Improvements in Apparatus for Separating from Air or Gas Light Particles of Solid Matter Floating therein.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating from Air or Gas
Light Particles of Solid Matter Floating therein.
I, EDWARD HAYES, of 53 Clifton Street, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
'
"dust
This invention relates more especially to what are technically known as
collectors," but is applicable to apparatus for separating from air or gas light
particles of solid matter floating therein though such particles, from their size and
character, may not be strictly defined as dust.
Apparatus constructed according to this invention, whether for the purpose of
collecting dust only, or for separating other particles of solid matter, either alone
or with dust, from air or gas, consists of two chambers, arranged conveniently
eide by side. Each chamber has an opening at one end through which the air or
gas is blown or drawn in, and an opening at the other end through which the air
or gas passes out. Suitable valves or doors are provided by means of which the
openings at the ends of one chamber may be closed while the openings at the ends
of the other chamber are opened; and a single valve or door may be employed
for both the inlet openings, and another single valve or door for both the outlet
openings. The valves or doors may be operated by hand, or automatically by
suitable mechanism, so as to allow air or gas to pass first through one chamber
only for any desired length of time, and then through the other chamber only for
any desired length of time, and so on through each chamber alternately. Each
chamber is fitted with a number of divisions, which may be either vertical or
somewhat inclined. These divisions form interceptors to catch the particles of
dust or other solid particles floating in the current; and for this purpose are
formed of plates of metal, such as zinc, perforated with holes formed with burrs
projecting at the forward faces of the plates and having, preferably, ragged edges
such as are left in punching the holes with a punch which is considerably smaller
in diameter than the hole in the bottom tool. Each division consists, conveniently,
of two or of a set of three or more perforated plates distanced apart from one
another, by means of bolts or rivets passing through the plates and through
tubular distance-pieces placed between the plates, a space of about from one to
three in inches. The perforations are, of course, smaller as a plate is remote in
the order of the series from the first plate. At the hinder end of the series of
divisions one or more sheets of fine wire gauze may be used in lieu of the perforated
plates above described, if desired.
The valves or doors for opening and shutting the inlet and outlet openings,
aforesaid, may each be constructed as sliding shutters and be carried in guides so
that when moved in one direction they open the inlet and outlet openings of one
chamber and in doing so pass across and close the corresponding openings of the
other chamber, and vice versa; and the necessary movement of the shutters to
cause them to open and close each chamber alternately may be effected by the aid
of a shaft on which is mounted at each end a wheel which, through the medium
of a chain or toothed rack, moves the corresponding shutter in one direction as
itself is turned in one direction, and moves the shutter back again as itself is

page_text: turned in the opposite direction. The shaft may be operated automatically to
cause the proper movement of the shutters, and to allow any required time between
each movement, by means of a spindle at each end which is excentric with the
shaft and carries an arm which, at a certain point in its revolution, comes against
a stud carried by the wheel on the corresponding end of the shaft, and after
moving the wheel and shaft a certain distance passes out of contact with the stud.
The spindles revolve in opposite directions of rotation, and thus one spindle causes
the movement of the shutters in one direction and the other spindle causes their
movement in the opposite direction. The mechanism is so arranged that after the
shutters have been moved in one direction, by means of the arm at the end of one
of the spindles, a certain time elapses before the arm at the end of the other
spindle operates in moving the shutters in the opposite direction.
Air or gas is allowed to pass first through one chamber for a certain length
of time, and as it does so the solid particles conveyed with the current are caught
by the burrs of the perforations. This chamber is then closed and the other
opened, and the divisions of the closed chamber are then tapped with hammers to
shake the dust or matter off them, which then falls in the still air or gas to the
bottom of the chamber, from which it is conveyed away in any convenient manner,
such as is now adopted with dust collectors. After a sufficient time has elapsed,
the open chamber is closed and the closed chamber opened, and the divisions of
the closed chamber are tapped, the dust or matter which falls to the bottom of the
chamber being conveyed away as in the case of the other chamber. Air or gas
is thus cleared from dust and any other solid particles which may be floating
therein, first in one chamber and then in another, the chambers being used
alternately throughout the entire process.
The hammers for tapping the divisions are of the usual character of hammers
employed for the same purpose with dust collectors, and they may be conveniently
operated through the medium of the shaft above described."
Dated this 7th day of December 1803
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating from Air or Gas
Light Particles of Solid Matter Floating therein.
I, EDWARD HAYES, of 53 Clifton Street, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, Millwright, 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 more especially to what are technically known as "dust
collectors," but is applicable to apparatus for separating from air or gas light
particles of solid matter floating therein though such particles, from their size and
character, may not be strictly defined as dust.
