IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL DRYING AND CLEANING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Buchanan, junior, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL DRYING AND CLEANING MACHINES."
Sealed the 9th May 1873, and dated the 13th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Buchanan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th November 1872.
I, JAMES BUCHANAN, junior, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL DRYING AND CLEANING
MACHINES," to be as follows :-
The object of my Invention is to provide means whereby centrifugal
machines of the class employed for drying sugar, cloth, cleaning rice,
and drying, grinding, and cleaning granular and powdery substances,
shall have the friction of bearing parts greatly reduced, shall be easily

page_text: and efficiently lubricated, shall occupy small space, and be quickly
stopped and started, and consists :-
-
First. As means for reducing friction in driving by overhead gear
instead of by gearing underneath. In this way less pressure is required
between the frictional driving surfaces, and consequently less lateral
strain is brought upon the bearings. As further means for reducing the
wear and tear of the driving parts of centrifugal machines the machine
spindle is formed in two lengths, connected together by conical bearings
and keys in such manner that the lower length, or machine spindle
proper, is free from the lateral strains necessarily communicated through
the driving gear to the upper length or auxiliary spindle.
Second. As means for lubricating in supporting laterally and ver-
tically the spindles of the said centrifugal machines in upper and lower
bearings, and providing annular spaces around the said spindles and
between the bearings, such spaces being filled with oil or other lubri-
cating material.
Third. As means for economizing space in arranging centrifugal
machines round a driving shaft, motion being communicated from the
said shaft to the auxiliary spindles of the said centrifugal machines by
frictional gearing, the said gearing consisting of a pulley, preferably
formed of metal, on the driving shaft, with its periphery in friction
contact with a pulley, preferably formed of compressed paper discs,
secured on each of the said centrifugal auxiliary or top spindles.
Fourth. As means for quickly starting and stopping, in providing
bearings adjustable laterally and vertically, or either of them, by screw,
lever, eccentric, or other motions. The disc pulleys on the said auxiliary
spindles can thereby be independently thrown into and out of contact
with the driving pulley, provision being made by spiral or other springs
for keeping the periphery of the driving and driven pulleys in uniform
friction contact whilst in motion.
Any convenient form of friction brake, fixed either above or below,
may be used to assist in stopping the said centrifugal machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Buchanan in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BUCHANAN, junior, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Buchanan, junior, Her special
licence that I, the said James Buchanan, junior, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Buchanan, junior,
my 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 AND CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL DRYING AND CLEANING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Buchanan, junior, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Buchanan, junior, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of illustrative Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to provide means whereby centrifugal
machines of the class employed for drying sugar, cloth, cleaning rice,
and drying, grinding, and cleaning granular and powdery substances,
shall have the friction of bearing parts greatly reduced, shall be easily

page_text: and efficiently lubricated, shall occupy small space, and be quickly
stopped and started, and consists :-
First. As means for reducing friction in driving by overhead gear
instead of by gearing underneath. In this way less pressure is required
between the frictional driving surfaces, and consequently less lateral
strain is brought upon the bearings. As further means for reducing the
wear and tear of the driving parts of centrifugal machines, the machine
spindle is formed in two lengths, connected together by conical bearings
and keys in such manner that the lower length, or machine spindle
proper, is free from the lateral strains necessarily communicated through
the driving gear to the upper length or auxiliary spindle.
Second. As means for lubricating in supporting laterally and ver-
tically the spindles of the said centrifugal machine in upper and lower
bearings, and providing annular spaces around the said spindles and
between the bearings, such spaces being filled with oil or other lubri-
cating material.
Third. As means for economizing space in arranging centrifugal
machines round a driving shaft, motion being communicated from the
said shaft to the auxiliary spindles of the said centrifugal machines by
frictional gearing, the said gearing consisting of a pulley, preferably
formed of metal, on the driving shaft, with its periphery in friction
contact with a pulley, preferably formed of compressed paper discs,
secured on each of the said centrifugal auxiliary or top spindles.
Fourth. As means for quickly starting and stopping, in providing
bearings adjustable laterally and vertically, or either of them, by screw,
·lever, eccentric, or other motions. The disc pulleys on the said auxiliary
spindles can thereby be independently thrown into and out of contact
with the driving pulley, provision being made by spiral or other springs
for keeping the periphery of the driving and driven pulleys in uniform
friction contact whilst in motion.
Any convenient form of friction brake, fixed either above or below,
may be used to assist in stopping the said centrifugal machine.

page_text: one of the four centrifugal machines above mentioned. ICSC VICHS
like letters denote the same parts.
1 is the driving shaft; it has secured thereon the metal friction pulley 2
which gears with the four friction pulleys 3, and transmits motion there-
through to each of the four centrifugal machines seen in Fig. 1.
As each machine is similar in construction and position, I will in my
description, for the sake of perspicuity, refer to one centrifugal machine
only, premising that everything said about the one described is equally
applicable to the other three.
The frictional pulley 3, which receives motion from 2, is formed of
compressed paper discs, and is retained in position by the hollow boss 4
secured to the auxiliary spindle 5. The top of 5 is hollow, and is fitted
with an internal sleeve bush piece 6, around which it revolves. The
piece 6 is doubly coned inside, and is retained in position by the T piece 7
(shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4) which works in the guide 8
secured to the frame 8*. The screw 9, pinion 10, and hand wheel 11
are employed to give to-and-fro motion to 7.
The object of the apparatus before described is to enable the friction
pulley 3 to be easily thrown into and out of gear with the pulley 2. The
end of the screw 9 is shown working against india-rubber balls 12; this
is to secure uniform contact between the pulleys 2 and 3 when in motion.
Spiral or other springs can be used to attain the same result. Space is
provided in the hollow bush bearing on the top of the auxiliary spindle 5,
so as to retain lubricant sufficient for some days consumption. This
arrangement secures not only efficient lubrication, but also prevents
waste from the lubricant spreading over parts where it is not required.
The bottom of the auxiliary spindle 5 is turned down so as to fit into
a double conical seating in the main spindle 14, and is secured thereto
by a key 15. The conical seating is provided to prevent lateral motion
in 5 when the pulley 3 is being thrown in and out of gear from affecting
the steadiness of motion in 14. The spindle 14 is fitted into upper and
lower bearings 16 and 17, and its lower end rests on three (more may
be used) steel curved pieces 18 provided to reduce friction. The upper
bearing 16 is formed conical, and can be raised by the nut
requires, so as to prevent vibration of 14. The space 20 is filled with
lubricant, and a spiral groove 21 is formed on the spindle 14 to assist
the centrifugal force of the spindle in carrying the lubricant up to the
19 as wear

page_text: starting and stopping, substantially as set forth.
(B). The adjustable bearings last claimed with spiral or other springs,
for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Buchanan, junior, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
In the presence of
J. T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
JAMES BUCHANAN, Junior. (L.S.)