IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING FLOUR
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thornton, of Worksop, in the County of
Nottingham, Millwright and Engineer, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thornton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th March 1875.
I, JOHN THORNTON, of Worksop, in the County of Nottingham,
Millwright and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING
FLOUR," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of certain improvements in the construction
of the silk or dressing reel used in machinery or apparatus for dressing
flour, the object being the making of the reel with a continuous series of
non-obstructed silk dressing surface inclines, so that the meal may have
a continuous gliding motion thercover, and that the whole of the dressing
surface may be properly utilized.

page_text: In the dressing of flour by means of silk reels the dressing is
performed (upon the rotation of the reel at a speed of about 200 feet a
minute at the dressing surface) simply by the friction of the meal upon
the silk as it glides thereover, no brushes or other contrivance being
used to rub the flour through the silk. In such reels this friction cannot
be extended beyond one-fourth of its surface at one time, and this part
at the time forms a double incline, and is the only part of the reel
over which the meal is sliding and in actual dressing operation; but in
reels of the usual construction the free sliding of the meal from the one
incline to that next succeeding is obstructed by the inwardly projecting
thick wooden rails over which the silk is stretched, which rails must be
left of a sufficient substance to withstand the strains to which they are
subjected, and in cases where they are reduced below the average
strength it is necessary that a number of extra inner supports should be
applied which only aggravate the evil intended to be remedied. Again,
it is the general practice to retain these thick wooden rails in position by
inwardly projecting wooden bracings (at intervals of about forty inches
in the length of the rail) continued entirely around the reel. It will
thus be seen how that upon the rotation of the reel the free sliding of
the meal from one incline to that next succeeding is obstructed by the
inwardly projecting wooden rails, supports, and bracings over which it
cannot pass to the succeeding incline till it has been stopped in its
sliding motion, and been lifted by the said projecting parts and has
accumulated in mass when it falls on to the succeeding incline, and in
its fall misses a large space of the silk surface immediately under the
wooden rails and other inwardly projecting wooden parts, and thus about
one-third of the dressing surface of each incline is missed by the meal,
and thus rendered of no utility for the purpose of dressing.
It will now clearly be seen how essential for the more economical
working of the dressing machine it is that such obstructions to the free
sliding of the meal from an incline to that next succeeding should be
avoided as much as possible; and it is to attain this most desirable object
and advantage that the following improvements in the construction of
the dressing reel have been devised, and which give to the dressing
surface an unobstructed series of inclines from the one to the other of
which the meal may freely slide.
I make the rails of iron with an inner straight or flattened surface
1
sutan answm surface aunved to the oontoris of the comulated wool

page_text: this peculiar section gives to the rails a sufficiency of strength, while at
the same time as the inner and outer surfaces meet in feather edges
there is no part projecting into the recl. I cover the rounded or crown
surfaces with a tubing of india-rubber or coat them with other water-
proof composition to prevent them being corroded by the damp, and I
then stretch the silk thereupon as usually done; the rubber forms a soft
bed for the silk and prevents any injurious action of the iron thereupon.
I also make the rails with countersunk holes in their outer surfaces,
and in which rest the heads of bolts which retain the rails in position.
Against the inner surfaces of the rails abut tubular arms through which
the said bolts pass, the arms at their inner ends are fitted in sockets
fitting in radiating recessess of bosses keyed at intervals of about 50
inches apart to the tubular shaft or centre in the usual way, and the
bolts pass through such sockets and are secured at their inner ends by
screw nuts.
With these improvements the following advantages in addition to
those above enumerated are also obtained:-Great strength and stability
is imparted to the framing of the reel, and every part is prevented from
springing or moving in any direction, the extra supports and bracings
are rendered unnecessary, each rail being separately sufficiently
supported, and nearly double the amount of flour can be efficiently
dressed in a given time in a silk dressing reel of this improved con-
struction than can be accomplished in any other silk dressing reel of
corresponding dimensions.
The above described improvements can be and are intended to be
applied to any or all existing silk flour reels, as they do not require any
re-arrangement of the end frames or necessitate any further alterations
in any other part of the machinery or apparatus.
30
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Thornton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THORNTON, of Worksop, in the County of Nottingham, Millwright and
Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Thornton, Her special licence that
I, the said John Thornton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Thornton, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR DRESSING FLOUR," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Thornton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals,
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 John Thornton, 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 in writing, and on reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:-
This Invention consists of certain improvements in the construction
of the silk or dressing reel used in machinery or apparatus for dressing
flour, and it has for its object the making of the reel with a continuous
and unobstructed series of silk dressing surface inclines, so that the meal
may have a continuous gliding motion thereover, and that the whole of
the dressing surface may be properly utilized.
In the dressing of flour by means of silk reels the dressing is
performed (upon the rotation of the reel at a speed of about 200 to 300
feet a minute at the dressing surface) simply by the friction of the meal
upon the silk as it glides thercover, no brushes or other contrivance
being used to rub the flour against or through the silk. In such reels
this friction cannot be extended beyond about one-fourth of its surface
at one time, and this limited part at the time forms a double (or treble)