Apparatus constructed according to this invention, whether for the purpose of
collecting dust only, or for separating other particles of solid matter, either alone
or with dust, from air or gas, consists of two chambers, arranged conveniently
side by side. Each chamber has an opening at one end through which the air or gas
is blown or drawn in, and an opening at the other end through which the air or
gas passes out. Suitable valves or doors are provided by means of which the
openings at the ends of one chamber may be closed while the openings at the ends
of the other chamber are opened; and a single valve or door may be employed
for both the inlet openings, and another single valve or door for both the outlet
openings. The valves or doors may be operated by hand, or automatically by

page_text: suitable mechanism, so as to allow air or gas to pass first through one chamber
only for any desired length of time, and then through the other chamber only for
any desired length of time, and son through cach chamber alternately. Each
chamber is fitted with a number of perforated divisions, which may be either
vertical or somewhat inclined. These divisions form interceptors to catch the
particles of dust or other solid particles floating in the current; and for this
purpose are formed of plates of metal, such as zinc, perforated with holes formed with
burrs projecting at the forward faces of the plates and having, preferably, ragged
edges such as are left in punching the holes with a punch which is considerably
smaller in diameter than the hole in the bottom tool. Each division consists,
conveniently, of two or of a set of three or more perforated plates distanced apart
from one another. Means are employed for tapping the divisions in a chamber
after the flow of air or gas therethrough has been cut off, whereby the particles of
matter caught by the divisions fall therefrom into the bottom of the chamber from
whence they are conveyed away; and the flow of air or gas is cut off for a
sufficient length of time to allow such particles of matter or the greater portion
thereof to fall while the air or gas remains quiescent, or more or less so.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a practical
application thereof. Of these, Figure 1 is a transverse section through an
apparatus constructed according to this invention; Figure 2 is an elevation of the
inflow or forward end of such apparatus, the valve box or box from which the air
(or gas) charged with dust or other light particles of solid matter passes direct
into the collecting chambers being shewn in section; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section of the apparatus taken on line x of Figure 2.
AA are the separate collecting chambers arranged side by side. At the front
ends of these chambers are formed, respectively, openings aa¹ for the passage of
the air thereinto, and at the other ends of the chambers are formed, respectively,
openings for the outflow of the air after the dust or other solid particles of
matter floating therein has or have been separated therefrom. The outflow
openings should be of greater area than the inflow openings (say about one-and-a-half
times as much). A valve B is used for opening and closing the openings aa',
and a similar valve B' is used for opening and closing the openings b'. The
opening a of the chamber A is shewn to be uncovered, and the opening a¹ of
the chamber A¹ to be covered by the valve B; and, when such is the case, the
opening of the chamber A is similarly uncovered, and the opening of the
chamber A¹ covered by the valve B. The valve B is contained within a box C,
into which the air from which the dust or other solid matter floating therein is to
be separated is brought through a conduit such as c. The valve B may consist
conveniently of a plain plate which is guided between the fronts of the chambers
at its inner face and a bar of wood or metal d at its outer face. When the valve
is moved to its extreme position to the right, as shewn by Figure 2, it completely
covers the opening a¹ into the chamber A¹ and leaves the opening a into the
chamber A fully open; and when the valve is moved into its extreme position to
the left, it completely covers the opening a, and leaves the opening a fully open.
The valve B' is correspondly used to close one or other of the openings from
the chambers and to leave one or other open as may be required. The valve B¹
may be enclosed within a box, if desired, and the air conveyed therefrom through
a suitable conduit to a chimney or the outside atmosphere; and indeed it must be
so enclosed if the air or gas is drawn by suction through the chamber; but, if all
dust and other solid particles have been separated therefrom, air which is forced or
driven into the chambers may be allowed to flow out through the openings bb
direct into the room in which the apparatus is used, and no box is required around
the valve. The valve B' may slide in top and bottom grooves, as shewn. The
valves may be operated by hand, if desired. It is preferred, however, to operate
them automatically, and a convenient method of doing so will be presently
described. It is not essential to close the outflow opening of a chamber by a valve

page_text: at all, as air or gas is of course prevented from passing through when the inlet
opening is closed; but it is much preferred to close the outflow end of a chamber
when the air or gas is not intended to pass through it, as there would otherwise be
a tendency for some air or gas to enter through the outflow opening and thus
disturb the stillness of the air or gas inside the chamber and so interfere with
the falling of the particles detached from the separating plates.
Each division
D are divisions, of which there are a set in each chamber.
consists of perforated plates of metal e distanced apart as shewn. Figure 4 is a
sectional plan of one side of one of the divisions D, and Figure 5 is a sectional
elevation of the lower end of one of such divisions and of the upper part of
the guide within which it is held. The plates e are maintained in their relative
positions by means of bolts f and short tubular distance-pieces g, and the side
edges are stiffened by strips 1, of wood or other suitable material, to which the
plates are nailed or screwed. The plates e are perforated in the manner of nut-meg
graters and are fixed with the burrs m' all projecting in the same direction, and
the divisions are placed within the chambers with the burrs facing towards the
front ends of the chambers so as to meet the currents of air passing therethrough.
