IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING COMPOUNDS OF XYLODINE OR GUN COTTON, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING COMPOUNDS
OF XYLODINE OR GUN COTTON, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED."
Dated the 8th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th December 1865.
1 ALEXANDER PARKES of Birmingham in the County of Warwick do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING
COMPOUNDS OF XYLODINE OR GUN COTTON AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED
as follows.
to be
This Invention has for its object improvements in preparing compounds of
xylodine or gun cotton and in the apparatus employed. In producing gun
cotton or like substances when using other vegetable fibrous matters it is well
known that nitric and sulphuric acids are used and the products are dissolved
in naptha or other solvent It has however heretofore been the practice to
dry the gun cotton before applying the solvent by which this manufacture is
hazardous by reason of the great liability of gun cotton to explode when in
the dry state.
Now according to this Invention the gun cotton is simply deprived of the
excess of moisture by hydraulic or other pressure or by centrifugal machines
and whilst still moist and not liable to explosion the gun cotton is dissolved in

page_text: cf
the solvent. The mixing of the solution of gun cotton and the combining
the solution with oils and other matters so as to produce various compounds
thereof is performed in a cylindrical vessel having a strainer or filter at its
lower end. Within this vessel when the mixing processes are being per-
formed a suitable stirrer or agitator is worked and it is preferred that the
agitator should consist of two frames carrying vertical rods or bars which
frames are respectively in connection with two shafts one working within the
other so that the two shafts and their respective frames of bars may be
rotated in opposite directions By thus using a vessel with a strainer or filter
at the lower end any impurities will be retained back whilst the pure solution
gun cotton will be obtained and such solution is then combined or mixed
with other matters according to the compounds of gun cotton it is desired to
produce but the cylindrical vessels used for these purposes do not require to
have strainers or filters at their lower ends The gun cotton having been
dissolved and roughly mixed with the other ingredients as heretofore the
mixture is put into a box or vessel having a cover fitting air-tight. Within
this box or vessel there are a pair of rollers which receive a rotatory motion by
suitable gearing on the outside of the box or vessel The axles of the rollers
pass through the end of the box or vessel air-tight the axles are hollow and
are arranged to admit of the passage of steam or other fluid for heating the
rollers To this box or vessel there are two pipes attached one to convey off
the vapour of the solvent and the other to bring back the solvent after it has
been condensed In order to induce the passage of vapour from the box or
vessel a fan or exhausting apparatus is applied which keeps up a partial
vacuum not only in the box but also in the reservoirs containing the solvent
and other parts of the apparatus connected therewith The vapour passing
off from the box or vessel is first conveyed into a chamber or chambers of a
cylinder in which there is a perforated partition on which is placed chloride of
calcium through which the vapour rises and any water is separated thereby
from the vapour of the solvent which passes away from the cylinder to a
worm or other form of condenser The cylinder containing the chloride of
calcium is kept heated and by preference by steam The vapour of the
solvent on being condensed is received into a reservoir There are two
reservoirs one of which is supplying solvent to the box or vessel containing
the rollers whilst the other is receiving the condensed solvent from the con-
denser. There are three cylinders for receiving the vapours in order that cs
the chloride of calcium becomes charged with water in one of them it may be
disconnected and a fresh charged one be brought into action for receiving the
vapours These compounds are to be used in making various articles as

page_text: heretofore but when sheets of such compounds are to be produced three rollers
are employed in place of spreading the compounds or surfaces and allowing
the same to set thereon as heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I ALEXANDER
PARKES of Birmingham in the County of Warwick send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Eighth day of December in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five in the twenty-ninth-year of
Her reign did for Herself Her heirs and successors give and grant unto
me the said 'Alexander Parkes Her special licence that I the said Alexander
Parkes my executors administrators and assigns or such others as I
the said Alexander, Parkes my executors administrators and assigns should
at any time agree with and no others from time to time and at all
times thereafter 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 PREPARING COMPOUNDS OF X YLODINE OR GUN COTTON AND IN
THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED" upon the condition (amongst others) that I the said
Alexander Parkes my executors or administrators by an instrument in writing
under my or their or one of their hands and seals 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 Alexander Parkes 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 thereof that is to say
This Invention has for its object improvements in preparing compounds of
xylodine or gun cotton and in the apparatus employed In the manufacture
of compounds of xylodine or gun cotton such as are known as parkesine it
has hitherto been the custom to dry the xylodine or gun cotton before dis-
solving it in naptha or other solvent I have found the drying of large quantities

