Improvements in Apparatus for, and the Method of, Preparing Peat or Turf for use as Fuel.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 7th Jan.. 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for, and the Method of, Preparing Peat
or Turf for use as Fuel.
I, OSMOND GILLES BLUNDEN, of 14 Priory Road, Bedford Park, Chiswick, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Hitherto peat or turf when required for fuel has been compressed into solid
blocks and dried. Now my invention consists in compressing it into hollow
cylindrical blocks, tubes, or other forms, in order to accelerate the process of drying
and also to aid the combustion of the fuel.
In carrying this invention into practical effect, I employ a macerating and
compressing machine of the form usually employed for preparing peat or turf for
fuel, and consisting of a screw blade and knives rotating within a cylinder.
The delivery end of the cylinder of this machine I construct of taper form and
make the screw blade of gradually decreasing diameter where it lies within this
tapered portion of the cylinder. The spindle or axis of the screw blade is
extended beyond the said screw blade in order to act as a revolving core to form
the central opening in the peat block. A cylindrical extension of the taper
cylinder envelopes this core in order to give the required form to the peat blocks.
Peat or turf passing through this apparatus is thoroughly macerated by the
rotating knives and is compressed in its passage through the tapered part of the
cylinder, taking its final form from the cylindrical delivery tube and core as
described.
The peat so treated is delivered in the form of a continuous tube which is divided
into lengths by means of a rotating or reciprocating arm, which, passing across the
outlet of the cylinder at regular intervals, cuts off the required amount of peat
protruding from the machine. This short tube of peat falls upon an inclined table
over which it rolls on to a board placed to receive it. When a given number of
peat tubes have rolled on to the board, the latter is placed upon the carrier of an
elevated or suspended railway which runs round the drying ground or sheds.
Close, and parallel, to the track of the said railway is stretched a number of
wires in horizontal pairs, one above the other.
The peat tubes are transferred by hand from the railway carrier on to these
wires where they remain until they are dry, and are then removed by means of the
same railway for storage.
Owing to the tubular shape of the peat blocks and to the fact that they are
supported at two points only and touch each other only along a line, the drying
process is considerably accelerated.
Dated this 8th day of December 1891
66
CASTLE SMITH,
Invention" Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for, and the Method of, Preparing Peat
or Turf for use as Fuel.
1, OSMOND GILLES BLUNDEN, late of 14 Priory Road, Bedford Park,
Chiswick, in the County of Middlesex, but now of 180 Cambridge Street,
Warwick Square, also in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Hitherto peat or turf when required for fuel has been simply pugged or ground
and shaped into solid blocks and dried. Now my invention consists in macerating
and cutting the fibres and compressing the peat or turf into hollow cylindrical
blocks, tubes, or other forms in order to accelerate the process of drying and
condensing and also to aid the combustion of the fuel.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and carried into
practice, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
sheet of drawings of which
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine constructed according to this
invention; Figure 2 an end elevation of the same, and Figure 3 a horizontal section
taken across the centre of the drum or cylinder of the apparatus; Figures 4 and 5
represent detached parts of the said apparatus.
Similar reference letters are employed to indicate the same parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
b
In carrying this invention into practical effect I employ a cutting and compressing
machine as shewn in the drawings consisting of a screw blade a & cutting knives e
rotating within a drum or cylinder provided with a hopper e for the introduction
of the peat to be treated. The delivery end of the cylinder, I construct of taper
form and make the screw blade a of gradually decreasing diameter where it lies
within this taper portion of the cylinder. The spindle or axis of the screw
blade a is extended beyond the said screw blade in order to act as a revolving core
to form the central opening in the peat blocks. Between each adjacent set of
knives e (which are shewn separately at Figure 4) is placed a wheel-like support f
(shewn separately at Figure 5) the periphery of which is secured to the drum or
cylinder b. The radial arms of these supports are formed with a sharp edge and
the cutting blades e revolving almost in contact with the same act with them to
shear the fibres of the peat passing through the machine. The screw blades a feed
the peat forward between the knives by which its fibres are finely divided into the
taper portion of the cylinder. Here it is compressed by reason of the said taper
form of the same and is ejected at the outlet at the end of the same in the form of
a tube, the central aperture in which is formed by means of the core d as previously
described.
The continuous tube of peat thus delivered from the outlet of the machine is
divided into lengths in the following manner :-Immediately under the said outlet
of the machine is an endless band g supported upon pulleys and capable of
movement in the direction of the movement of the peat. The peat resting upon
this band gives motion to it so that the two advance together, the band forming
as it were a moveable support for the peat tube. The rotary cutter blade h is
mounted upon an axis journalled immediately above the outlet of the cylinder b
and driven by any suitable gear (such for example as that shewn in Figure 1) so
that it may pass across the said openings in the cylinder 6 at intervals and sever
the protruding portion of the peat tube from that within the machine.
A suitable roller j is mounted at the extremity of a rotating arm also pivoted
over the outlet of the cylinder and caused to rotate at the same axial speed as the
blade which it follows across the outlet of the cylinder b. This roller j strikes
against the newly detached portion of the peat tube and starts it rolling down an

page_text: inclined board k from which it may be removed by hand or otherwise. In some cases
I support the board or boards k on rollers or pulleys 1, Figure 2, so that they may
be drawn forward to make place for others. In this case the table k may with
advantage consist of an endless band or belt. For supporting the peat tubes during
the process of drying I employ a number of wires stretched in horizontal pairs one
above the other in the manner of telegraph wires. The peat tubes are laid upon
these so that they are only supported at two points each, and however closely they
are placed they can only touch one another along one line, this is of course owing
to their cylindrical shape. This shape combined with the aperture through their
centre greatly accelerates the process of drying and condensing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
(1) In a machine for preparing peat or turf for use as fuel the employment of a
screw blade and rotary knives or cutters acting against fixed cutting blades, part
of the said screw blade being of gradually decreasing diameter and arranged
to work within a conical casing so that the material operated upon is compressed
by reason of the reduced capacity of the cylinder through which it is driven
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(2) In a machine for preparing peat or turf for use as fuel the extension of the
end of the shaft or axis of the screw blade referred to in the first claim for the
purpose of serving as a core to form an opening through the fuel substantially as
and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
(3) A machine for preparing peat or turf for use as fuel substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore set forth and described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
(4) The use of peat or turf prepared by the herein before described machine
as fuel.