The perforations may range in diameter from about one quarter of an inch at
the forward end of a chamber to a very small diameter at the back, say from one
eighth to one sixteenth of an inch or even less. The perforations of each succeeding
plate of a division should be slightly less in diameter than the holes of the plate
immediately in advance in the same division. The perforations should be made
as closely together as may be practically convenient without unduly weakening
the plates, and the total area of the holes through any plate should be at least
three times the area of the inlet opening into a chamber. The plates of a division
may be conveniently spaced apart about one inch. One or more of the hinder
divisions may have plates formed of wire gauze, if desired. The outer side E of
each chamber is made removable to enable the divisions to be removed and replaced.
Each division is pushed into place along a groove at the top of the chamber which
may be conveniently formed by angle strips of metal i, and along a lower groovej,
formed conveniently of sheet metal, within which the middle plate e of the
division slides. The divisions are supported against the air pressure and made
sufficiently air-tight at the sides by fillets fixed against the sides of the chambers
immediately at the rear sides of the divisions.
Each chamber is formed with a well F having inclined sides and extending for
its whole length, to receive the dust or other particles of solid matter separated
from the air, as is usual in chambers employed for separating dust from air; and
the material which falls into the well may be conveyed away in the usual manner
by a creeper or worm, such as G, to an outlet 1. Each well is, of course, divided
off by divisions H in position, respectively, below the perforated divisions D.
The sheet metal wbich forms the grooves j is fixed upon the tops of the divisions H.
The worm G is, preferably, stopped short, on each side of each division H and the
spindle only carried through, and each division H is carried down as low as will
leave only sufficient opening between itself and the bottom of the trough-shaped
part within which the worm works as will allow of the ready passage of the
material which is carried along by the worm. Any convenient means, however,
such as are now adopted to ensure the passage of the separated material without
allowing any substantial quantity of air to pass through therewith, may be
employed for carrying forward such material below the divisions H. If it is
desired to collect the material separately which falls in the spaces between the
divisions, or in any of such spaces, the divisions H, or any of them, may be carried
to the bottom of the well and an opening be formed in the bottom of each or any
space for the passage of the material therefrom. is a piece of board or sheet
metal fixed along the inner side of each inlet opening into a chamber, when the
inlets are placed on one side as shewn, to direct the inflowing air or gas towards
the middle of the chamber.
The convenient method above referred to of automatically operating the valves,

page_text: is shewn, as applied in the case of the valve B, in front elevation by Figure 2 and
in side elevation by Figure 3; and certain details are shewn, to an enlarged scale,
by Figures 6 and 7 which will be presently explained. J J are a pair of shafts
running parallel to one another along the tops of the chambers. These shafts are
geared together by the equal spur wheels K K, and thus revolve in opposite
directions. The shafts J J are conveniently driven by means of a worm m, on a
transverse shaft L, which gears into a worm wheel n on a short shaft M running
parallel with the shafts J J and carrying a pinion N which gears direct with one of
the wheels K. The shaft L is driven from any convenient source of power, by
belting or otherwise, in a direction to cause the shafts JJ to revolve, respectively,
in the directions indicated by the arrows adjacent thereto. Each valve has a rod o
fixed thereto by brazing or otherwise, and each end of the rod is bent to a hook
shape or otherwise formed for connection with a chain, and the ends are connected,
respectively, with chains p p which pass each around pulleys q r and are connected,
respectively, to the opposite ends of a chain tightening device. This device is
shewn in plan by Figure 6 in position within a case P within which it moves, and
such device and case are shewn in longitudinal sectional elevation by Figure 7.
The case is fixed to the framing of the chambers. The device consists of an open
head sat each end, and of a rod or bar t fixed to the heads by means of lock nuts
screwed on the ends of the rod whereby the distance between the heads may be
readily adjusted. The chains p p are connected with bolts u which pass not only
through the sides of the heads but also through a slot formed in each side of the
case P, whereby the device is guided as it is moved longitudinally. A part c' of
each head is carried upwards, as shewn, and a tappet Q is fixed on the end of each
shaft J, and during each complete revolution of the shafts one of the tappets
coming against one of the projections c¹ moves the device »st into its extreme
position in one direction, and moves the valve consequently into its extreme position
in the opposite direction, and the other tappet coming against the other projection cl
correspondingly moves the valve back again through the whole length of its travel.
The projections and tappets are, of course, so proportioned and the tappets set in
such relation to one another, and the shafts J J driven at such speed, as will be
readily understood, that the valve remains for sometime (say about from one to
three minutes) at each end of its stroke before it is moved again, and is moved in
opposite directions at equal intervals of time, so that the air in each chamber
remains quiescent (or more or less so) at regularly recurring intervals. While
the valves are being moved the air is of course passing through both chambers.
