An Improved Apparatus for Drying Phosphates, Marl, Clay, Sand, and other Materials.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1835
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Drying Phosphates, Marl, Clay, Sand,
and other Materials.
We, DAVID WILEY ANDERSON and GEORGE WASHINGTON PARSONxs, both
of East Canal Street, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, United States of
America, Architects, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The drying apparatus of this invention comprises any suitable number of fire
places the products of combustion from which pass first into a throat or passage
and thence through comparatively long narrow flues there being several of these
communicating with each throat or passage. They extend across and under the
drying chamber proper, and at their opposite ends communicate with a collecting
flue leading to the chimney. The top or upper walls of the flues constitute the
floor of the drying chamber. This floor is constructed of a series of conveyor
In each of the troughs
troughs connected together so as to form a continuous floor.
there is arranged a conveyor mounted upon a shaft actuated by a screw and worm
wheel. The conveyers extend to the outside of the drying chamber into a feed
chamber or chambers fed from a hopper with the material to be dried first on to a
A single
trunk conveyor which distributes the material to the other conveyors.
withdrawing conveyor may be employed for carrying away the dried material from
all the conveyor troughs. A fan at the top of the drying chamber withdraws the
moisture.
Datad this Oth dow of March 1894.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
An Improved Apparatus for Drying Phosphates, Marl, Clay, Sanu,
and other Materials.
We, DAVID WILEY ANDERSON and GEORGE WASHINGTON PARSONS, both
of East Canal Street, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, United States of
America, Architects, 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 drying apparatus of this invention is more especially designed for treating
materials that withstand great heat without deterioration and which are fed to the
apparatus rapidly and in large quantities.
An Improved Apparatus for Drying Phosphates, Marl, Clay, Sand,
and other Materials.
We, DAVID WILEY ANDERSON and GEORGE WASHINGTON PARSONS, both
of East Canal Street, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia, United States of
America, Architects, 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 drying apparatus of this invention is more especially designed for treating
materials that withstand great heat without deterioration and which are fed to the
apparatus rapidly and in large quantities.
in the drawing
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side and an end view of the apparatus.
Fig. 3 a vertical section on line a- of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 a horizontal section on line y-y of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 a horizontal section on line z-z of Figs. 1 and 3.
Fig. 6 a vertical section on line - of Fig. 2.
Figs. 7 and 8 are details.

page_text: A are furnaces in any suitable number and construction. The products of
combustion pass from each furnace through a contracted passage a and thence
through long narrow flues B several of which are in communication with each
passage a. They extend across and under the drying chamber proper and at their
opposite ends conimunicate with a collecting flue 6 and this latter with a chimney D:
The top of the flues B constitutes also the floor of the drying chamber in the form.
of a number of conveyor troughs F2 firmly connected together so as to form a
substantially continuous floor of a corrugated form in section and is indicated as a
whole by F.
In each of the troughs F2 there is arranged a conveyor mounted on a shaft e.
The conveyors are placed parallel to each other and transverse to flues B so that
the products of combustion are compelled to pass across and below the whole series
of conveyor troughs. The shafts e are carried in bearings e², e³, supported on
frames H, H, at the sides of the apparatus. In the side walls of the drying
chamber proper there are apertures one opposite another for each conveyor said
conveyors preferably extending out beyond the side walls. e' is a worm wheel upon
each conveyor shaft e all said wheels being in a line and all simultaneously actuated
by worms g on a shaft G.
At the feed end of the conveyors there is a supply chamber K, or there may be
several of such chambers, communicating with the conveyor troughs. Above the
feeding chamber or chambers there is an initial feeding hopper L communicating at
the bottom with a conveyor trunk or trough N' containing the conveyor M mounted
upon the shaft m this being driven from shaft G through wheels G', G³, and
chain G2, and the whole mechanism from the belt wheel G.
The conveyors deliver into a trough N supported on a frame H' there being in
this trough a conveyor N2 mounted on a shaft n, to which latter, power is trans-
mitted from one of the conveyor shafts e through chain gearing e shaft e and bevel
gearing the motion being so calculated that the collecting and withdrawing
conveyor N2 shall rotate much more rapidly than the conveyors E.