page_text: of so light and bulky a material troublesome and requiring much care and
time and a very large space of drying room I find great advantage by my
present improvement of dissolving such matters in a moist state and the
manufacture is conducted with greater ease and safety. My practice is to
convert the cotton or other material by the usual process and when properly
changed for my purpose (that is made soluble in hydrocarbon solvents) I take
it out of the acids or changing agents and place it in a hydraulic machine
and force out by pressure as much as possible of the acids or changing
agents. The cake or mass of cotton is taken out of the vessel in which
it was pressed opened out and put into a washing machine by pre-
ference a centrifugal machine and washed with water until clean and then
by the continued rotation of the machine the surplus water is thrown out.
Or I place the cotton after conversion in a centrifugal machine and by
its rapid motion the acids or changing agents are separated from the cotton
as much as possible and without taking the cotton from the machine I
wash it by admitting a copious supply of water and in a short time (from
a few minutes to an hour) the cotton will be sufficiently clean When it does
not contain more than from 5 to 10 per cent. of water it is dry enough for
dissolving in naptha or other solvent used in the manufacture of parkesine
Another improvement consists in mixing the gun cotton and solvent and
combining the solution with oils and other matters in a vessel by preference
of cylindrical form and having a strainer or filter at its lower end through
which the materials when sufficiently mixed and dissolved are caused to
pass..
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a side view partly in section of a
mixing and filtering vessel thus constructed
a. a is a strong cylindrical vessel mounted on wheels b. b suitable fo:
running on a light railway a. a¹ is the metal bottom of the vessel a per-
forated with small holes and covered with a fine wire gauze. The moist
xylodine or gun cotton is first roughly mixed with the solvent and other liquid
with which it is compounded and the whole is placed in the vessel a. When
in this vessel the materials are thoroughly mixed and beaten together by
preference by means of a mechanical beater herein-after described, this being
done the mixing vessel is run into the press shown in side view at Figure 2.
a is the cylinder of the press 6 the ram of the same on the head of which
is a frame b. 6' and within it the receiving can centers. When the ram
rises it receives the lower end of the mixing vessel d into a corresponding
socket formed in it, thus the mixing vessel d is lifted to the piston e which
comes upon the material in the vessel d and forces the whole of its contents

page_text: with the exception of the impurities to pass through the perforated bottom
into the receiving can c. f is a projecting ring on the press head to prevent
The ram rising too high. The materials may be mixed in a separate vessel
and then put into the vessel Fig. 1 to, be strained, but the arrangement
above described is more convenient.
Another part of my Invention consists in thoroughly incorporating the gun
cotton with the solvent and other materials by means of a mechanical stirrer
or agitator consisting of two frames carrying vertical rods or bars which
frames are respectively in connection with two shafts one working within the
other so that the two shafts and their respective frames of bars may be
rotated in opposite directions.
The axes e and f
Figure 3 is a side view of the mixing apparatus I employ a. a is the frame
of the apparatus on it is mounted the axis which receives motion from a
driving strap 6¹ is a bevilled wheel driving two bevilled pinions c and d
mounted on tubular axes turning in bearings on the frame. Within the axis
of the wheel c is another tubular axis e caused to revolve with it by means of
a groove and feather and it is able to slide up and down vertically through
the axis of the wheel c. e¹. e¹ is a frame of beating bars fixed at the lower
end of the axis e and rotating with it. f is another axis passing in a similar
way through the axis e turning within it and capable of sliding up and
down within it this axis passes down through the axis e and carries at its
lower end the frame of beating bars f¹f which bars pass between the bars
of the other frame e' as they revolve in opposite directions.
are raised and lowered so as to lift them out of the mixing vessel or lower
them down into it by means of the hand wheel g mounted on the axis y¹.
gis a spur wheel at the upper end of the axis g¹ it drives another wheel h
mounted on a hollow axis carried by the frame-This axis has a screw thread
cut within it corresponding with the screw i which works within it the lower
end of the screw embraces the head of the axis f so as to cause it to rise and
fall with it but at the same time allowing it to rotate freely. In a similar
way the axis e at its upper end is made to embrace a collar on the axis f' so
that when the screw i rises or falls the axes e and f with the beating frames
upon them go with it. This machine is also very useful in mixing castor or
other oil with chloride of sulphur to produce a compound to be afterwards
mixed with the preparation of
gun cotton.
According to another part of my Invention the gun cotton having been
dissolved and mixed with the other ingredients is kneaded and the excess of
solvent and moisture evaporated in an apparatus of the following description.
The mixture is put into a box or vessel having a cover fitting air-tight. Within

