pair of wheels is carried on a
different shaft, that is to say, each pair of parallel wheels is mounted on the same
shaft while the wheels with which they come in contact to form the moulds are placed
on a shaft parallel to the first shaft.
It will be evident that for this arrangement the power employed for the compression
will be perfectly equal on each pair of wheels and that liability to twist and vibrate
will be prevented as the double bearing point formed by the pairs of tangential wheels
being arranged perfectly parallel the one pair to the other causes the pressure to be
exerted in a uniform manner.

page_text: Between each pair of tangential wheels and at the middle of the shafts on which
they are mounted is also keyed a pair of wheels (such as V or diagonal toothed wheels)
engaging with each other the diameter of which is equal to that of the compressing
wheels.
One of these or diagonal toothed wheels is operated by a pinion mounted on the
driving shaft and it engages with the other V or diagonal toothed wheel giving it a
movement in the opposite direction and each pair of parallel wheels will be driven by
their respective gear wheels.
The ends of the parallel shafts are carried by two plumber blocks inclined towards
the centre of the machine. The plumber blocks are so arranged owing to the tendency
of the shafts of the compressing wheels to be forced backwards by reason of the
compression. The whole of the mechanism is supported in a frame constructed of
U shaped iron connected by iron plates.
Immediately above the wheels is a chamber or receptacle carried by the frame in
which is placed a cylindrical or other suitably shaped mixer operated by a vertical
shaft carrying a bevel wheel gearing with a bevel pinion mounted on a shaft driven
from a fast and loose pulley.
The material falls through two hoppers (one for each pair of tangential wheels)
each terminating with a funnel, just over the point of contact of the two tangential
wheels. In falling the material lodges in the cavities of the wheels which in con-
tinuing their rotation in opposite directions compress the material and form it into
balls which fall to the lower part between the two wheels.
In this arrangement of a double train of compressing whoels the balls fall onto an
inclined plane which conducts them into the machine.
As the wheels for moulding by compression do not have pistons working in the
cavities for the purpose of lifting the material out of the moulds their rim is made
sufficiently thick and is constructed of a single ring.
Their construction is not complicated, and great advantages result from their
simplicity. These wheels are independent of any mechanism and owing to their
double action they allow of rapid work and unfailing results being obtained. The
cavities in the peripheries are countersunk and are perfectly smooth so that the com-
pressed material shall not adhere to the sides thereof.
The advantages which result from this improved arrangement are that all the parts
which constitute it are very simple; that their operation can be controlled in an easy
manner and at the same time they occupy but comparatively little space. As a
further advantage the apparatus can be worked continuously and by a small number
of persons.
DL 411
C A 3007

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Artificial Fuel.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co. the General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
abroad by Aimé Robert of Gilly in the Kingdom of Belgium, Engineer,) 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 the construction of improved machinery or apparatus for
the continuous, rapid, and economical manufacture of briquettes or blocks and balls
of artificial fuel as will be hereinafter more fully described and the invention consists
mainly in the employment of a kneader supported on a framework the said kneader
delivering the material at the right and left-hand sides or at several sides at one time
or at one side only as may be desired into the moulding machines on which it is
mounted, the kneader being surmounted by a chimney for carrying off the smell
arising from the materials under treatment.
The improved machinery or apparatus comprises malaxating or kneading, charging,
conveying, mixing and discharging mechanism for the coal or other material to be
agglomerated and the said mechanism for converting the said materials into balls, or
oval or other shapes.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure I is a section of a building shewing the improved machinery or apparatus
for the manufacture of artificial fuel erected therein.
Figure II is a section taken at a right angle to figure I.
Figure III is a horizontal section of the building shewing the machinery or
apparatus in plan.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
The material is placed in a hopper over an archimedean screw A which conducts
the material to a crushing mill B of ordinary construction operated by driving
bands b, b passing over pulleys c, e supported on beams & which also support the pulley
operating the archimedean screw A. The main shaft e carrying the pulleys c, c of the
crushing mill transmits motion to an intermediate shaft by means of a driving
band g. On this intermediate shaft are keyed six pulleys h, i, j, k, l, m. The pulley m
acts as the driving pulley for this shaft; the next pulley k serves to throw the pulleys
of the distributor E in and out of gear. The next pulley j, drives the kneader and
the next pulley i drives the distributor H of the ball moulding machine. The next
pulley drives the ball moulding machine, and the last pulley drives the pulloy or
pulleys of a bucket chain for conveying the treated material into wagons outside the
works.
The material in leaving the grinding mill B falls into a hopper 1 placed under the
lower part of the said grinding mill. The material is then taken up by a bucket
chain 2 which raises it in order to deliver it into the kneader 1) through a shoot 3.
Motion is communicated to the bucket chain from the main shaft by means of fast and
loose pulleys 4 and 5. When the material has been treated in the kneader D it will
be distributed into shoots G placed at the lower part of the drum of the kneader and
conducting the material either into the ball moulding machine or into the briquette or
block moulding machine or into both at the same time.

