IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING PEAT, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and
Francis Howlett, all of the Atlas Works, Woodfield Road, Harrow
Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clayton, Henry
Clayton, junior, and Francis Howlett at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 9th October 1872.
We, HENRY CLAYTON, HENRY CLAYTON, junior, and FRANCIS
HOWLETT, all of the Atlas Works, Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING PEAT, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
―:
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating peat and in
apparatus employed therein. We place the peat as it is cut from the
bog into waggons, which run upon a light railroad to the place where
the peat is excavated. The waggons are fitted with covers and doors,
which when the waggon is full are secured. The sides and bottom are

page_text: perforated with small holes, and one side or end of the body of the
waggon is moveable, and is actuated by a screw. As soon as the waggon
is loaded this movcable side or end is forced inwards by means of the
screw, and thus the peat is put under pressure so as to cause some of the
water to drain from it as it travels to the works. The peat as it is taken
out of the waggons is placed in a vertical hopper, through which it is
propelled by inclined blades upon a rotating axis into an horizontal
cylinder, through which another axis runs.
Beneath the mouth of the hopper there is a screw upon the axis,
which carries the peat along the cylindrical barrel until it meets a series
of radial arms set spirally upon the axis, and these arms pass between
knives fixed within the cylinder, and push the peat past the knives. By
the action of the knives the peat is reduced to a state fit for moulding.
It is carried forward by another screw upon the axis, and pressed out
through a die, with one or more moulding orifices at the end of the
cylinder.
The moulded peat is received on to portable trays, which move
forward on rollers as the stream of peat issues from the dic. Near the
die a wire is mounted by which the stream or streams of peat can be
divided at convenient distances, and cutting apparatus is provided by
which the moulded peat is further divided into briquettes or blocks of
convenient size. The briquettes or blocks are carried on the trays by
rollers along the drying sheds until the trays are placed by hand on the
drying racks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and Francis
Howlett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, HENRY
CLAYTON, HENRY CLAYTON, junior, and FRANCIS HOWLETT, all of the
Atlas Works, Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the

page_text: thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton,
junior, and Francis Howlett, Her special license that we, the said Henry
Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and Francis Howlett, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry
Clayton, Henry Clayton, junior, and Francis Howlett, our 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
TREATING PEAT AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition
(amongst others), that we, the said Henry Clayton, Henry Clayton,
junior, and Francis Howlett, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said Henry Clayton and Francis
Howlett, on behalf of ourselves and the said Henry Clayton, junior, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating peat and in
apparatus employed therein. For this purpose after the peat has been
extracted and conveyed from the peat bogs, for which latter purpose
waggons such as are herein-after described may be conveniently used,
it is placed in a vertical hopper, through which it is propelled by
inclined blades upon a rotating axis into an horizontal cylinder, through
which another axis runs.
Beneath the mouth of the hopper there is a screw upon the axis,
which carries the peat along the cylindrical barrel until it meets a series
of radial arms or propellers set spirally upon the axis, and these arms
pass between knives fixed within the cylinder, and push the peat past
the knives. By the action of the knives and propelling arms the peat is
cut up into small pieces, and squeezed or kneaded together. By being

page_text: so treated the fibres of peat are so divided that facility is given for
setting free all moisture and fixed air that may be retained in the cells
of the peat stalks, and the stalks are deprived of clasticity or resiliency,
so that the peat is reduced to a state fit for moulding.
We are aware that attempts have heretofore been made to compress
and mould peat into blocks, but such attempts have, as we believe, been
wanting in success usually because the peat has not been properly cut
up, squeezed, and kneaded, as in the apparatus employed by us as above.
mentioned, and herein-after more particularly described.
The peat, after being cut up and kneaded, is carried forward by:
another screw upon the axis, and pressed out through a die with one or
more moulding orifices at the end of the cylinder, care being taken that
the peat is rendered of the proper consistency by the operations of cutting
and depriving it of moisture, so as to make it suitable for being moulded
and cut into blocks.
The moulded peat is received on to portable trays, which move
forward on rollers as the stream of peat issues from the dic, care being
taken that the trays or boards on which the peat is received shall be
able to move at about the same speed as the exuding stream of peat,
otherwise the material will be pressed out of shape and distorted. Near
the die a cutting wire is mounted, by which the stream or streams of
peat can be divided at convenient distances, and cutting apparatus is
provided, as herein-after described, by which the moulded peat is further
divided into briquettes or blocks of convenient size. The briquettes or
blocks are carried on the trays by rollers along the drying sheds until
the trays are placed by hand on the drying racks.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 is an end elevation, and Figure 3
is a plan, all partly in section, of a machine constructed according to our
Invention for cutting up, kneading, and moulding peat; Figure 4 shows
to a smaller scale a plan of the plant for treating peat according to our
Invention Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line 1, 1, in Figure 4; ;
Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line 2, 2, in Figure 4.

