IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES AND MACHINES FOR WASHING, BEATING, GRINDING, OR REDUCING RAGS AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES INTO PAPER PULP AND INTO FIBRES FOR YARNS OB CLOTH
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wood, of Monkhill, near Pontefract, in the
County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES AND
MACHINES FOR WASHING, BEATING, GRINDING, OR REDUCING RAGS AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES INTO PAPER PULP AND INTO FIBRES FOR YARNS
OB CLOTH."
Sealed the 31st May 1867, and dated the 28th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wood at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th March
1867.
L, WILLIAM WOOD, of Monkhill, near Pontefract, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ENGINES AND MACHINES FOR WASHING, BEATING, GRINDING, OR REDUCING BAGS.
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES INTO PAPER PULP AND INTO FIBRES FOR YARNS OR
CLOTH," to be as follows :-
The engines now used for washing and "beating" or grinding up rags and
other fibrous substances for paper pulp consist principally of a revolving
cylinder mounted with straight and even wrought-iron blades or beaters at

page_text: intervals round its circumference, and of a "plate" or box of similar wrought-
iron blades fixed under it.
Now my improvements consist, firstly, in using toothed or serrated blades
or beaters in lieu of straight and even ones both in the revolving cylinder and
in the plate or box of fixed blades, the teeth or projections in the blades or
beaters of the cylinder being arranged to pass between the teeth or pro-
jections of the fixed blades when so desired and when the cylinder is let down
low enough.
My improvements also consist in making the blades or beaters, whether
they are plain and straight, or toothed or serrated, of cast iron, steel, or other
cast metal, and in place of making each blade or beater separately in making
plain, vertical, or incline bars, and toothed or serrated bars, each with two or
more beaters or rows of teeth upon it. The bars are fixed to iron or other
cylinders.
Also my improvements consist in forming toothed rings or segments of
cast iron, steel, or other suitable cast metal to be bolted or fixed together on
a centre shaft, so as to form a "washing" or "beating" cylinder.
The ordinary machines for "grinding" rags and other fibrous substances in
a dry state for the manufacture of yarns and cloth consist principally of a
toothed "swift" or drum mounted on a frame and of a feeding apparatus.
The swift or drum is composed of an iron shaft, arms, and rings, on which are
fixed two layers of wooden "lags" or segments, the outer lags having a large
number of wrought-iron "teeth" or small pointed spikes driven into them,
and standing out therefrom on the face or outside, which when the swift is
made to revolve rapidly grind or tear up the rags or other fibrous substances
supplied by the feeding apparatus; these teeth are forged round and tapering
on the part which stands out of the wood lag or face.
Now my improvements consist in making the teeth oval or flat-sided
instead of round, placing the narrow face of the tooth first, whereby it is much
stronger and more effective; for this purpose I prefer to use flattened or
drawn steel wire of the desired shape and size cut into suitable lengths for the
teeth. The teeth are now driven singly into the lags, and are liable to be
drawn out of the face in working, to prevent which I make them double or
two together in the form of a staple, the points of which being driven into
and through the lags; the back or bent part of the double tooth when the lag
is fixed in its place rests on the usual or other foundation, the teeth cannot
then either be pushed out at the back. nor drawn out on the face or working
side