The
Above the conveyors E the drying chamber tapers or narrows upwards and
communicates with a flue F³ provided with an exhaust fan O of sufficient capacity.
The preferred material for, and manner of constructing and arranging the parts
along which the material to be dried is conveyed, are as follows. The troughs
forming the drying floor are each formed of a bottom fl and two side parts f, f.
They are constructed of tiles, fire clay, terra cotta or other suitable refractory
material, capable of withstanding great heat without rapid deterioration.
troughs are built up in sections as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8, the bottom part having
grooves and the side parts tongues to fit therein thus providing a joint
sufficiently firm to secure the parts together and tight enough to prevent the
escape of material at the joints. At the upper ends or edges the sections are so
shaped as to interlock (Fig. 7). The side piece f is rabetted at f and the side
piece of an adjacent trough is grooved at to receive the shoulder part of the
adjacent section at f'.
It will be seen that the vertical walls B of the fire flues not only act to distribute
the products of combustion uniformly over the whole of the extensive drying floor
but moreover that they act as supports for the flat earthenware or tiles which are
laid directly upon them so that no metal is required at places where it can be
impinged upon by the highly heated currents. By disposing the parts so that flat
tiles may be used and supported upon the flue walls and so shaping the tile work
as to form a flame tight flooring or series of conveyor chambers, this part of the
apparatus may be constructed at a very low cost.
In order to support the long conveyor shafts e, these may have a central support J
adapted to carry a series of bearings which are held by brackets j extending down
from the cross support J. The conveyors may be made in two or more sections
and supported in the manner just described or each conveyor shaft may be continued
from the bearing e¹ to the bearing e².
In operating the mechanism, the material is fed uniformly to the hopper L whence

page_text: it is carried along the trough N₁ by the conveyor M which distributes it in
substantially equal quantities to the several conveyors of the whole series by which
it is advanced at the desired speed along the troughs F. The heated products of
combustion pass from the furnaces A along the flues B and heat the troughs F
forming the floor F to a high degree and as the material-phosphate, marl, or
clay etcetera is carried along the same in a suitably thin sheet or layer the moisture
is quickly driven out. As it rises into the tapering upper part of the drying
chamber it is rapidly withdrawn therefrom by the fan O. The feed or supply
conveyor also rotates at a greater speed than the distributing or forwarding
conveyors E worin gearing G, e', being preferably used and acting to reduce the
speed of the conveyors E so that a single conveying device located outside the end
wall of the drying chamber may be used for supplying all the forwarding conveyors,
and as above described a single withdrawing conveyor such as N2 may be used for
carrying away the material from the whole series of forwarding conveyors E.
It will be seen that the flues for the products of combustion are located trans-
versely to the path of the material moving through the drying chamber and as a
result the heat can be equably distributed under the whole of the material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
'
1. In an apparatus for drying phosphates, marl, clay, sand and similar materials,
the combination of the fire chamber, the smoke exhaust chamber, the fire flues
having vertical walls and communicating with said chambers, the flat earthenware
plates or tiles resting on said flue walls, the flat plates or tile sections, f
joined flame tight at their upper edges and to the plates or sections f¹ at their
lower edges whereby a drying chamber above them is formed and a heating chamber
below them extending around the three flat sides, and a spiral conveyor adjacent to
the walls formed of the said plates or tiles, substantially as described and shewn.
2. In an apparatus of the kind referred to, the combination of the fire chambers
upon one side, the smoke exhaust chamber on the opposite side, the series of walls B¹
extending from the fire chamber to the smoke chamber and forming a relatively
large number of reduced fire flues and also supporting the heating walls, the flat
earthenware plates or tiles f¹ resting on the tops of said flue walls B and arranged
transversely thereto, the flat oppositely inclined earthenware plates,³, each
secured by tongue and groove to the said bottom plates f1, and at their upper
edges secured to correspondingly inclined plates by tongue and groove connections,
whereby a series of passage ways are formed with flat walls constituting a tight
continuous bottom for the drying chamber, a series of parallel conveyors E mounted
respectively in the said compartments and a transverse distributing conveyor
supplying material to all of the aforesaid conveyors simultaneously, substantially
as described and shewn.
Dated this th day of December 1904
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.