IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
MILLBOURN, of Saint Mary's Cray, in the County of Kent, Paper Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Millbourn, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Samuel Millbourn, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Millbourn,
my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Samuel Millbourn, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be in-
rolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE,, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Millbourn, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of applying apparatus to what is
called the "engine" for the purpose of drawing off the water therefrom.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a novel arrangement of the parts of
machines for the making of paper.
Thirdly, my Invent on relates to a mode of arranging or combining mecha-
nical parts into a machine for sizing paper.
And, fourthly, my Invention relates to improvements in arranging or com-
bining apparatus for drying paper.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING A.
Figure 1a plan; Figure 2, a longitudinal section; and Figure 3, a cross
section, of a paper "engine" with my improvements applied thereto. a is the
roll by which, in combination with the knives b, the rags are torn to pieces, as is
well understood, and which forms no part of my Invention, which consists in a
mode of applying the cylinder c. The cylinder c is composed of a cylindrical
frame, carried by the spindle d, and made suitable to receive wire cloth,
through which the dirty and bleach water passes away from the "engine."
And I would state, I am aware of its having been proposed to use cylinders
for the purpose of drawing off the dirty water from the engine; but, from
such cylinders having been placed at a distance from the back fall, they have
not been found fully to answer the purpose intended, and I have found, that
by placing a reticulate cylinder near to the back fall, where the agitation of
the pulp or rag is considerable, I am enabled more effectually to draw off the
dirty and bleach water. The cylinder c is caused to revolve, by which the
pulp is prevented adhering to and forming a coating on the surface of the
cylinder c. For this purpose I apply a drum e on the axle d, which, by
means of the band f, receives motion from the main shaft g of the "engine,"
as shown.
pare, macum
used in Ch
been arranged so that the wire cloth, on to which the pulp is caused to flow, has
been arranged to travel horizontally; and in such machines it has been found

page_text: that the semi-fluid pulp is very liable to be diffused unevenly on the surface
of the wire cloth, whereby the texture of the paper, when produced, has been
uneven, the fibre of the pulp not being well combined. Now the object of the
second part of my Invention is, so to arrange parts of machines for making
paper (in which the wire cloth is arranged to travel upwards in a slanting or a
vertical direction) as to obtain a more even and better description of paper.
And I would here state, that I am aware of its having been proposed to
arrange machines for making paper with the travelling wire cloth placed at an
angle; but such machines, to the best of my knowledge, have hitherto not
been found to answer.
In the Drawing B, I have shown so much of a machine, according to this
part of my Invention, as will enable an intelligent workman, aided by the
description herein given, to construct a machine. a, a, is the vat containing
the pulp, which is kept constantly stirred by means of an agitator 6; and the
pulp is kept constantly at an uniform level in the vat a, as is well understood.
c is the endless wire cloth; and it will be seen, that while the pulp in the vat
is kept stirred, so that it may be of equal density throughout, there is a
board d applied within the vat a, so placed that that portion of the pulp which
is next the wire cloth may be comparatively quiet, and that that distributed on
the wire cloth may not be injuriously affected by the agitation produced by the
stirrer 6. The board d, by not going to the lower part of the yat a, allows of.
the pulp being supplied to the wire cloth; and there is a float board e at the
upper part of the vat a, and near to the surface of the wire. cloth c.
This float,
is for the purpose of preventing air bubbles being carried up with the pulp on
the wire cloth. Such air bubbles or bladders, by the inclined form of the
under side of the float e, will be deflected off from the wire if they are not at
once burst by contact with the fleat e., The wire cloth.c is carried by rollers c';
the two lower ones of which I form 'with adjustable bearings to regulate the
stretch on the wire cloth c, and they are also arranged to dip into a water.
trough f; by which the wire cloth c is cleansed. Deckles, 2, (only one of
which is shewn,)" are used to regulate the width of the paper.. g, g', g³, are
boxes closed air-tight, except on the side next the wire cloth c, where they
have plates perforated with numerous small holes as close together as may be,
increasing in size as they approach the upper part, those at the lower part
being about the one fiftieth of an inch in diameter, and those at the upper part
in the box g² one sixteenth of an inch in diameter. Each of these boxes g,g', g,
is connected to a pipe h, in connection with an air pump or other means of
obtaining vacuum, by which the water from the pulp is caused to flow into the
boxes 9, 9', g, through the wire cloth, and through the perforated plates of the