The tappets Q may consist, as shewn, each of an arm having a slot therein, and
of a finger of which the inner end is bent at right angles to pass through the slot
and has a nut screwed thereon to fix the finger to the arm. The lengths of the
tappets may thus be readily adjusted.
For convenience of illustration, the apparatus for operating the valve at the front
end of the chambers only is illustrated. In lieu of providing a similar apparatus at
the other end the valve B₁ may, if preferred, be worked by chains or other suitable
connectors from the valve B.
Hammers of the usual or any convenient character for the purpose, such as the
hammers R, are mounted within the chambers in position to strike the divisions D;
and the hammers in a chamber are operated to strike after the flow of air has been cut off
from the chamber, and the air is maintained in a quiescent (or more or less quiescent)
state for a sufficient time after the divisions have been tapped to cause the dust, or
the greater portion thereof, collected on the divisions to fall to the bottom of the
chamber. Each hammer may be operated in any usual or convenient manner, such
as by the aid of an L-lever did of which the shorter arm d' is pivoted to a rod e¹
which passes through the top of the chamber and is pivoted at its lower end to a
short arm of the hammer, and of which the longer arm d¹ is moved outwards to
raise the hammer and is then suddenly released to allow the haminer to strike. The
set of arms over each chamber may be moved and suddenly released by a bar g¹
fixed at each end, respectively, to one of a pair of arms h¹ carried by one of the

page_text: shafts J; and to ensure that one hammer at a time only shall strike, and the stillness
of the air be thus disturbed as little as possible, one of the arms h¹ may be set at an
angular distance in advance of the other.
A single hammer is used for each set of plates forming a division, as the plates
being connected rigidly together each plate of a division is shaken if one of the
plates thereof is tapped, and thus less hammers are required for a given number
of plates than with dust collectors as ordinarily constructed.
While it is very much preferred, and indeed forms an important feature of
the invention, to use plates for the divisions D, or some of them, perforated in the
manner of nut-meg graters with the burrs towards the current of air or gas, the
advantage resulting from tapping the divisions while the air or gas within a
chamber is in a quiescent (or more or less quiescent) state, and of maintaining the
air or gas in a quiescent (or more or less quiescent) state for a short period after
such tapping, may be obtained in a considerable degree by adopting the apparatus
and method of working above described, even though the same may be modified by
using separating divisions of the ordinary character employed in dust collectors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Apparatus for separating from air or gas light particles of solid matter floating
therein, in which two distinct separating chambers are used, and the air or gas
passed through them alternately, said chambers having divisious or plates which
intercept the said particles of solid matter and are tapped at intervals to shake
from them the particles of matter which they have intercepted, the tapping being
in each case effected while the air or gas is cut off from a chamber, the chamber
remaining closed for a sufficient time after the tapping to allow the said particles
or the greater portion to fall in a quiescent (or more or less quiescent) air or
gas to the bottom of the chamber, substantially as described.
2. Apparatus for separating from air or gas light particles of solid matter
floating therein, which comprises two distinct separating chambers, each formed
with an opening at each end for the ingress and egress, respectively, of the air
or gas, and the inlet and preferably also the outlet controlled by a suitable valve or
door, and each chamber provided with perforated divisions which intercept the
particles of solid matter floating in the air or gas, and provided with means by
which the divisions are tapped to shake therefrom particles of solid matter which
have been intercepted, the arrangements for opening and closing the inlet
openings, and also the outlet openings when such are adapted to be opened and
closed, being such that the air or gas may be passed through the chambers
alternately, the air or gas remaining consequently quiescent (or more or less so)
at intervals in each chamber, all substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
3. Apparatus for separating from air or gas light particles of solid matter floating
therein, which comprises two distinct separating chambers each formed with an
opening at each end for the ingress and egress, respectively, of the air or gas, and
the inlet, and preferably also the outlet, controlled by a suitable valve or door,
which is operated automatically to allow the air or gas to pass through the chambers
alternately, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
4. In apparatus for separating from air or gas light particles of solid matter
floating therein, the use of separating or intercepting plates perforated in the
manner of nutmeg graters, that is to say, with burrs projecting from the surfaces of
the plates, said plates being used with the burrs facing the current of air or gas
from which the solid particles are being separated, substantially as described.
5. In apparatus for separating from air or gas light particles of solid matter
floating therein, the use of divisions each formed of a set of perforated plates rigidly
fixed together, in combination with means for tapping such divisions, whereby a
single tapping appliance or hammer suffices for all the plates of a division substan-
tially as described.

page_text: 6. Apparatus for separating from air or gas light particles of solid matter floating
therein, constructed and operating substantially as described with reference to the
drawings herewith.
Dated this 7th day of September 1894.
STEPHEN
WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.