page_text: The frame carrying the kneader is, as shown in figure 2, provided at each side with
a moulding machine one for making the balls and the other for the briquettes, these
machines can be worked together or separately as may be required.
When for example it is required to manufacture balls only it is merely necessary
to operate a sliding plate or slide 6 placed at the lower part of the kneader in order
to cut off the supply to the briquette machine F and the material will then only fall
into the distributor H of the ball machine which is also provided with a slide like that
marked 6 so that one or the other of these two slides can be opened or closed when
it is only required to work one of the machines; they can however both be opened
when it is required that both the ball machine and the briquette machine shall
operate at the same time. Or instead of providing one machine for moulding balls
and another for moulding briquettes two ball machines or two briquette machines
may be provided. Where a double acting arrangement is employed the balls in the
ball moulding machine as fast as they are made fall from their mould onto an
inclined plane 7 which conducts them into a hopper where they are taken up by
the bucket chain 8 which raises them and discharges them into the wagon. The
kneader D which is placed between the two machines and which surmounts them
is constructed of a frame 9 on which is placed a receiver 10 provided at its upper
part with a hopper 11, the whole being surmounted by a chimney 12 for carrying
off the smell which arises from the materials operated upon.
The kneader can be provided with arms, beaters or the like mounted on a vertical
shaft which is driven by bevil gearing. 13 actuated by a pulley 14 connected with
the pulley keyed on the intermediate shaft. The briquette machine is constructed
of a distributor E for the agglomerated material which supplies the said material
right and left into two briquette moulds working in the usual manner by means
of pistons which receive a rectilinear movement by means of connecting rods
actuated by a crank shaft X operated by gearing driven from the main shaft by
means of pulleys Z, Z.
The ball moulding machine is constructed with two pairs of wheels the peri-
pheries of each pair being tangential and formed with matrices which are closed by
the rotation of the wheels in opposite directions to each other whereby the
material is compressed and takes the form of the mould which the wheels form by
their contact. The force of compression given to the tangential wheels is about ten
horse power.
I will now describe the machine for manufacturing the balls the construction of
which machine forms part of my invention.
As shown in figure 2 the tangential wheels A, A¹ are provided on their peripheries
with a double row of cavities, these cavities each form the mould for half a ball and
when the wheels turning inversely to each other are put in movement, the material
when brought between the wheels will be formed into balls by taking the form of the
moulds which are formed by the wheels meeting each other; this arrangement has
however been already put in practice but it has been found that the results are
unsatisfactory.
According to this invention instead of putting only two wheels in relation to
each other the improved machine, as shown in figure 2, is constructed of two pairs
of tangential wheels A and A2 placed perfectly parallel the one pair with the
other one of the wheels A' of one pair is mounted on the same shaft as that
on which the corresponding wheel A² placed parallel therewith of the other pair is
mounted while the wheels A¹ and A respectively with which they come in contact to
form the moulds are placed on a shaft D parallel to the first shaft.
It will be evident that for this arrangement the power employed for the compression
will be perfectly equal on each pair of wheels and that liability to twist and vibrate
will be prevented as the double bearing point formed by the pairs of tangential wheels
being arranged perfectly parallel the one pair with the other causes the pressure to be
exerted in a uniform manner.
Between each parallel sets of moulding wheels and at the middle of the shafts C¹
and D on which they are mounted is also keyed a pair of wheels (such as V or

page_text: diagonal toothed wheels) engaging with each other the diameter of which is equal to
that of the moulding wheels.
One of these V or diagonal toothed wheels is operated by a pinion E¹ mounted on
the driving shaft F and it engages with the other V or diagonal toothed wheel giving
it a movement in the opposite direction. The moulding wheels are driven by the said
gearing.
The ends of the parallel shafts C and D) are carried by two plummer blocks G G¹
inclined towards the centre of the machine. The plummer blocks are so arranged
owing to the tendency of the shafts of the compressing wheels to be forced back-
wards by reason of the compression. The whole of the mechanism is supported in a
frame constructed of U-shaped iron connected by iron plates.
Immediately above the wheels is a chamber or receptacle carried by the frame in
which is placed a cylindrical or other suitably shaped mixer operated by a vertical
shaft carrying a bevel wheel, gearing with a bevel pinion mounted on a shaft driven
from a fast and loose pulley K¹.
The material falls through two hoppers (one for each pair of tangential wheels)
each terminating with a funnel just over the point of contact of the two tangential
wheels. In falling the material lodges in the cavities of the wheels which in con-
tinuing their rotation in opposite directions compress the material and form it into
balls which fall to the lower part of the apparatus between the two wheels.
In this arrangement of a double train of compressing wheels the balls fall onto an
inclined plane which conducts them into the machine.
As the wheels for moulding by compression do not have pistons working in the
cavities for the purpose of lifting the material out of the moulds their rim is made
sufficiently thick and is constructed of a single ring.
Their construction is not complicated, and great advantages result from their sim-
plicity. These wheels are independent of any mechanism and owing to their double
action they allow of rapid work and unfailing results being obtained. The cavities
in the peripheries are countersunk and are perfectly smooth so that the compressed
material shall not adhere to the sides thereof.
The advantages which result from this improved arrangement are that all the parts
which constiture it are very simple; that their operation can be controllad in an easy
manner and at the same time they occupy but comparatively little space. As a
further advantage the apparatus can be worked continuously and by a small number
of persons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The arrangement and combination of parts forming the improved machinery or
apparatus for the continuous, economic, and rapid manufacture of artificial fuel
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The use for the manufacture of artificial fuel of the kneader supported on a
framework and adapted to deliver the material at the right and left hand sides or at
several sides at one time, or at one side only, as may be desired, into the moulding
machine on which it is mounted, the said kneader being surmounted by a chimney
for carrying off the smell arising from the materials under treatment substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 31st day of December 1887.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.