IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lee Norton, of Belle Sauvage Yard,
Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and George Hawksley, of
Montrose Villas, Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex, for
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lee Norton and
George Hawksley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 18th January 1871.
.
We, JAMES LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, in
the City of London, and GEORGE HAWKSLEY, of Montrose Villas,
Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in mills, and relates to
the class of mills in which beaters are employed mounted on a rapidly
revolving axis, and contained in a case having projections so arranged
that the materials are reduced not by friction between two surfaces as
in ordinary mills, but by being forcibly struck by the beaters and so

page_text: driven or violently thrown against the projections of the case. In order
that the wearing parts may be readily and inexpensively renewed we
fix within the case two discs of hard cast iron, one on either side, and
rachet like teeth are formed on the faces of the discs. The two sides
of the case are bolted together and can readily be separated when it is 5
requisite to renew the cast discs. The discs are formed with teeth on
both sides and when one side is worn they are turned over. There are
grooves round the periphery of the discs to receive gratings for the
escape of the ground material. The gratings are formed in segments
and between them there may be other segments with grinding pro- 1
jections upon them. The grooves in the discs are so formed that the
segments cannot be wrongly placed. These grinding segments may be
substituted for the discs, and they are then, together with the gratings,
received into grooves formed for them in the case. We prefer when
this construction is adopted to divide the case into two parts on a 1
diameter. The gratings we sometimes form of sheet metal perforated
in such manner that the piece displaced to form a perforation remains
attached at one side and forms a lip guarding the aperture and pre- -
venting the escape of the material until it is sufficiently reduced. The
beater we employ consists of two or more pairs of arms. They are set
obliquely and at a short distance apart along the axis.
Each arm
consists of a length of rectangular bar steeled on the edges.
a boss keyed on the axis to which cover plates are bolted, and the arms
are received into radial grooves in the boss and cover plates and there
clamped. To prevent the arms flying out of the radial grooves the inner
end of the arm is turned up and inserted into a hole formed for it in the
boss or cover plate. When the working edges of the arm become worn
it can be changed in position so as to bring other edges to work by
turning the arm round or turning it end for end.
There is
We fix spikes into the case so as to project between the beater arms,
one pair of which pass on either side of the spikes.
We also in some cases fix steel cutters on the side of the boss, these
cutters as the disc revolves pass across the mouth of the feed hopper and
cut off in lengths the material fed in to be ground, should it be of a
nature to require it to be so cut.
In other cases we arrange the axis of the beaters to extend out from
one side of the case and to pass through a feeding chamber. This
chamber contains a spiral cutter working against a blade fixed to the

page_text: side of the chamber. The material is passed through a guide passage
into the chamber, and is (if of a nature to require it) cut off in lengths
by the spiral cutter and is then carried laterally by the spiral into the
case where it is ground.
IT
Sometimes in place of arranging gratings for the discharge of the
material at the periphery of the case we form openings at the side and
between the grinding teeth or projections. We provide such openings
all round the mill, so that the material may be able to escape by them
directly it is sufficiently reduced. In order to be able to adjust the
size of these openings at pleasure we employ a cover with similar
openings in it so arranged that it can be turned either with its openings
to correspond with the discharge passages, and leave them fully open, or
to cover them more or less as may be necessary. A covering ring may
be similarly applied when the openings are at the periphery of the case.
Any of the arrangements described may if required be placed
horizontally,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Lee Norton and George Hawksley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th July 1871.
'
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
LEE NORTON, of Belle Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, in the City of
London, and GEORGE HAWKSLEY, of Montrose Villas, Caledonian Road,
in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
)
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said James Lee Norton and George
Hawksley, Her special license, that we, the said James Lee Norton
and George Hawksley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said James Lee Norton and George Hawksley,
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

page_text: ་
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we;
the said James Lee Norton and George Hawksley, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 James Lee Norton, on behalf of
myself and the said George Hawksley, 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 mills, and relates
to the class of mills in which beaters are employed mounted on a
rapidly revolving axis and contained in a case having projections so
arranged that the materials are reduced not by friction between two
surfaces as in ordinary mills, but by being forcibly struck by the beaters
and so driven or violently thrown against the projections of the case. In.
order that the wearing parts may be readily and inexpensively renewed,
we fix within the case two discs of hard cast iron, one or either side, and
ratchet like teeth are formed on the faces of the discs. The two sides
of the case are bolted together, and can readily be separated when
it is requisite to renew the cast discs. The discs are formed with teeth
on both sides, and when one side is worn they are turned over. There are
grooves round the periphery of the discs to receive gratings for the escape
of the ground material. The gratings are formed in segments, and
between them there may be other segments with grinding projections
upon them; grinding segments or pieces may be substituted for the discs,
and they are then together with the gratings received into grooves
formed for them in the case. We prefer when this construction is adopted
to divide the case into two parts on a diameter. The gratings we some-
times form of sheet metal, perforated in such manner that the piece
displaced to form a perforation remains attached at one side and forms
a lip guarding the aperture and preventing the escape of the material
until it is sufficiently reduced. The beater we employ consists of two
or more pairs of arms; they are set at a short distance apart along the

