IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND METHOD OF DISINTEGRATING WOOD
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Heinrich Roeckner, Paper Maker, of 180,
Upper Thames Street, of the City of London, and William Henry
Northcott, Engineer, of 66, Mark Lane, of the City of London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND METHOD OF
DISINTEGRATING WOOD."
Sealed the 6th May 1870, and dated the 23rd December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Heinrich Roeckner
and William Henry Northcott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 23rd December 1869.
We, CARL HEINRICH ROECKNER, Paper Maker, of 180, Upper Thames
Street, of
of the City of London, and WILLIAM HENRY NORTHCOTT,
Engineer, of 66, Mark Lane, of the City of London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND
METHOD OF DISINTEGRATING WOOD," to be as follows:-
Trees or parts of trees are subjected to severe percussion produced by
the blows of heavy steam or other hammers acting with considerable
[Price 8d.]

page_text: force, whereby the grain of the wood is well shattered and the fibres are
forcibly torn apart. For long trees we use machines with self-acting feeders
by which the wood is
In
carried gradually under the hammers.
some cases we place trees several together in a suitable sawing machine
and saw them into transverse sections or discs, and these discs we
afterwards subject to severe percussion by heavy steam or other hammers.
The weight of the blow of these hammers depends upon the size and nature
of the wood to be smashed, but we generally prefer that the smash-
ing should be effected by one blow. In the case of these discs the blows are
given upon the end grain, and the result of such percussioin is the
conversion of these discs of wood into bundles of spongy fibres. We
also disintegrate wood when in the shape of trees
the shape of trees or large lop by
passing them through powerful rollers, by preference grooved. By powerful
rollers we mean rollers similar in construction and mode of using to
those used for rolling bar iron, but we generally arrange them so that
one pair may be horizontal and
be horizontal and the next vertical, and when thus
arranged we sometimes cause one set to have a twisting motion so as to
partially twist as well as crush the fibres. Wood that has been partially
disintegrated by either of the means described may be still further
disintegrated by subjecting it to further hammering in a machine some-
thing like a fulling mill, into which it is placed either dry or with
the usual chemicals for dissolving the gum or bleaching the fibre. Or the
further disintegration of the woody fibre may be effected in a conical
serrated mill something like that known as a "bark mill;" or the
woody fibres may be treated with chemicals and afterwards "beaten" in a
beating engine; or they may be transferred directly to Roeckner's or other
beating engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Carl Heinrich Roeckner and William Henry Northcott in the
Great Son! Patent Office on the 22nd June 1970
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CARL
HEINRICH ROECKNER, of 180, Upper Thames Street, of the City of London, and
WILLIAM HENRY NORTHCOTT, of 66, Mark Lane, of the City of London, send
greeting.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CARL
HEINRICH ROECKNER, of 180, Upper Thames Street, of the City of London, and
WILLIAM HENRY NORTHCOTT, of 66, Mark Lane, of the City of London, send
greeting.

page_text: .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Carl Heinrich Roeckner & William
Henry Northcott, Her special licence that we, the said Carl Heinrich
Roeckner & William Henry Northcott, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Carl Heinrich Roeckner
& William Henry Northcott, our 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 THE PROCESS AND METHOD OF DISINTEGRATING
WOOD," upon the
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Carl
Heinrich Roeckner & William Henry Northcott, our
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
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
executors or
their, or
The object of this Invention is to cheapen and render more economical
the reduction of wood into fibrous pulp useful amongst other pur-
poses for the manufacture of paper. And by these our improvements .not
only is the cost of producing pulp from wood much lessened, but
also instead of a large proportion of it being converted into dust or
flour, a product of very little value, it is almost wholly converted into valuable

page_text: two main operations, namely, disintegration and pulping. Our improve-
ments refer only to the former, and may be thus described. Trees
or parts of trees are subjected to severe percussion produced by the blows
of heavy
steam or other hammers acting with considerable
force, whereby the grain of the wood is well shattered and the
fibres are forcibly torn apart. For long trees we use machines with self-
acting feeders, by which the wood is carried gradually under the hammers. In
some cases we place trees several together in a suitable sawing machine
and saw them into transverse
transverse sections or discs, and these discs
we afterwards subject to severe percussion by heavy steam or other hammers.
The weight of blow of these hammers depends upon the size and nature
of the wood to be smashed, but we generally prefer that the dis-
integration should be effected by one blow. In the case of these discs the
blows are given upon the end grain, and the result
of such per-
cussion is the conversion of the discs of wood into bundles of spongy fibres.
We also disintegrate wood when in the shape of trees or large lop by passing
them through powerful rollers, by preference grooved. By "powerful
rollers" we mean rollers similar in construction and mode of using
to the rollers used for rolling iron, and, say, twelve inches or two feet in
diameter, according to the size of tree; and we generally
prefer to arrange these rollers so that one pair may be horizontal
and the next vertical, and sometimes we cause one set to have a twisting
or oscillating motion so as to partially twist as well as crush.
Wood that has been crushed by. passing between these rollers may
be still further disintegrated by the percussion of heavy hammers.
The pulping or further reduction of the wood that has under-
gone the previous process to a fine fibrous pulp is effected by the usual
methods of boiling with chemicals and "beating," or by any other sufficient
process.

page_text: In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Northcott, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Heinrich Roeckner, have also hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.