Apparatus for Emptying the Contents of Casks or Barrels containing Plastic Materials.
Year: 1899

page_text: Apparatus for Emptying the Contents of Casks or Barrels containing
Plastic Materials.
I, FRANZ SMULDERS, of 28, Oostplein, Rotterdam, Holland, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:―
This invention relates to an apparatus for emptying mechanically and auto-
matically casks or barrels containing solid matters of a plastic nature, such as
fat, margarine, and similar products.
The apparatus consists essentially of an arrangement of revolving cutters,
rotated by suitable transmission gearing and at the same time moving from below
upwards within the barrel to be emptied which is for this purpose held in an
inverted position that is, with its lower end open, on a suitable framing or sup-
port, so that by such action the cutters are made to cut out the contents of the
barrel in successive flakes or shavings, as they gradually ascend in the barrel.
For this purpose the construction of the apparatus, as employed by preference,
is as follows.
A vertical metal cylinder has a piston working in it, the rod of which pro-
jects both upward and downward through the cylinder; the upward directed end
carries a head on which are mounted suitable cutters which, when fluid pressure
of any kind is admitted below the piston so as to cause this to rise in the
cylinder, are made to enter the open end of the cask mounted on the framing
above, and the piston and piston rod being at the same time rotated the revolv-
ing cutters cut the contents of the barrel out in the form of flakes.or shavings.
The rotation of the piston and cutters may be effected by any suitable known
means such as by providing below the lower end of the cylinder a. sleeve fitted
on the lower piston rod so that this can slide through but must revolve with it,
on which sleeve is fixed a bevil wheel gearing with another bevil wheel on a
horizontal driving shaft.
For regulating the action of the rising cutters, the lower piston rod carries a
vertically adjustable projecting tappet which when the cutters have arrived near
the closed upper end of the barrel comes in contact with a lever arm connected
to the cock or valve on the fluid pressure supply pipe and actuates the same
so as to cut off the supply of motor fluid to, the cylinder.
To the framing below the lower end of the barrel is fixed an inclined shoot,
through which passes the piston rod, and which may conveniently be kept warmi
by a steam or hot water jacket, so that the flakes or shavings of fat &c. falling
upon it are prevented from adhering thereto and slide down the same into a
receptacle below.
The cutters are preferably formed as two flat blades secured to the piston rod

page_text: head by a pivot pin on which they can turn; these blades lie in a position
slightly inclined downwards from the front cutting edge, and they taper in form
from the front cutting edge backwards, and carry a roller at the rear end which
bears against the sides of the barrel as the cutters revolve when in cutting a
certain resistance is offered by the material to the front cutting edges. At the
centre of the piston rod head are two smaller cutters that serve to cut out the
central part of the substance in the cask.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Apparatus for Emptying the Contents of Casks or Barrels containing
Plastic Materials.
I, FRANZ SMULDERS, of 28, Oostplein, Rotterdam, Holland, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to apparatus for emptying mechanically and auto-
matically, casks or barrels containing solid matters of a plastic nature such as
fat, margarine and the like.
I shall describe apparatus for this purpose referring to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section shewing the apparatus applied to empty a cask
which is held down properly centered upon a floor or platform.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the discharge shoot.
The other figures, drawn to an enlarged scale are Figs. 3 and 4 respectively a
side and an end view and Fig. 5 a plan of the crosshead which carries the
cutters. Fig. 6 is a plan of the cutter blades, Fig. 7 is a transverse section and
Fig. 8 an end view of one of these blades.
a is a cylinder fitted with a piston b having a rod e extending both up and
down. This piston is caused to ascend by hydraulic or other fluid pressure to an
extent determined by the depth of the cask. For this purpose there is fixed on
the lower rode in a position suited to the depth of the cask, a cam shaped
tappeto which, when the cutters are near the upper end of the cask acts on a
lever arm p moving it aside and thus causing a cock or valve to be closed and
prevent the piston from being farther raised. On the lower piston rod is fitted
à bevil wheel through which the rod can slide, having a groove engaged by a
key so that it must turn with the wheel which is driven by a pinion on a shaft
caused to revolve in a bearing d by any convenient motor. The piston and its
rod is thus caused to revolve. On the upper piston rod c is fixed a crosshead
on which are pivotted at k two main cutting blades f each provided with a
roller g. There are also two small cutting blades fixed on the crosshead. The
main blades f are urged by suitable springs so that their edges i cut through
the material in the cask, the resistance of which acting on these edges causes the
blades to turn on their pivots until their rollers g come to bear against the
interior of the cask.
P
Above the cylinder a is fixed an inclined shoot by which the shavings cut
by the knives from the material in the barrel are discharged laterally. The
bottom of this sheet is made hollow, so that it may be heated by steam or hot
fluid admitted to the cavity u by a pipe j.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. Apparatus for emptying the contents of casks containing plastic materials,
characterised by a set of revolving cutters which are caused to ascend into the
inverted cask so as to slice from the material therein shavings which descend.
on an inclined shoot below the cask, substantially as described.
2. In the apparatus above referred to, the combination of a cylinder a, a
revolving piston 6 with rods e c, the upper rod carrying small cutters = fixed,
and main cutters f pivotted on crosshead c, and the lower rod carrying a cam
tappeto arranged to act on a lever and thereby to shut off the fluid pressure
from the cylinder a thus stopping the ascent of the piston substantially as
described.
n
"
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.