page_text: incline, and is the only part of the reel over which the meal is sliding
and in actual dressing operation; but in such reels as hitherto con-
structed the very desirable free sliding of the meal from the one incline
to that next succeeding is obstructed by inwardly projecting thick
wooden rails a (see right-hand half of Figure 1 on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings) over which the silk is stretched, which rails must
necessarily be made of a sufficient substance to withstand the strain to
which they are subjected, and in cases where they are reduced below the
required strength it is necessary that a number of extra inner supports
should be applied, which but aggravate the evil intended to be remedied.
Moreover, it is the general practice to retain these thick wooden rails a
in position by inwardly projecting wooden bracings bat intervals of
about forty inches in the length of the reel and continued entirely
around the same. It will thus be seen how that upon the rotation of
the reel the free sliding of the meal from an incline to that next
succeeding is obstructed by the inwardly projecting wooden rails,
supports, and bracings a, b, over which it cannot pass to the succeeding
incline till it has been stopped in its sliding motion, and has been lifted
by the said inwardly projecting parts, and has accumulated in mass when
it falls on to the succeeding incline, and in its fall misses a large space
of the silk surface immediately under the said wooden rails and other
inwardly projecting wooden parts, and which are revolving in a direction
contrary to that of the fall of the flour; a portion of this meal also falls
upon that being elevated by the next following rail, and as it does not
therefore come in contact with the silk at that point an additional loss
is caused, and thus about one-third to one-half of the dressing surface of
cach incline is missed by the meal and rendered of no utility for the
purpose of dressing. This will be more clearly seen upon reference
being had to the dotted lines in the left-hand half of Figure 1; the
arrow D indicating the direction of the revolution of the reel.
It will now clearly be seen how essential for the more economical
working of the dressing machine it is that such obstructions to the free
sliding of the meal from an incline to that next succeeding should be
avoided as much as possible; and it is to obtain this most desirable
object and advantage that the following improvements in the construction
of the dressing reel have been devised, and which give an unobstructed
dressing surface or series of inclines from one to another of which the-
meal may freely slide.

page_text: On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings the right-hand half of
Figure 1 represents in transverse section the present or ordinary con-
struction of the silk dressing reel, such as has been herein-before
referred to, and the left-hand half of the same Figure represents the
improvements in the construction thereof which constitute my Inven-
tion; Figure 2 also represents a vertical section through the line A, B,
of the left-hand half of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrow C.
These Figures and Figure 3 are drawn to a scale of three inches to a
foot, and Figure 4 is drawn full size, the illustrations representing a
forty-inch reel.
My Invention consists in making the rails 1 of iron, with an inner,
straight, or flattened surface 2, and an outer crown surface 3, curved,
made angular, or formed to the contour of the completed reel; this
peculiar section gives to the rails a sufficiency of strength with the use
of a minimum amount of material, whilst at the same time as the inner
and outer surfaces 2 and 3 meet in feather edges there is no part projecting
into the reel. I also cover or enclose the rails with a damp proof
tubing 4 of india-rubber or of canvas, or I coat them with any suitable
protective composition to prevent them being corroded by the damp;
the silk 5 I stretch thereupon as is usually done, the rubber thus forms
a soft bed therefor and prevents any detrimental action of the silk
thereupon. I also make the rails 1 with countersunk holes 6 (Figure 3)
in their outer faces 3, and in these holes rest the heads 7 of bolts 8
(Figure 4) which retain the rails in position; and against the inner
faces 2 of the rails 1 I cause to abut tubular arms 9 through which the
said bolts 8 pass; the arms 9 at their inner ends are fitted in sockets 10
made or fitting in radiating recesses 11 of bosses 12, affixed by keys 13
at intervals of about fifty inches apart to the tubular centre shaft 14 in
the usual way, the bolts 8 however pass through such sockets 10 and
are secured at their inner ends by screw nuts 15; the rails 1 are thus all
firmly held in position without the aid of bracings or other supports of
any kind, and prevented from springing or moving in any direction.
With these improvements the following advantages in addition to
those above enumerated are also obtained :-Great strength and stability
is imparted to the framing of the reel with the use of a minimum amount
of material, and every part is prevented from springing or moving in
any direction, the usual extra supports and bracings are rendered
unnecessary, each rail being separately sufficiently supported, and.

page_text: nearly double the amount of efficiently acting silk or dressing surface is
obtained in a silk dressing reel of this improved construction than can
be obtained in any other silk dressing reel of corresponding dimensions.
I would here remark that the above described improvements may be
applied to any existing silk flour dressing reels, as they will not require
any re-arrangement of the ends or frames or necessitate any alterations
in any other part of the machinery or apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention, together with the manner in which the
same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I
would remark in conclusion that I claim as my Invention, the application
and use in the construction of silk flour dressing reels of thin angular or
slightly curved iron rails covered with a tubing of india-rubber or other
protective material, and retained in position by the peculiar means above
fully specified, for the attainment of a continuous and unobstructed
dressing surface for the more economical dressing of the flour, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and as illustrated on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thornton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of August, in