page_text: it there are a pair of rollers which receive a rotatory motion 'by suitable
gearing on the outside. The axles of the rollers pass through the end of the
box or vessel air-tight they are hollow and are arranged to admit of the
passage of steam or other fluid for heating the rollers. To this box or vessel
there is a pipe attached to convey off the vapour of the solvent. In order to
induce the passage of vapour from the box or vessel a fan or exhausting appa-
ratus is applied which keeps up a partial vacuum not only in the box but
also in the reservoirs containing the solvent and other parts of the apparatus
-connected therewith. The vapour passing off from the box or vessel is first.
conveyed into a chamber in which there is a perforated partition on which is
placed chloride of calcium through which the vapour rises and any water is
separated thereby from the vapour of the solvent which passes away from the
cylinder to a condenser. The vapour of the solvent on being condensed passes
into a reservoir.
Figure 4 is a plan Figure 5 is a transverse section and Figure 6 is a front
view of the kneading apparatus which I employ a is the frame, on it is
mounted a hopper 6 into which the material is placed as it comes from the
press at the bottom of the hopper is a valve 6¹ which can be opened by hand
when desired to allow material to descend from the hopper to the rollers
-c and i which are made hollow and heated with steam interiorly the roller c
is driven by the spur wheels c¹ and the latter of which is fixed on a main
driving shaft c³ is a pinion at the further end of the roller c it gears with a
pinion of larger size on the end of the roller & so that the rollers c and d
are driven at different speeds and have consequently a grinding action on the
material passed between them e is a casing surrounding the rollers it is
furnished with suitable doors and is glazed at el. e¹ so that the workman
may readily see what is going on within e. e² are apertures furnished with
sleeves to allow the workman to introduce his arms within the casing e with
out causing any material to escape of solvent vapour. is a collecting knife
set up to the surface of the roller c by the adjusting screws f¹. The work-
man continually takes the material as it collects behind this knife and passes
it again between the rollers he also collects the material from the table y
beneath the rollers and passes it repeatedly through the rollers until it is
thoroughly blended and the solvent is sufficiently evaporated to bring it to the
required consistence h is a pipe leading from the top and bottom of the
casing to conduct away any solvent or vapour of solvent which escapes from the
mixture to a cylinder containing chloride of calcium and thence to a con-
densing apparatus A fan maintains a partial vacuum in the casing drying
cylinder and condenser and so draws the vapours through the apparatus.

page_text: The chloride of calcium cylinder separates the vapour of water which results
from the moisture in the gun cotton and the condenser retains the solvent
and delivers it back into a suitable tank.
The compounds produced according to my Invention are to be used in
making various articles as heretofore but when sheets of such compounds
are to be produced rollers may be employed to roll out sheets directly in place
of spreading the compounds on surfaces and allowing the same to set thereon
as has heretofore been practised because the compounds could not be made
stiff enough to roll out into sheets without the aid of a supporting fabric or
surface.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Parkes have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Seventh day of June in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
ALEXANDER PARKES. (L.s.)