page_text: When the peat contains much superfluous water it is conveyed to the
works in waggons running upon a light railroad, and which are fitted
with covers which, when the waggon is full, are secured. The sides
and bottom are perforated with small holes, and one side or end of the
body of the waggon is movable, and is actuated by a screw. As soon as
the waggon is loaded this movable side or end is forced inwards by means
of the screw, and thus the peat is put under pressure so as to cause
some of the water to drain from it as it travels to the works. These
waggons are marked a in the Drawings; they are hauled by a chain
wound upon a barrel on to a platform erected over the cutting up,
kneading, and moulding machine; c and c', in Figure 4, represent the
engine and boiler by which the machinery is driven; d is the belt pulley
of the cutting up, kneading, and moulding machine; by a double cone
friction clutch & it is made to drive the axis d³, on which is a pinion d³;
the pinion gives motion to the spur wheel e upon the axis e¹; e³ is a
pinion on the axis e¹, driving the wheel f¹ on the shaft f, which traverses
the cutting up and kneading cylinder g; e³ is a drum on the axis e¹,
and a driving belt is passed from it to the fast and loose pulleys 6' on the
axis of the winding drum b; fs is another spur wheel upon the shaft ƒ,
driving through an intermediate wheel h; the wheel i, which has upon its
axis the bevelled wheel i, gearing with the wheel k¹ upon the vertical
shaft, mounted within the hopper of the cutting up, kneading, and
moulding machine.
In the Drawings one of the waggons a is represented tipping its
contents into the hopper l. The inclined blades k², k³, upon the shaft k
press the lumps of peat downwards into the cylinder g, where it meets
the forcing blades or worm m fixed upon the shaft f. The hopper / at
its lower part and a portion of the cylinder g are perforated to admit of
the escape of any water which may be squeezed out by the pressure.
The peat is thus brought within reach of the propelling arms n, one of
which is shewn to a larger scale by the Figures 7. These arms, which
are fixed spirally upon the shaft f, pass between knives o, as is clearly
seen at Figure 8, which is a transverse section of the cylinder g and the
parts within it, taken on the line 3, 3, in Figure 1. One of the knives o
is shewn separately to a larger scale by the Figures 9. They are made
as is there seen with dovetail feet, and they are received into corrc-
sponding grooves in a bar or plate, which forms part of the barrel g, and
is secured to the other parts by bolts, as is seen in Figure 8. p is

page_text: another forcing blade or worm upon the axis f, which carries the
material, after it has been masticated, into the chamber q, from which it
escapes by the moulding orifices r.
l
The lumps of peat which are thrown in the hopper are first reduced
in size to some extent by the action of the blades, but the cutting up
and kneading is mainly effected by the propelling arms forcing them-
selves through the peat and carrying it again and again between the
knife blades, whilst it is firmly compacted between the feeding worm m,
the pitch is rapid, and the delivering worm p, which is of comparatively
slow pitch. It will be observed that the knives are placed closer and
closer together in passing from the feeding to the delivering end of the
cylinder, and to correspond the propelling arms are widest at the feeding
end. All the propelling arms are flat on the face, and their spiral
arrangement is such that they act efficiently to keep the peat in motion
rapidly forward through the machine.
In small machines to be driven by horse power it may sometimes be
convenient to place the cutting up and kneading cylinder g in a vertical
in place of in an horizontal position. 8 is an agitator to keep the material
within the chamber q in motion, and cause it to flow more regularly to
the moulding orifices r. In the Drawing five moulding orifices are
shewn. They are all formed in one dic, which is secured by bolts to the
mouth of the chamber 7. Beneath the chamber q is a roller table t, on
which the boards or trays to receive the moulded peat are placed.
Figures 10 shew one of these boards. They have ribs on their faces in
order that the peat lying upon them may dry more rapidly. The boards
or trays are placed by a boy in succession upon the roller table t, and
one of these rollers being driven, as is shewn, the boards run on in a con-
tinuous series underneath the moulding orifices, and receive the peat
issuing from them. As the end of each board comes up the workman
severs the streams of moulded peat by means of the chopping wire
v, and
he pushes the board forward until it is opposite the cutting frame w, in
which several wires are stretched. The frame w turns upon axes at its
lower end, and the workman moving the frame by hand brings the wires
down on to the peat, and severs cach bar resting upon the board or tray
into half a dozen pieces, each about six inches long, which is a con-
venient size for use. The boards or trays with the "briquettes upon
them are caused to travel on along the roller table until they are
opposite the tray racks x. The boards or trays are then lifted off on to
"

page_text: the racks, and they remain on these racks for about three days, more or
less, according to circumstances, and until the "briquettes " will bear
handling. The briquettes are then placed upon the open shelving y, and
the boards or trays go back to be refilled. On the average in about
three weeks the briquettes will be well dried and ready for use.
Figures 11 illustrate the construction of the tray racks. They consist
of uprights with arms fixed upon them, between which iron rods are
strained.
Figures 12 illustrate the construction of the shelving on to which the
briquettes are received when they are removed from the boards or trays.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim,-
1st. The process of treating peat and manufacturing it into blocks or
briquettes, substantially as described.
2nd. The construction of apparatus consisting of propelling arms
spirally arranged around an axis, and passing between knives, such
cutting apparatus being placed between propellers or forcing blades,
which force the peat into the cutting apparatus and afterwards cause it
to pass out of the machine through a moulding orifice or orifices, sub-
stantially as described.
3rd. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
apparatus shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3, substantially as above.
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Clayton and Francis
Howlett, have hereunto set hand and seal, this Fifth day
of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
HENRY CLAYTON.
(L.S.)
FRANCIS HOWLETT. (L.S.)