IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLAY, SEWAGE DEPOSIT, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES OR MATTERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmundson Scholes, of Hollinwood, in the County of
Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
DRYING CLAY, SEWAGE DEPOSIT, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES OR MATTERS."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmundson Scholes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th November 1876.
EDMUNDSON SCHOLES, of Hollinwood, in the County of Lancaster, Manager.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLAY, SEWAGE DEPOSIT, AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES OR MATTERS."
My Invention has for its principal object to effect the drying or partial drying of
clay preparatory to the manufacture of the clay into bricks or tiles, but the
apparatus which I have devised for the purpose may also be employed in the
drying of peat, sewage deposit, grains, and other substances or matters.
In the said apparatus a hollow cylinder is fitted to revolve within a cylindrical
steam jacketed casing, and is provided with knives or disintegrating blades or teeth
herein-after styled blades, which are fixed to the outer circumference of the said
cylinder or are fixed or formed on bars which are fixed to the said cylinder, the said
blades being set or formed to have a propelling action upon the clay or matters.
Teeth or clearers are attached to the inside of the said cylindrical casing and pre-
ferably near the upper part thereof. As the inner cylinder revolves the aforesaid
blades pass between the fixed teeth or clearers which clear the spaces between the
said blades. If the latter are set in straight rows prefer to arrange the clearers in
a spiral row or in spiral rows. Steam is admitted through the a hollow gudgeon to
the interior of the said cylinder, and arrangements are made for effecting the
discharge of water therefrom. The said cylindrical casing is enclosed with an outer
casing, and there is a space for the flow of air between the two casings. A fan
actuated by a shaft which is connected by gearing with the revolving cylinder, or
otherwise actuated, withdraws air from the said space and delivers it into the
interior of the said cylindrical casing.
The matter to be dried or partially dried, say for example clay, is fed into one
end of the apparatus through a hopper or opening, and is delivered into the interior
of the said cylindrical casing. The clay is stirred, cut up, disintegrated, and brought

page_text: into contact with the heated surfaces by the action of the aforesaid blades, which
receive heat from the cylinder to which they are attached, and the clay is also
gradually propelled towards the delivery end of the apparatus. The air drawn
through the space between the two cases by the action of the fan is delivered in a
heated state into the delivery end of the apparatus, and flowing through the
interior escapes along with the climinated vapour through the feed opening, or is
otherwise permitted to escape from the apparatus. The outer casing may be felted
and lagged or otherwise protected from undue loss of heat through radiation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edmundson Scholes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th May
1877.
EDMUNDSON SCHOLES, of Hollinwood, in the County of Lancaster, Manager.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLAY, SEWAGE DEPOSIT, AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES OR MATTERS.”
My Invention has for its principal object to effect the drying or partial drying of
clay preparatory to the manufacture of the clay into bricks or tiles, but the
apparatus which I have devised for the purpose may also be employed in the drying
of sewage deposit, excreta, peat, grains, and other substances or matters.
In the said apparatus a hollow cylinder is fitted to revolve within a cylindrical
steam jacketed casing, and is provided with knives or disintegrating blades or teeth
herein-after styled blades, which are fixed to the outer circumference of the said
cylinder or are fixed or formed on bars which are fixed to the said cylinder, the said
blades being set or formed to have a propelling action upon the clay or matters.
Teeth or clearers are sometimes attached to the inside of the said cylindrical casing
and preferably near the upper part thereof. Steam is admitted through a hollow
gudgeon to the interior of the said cylinder, and arrangements are made for effecting
the discharge of water therefrom. The said cylindrical casing is enclosed within an
outer casing, and there is a space for the flow of air between the two casings.
fan actuated by a shaft which is connected by gearing with the revolving cylinder,
or otherwise actuated, withdraws air from the said space and delivers it into the
interior of the said cylindrical casing.
A
The matter to be dried or partially dried, say for example clay, is fed into one.
end of the apparatus through a hopper or opening, and is delivered into the interior
of the said cylindrical casing.
And in order that my said Invention may be readily described and understood
I have appended hereunto a Sheet of Drawings made to a scale of about three-
quarters of an inch to the foot, and marked with letters of reference, corresponding
marks indicating the same parts in the various Figures.
Referring in this place to the said Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal
sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a sectional plan of apparatus constructed in
accordance with my said Invention, Fig. 3 being an elevation of the end of the
machine which is to the left hand in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4, an elevation of the
other end thereof.
In Fig. 3 the gearing and steam connections are not represented, but are seen
in Figs. 1 and 2.
In the said Figs. A is the said inner hollow cylinder, B is the cylindrical steam-
jacketed casing, and C is the outer casing. The cylinder A, in the example, is
formed of sheet iron or boiler plates, and is provided with cast-iron ends which are
formed with gudgeons which are turned to revolve in bearings or plummer blocks,
as seen at a in Fig. 4. The said bearings are not represented in Figs. 1 and 2, but
it will be understood that they are bolted to the framing b, b. Upon one of the
said gudgeons is fixed a spur wheel c with which gears a pinion which is fixed
upon a shaft e.
The said shaft is fitted to revolve in suitable bearings fixed to or