page_text: boxes.
The vacuum which I maintain in the box g I prefer to be very
slight, say, one ounce to the inch, that in the box g' about two ounces to the
inches, and that in the box g about two pounds to the inch, for ordinary thin
paper; but this may be varied, and for thicker papers the vacuum in each
case should be increased. i, i, , are pipes with ends turned up suitable for
the vacuum employed. There is one of these pipes to each of the boxes g, g¹, g²,
for the purpose of carrying off the water. j is another box, similar to the
boxes g, g', g, without a perforated plate (though one may be used if required)
on the upper side; and it has a pipe in connection with an air pump or
other suitable means of obtaining vacuum, by which a vacuum of about six pounds
and a half is maintained in the box j. It also has a water pipe, with a suit-
able turned-up end, as shewn. This box j is for the purpose of drawing off
what water may remain in the paper as it is carried forward by the wire
cloth c in the direction of the arrow; and when it arrives at the point k it is
blown off the wire cloth on to the apron 7 by means of a current of air blown
through the trough m, which extends across the machine. The paper is then
carried forward by the apron 7 through pressing rollers n, n, or otherwise, as
required.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which is shewn in
Drawing D. Figure 1 is a sectional side view of apparatus, according to ny
improvements, and Figure 2 shows some of the parts separately. The blue
line a indicates the passage of the paper, which, it will be seen, passes over
the conducting roller b to between the rollers c, c, and d, d, which I make of
wood, though other material may be used. The rollers c, c, are supported in
the main framing of the machine, so as to turn on their axes; and they receive
size from the trough e, which is supplied with size continuously, so that the
size may be kept at one uniform level in the trough e; and there is an outlet
for the size at e', the aperture of which is capable of being adjusted so as to
regulate the quantity of size passing out of the trough e to the sizing rollers c, c.
d, are other rollers on the under side of the sheet of paper, and these
rollers are partly immersed in the trough f, which is supplied with size in
any suitable manner. As the rollers d, d, revolve they carry up the size in
the trough f to the under side of the paper. g is another roller, which I
prefer to be clothed with felt, and it turns loosely between two of the
rollers c, c, with a slight play endwise. The object of the roller
g is to dis-
tribute the size more evenly on the upper surface of the paper. The
paper, after it has passed through between the sizing rollers, passes partly
round the cylinders h and i, and is thence conducted to a reel or to the
drying machinery. In order that in beginning to work the machine the

page_text: paper may be readily introduced between the rollers c, c, and d, d, the
lower rollers d and the sizing trough fare carried by two arms j (one on each
side of the machine), which are guided by the main framing, so as to be
capable of sliding vertically; and the arms j, with the rollers d and trough,
are raised or lowered by means of the eccentrics on the shaft 1, which is
capable of turning in bearings in the main framing. The rollers c and d are.
geared together in the following manner:-The dotted red lines m and n.
indicate two toothed wheels, which have motion given to them in any suitable
manner. The toothed wheel in takes into and drives another toothed wheel
on the axis of one of the rollers c, and that toothed wheel takes into and drives
a toothed wheel on the axis of one of the rollers d; and the toothed wheel 1.
takes into and drives the toothed wheels on the axes of the two other rollers c, c,
and these toothed wheels take into and drive the toothed wheels on the axes.
of the other rollers d, d. The teeth of these toothed wheels should be formed
pointed, so that those on the axes of the rollers d, d, may more readily take
into those on the axes of the rollers c, c, when raised by means of the ex-
centrics. I would state, that although three pair of rollers and a distributing
roller are shewn, two pair of rollers may be employed, and even more than
three pair; but I believe the arrangement shewn is the best. By this
arrangement the paper will be caused to pass through between two or more
pairs of rollers, the lower ones revolving in a trough of size, the paper, in its
progress, not passing into the size, nor in any way around either of the pairs
of rollers, which constitutes the peculiar character of this part of the Inven-.
tion. And I would remark, that I am aware that rollers have before been
used, and proposed to be used, in various ways for sizing paper. I do not,
therefore, claim the use of rollers for that purpose, but only the mode of com-
bining two or more pairs of rollers in such manner that the paper to be sized
passes through between each pair successively, as shewn and described.
I will now describe the fourth part of my Invention, which has for its
object a mode of arranging or combining machinery and apparatus for drying
paper.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS MARKED E.
Figure 1 shows a front side view; Figure 2, a back view; Figure 3, a
longitudinal section; Figure 4, a plan; and Figure 5, a right-hand end view,
of a chamber arranged suitably for carrying out this part of my Invention.
The whole is constructed of a framing of timber a, a, on bearers b, b, the
sides, top, and ends being closed in by joiners' work, as shewn; and the
bearers 6 rest upon a floor composed of cement (or it may be of stone or other

