Improved Process of and Apparatus for Disintegrating and Washing Rags or other Fibrous Material for the Manufacture of Papor
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
"Improved Process of and Apparatus for Disintegrating and Washing
Rags or other Fibrous Material for the Manufacture of Papor."
I, JAMES HUNTER ANNANDALE, of Polton Paper Works, Polton, Midlothian, Paper
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:
This Invention has for its object to economise time, space and power and to effect
a large saving of water in the process of disintegrating and washing rags and similar
fibrous inaterials for the manufacture of paper.
The process as hitherto conducted has been effected intermittently by the uso of a
number of Hollanders or similar.engines, which occupy considerable space, and absorb
great power, and in which the operation has to be periodically stopped and the tanka
emptied, whilst the volume of water required in washing is very large owing in great
measure to the mode commonly adopted of feeding in a stream of clean water into.
the large body of polluted water in the machine and simultaneously draining off the.
mixed water.
According to the present Invention the disintegrating and washing processes are
rendered continuous by the use of improved apparatus in which the material after,
disintegration is subjected to successive washings in water of increasing purity, the
material being fed forward against the stream of water, and the waste water..from
each washing being used for an earlier stage of the washing process..
The rage or other fibrous material preferably after preliminary cleansing in a rag.
washing or brushing machine to remove the grosser impurities, are .fed with water
through the improved disintegrating apparatus hereinafter described and in which
they are cut into shreds by means of a toothed cone or roll rapidly totated within a
toothed casing and delivered into a tank or vessel.
The rags or other fibrous materials may be passed through two or more dis-
integrators arranged to gradually disintegrate the material, in which case. the
preliminary washing or cleansing of the rags may be effected in the first of the series.
of disintegrators instead of in a separate machine, the object of the preliminary.
washing being to avoid forcing the dirt into the fibre.
From the tank receiving the cut or shredded mags and water from the disintegrator
the stuff is delivered by gravitation or otherwise into a sand. table which is prefer-
ably of the vibratory type described in the Specification of my Patent No. 23743 of
1895, and which lias a large circulating flow of water to dilute the pulp and allow of
easy settlement of heavy particles.
The circulation is effected by a drum washer which delivers its water back to the
point where the pulp enters the said tables. After separation of the heavy impurities
in the sand table the material travels along a channel in which is fitted a dipping
sluice or skimmer for holding back or removing floating matter. The stuff thence
passes into a cone washer or conical strainer which delivers it into a water trough at
the opposite end whilst the escaping water flows back to the hopper through which
the stuff is fed into the disintegrator. The rag or stuff delivered from the cone
washer is stirred up by a "hog" or similar device in the water within the trough and
lifted into a second cone washer which delivers it into a trough at the opposite end;

page_text: and it may be thus carried through a series of cone washers, being each time stirred
up and washed in water which escapes through the cone washers and passes back to
meet the rag or stuff at an earlier stage of the wasliing operation and finally to the
disintegrator. Whilst thus continually fed forward the stuff is freed at each stage
from the water used in washing it and a comparatively small quantity of water
suffices to effect the washing operation.
The improved disintegrator is composed of a cylindrical or conical toothed roll or
serrated cutter or series of cutters secured upon a rotating shaft and adapted to
revolve in contact with a cutter casing or stationary cutter plates or beds wholly or
partially encircling the rotating cutters, and between which cutters the rags or other
fibrous materials are fed in with water as already mentioned from a hopper at one
end and after disintegration are delivered at the opposite end.
The rotating cutters are made up of a number of bevel edged discs strung together
and secured upon the shaft or they may be formed by a single cylinder, roll or cone
of steel or other hard material having a number of V shaped or other grooves cut
circumferentially around it so as to leave sharp ridges which are cut across to form a
number of saw like teeth on each ridge. The grooves and ridges are by preference
nade of gradually decreasing width and depth from the feeding in to the outlet end,
and the teeth formed in thein are made of gradually decreasing pitch in the like
sense. The cutters in the stationary bed or encircling casing are formed in like
manner of toothed grooves and ridges so that the sides of the ridges of the rotating
cutters bear on the sides of 'those of the stationary cutters, and the teeth on the
for mer during the rotation impinge on or are brought into close contact with those
of the stationary cutters. The rags or other fibrous materials enter between the
wider spaced teeth at the feeding in end, being guided thereinto by suitable scooping
or beveling of the roll in front of and between the rows of teeth at that end, and they
are gradually and thoroughly disintegrated in their passage through the gradually
lessening spaces between the cutters. The advantage of the gradation of the cutters
is that the coarse masses of fibrous stuff find easy entrance into the finer teeth which
are relieved of strain." The coarse teeth comh out and reduce the fibre and render
the work of the finer teeth both easier and more nearly perfect.