page_text: formed on the end standards D, D, and is provided with a strap pulley f, or with a
pair of fast and loose pulleys as may be preferred. The said shaft being driven by
à steam engine or suitable prime mover, imparts a revolving motion to the
cylinder A. To the outer surface of the said cylinder are fixed inclined knives or
propelling and cutting blades g, g, which are formed to cut up and disintegrate the
matters to be operated upon, and also to have a screwing or propelling action upon
such matters.
The casing B consists of two shells of sheet metal or boiler plate which are fixed
to the two standards D, and between the said two shells is a space for steam. Tho
inner of the two shells, in this example, is strengthened with rings of tee iron as
seen in Fig. 1. The outer casing C is also fixed to the standards D and surrounds
the casing B.
The casing C may be made of sheet metal, but as it has not to withstand the
pressure of steam, it need not be so strong as the cylinder A or the shells of the
casing B, and may even be made of wood if preferred. The interval between the
casings B and C forms a passage for the flow of air, and communicates at one end
with the inlet opening of a fan E, and at the other end air inlet openings h, h, aro
formed in the standard D, and communicate with the said air space.
The delivery passage from the said fan cominunicates by means of a curved
opening, indicated by lotted lines in Fig. 4, with the space in which the
cylinder A revolves. A small pulley is fixed on the fan spindle, and a driving
pulley is fixed on one end of the shaft c. A rapid revolving movement is com-
municated to the said fan by means of a belt which is mounted on the two pulleys
when the inachine is in action. If preferred the said fan may be actuated otherwise
than by means of the shaft c. A pipe m, seen in Fig. 1, conveys steam from a
generator to the machine. The said pipe is coupled to a pipe n which is or may be
furnished with a safety valve and pressure guage, as indicated in order that the
steam pressure within the cylinder and casing may not become excessive. The
pipe n conveys steam to the interior of the casing B. The lower end of the pipe m
is coupled to one of the gudgeons of the cylinder A, the coupling employed per-
mitting the rotation of the said cylinder.
In the machine which I have constructed I employ an arrangement similar to the
swivel joint of a gas bracket, but if preferred a stuffing box or gland may be used
to answer the same purpose. Steam is admitted through the pipe m and coupling,
and through a steam passage in the said gudgeon into the interior of the cylinder A.
It must be understood that the said cylinder and also the casing B must be made
sufliciently strong to withstand the steam pressure which it may be considered
advisable to employ, and must also be made sufficiently steam-tight. A passage is
also formed in the gudgeon at the other end of the cylinder A, and a dip or scoop
pipe is fitted within the said cylinder, and communicates by means of a swivel joint
with a pipe o through which the water arising from the condensation of steam
within the said cylinder is conveyed away from the machine. Any ordinary or
suitable arrangement for effecting the discharge of the said water may be employed.
A discharge pipe p conveys the water from within the casing B. I prefer to apply a
steam trap or steam traps of an ordinary or suitable description to the pipes o and p.
A feed opening and a delivery opening s pass through the casings to the
interior of the machine, each opening being formed by a short pipe which is
suitably connected with the shells of the casing B so as to prevent the escape of
steam; the feed opening is or may be provided with a hopper. The matter to be
treated, say for example moist clay, is fed into the machine through the opening r,
and is subjected to the disintegrating or dividing action of the blades g,g. The
cylinder A and the casing B are both heated by the steam admitted therein as
already described, A rapid revolving motion is imparted to the fan, and air is
thereby drawn through the openings into the space between the casings B and C,
and flowing through the said space becomes heated, and is delivered into the space
in which the cylinder A revolves. The heated air flows in the direction indicated
in Fig. 2, from one end of the machine to the other, and is emitted through

page_text: openings t, seen in Fig. 3. The clay is gradually propelled by the action of the
blades towards the delivery opening s, and is cut up and divided by the said blades
which receive heat from the cylinder A, and the said clay is thereby caused to
continually expose fresh surfaces to the action of the current of heated air and by
reason of the heat derived from the cylinder A and the casing B, and from the said
blades is more or less dried before it is delivered through the openings, according to
the length of the machine, and to the inclination or propelling action of the said
blades.
The machine may be made comparatively longer or shorter, as required, and the
blades may be arranged to have the propelling action which may be found by
practice to have the best effect when operating upon the matters to be dried.
In some cases teeth or clearers may be fixed to the inside of the casing near the
upper part thereof, as herein-aforesaid. As the inner cylinder would revolve, the
blades would pass between the said teeth or clearers which would clear the spaces
between the blades. If the blades are set in spiral rows the said clearers may be
arranged in a straight row, the object being to prevent the whole of the clearers
coming into action at once. I prefer to construct the machine so that either of the
shells of the casing B can be removed for repairs wlthout disturbing the other shell.
The cylinder A can also be readily withdrawn when necessary. The number of
blades employed may be such as would be considered suitable to the matters to be
treated. The pipes m and n are provided with cocks or valves whereby the
admission of steam can be regulated, and the steam may be shut off from the
cylinder A or from the casing B when it is not necessary to heat both the cylinder
and casing.
For some uses it may be necessary to convey the vapours issuing from the holes t
or from a delivery opening or from openings otherwise arranged into a condenser,
or to convey the said vapours into a furnace or chimney. The space within the
casing B is closed at each end by removable covers u formed in two halves for
convenience of removal whenever it is necessary to obtain access to the said space
or to inspect the working of the machine. The casing C if made of metal may be
lagged, or felted, or otherwise protected from undue loss of heat through radiation.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said Invention and
the manner in which I carry the same into practical effect, would have it to be
understood in conclusion that I claim,―-
First. The apparatus constructed and acting substantially as and for the pur-
poses set forth and indicated herein-before, and in and by the accompanying
Drawings.
Secondly. The steam heated cylinder furnished with breaking up and propelling
blades, and revolving within a steam heated cylindrical case, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth and indicated.
And, lastly. The internal casing enclosing the steam heated casing and forming
a passage in which air is heated, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Edmundson Scholes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Signed and sealed by the said
Edmundson Scholes in the
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentee,
3, Princess Street,
Manchester.
EDMUNDSON SCHOLES. (L.S.)