page_text: axis. Each arm consists of a length of rectangular bar steeled on the
edges. There is a boss keyed on the axis to which cover plates are
bolted, and the arms are received into radial grooves in the boss and:
cover plates and there clamped. To prevent the arms flying out of
the radial grooves the inner end of the arm is turned up and inserted into
a hole formed for it in the boss or cover plate. When the working edges
of the arm become worn it can be changed in position so as to bring
other edges to work by turning the arm round.
. We in some cases fix steel cutters on the side of the boss; these cutters
as the disc revolves pass across the mouth of the feed hopper and cut
off in lengths the material fed in to be ground, should it be of a nature
to require it to be so cut.
In other cases we arrange the axis of the beaters to extend out from
one side of the case_ and to pass through a feeding chamber; this
chamber contains a spiral cutter working against a blade fixed to the
side of the chamber. The material is passed through a guide passage
into the chamber and is (if of a nature to require it) cut off in lengths
by the spiral cutter and is then carried laterally by the spiral into the
case where it is ground.
'
Sometimes in place of arranging gratings for the discharge of the
material at the periphery of the case we form openings at the side and
between the grinding teeth or projections. We provide such openings
all round the mill so that the material may be able to escape by them
directly it is sufficiently reduced. In order to be able to adjust the
size of these openings at pleasure we employ a cover with similar
openings in it, so arranged that it can be turned either with its openings
to correspond with the discharge passages and leave them fully open
or to cover them more or less as may be necessary. A covering ring
may be similarly applied when the openings are at the periphery of
the case. Any of the arrangements described may if required: be placed
horizontally.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
· DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of a double mill constructed
according to our Invention. Figure 2 is a section taken at the line 1, 1,
Figure 1. In these Figures the beater is omitted.

page_text: a is a cast frame which is bolted down to suitable bearers; it carries the
bearings of the axis 6 which is driven at a high speed by a belt passing
around the belt pulley 6'. The case of each mill is in two parts c and c¹,
which are separately bolted down to the bearers and are held together by
the swivelling bolts d; e and e¹ are the toothed grinding discs, they are
both carried by the part c of the case; the disc e, has three lugs upon
it which rest on corresponding bearing pieces on the case, and bolts
passing through the lugs fix the disc in its place. The disc'e' has
similar lugs which rest upon L formed supports c* cast, with the part c,
and as with the disc e bolts passing through the lugs hold the disc in
its place. The gratings f and the additional grinding surfaces 9 are
retained in grooves in the discs e and e¹. The grooves, are open at
the top, and here the segments ƒ and g, are inserted and passed round
to their places. The uppermost segment is secured to tho case by a
bolt. The gratings as they are shewn in the Drawing are placed for
fine grinding. If it be desired only coarsely to break up the material,
they are reversed or turned end for end. The case of the mill is open
at the bottom and the ground material is discharged on to a floor
beneath; h, h, are the feeding hoppers.
:
'Figures 3 and 4 are sections showing forms which may be given to
the gratings; these gratings are of cast iron.
Figure 5 is a section, and Figure 6 a plan of a wrought-iron grating
produced by perforating a sheet with a gouge like cutter, leaving a lip
on one side of each hole; Figure 7 is a section of a cast-iron grinding
segment; Figure 8' is a side view of a mill in which the case is in two
pieces divided on a diameter; Figure 9 is an end view; Figure 10 a
transverse and vertical section; and Figure 11 a longitudinal and vertical
section of the same; Figure 12 is a plan with the upper part of the
case removed; a is a frame on which in suitable bearings is carried the
axis 6 with its belt pulley b'. The frame a is cast with and forms part
of the lower portion c of the case. This part of the case is formed with
grooves to receive the gratings f, and also with dovetail grooves at the
sides to receive the grinding segments g, the upper part c¹ of the case
is fixed to the lower by the swivelling bolts d; it may be cast with the
grinding projections upon it as is shewn, and then it is renewed when
the projections become worn, or as is shewn at Figure 11" it may be cast
with grooves, and cast grinding pieces g* may be fitted into these
grooves; these grinding pieces g* are square and are secured in their

