Improvements in and relating to Houses for Withering or Drying the Leaves of Tea or other Plants and the like, and in Racks therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec:, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Houses for Withering or Drying
the Leaves of Tea or other Plants and the like, and in Racks
therefor.
We, JAMES ALEXANDER MAIN, Engineer, and ALEXANDER DREW, Engineer,
both of Clydesdale Iron Works, Possilpark in the City of Glasgow, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to houses wherein the withering or drying of the leaves of
the tea or other plants and the like is effected and it especially relates to the
arrangement or disposition of the racks and trays for containing the leaves to be
dried and to an improved arrangement whereby the air currents through the house.
can be reversed at will and so that the trays under one direction of the current
furthest from the air inlet shall become the trays nearest to the air inlet.
Under the invention the racks for containing the trays have their greatest
lengths across the breadth of the house and they are arranged in pairs back to back
a space or passage being left between each pair of the series. At or extending
through the back of each adjacent pair of racks a series of vertically superposed
horizontal bars are carried these bars supporting wires or rods each of which extends
from end to end of the rack to afford support for the inner ends of the superposed
series of trays. At the fronts of the racks a number of superposed bearers are
carried by vertical standards each of these bearers consisting of a channel iron the
edges of which are bent upwards and so turned as to constitute or partially
constitute a tube. Over these tubular edges there is slid another tube of incom-
plete section, that is to say, having a slot taking over the straight part or neck of
the bent edge underneath the curved portion, two or more such incomplete tubes
being employed throughout the length of the rack and having their meeting ends
butting against each other. The trays for containing the leaves are constructed
with a hook which takes over and rests upon these tubes whilst the inner ends of the
trays rest upon the horizontal wires before referred to, and in cases where the rack
is of greater breadth than it would be convenient to give to the length of any tray
euch tray has at its inner end an upwardly projecting hook or hooks which passes
through the meshes of the next succeeding tray of the series so that each layer of
trays is continuous and may be inserted into or withdrawn from the rack as one
body, the individual trays in one layer being hooked to or disconnected from each
other in the act of inserting them into or withdrawing them from the racks.
Under modifications instead of the hooks for the trays at the outer sides or fronts.
of the racks the frame of each tray may have a curvilinear recess on its under side
which takes over and rests upon the supports before referred to and in lieu of
constructing the supports as hereinbefore described they may be each composed of
an angle iron bolted to the standards the edge of the tray frame resting at the angle
of the horizontal and vertical flanges of the irons.
At each end of the series of racks in the house a channel or opening is made in
the floor or otherwise the said channels or openings being connected to ducts or
pipes in communication with the casing of a blast fan and with air inlet boxes in
such wise that the current of air into and exhaust from the house is capable of being
reversed at will.
Dated this Seventeenth day of December 1890.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to. Houses for Withering or Drying
the Leaves of Tea or other Plants and the like, and in Racks
therefor.
We, JAMES ALEXANDER MAIN Engineer, and ALEXANDER DREW Engineer
both of Clydesdale Iron Works, Possilpark, in the City of Glasgow, 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:—
This invention relates to houses wherein the withering or drying of the leaves of
the tea or other plants and the like is effected and it especially relates to the
arrangement or disposition of the racks and trays for containing the leaves to be
dried and to an improved arrangement whereby the air currents through-the house
can be reversed at will and so that the trays under one direction of the current
furthest from the air inlet shall become the trays nearest to the air inlet.
On the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shews in end elevation and Figure 2 in
side elevation the improved -arrangement of the racks and trays whilst Figures 3
and illustrate in plan and vertical section the disposition of the racks in the
house these latter figures being drawn to a smaller scale.
Under the invention the racks a for containing the trays have their greatest
lengths across the breadth of the house c and they are arranged in pairs back to
back a space or passage d being left between each pair of the series.
The racks are carried upon a raised platforme and where their backs meet a
series of vertical standards support a series of vertically-superposed bars.g upon
which wires or rods are laid and fastened. Each of these wires or rods extends
from end to end of the rack to afford support for the inner ends of the superposed.
series of trays At the fronts of the racks a number-of-superposed-bearers.are
carried by vertical-standards-j-each-of-these-bearers consisting as more particularly
shewn-by-the-larger detailed view-Figure 5 of a channel iron the edges of which
are bent upwards and so turned as to constitute or partially constitute a tube. Over
these tubular edges there is slid-another tube of incomplete section, that is to says
having a slot taking over the straight part or neck of the bent edge underneath
the curved portion, two or more such incomplete-tubes-k-being-employed through
out the length of the rack and having their meeting ends butting against, cach:
other.
The trays for containing the leaves are constructed with hooks which take
over and rest upon these tubes k whilst the inner ends of the trays rest upon the
horizontal-wires or rods h. In cases where the rack is of greater breadth between
two standards j than it would be convenient to give to, the length of any tray and
when two or more trays are consequently supported on each bearing one or both
trays has at one end as seen at Figure 8 on, its frame an upwardly or downwardly
projecting hook or hooks m which passes or pass through the meshes of the next
tray so that each layer of trays is continuous and may be inserted into or with-
drawn from the rack as one body, the individual-trays in a layer being hooked to
or disconnected from each other in the-act. of inserting, them into or withdrawing
them from the racks.
Under a modification shewn by Figure 6 instead of; furnishing the outer sides of
the trays with hooks as at Figure 5 the outer or front side of the frame of each
tray may have a curvilinear recess on the bottom which takes over and rests
upon the supports and in lieu of constructing, the supports, as herein before
described they may be each composed as seen at Figure 7 of an angle iron o bolted
to the standards; the edge of the tray, frame resting at the angle of the horizontal
and vertical flanges of the irons.
At each end of the series of racks in the house a channel or opening is made

page_text: in the floor or platform e the said channels or openings being connected to a duct
or piper in communication with the casing of a blast or exhaust fans or other
means of creating a current of air through the racks. In the duct or pipe r a valve
box t is situated the valve u therein being situated on an upwardly projecting
spindle having a crank v or a handwheel or the like on its upper end by turning
which the direction of the current is altered. When the racks have been filled
they are covered over on the tops, sides and ends with a "chut" composed of
canvas or other material capable of being easily rolled up or removed and the
valve u being set in the desired direction and the blast or exhaust apparatus put in
action a current of air is forced or drawn through the racks from one end and
discharged by the opening and duct at the other end of the house the direction
of the current being reversed at will by altering the position of the valve u.
P
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a house for drying or withering the leaves of the tea or other plants or the
like the arrangement of the racks and trays substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to the drawings annexed.
2. In a house for the purpose set forth the disposition of the racks in pairs back
to back and with a passage between each pair the racks having their front and
back bearers constructed substantially as set forth with reference to the several
modifications illustrated on the appended drawings.
3. In a house for the purpose set forth constructing the tray frames with hooks
or recesses at their front ends said hooks or recesses resting upon bearers secured
to the racks, substantially as described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. The method of joining or connecting two trays together substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 8 of the drawings.
5. In a house for the purpose set forth the arrangement herein before described
and shewn by Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings whereby the direction of the drying
air current can be reversed at will.
Dated this Sixteenth day of September 1891.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.