The teeth of the casing or stationary cutters may be fixed to movable plates which
can be moved closer to the roll or series of rotating cutters till they come in contect
if need be. The teeth are set respectively on the roll and plate to exactly fit ench
other so that nothing can escape pulverization, but they may be spaced in the
circumference to allow of the passage of the fibre.
At the feeding in end of the rotating cone or cylinder a cone is attached on which
are one or more wipers or bars, and the casing on the low side which is practically
the bottom of the feed hopper has also bars so that the fibrous mass in passing
between them is brushed out and prepared to more easily enter the teeth. Some of
the first row of casing teeth notably those at the bottom may be left out so as to
allow free entry of coarser masses of fibre especially in the case of rags.
In the operation of the disintegrating apparatus the fibre fed with a supply of
water by the feed hopper is distributed by the wipers of the cone and delivered
partly by circulation and How of water and partly by the action of the cone into the 4
teeth where it is speedily disintegrated by their tearing action into a fine regular
fibre. At the delivery end the height of the exit inny be adjusted' to give as inuch
wade to the roll as is found best for the work required.
نيمة
D
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER
Of the Firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather,
Chartered Patent Agents,
62 Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow. Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: "Improved Process of and Apparatus for Disintegrating and Washing
Rags or other Fibrous Material for the Manufacture of Paper."
I, JAMES, HUNTER ANNANDALE, of Polton Paper Works, Polton, Midlothian, Paper
Manufacturer, 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:
This Invention has for its object to economise time, space and power and to effect
a large saving of water in the process of disintegrating and washing rags and similar
fibrous materials for the manufacture of paper..
The Invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, figure 1 being a
transverse vertical section of the improved disintegrating apparatus, figure 2 a
longitudinal section of the same and figure 3 a diagrammatic view to a smaller scale
of the sand table and washing apparatus sewing the connection to tho'
disintegrator.
The process as hitherto conducted has been effected intermittently by the use of
a number of Hollanders or similar engines which occupy considerable space and
absorb great power, and in which the operation has to be periodically stopped and
the tanks emptied, whilst the volume of water required in washing is very large owing
in great measure to the mode commonly adopted of feeding in a stream of clean
water into the large body of polluted water in the machine and simultaneously.
draining off the mixed water.
According to the present Invention the disintegrating and washing processes are
rendered continuous by the use of improved apparatus in which the material after
disintegration is subjected to successive washings in water of increasing purity,
the waste water from each washing being used for an earlier stage of the washing
process.
The rags or other fibrous material preferably after preliminary cleansing in a rag'
washing or brushing machine to remove the grosser impurities, are fed with water
through a hopper A into the improved disintegrating apparatus A hereinafteri
described and in which they are reduced into coarse pulp by means of a toothed
cone or roll B rapidly rotated' within a toothed casing C and delivered into a tank or
vessel D.
The rags or other fibrous materials may be passed through two or inore disinteg-'
rators arranged to gradually disintegrate the material, in which case the preliminary,
washing or cleansing of the rags may be effected in the first of the series of disenteg-
mtors instead of in a separate machine, the object of the preliminary washing being'
to avoid forcing the dirt into the fibre.
From the tank D receiving the rags reduced to pulp from the disintegrator A the
pulp is delivered by gravitation or by means of pumps or otherwise by way of a
pipe D' into one end of a sand table E which is preferably of the vibratory typo
described in the Specification of my Patent No. 23743 of 1895, and which has a large'
circulating flow of water to dilute the pulp and allow of easy settlement of heavy.
particles. The circulation is effected by a drum washer F' which delivers' its water'
back to the point where the pulp enters the sand table. After separation of the
heavy impurities in the sand table shewn in outline in figure 3 the material travels
along a channel in which is fitted a dipping sluice or skimmer G for holding back
or removing floating matter. After passing through the drum washer F the stuff
passes into the cone washer or conical strainer which delivers it into a water
trough H at the opposite end whilst the escaping water flows back by way of the
pipe Y to the hopper A¹ through which the stuff is fed into the disintegrator A.