page_text: My improvements also consist in making the teeth of cast iron, steel, cr
other suitable cast metal of such a shape and size as may be required for the
east metal, and which may be driven into perforated wood lags or inserted in
drilled metal lags, which are afterwards fixed on the swift in any convenient
manner.
My improvements also consist in making the cast iron or other cast metal
teeth in one piece or casting with the lag, bar, or body that carries them, the
teeth being cast on the face of the lags or carrying bodies, which are then
bolted or fastened on the swift. I also cast the teeth on and as parts of thin
bars or segments of the circumference, especially when hooked or undercut
teeth are required; these segments have projections on one side or washers
put between them to regulate their distance apart, and are held or supported
by transverse rods or bars passing through them, and fastened to and
carried by the rims or bearings on the sides of the swift or otherwise affixed
thereto.
My improvements also consist in making the face or circumference of the
swift on which the toothed lags, bars, or segments are laid of iron or metal
instead of wood as at present, and in forming such face, circumference, or
cylinder in one piece or casting with its supporting arms and central boss, as
in a cast driving pulley. When cast teeth, lags, bars, or segments are used
and fixed on a metal swift I sometimes place a thin layer of soft wood or
elastic substance between the back of the lags, bars, or segments and the
metal face of the swift, so as to "bed" or fix the bars evenly, and avoid or
lessen the chance of injurious concussion or action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WOOD, of Monkhill, near Pontefract, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Wood, Her special licence that I, the said William Wood, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Wood, 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 ENGINES AND
MACHINES FOR WASHING, BEATING, GRINDING,' OR REDUCING BAGS AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES INTO PAPER PULP AND INTO FIBRES POR YARNS OR CLOTH,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Wood,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and iascer-
tain 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 William Wood, 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:―
The engines now used for washing and beating" or grinding up rags and
other fibrous substances for paper pulp consist principally of a revolving
cylinder mounted with straight and even wrought-iron blades or beaters at
intervals round its circumference, and of a "plate" or box of similar wrought
iron blades fixed under it.
Now my improvements consist, firstly, in using toothed or serrated blades
or beaters in lieu of straight and even ones both in the revolving cylinder and
in the plates or box of fixed blades, the teeth or projections in the blades or
beaters of the cylinder being arranged to pass between the teeth or projections
of the fixed blades when so desired and when the cylinder is let down low
enough. These improvements in the outline and form of the beaters and
blades can be carried out in several ways and in any suitable metal.
A, Figure 1, Sheet 1, shows a front view of a portion of a serrated beating
bar, the serrations being rounded in outline so as not to cut the fibres, but so
formed as to increase the quantity and power of the acting edge of the beaters
to bruise and comminute them; B, Figure 1, shows a similar view of one of
the fixed blades which are placed in the box under the revolving cylinder, the
serrations of which interlock in the serrations of the beater bar, and are
capable of more or less interlocking by the raising or lowering of the cylinder.

page_text: The beater bars and fixed blades may be fixed on the cylinder and in the
plate box in the usual manner. A, Figure 2, and B, Figure 2, shew the
serrations of a sharper form so as to reduce the materials to pulp more rapidly,
which is effected not only by the beating of the bar but by the tendency of
the teeth to draw out and break up the fibres; the forms and size of these
outline serrations may be varied to suit the requirements of different materials
or qualities.
In order to preserve the serrated form of edge as the beater bars and fixed
plates wear away I form such beaters and fixed plates with grooved or
channelled sides instead of even ones. A and B, Figure 3, are front views of
such beaters and plates; C, Figure 3, is a top view of the same when the
beaters and plates are in position; A, B, and C, Figure 4, are similar views
of a beater and plate with sharper serrations. In both these cases the thicker
parts of the beater bars are set opposite to the thinner parts of the fixed
plates, and as the thinner parts wear away more quickly than the thicker parts,
the serrated form of edge is preserved.
My improvements also consist in making the blades and beaters, whether
they are plain and straight, or toothed or serrated and grooved, of cast iron,
steel, or other cast metal or alloy. When the cast metal beating bars,
whether they are plain, or toothed or serrated and grooved, are mounted in
the usual manner, I prefer to place them so that they do not project so far
from the face of the cylinder as the wrought-iron or steel bars heretofore
employed usually do; I also form them of sufficient thickness or strength
varying with the kind of material they may be required to reduce, but as these
cast metal beater bars and fixed plates when worn down cannot be beaten out
to their original size, but must be replaced by new castings, I prefer to fix
them in a new and expeditious manner.
A, Figure 5, Sheet 1, is a portion of a cylinder on which the beaters may
be fixed; this cylinder is formed in such a manner as to receive and support
narrow bars or beaters which are cast bevilled on the top to form the reducing
edge, and half dovetailed at bottom, as shown at B, B, B; these bars being
placed in their position are fixed to the cylinder by wedges of wood C, C, C,
or other material driven in between the back of the bar and the projecting
part of the cylinder, and can be expeditiously fixed or removed; Figure 6
shows a top view of the same.
The
My improvements also consist in casting the beating bars, whether they
are plain or toothed, or serrated and grooved, in groups of two or more.
groups are cast on bars or segments, and may either be fixed intermittently