page_text: suitable material), having narrow slits about a quarter of an inch wide and
ten inches long, there being four such openings or slits under each of the reels
hereafter described, under or partly around which the paper, in its progress
through the chamber, is caused to circulate, and there is a sliding shutter to
each of these openings, so that they may be wholly or partially closed in order
to regulate the passage of dry heated air from below, there being an arched
chamber with numerous openings through the arches, into which heated dry
air, from a cockel or other air-heating apparatus, is allowed to flow, as is well
understood when heating chambers for other purposes. At the top of the
chamber are formed several openings c, c, about two feet six inches long and
ten inches wide, with sliding shutters capable of wholly or partially closing
their respective openings. By these arrangements the heated dry air rises
from the lower part of the chamber, and ascends to and passes off at the upper
part of the chamber, carrying off the moisture from the paper, which is caused
to pass through the chamber, and as it passes is caused to circulate therein by
passing partly around a succession of reels or rollers within the chamber, so
that there will at all times be a length of paper of much greater length than
the chamber, making a tortuous passage through the chamber, and the paper
in its passage will be acted on by rising currents of heated dry air passing from
below upwards, and passing off above, as described. The chamber is divided
into several compartments by partitions d, d, which may be of wood or other
material, and fixed; but I prefer them to be of woollen cloth, fixed at the
upper part, and allowed to oscillate freely, the flexible partitions having each a
bar fixed at its lower end to keep it distended; and on the axes of the lower
reels e I prefer that there should be projecting fingers, which shall come into
contact with the bottom rail or bar, so as to cause them to oscillate three times
in each revolution of the reels, the fingers on the axes of the reels being so
set as to come into action on the partitions near them in succession, so that
the partitions will not be moving all in the same direction at the same time, by
which arrangement a slight vibration of the currents of air passing upwards is
effected. This part of the Invention consists in causing paper to pass in a
tortuous passage through a chamber, arranged as herein described, wherein
the dry heated air passes from below upwards, and away through openings
above, at the upper part of each compartment, which I prefer to be capable
of being regulated in such manner as to modify or adjust the heat of the
respective parts of the chamber, which may be done by having fans or blowers
to exhaust the air more or less by the speed of the fans, or by regulating
the size of the passages, the paper in its passage being allowed to contract
in its length by the rollers hereafter described.
e, e, are the reels. The

page_text: paper, passing partly around each, is thus caused to take a tortuous passage
through the divided drying chamber. I have found that heating the chamber
by means of currents of dry heated air to from sixty-five degrees to eighty
degrees of Fahrenheit when for thin fine papers, and causing the paper to
move at the rate of thirty feet per minute through a chamber of the dimen-
sions shewn (the same being about forty feet long), will cause the process of
drying paper to be performed with great advantage; and I prefer that the
chamber at the end where the paper enters should be lower in temperature
than at the end where the paper leaves. When drying stronger paper higher
temperatures are used. The paper, in the state of "water leaf," "tub-sized;" or
otherwise, enters the chamber at f; and I prefer that conducting and carrying
tapes should be used, as is well understood in printing machines, and in the
machinery for drying paper,. for which a Patent was granted to me and
Mr. Ranson, of Ipswich, some years ago, and which are now well known.
Motion is communicated to the reels e, e, and to the carrying tapes, when used,
in the following manner:-Four of the axles e¹ of the upper row of reels e
have motion given to them by means of bevelled toothed wheels g on the
shaft h, which is driven by a steam engine or other suitable power, and the
toothed wheels g take into and drive the bevilled toothed wheels i on those
axles e¹, and there are warves on each of the axles e, partly around which pass
bands, which also pass partly round similar warves on the axles of the next
lower reels e, giving motion to them; and those axles have each another
warve, partly around which passes another band, to give motion to the next
reel above, and so on, as is shewn in the Drawings. And in order to com-
pensate for the shrinking of the paper in passing through the chamber, I apply
frames j, each of which consists of a spindle 7, supported at back in the
framing of the chamber, and in front by a standard k. In these bearings the
spindle turns, and the spindle j¹ has arms j, which support rollers ³, which
are caused to press against the paper by means of cords (weighted or other-
wise) attached to one of the arms of each of the frames j. I would
remark, that in some cases I have used fans or rotatory blowers to withdraw
the air from the upper parts of the compartments of the drying chamber, but
in the last machine made by me the openings at the top without the blowers
are sufficient.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to any of the details herein described, so long as the pecu-
liar character of either part of my Invention be retained. But what I
claim is,

page_text: First, the mode of applying a revolving reticulate cylinder to the engine for
the purpose of drawing off the water therefrom, as herein described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of combining parts into a machine for making
paper, whereby a series of vacuum boxes are used to act in succession on the
paper as it is made, as herein described.
Thirdly, I claim the causing of paper to be passed through between a com-
bination of two or more pairs of rollers in succession, size being continually
brought up to the under side of the paper by the under rollers, as above
described.
And, fourthly, I claim the conducting paper in a tortuous course through
a drying chamber divided into compartments heated as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Millbourn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven