Improvements in Machines for the Compression of Gunpowder and for similar Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 25th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 30th Nov., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for the Compression of Gunpowder and
for similar Purposes.
I, ARTHUR GREENWOOD, of the firm of Greenwood and Batley, of Leeds, in the
County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
:-
The main object of my invention is to provide for the manufacture of pellets of
gun-powder for use in rifle-cartridges and for other purposes. My improved machines
are, however, applicable for the manufacture of other forms of compressed gun-
powder, such as prismatic or cubical powder, and for the compression of other
materials for various purposes.
By my said invention, I provide a machine which is entirely automatic and
therefore requires no attendant. This is a great advantage when the machine is to be
used in the manufacture of gunpowder.
The said machine, when constructed for the manufacture of powder-pellets, is
designed to perform the following operations, viz:-To measure the quantity of
powder required for each pellet, to place it in a mould provided for its reception,
to insert one or more needles down the centre of the mould and apply a slight
vertical pressure to the powder therein, and, while the said needles remain stationary
and the powder is subjected to such vertical pressure, to apply radial or lateral
pressure to the powder, thus completely forming the pellet, and afterwards to
withdraw the needle or needles, remove the pressure and extract the finished pellet.
My said invention is conveniently and advantageously carried into practice as
hereinafter described, that is to say :-The machine is constructed with a turn-table
carrying, say, four or more moulds, each of which is formed in segments. This table
has an automatic intermittent feed-motion imparted to it by means of a ratchet and
pawl, or by other suitable mechanism.
The powder is contained in a suitable hopper or other vessel and is measured by
means of a slide operated by a cam fixed on a vertical shaft, or in any other convenient
manner.

page_text: Three vertical slides are provided for the purposes of inserting the needle or
needles and putting the pressure on the powder. These slides are controlled by
three levers actuated by means of three cams keyed upon the said vertical cam-shaft.
These slides are sometimes arranged one within another in a single guide.
The upper lever imparts motion to the main vertical slide which works in V-shaped
grooves in a guide formed on or attached to the frame of the machine, and which
carries on its lower end a bell-shaped cone for giving the radial pressure to the
powder, by its action upon the segments of the mould. The middle lever gives motion
to the plunger for applying the vertical pressure to the powder, and the lower lever
gives motion to the needle or needles for the purpose of forming one or more holes
through the powder-pellet.
In the said turntable under each mould is fitted a small slide governed by a fixed
cam. This cam withdraws the said slide when the mould comes in line with an
extractor or ejector plunger, thus leaving a clear passage for the pellet to fall down a
tube into a box or other receptacle or upon a travelling sheet or band.
The extractor or ejector plunger receives its motion from the main slide, by means
of a stud and lever.
To ensure the descent of the powder from the hopper into the measuring slide, a
vertical rod or spindle is sometimes fitted to rotate in a central bearing at the upper
end of the said hopper, and suitable means are provided for imparting rotary motion
to the said rod or spindle. This rod or spindle extends downward through the
aperture at the lower end of the said hopper, and is bent somewhat in the form of a
cork-screw or otherwise so that, by its rotation, it will constantly agitate the powder
in the hopper and thus obviate any liability to jamming of the powder in the neck or
narrow portion thereof. Or other suitable means are provided for this purpose.
I also provide means for firmly holding or locking the turntable in position when
one or other of the moulds is beneath the vertical slides above mentioned.
I sometimes employ a suitable device for automatically stopping the machine on
the cessation of the powder-supply or in case of breakage of any of the moving parts
of the machine.
Deted this 25th dev of Tonnow, 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for the Compression of Gunpowder and
for similar Purposes.
I, ARTHUR GREENWOOD, of the firm of Greenwood and Batley, of Leeds, in the
County of York, Engineer, 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 :-
The main object of my invention is to provide for the manufacture of small
cylindrical or conical pellets or pieces of compressed gunpowder for use in rifle-
cartridges. My improved machine is, however, applicable for the manufacture of
other forms of "pellet-powder," such as prismatic or cubical powder, and for the
compression of other materials for various purposes.
The said machine is entirely automatic and therefore does not require constant
attention, thus affording the great advantage, when the machine is to be used in the
manufacture of gun-powder, that the risk of injury to the attendant through accidental
explosion of the powder obviated or greatly diminished.
The said machine, when constructed for the manufacture of powder-pellets, is
designed to perform the following operations, viz:-To measure the quantity of
powder required for each pellet, to place this powder in a mould provided for its
reception, to insert one or more needles into the mould and apply a slight vertical
pressure to the powder therein, and, while the said needles remain stationary and the
powder is subjected to such vertical pressure, to apply radial or lateral pressure to
the powder, thus completely forming the pellet, and afterwards to withdraw the
needle or needles, remove the pressure and extract or eject the finished pellet from
the mould.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of my improved machine.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section on the line x, x, Figure 2.
Figure 3 is a plan, and
Figure 4 a section on the line x, x1, Figure 3, both drawn to an enlarged scale,
showing details of construction hereinafter described.
Figure 5 is a plan, partly in horizontal section on the line x², x2, Figure 1, and
Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line ³, ³, Figure 1.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the frame of the machine; B is a hopper secured to the said frame, for
containing the gun-powder or other material to be fed to the moulds hereinafter
described; C is the driving shaft, which is carried in a bearing A¹ in the frame A,
and in a bearing C2 in the standard C¹ and on which are mounted the fast and loose
pulleys C, C to be connected by a belt or band with a steam-engine or other motor.

page_text: a is a turntable which is fixed upon a vertical shaft a¹ fitted to rotate in a bearing b
in the frame A. The table a has fixed thereon a set or series of moulds c, each of
which is provided with sliding segments or sections c¹ formed with slots cand
working in dovetail grooves and arranged to be moved as hereinafter described for
the purpose of imparting radial or lateral pressure to the powder. The said table a
has an intermittent feed-motion imparted to it automatically by means of a pawl d
which is pivoted upon a stud d¹ fixed in a lever e, and which engages with a ratchet-
wheel d² firmly keyed or otherwise fixed upon the lower end of the vertical shaft a¹.
The lever e is pivoted upon a stud e¹ fixed in a bracket or cross-bar e² firmly attached
to the frame A. The said lever e is provided with a toothed quadrant e³ with which
is geared another toothed quadrant et upon one arm of a lever e³ pivoted upon a
stud e firmly secured in the frame A. The other arm of the lever e is formed with
a slot e in which works the pin f1 of a disc-crank or crank-plate f firmly keyed or
otherwise fixed upon the lower extremity of a vertical cam-shaft g carried in suitable
bearings in the frame A. The bracket e² is provided with a segmental piece e
which forms a support for the lever e, a cap d³ on the stud d¹ bearing upon the said
segmental piece e³.
The hopper B is closed at its upper end by a lid or cover h, and is provided at its
lower extremity with an aperture 7. Beneath this aperture is arranged a slide i of
cylindrical or other suitable form in transverse section, provided with an aperture i¹
and arranged to move to-and-fro in a suitable guide or seating formed with a
corresponding aperture, for the purpose of measuring the powder and feeding the
same to the moulds as hereinafter described. The measuring slide i is connected, by
means of a rod 3 and a stud it provided with an anti-friction roller, with a grooved
cam fixed on the said vertical cam-shaft g. A suitable pipe or tube is secured in
the underside of the guide 2 and is held by an arm or bracket fixed in the cover of
one of the slides or plungers hereinafter described. This tube communicates with the
aperture in the guide or seating 2 and is arranged to convey the powder from the
measuring slide i to the moulds, as hereinafter set forth.
To prevent clogging or jamming of the powder or other material in the hopper B
and to ensure its descent into the measuring slide i, I provide a vertical rod k fitted
to rotate in a suitable bearing 2 on the cover h of the hopper B. The lower extremity
of the rod k is formed into a worm k¹, being bent or twisted somewhat in the form of
a taper cork-screw, and the upper extremity of the said rod k is provided with a
grooved wheel or pulley k². This pulley is connected by means of a cord or belt
with a grooved wheel or pulley fixed upon an extension g² of the cam-shaft g,
whereby rotary motion is imparted to the rod k and worm k¹. The said worm extends
downward through the aperture ¹ at the lower end of the said hopper B, so that, by
its rotation, it will constantly agitate the powder and thus obviate any liability to
jamming of the same in the neck or narrow portion of the hopper.
p2
m, m², m² are vertical slides or plungers for inserting a needle or needles into the
mould and applying the vertical and lateral or radial pressure to the powder therein.
The said slides or plungers m, m³, m² are operated or controlled by levers o, o¹,
pivoted at 03, 04, 0 to the frame. A and actuated by means of grooved cams p, p',
keyed upon the vertical cam-shaft g, the said levers being connected with the cams
by means of pins or studs provided with anti-friction rollers working in the cam-
grooves. The levers o, o¹, 02 are connected to the slides m, m², m² by rounded
enlargements fitting into corresponding slots in blocks or pieces m³, mt, m³ arranged
in slots in the slides so that they are capable of a slight to-and-fro motion therein to
adapt themselves to the varying position of the levers. Each of the levers o¹, o² is
formed in two parts and provided with adjusting screws 06, 07 (or other suitable means)
for altering the position of the said parts relatively to each other and thus varying
the position of the slides m², m² relatively to each other and to the slide m.
The lever o imparts motion to the main vertical slide or plunger m, which works
in V-shaped grooves q¹ in guides q formed on or attached to the frame A. The said
slide m is provided at its lower end with a hollow cone or bell-shaped piece mo,
which is adapted to engage, when moved downward, with the slotted segments or

page_text: sections c¹ of the mould c beneath it; the said cone and the slotted sections of the
mould are so formed that, when the slide m is moved downward, the said cone will
move the said segments or sections inward, thereby imparting the radial or lateral
pressure to the powder in the mould, and, in the upward movement of the said slide m,
the said cone will move the said segments or sections outward, thus removing such
pressure.
The slide m' is arranged to move up and down in the main slide m, and motion is
imparted to it by the lever o¹. A plunger » is secured in the slide m¹ for the purpose
The slide m² is
of applying the vertical pressure to the powder in the mould.
arranged to move up and down in the slide m' and motion is imparted to the said.
slide m² by the lever o². The said slide m² is provided with a socket s extending into
the plunger and carrying the needle s¹, or a group of needles, for forming one or
more holes through the powder-pellet. The slide m is provided with a plate or
cover m' whereby the other slides are enclosed therein.
In the turntable a, under each of the moulds c, is fitted a slide t having an
aperture t¹ large enough to permit the passage through it of a powder-pellet from the
mould. The said slides t are governed by a grooved plate or cam u which is firmly
secured to the frame A and to which the said slides t are connected by means of pins
or studs provided with antifriction rollers. vis an extractor or ejector plunger for
pushing out the pellets from the moulds. This plunger is passed through guide-
brackets v¹ attached to the frame A, and receives its motion from the main slide m
by means of a lever w pivoted at w¹ to the frame A, and coupled at w² to a bracket w³
attached to the said main slide m and at w to the said extractor or ejector plunger v.
The cam u is arranged to move the slides t so that, when a mould c comes in line with
the extractor or ejector plunger v, the aperture t¹ of the corresponding slide t will
coincide with the aperture in the bottom of the said mould, leaving a clear passage for
the pellet to fall down through a tube y into a box y' or other suitable receptacle, or
upon a travelling sheet or band.
9.
For firmly holding or locking the turntable in position when one or other of the
moulds c is in its proper position beneath the vertical slides or plungers above
mentioned, I provide a cam firmly keyed or otherwise fixed upon the cam shaft
The cam zis connected to a rod or bar z¹ by means of a pin or stud 22 provided with
an antifriction roller, and operates the said bar so as to firmly press the same into one
or other of a series of notches a² in the periphery of the turntable a and thus lock the
said turntable a in position.
Rotary motion is imparted to the cam-shaft g by means of a bevel-wheel g³ geared
with a bevel pinion g* fixed on the driving shaft C.
22
The operation of the machine is as follows, that is to say :-The hopper B is first
filled with gunpowder. The machine is then started and, when the measuring slide i
arrives at the rear extremity of its stroke so that its aperture i¹ is beneath the hole /¹
in the bottom of the hopper B, the said aperture is filled with powder. When the
said measuring slide returns to the forward end of its stroke, so that the aperture i¹
coincides with the aperture in the guide or seating ² and with the upper end of the
pipe, the powder is delivered from the aperture into the mould through the pipe i³,
the hole h' in the bottom of the hopper B being at this time closed by the solid part
of the slide i. The moulds c are thus successively filled or charged with powder as the
turntable a is intermittently rotated. When one or other of the moulds c thus filled or
charged arrives beneath the slides or plungers m, m¹,,m², another of the said moulds
is beneath the feed-pipe and another heneath the ejector-plunger v. The turntable a
is temporarily locked or held in this position by the cam z and rod 21 and the said
slides or plungers are moved by the levers o, o², o² and cams p, p¹, p² so that the
needle n, or the group of needles, is inserted into the mould by the slide m², and a
slight vertical pressure is applied to the powder in the mould by the slide or
plunger m'; then, while the said needle or needles remain stationary and the said
vertical pressure is maintained, radial or lateral pressure is applied to the powder in
the mould by means of the slide m through the action of the cone or bell-shaped
piece me upon the sections c¹ of the mould." The said slides are then withdrawn and

page_text: the turntable a is unlocked and again partially rotated, thus bringing the mould with
the compressed powder therein beneath the ejector-plunger v, so that the powder-
pellet will be ejected from the said mould, while another quantity of powder is being
compressed in the mould beneath the said slides or plungers, and another mould is
being filled beneath the pipe . Each of the moulds c is thus in turn brought
successively beneath the pipe, the slides or plungers m, m², m², and the ejector-
plunger v. The operations of charging one mould with powder, subjecting to pressure
the powder in another mould and ejecting the finished pellet from a third mould are,
therefore, performed in each rotation of the cam-shaft g, and the machine will operate
automatically so long as there is powder in the hopper B.
I sometimes employ a suitable device for automatically stopping the machine on the
cessation of the powder-supply, or in the case of breakage of any of the moving parts
of the machine.
If the machine is to be used for making solid compressed blocks or pellets, that is to
say, blocks or pellets without holes through the same, the slide m² may be disconnected
or dispensed with.
It is obvious that, if desired, the turntable may be provided with more or less than
four moulds, and that the construction of the machine may be otherwise somewhat
modified without departing from the nature of iny invention. For instance, the
number of sliding sections of each of the moulds may be increased or diminished.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood that
I claim :-
:-
First A machine substantially as described or otherwise suitably provided with
means for automatically measuring gun-powder or similar material, placing the
measured quantity thereof in a mould, applying vertical and radial or lateral pressure
to the powder therein, removing the pressure, and extracting or ejecting the finished
block or pellet.
Second In the said machine, the combination, with devices for effecting the
operations set forth in the first claiming clause, of suitable means for inserting one or
more needles in the mould and withdrawing the same therefrom, for the purpose above
specified.
Third A mould having two or more sliding sections for applying radial or lateral
pressure to the material therein, as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Fourth-The intermittently rotating turntable carrying the set or series of moulds
constructed with sliding sections substantially as described, and arranged in combina-
tion with means for charging the said moulds, for applying vertical or end wise and
radial or lateral pressure to the powder therein, and for ejecting the finished pellets,
as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Fifth-The improved machine consisting of the parts (with or without the slide or
plunger and its operating lever and cam for inserting the needle into the mould)
constructed and combined substantially as described with reference to the accompany-
ing drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Dated this 25th day of October 1888
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.