page_text: on projecting portions of the cylinder or continuously around it; and may be
made of any size or pitch according to the coarseness or fineness of the material
they are required to reduce, or as may be considered most effective or
desirable.
Figure 7 shows a section of groups of beaters fixed on projections of the
cylinder A, which have their tops notched or shaped so as to fit or lock into
recesses formed on the back of cast groups of beaters B, B, fastened on or
tightened up by wedges C, C, driven in on each side of the cylinder, as shown
in section, or instead of being fixed by wedges they may be fastened on the
cylinder by screws or otherwise; Figure 8 is a top view of the same. These
segments or bars of groups of cast beater edges or teeth may also be placed
continuously round the cylinder, as shown by section at Figure 9, when the
beating edges or projections are sufficiently large to produce the necessary
current of pulp or when other means of producing such current are added;
Figure 10 shows a top view of the same when the segments or bars are
toothed. When the fixed blades under the revolving cylinder are made of
cast metal I prefer to form them as one or more plates or segments of a
circle having rows of edges or teeth thereon, which is or are fastened down in
the usual position on a suitable bearing bed; the edges on these plates or
blades may be either plain or serrated or toothed. The fixed blades or edges;
serrations, or teeth may in like manner as the beating bars be varied in
strength, form, or size as may be desired or deemed most effective.
The ordinary machines for grinding rags and other fibrous substances into
"shoddy" and "mungo," or woollen or other fibres for the manufacture of
yarns and cloth consist principally of a toothed "swift" or drum mounted on
a frame and of a feeding apparatus, the "swift" or drum consisting of an iron
shaft, arms, and rings, on which are fixed two layers of wooden "lags" or
segments, the outer layer of wood lags having a large number of wrought-iron
"teeth" or small pointed spikes driven into them and standing out therefrom
on the face or outside, which when the swift is caused to revolve rapidly
grind or tear up the rags or other fibrous substances supplied by the feeding
apparatus; these teeth are forged round and tapering on the part which
stands out of the wood lag or face.
Now iny improvements in these machines consist in making the teeth oval
or flat-sided instead of round, placing the narrow face of the tooth first, whereby
it is much stronger and more effective; for this purpose I prefer to use
flattened or drawn steel wire of the desired shape and size cut into suitable
lengths for the teeth. The teeth are now driven singly into the lags, and are

page_text: liable to be drawn out in working, to prevent which I make them double or
two together in the form of a staple; they are driven into the lags from the
back, and the points and about half the length of the tooth stand out from the
face of the lag; when the lag is fixed in its place the back or bent part of the
teeth rest on the foundation, the teeth cannot then either be pushed out at
the back nor drawn out on the face or working side.
.
My improvements in these machines also consist in making the teeth of cast
iron, steel, or other suitable cast metal, and of such a size and shape as may
be requisite or desirable for cast metal; such teeth may be driven into or
inserted in wood or metal lags; the lags may be fixed on the swift in the
usual or in any convenient manner. Also, according to this part of my
Invention, I make the cast iron or other cast metal teeth or grinding pro-
jections in one piece or casting with the lag or body that carries them; the
teeth or projections being cast on and forming parts of the face of the lags or
carrying bodies may be varied in size, shape, number, and position so as to be
suited to the kind and quality of the rags to be ground up, being made
smaller and more numerous as the rags used are finer or harder. The teeth
shown in the annexed Drawings being suited to the coarser or softer kinds
when overhanging teeth are used, it may be necessary or advisable to use a
brushing cylinder to clear them.
;
Figure 1, Sheet 2, is a longitudinal section of a cast-iron toothed bar;
Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 a cross section of the same drawn full size;
this bar is made so as to be fixed on a plain continuous surface by four bolts;
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a cast-iron toothed bar of another size
and with a different arrangement of teeth; this bar is designed to be supported
only at each end where it is bolted on; Figure 5 is a plan, and Figure 6 is a
cross section of the same; Figure 7 shows a longitudinal section of a toothed
bar made as a segment of the circumference of the swift, and having several
rows of teeth; Figure 8 is a side view of a similar bar but with one row of
teeth only; these bars may be fixed, as hereafter described at Figure 13, or
these segments, and also bars similar to Figures 4, 5, and 6, may be fixed on
surface drums, as Figure 9, in which case they must be cast either with plain
backs or with suitable strengthening ribs.
My improvements also consist in making the body or carrying part of the
swift entirely of iron or metal in lieu of the composite wood and iron bodies
now built up; these metal carrying bodies are designed for carrying metal
toothed bars or lags, and may be made either as drums having bearing sur-
faces of metal the width of the swift, or as two narrow-faced drums on one