page_text: The rag or stuff delivered from the cone washer F1 is stirred up by a "hog" or
similar device in the water within the trough H into which clean water is admitted,
the stuff being lifted into a second cone washer J which delivers it into a trough K
at the opposite end; and it may be thus carried also through the cone washers I., M,
or through a series of cone washers with intermediate disintegrators if necessary
being each time stirred up and washed in water which escapes through the cone
washers and passes back to meet the rag or stuff at an earlier stage of the washing
operation by the pipe x as shewn at figure 3 and finally to the disintegrator. Whilst
thus continuously fed forward the stuff is freed at each stage from the water used in
washing it and a comparatively small quantity of water suffices to effect the washing
operation.
The improved disintegrator A is composed of a cylindrical or conical toothed roll
or serrated cutter B or series of cutters secured upon a rotating shaft B¹ and adapted
to revolve in contact with a cutter casing Cor stationary cutter plates or beds wholly
or partially encircling the rotating cutters B and between which cutters the rags or
other fibrous materials are fed in with water as already mentioned from a hopper A
at one end and after disintegration are delivered at the opposite end.
The rotating cutters B are made up of a number of bevel edged discs strung
together and secured upon the shaft B or they may be formed by a single cylinder
roll or cone of steel or other hard material having a number of V shaped or other
grooves B cut circumferentially around it so as to leave. sharp ridges which are eut
across to form a number of saw like teeth B³ on each ridge. The grooves and ridges
are by preference made of gradually decreasing width and depth from the feeding in
to the outlet end, and the teeth formed in them are made of gradually decreasing
pitch in the like sense. The discs comprising the cutter roll are so arranged upon
the shaft in relation to each other that the teeth of the disc having the smaller pitch
appear between the teeth of the adjacent disc having the greater pitch as shewn
at figure 1. The cutters B in the stationary bed or encircling casing C are formed
in like manner of toothed grooves and ridges so that the sides of the ridges of the
rotating cutters B bear on the sides of those of the stationary cutters .C, and the
teeth on the former during the rotation impinge on or are brought into close contact
with those of the stationary cutters C. The rags or other fibrous materials enter
between the wider spaced teeth at the feeding in end, being guided thereinto.by
suitable scooping as at N or beveling of the roll in front of and between the rows of
teeth at that end, and they are gradually and thoroughly disintegrated in their
passage through the gradually lessening spaces between the cutters. The advantage
of gradation of the cutters B at the feeding in end is that the coarse masses of fibrous
stuff find easy entrance into the finer teeth which are relieved of strain. The coarse
teeth comb out and reduce the fibre and render the work of the finer teeth both
easier and more nearly perfect.
The teeth of the casing or stationary cutter C may be fixed to movable plates
which can be moved closer to the roll or series of rotating cutters till they come in
contact if need be. The teeth are set respectively on the roll and plate to exactly
fit each other so that nothing can escape pulverization, but they may be spaced in the
circumference to allow of the passage of the fibre.
At the feeding in end of the rotating cone or cylinder a scooped cone O is attached
on which are one or more serrated wipers or bars P, and the casing on the low side
which is practically the bottom of the feed hopper A' has also bars Q so that the
fibrous mass in passing between them is brushed out and prepared to more easily
enter the teeth.
In the opeartion of the disintegrating apparatus A the fibre fed with a supply of
water by the feed hopper A' is distributed by the wipers P of the cone 0 and
delivered partly by circulation and flow of water and partly by the action of the cone
into the teeth where it is speedily disintegrated by their tearing action into a fine
regular fibre. At the delivery end the height of the exit may be adjusted to give as
much wade to the roll as is found best for the work required.

page_text: Having, now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved process herein before described of disintegrating and washing rags
or other fibrous material for the manufacture of paper.
2. The combination of apparatus for continuous disentegration of rags or other
fibrous material for the manufacture of paper with means for feeding forward the
pulp and subjecting it to successive washings in: water of increasing purity sub-
stantially as described.
3. The improved apparatus for continuously disintegrating rags or other fibrous
material for the manufacture of paper, constructed and arranged to operate sub-
stantially as described.
4. A disintegrator for treating rags or other fibrous material for the manufacture
of paper, consisting of a roll composed of toothed' discs arranged to rotate within an
internally toothed casing substantially as described.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather,
Chartered Patent Agents,
62 Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.