page_text: places by bolts; they are turned about as they become worn and only need
to be replaced by new ones when their eight edges have all been used."
h is the feeding hopper; it is used when the material is of such a nature'
that it will drop from it into the case of the mill, and the valve h¹ is
employed to regulate the flow. It has an upright spindle which can'
be turned so as to set the valve to any inclination, and then locked' by'
a thumb screw.
:
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When the material is of such a nature that it has to be cut before it
can enter the mill case the feed passage H is used. It is furnished
with a steel edge at H', and the spiral blades 6ª fixed on the axis 6 work
up to this edge and shear off the material as it is protruded beyond it.
The cut material falls into a chamber with an inclined bottom, and
passes from thence into the case of the mill, the spiral blades aiding to
move it forward; k, k, k¹, k', are the two pair of beaters, they do not
follow each other but are set at a short distance apart along the axis.
The beaters are iron bars with steel edges or they may be of steel.
The bars are cut to the lengths required and turned over at one end as
is seen at * in Figure 10, so that they may be held more securely; lis
a boss keyed on the axis b, it has radial recesses formed in it to receive.
the beaters k. The recess encloses the beater on three sides and a
cover plate m bolted on bears against the beater on the fourth side and.
secures it. There is a hole in the cover plate to receive the turned
over end of the beater. There are two cover plates m, m, they are
fixed by screws entering tapped holes in the boss, and each cover plate
has a recess in it similar to that in the boss to receive the beaters k³, k¹,
and these are retained on the fourth side by resting against the boss in
which there are holes to accommodate the ends.
Figure 13 is a portion of a plan of a double mill in which the
discharge openings are at the side, and capable of being more or less
closed at pleasure by means of a cover. Figure 14 is a vertical section ;
Figure 15 is a side view partly in section; and Figure 16 is a transverse
section of the same.
f
a is a cast frame carrying the axis 6 with its driving pulley b¹; c, c¹³,
are the two parts of the case connected by bolts d; e is a ring with
grinding teeth or projections upon it both at the side and the periphery,
and e' is a disc fixed to the part c¹ of the case. In the disc e¹ are the
discharge openings, and between these openings are grinding projections;
E is a cover plate with openings corresponding to those in the disc e

page_text: it is capable of being turned so as either to partially cover or uncover.
the holes in the disc to grind fine or coarse as may be desired. Portions.
of the disc and cover plate are shewn separately at Figure 17, and
Figure 18 is a section of a portion of the disc and cover plate to a
larger scale. The material after passing through the openings in the
disc e¹ enters an annular chamber in the part c' of the case, at the
bottom of which it is discharged; his the feed hopper for grain or such.
like material, and H is a feeding passage for materials which require
to be cut to enter the mill case; such materials when pushed through
the passage are divided by a cutting edge n fixed on the boss / to
which the beaters k, k¹, are fixed in the manner already described; this
cutting edge passes across the mouth of the feeding passage, and the
material is cut to pieces by it and then falls into the mill case where it
is further reduced.
Having thus described the nature of our said. Invention and the 1
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim as our improvements in mills, -, .
First. The construction of mills with toothed discs fixed within the
case, so as to be readily renewable when they become worn, substan-
tially as described.
Second. The construction of mills with gratings retained in grooves
between the tooth discs, substantially as described.
:
Third. The construction of mills with the case so formed that it can
be separated into two parts on a diameter, and with grooves to receive
the gratings and grinding surfaces, substantially as described.
Fourth. The construction of mills with gratings of sheet metal per-
forated substantially as described. .
i
.
Fifth. The construction of mills with the beaters consisting of bars
secured and arranged so as to be readily renewable when they become
worn, substantially as described.
Sixth. The construction of mills with a cutter fixed on the side of
the boss of the beaters, and so arranged as to pass across the mouth of
the feed hopper and cut off in lengths the material fed in to be ground,
substantially as described.
Seventh. The construction of mills with a spiral cutter on the axis of
the beaters, and working against a blade fixed to the side of the feeding
;

page_text: chamber so as to cut off the material to be ground in lengths and carry
it into the mill, substantially as described.
Eighth. The construction of mills in which the material is reduced
by means of beaters with the discharge openings at the side of the case
and provided with a cover by which they can be more or less closed,
substantially as described.
Ninth. The construction of mills substantially as described and shewn
by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lee Norton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.