page_text: spindle, or as two discs or sides on one spindle supporting the ends of the
toothed bars or segments, and they may be varied in size and details of
construction.
Figure 11 is a side
Figure 9, Sheet 2, is a side view, and Figure 10 is a section of a cast-iron
drum covered with a wrought-iron.hoop, the latter being put on to make it
safer at very high velocities. Several of the toothed bars, the same as
Figures 1, 2, and 3, are shown bolted in their places A, A, A, on the circum-
ference of the drum, round which the bars are placed, and two of the same
kind of bars are shown fixed in the section, Figure 10. The drum on which
the bars are fixed may be made wholly of wrought iron.
view, and Figure 12 a section of a metal carrying body, consisting of two side
plates or discs of iron having flat rims on their circumferences with holes at
intervals drilled or formed therein to receive the bolts which fasten on the
topthed lags or bars. A convenient mode of carrying out this plan is to use
two plates of rolled iron for the sides mounted on or fixed to a centre boss
and shaft, and having their outer edges turned over to form a flat rim, or having
angle iron rivetted thereto, or sometimes having a loose ring on each side for
the bolts of the toothed bars to pass through. Toothed bars, as shown at
Figures 4, 5, and 6, or of any other suitable form, are bolted on, as shown at
C, C, C, entirely round the carrying body, which is then ready to be placed in
its working position.
Figure 13 is a side view of a metal carrying body constructed with two
side plates or discs without the flat rim, but having transverse stay bars
fixed to the sides at D, D, D, or having transverse rods or bolts, as at E, E, E,
these bars and rods being fitted to carry toothed lags or thin bars as longi-
tudinal segments of the circumference; these lags or bars may be made as
shown in section at Figure 7, or as thin overhanging toothed bars as shown at
Figure 8, and may be fixed in various ways. One half of this swift is shown
covered with toothed lags, as Figure 7, bolted to the transverse bars D, D, D,
and the other half with thin segments, as Figure 8, which are supported by
rods passing through them and carried by the discs or side plates, as shown at
E, E, E. Figure 14 shows a mode in section of fixing on the lags without
bolts, the transverse stay bar F being formed throughout its length into a
dovetailed shape, and each end of the segment-toothed lag being made to fit
and occupy one side or half of the devetailed recess, so that when two ends of
such lags are inserted therein by being slid into the groove from the
sides they cannot fly off, pins or stops being used to prevent their moving
sideways. Figure 15 shows a section of parts of similar segment-toothed

page_text: lags bolted on to the transverse bars D, D, D; Figure 16 shows parts of
segment-toothed lags in the position they occupy when supported on round
rods or bolts passed through them and through the discs or side plates.
When cast metal-toothed lags or bars are fixed on a metal surface drum or
other carrying body I prefer to place a thin layer of soft wood or elastic
substance between the back of the lag or the part it rests on and the face or
bearing part of the surface drum or carrying body, so as to "bed" the lags or
bars more evenly, and avoid or lessen the chance of injurious action.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM WOOD. (L.8.)