IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES FOR VULCANIZING INDIA RUBBER, OR FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE REQUIRING THE USE OF STEAM HEATED PLATES OR PLATENS
Year: 1885

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by Theron A. Richards, of Fulton Street, New York,
in the United States of America, Engineer and Machinist.]
I, PHINEAS LAWRENCE, of the firm of Lawrence Brothers, of 48 Farringdon
Street in the City of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES FOR VULCANIZING INDIA
RUBBER, OR FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE REQUIRING THE USE OF STEAM HEATED
PLATES OR PLATENS, communicated to me from abroad by Theron A. Richards, of
Fulton Street, Now York, in the United States of America, Engineer and Machinist,
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
·
The objects of this Invention are to evenly distribute the heat over the surface of
the steam plates of a vulcanizing press; to prevent the accumulation of the water
of condensation in the chambers of said plates, and to operate a press of the
character described by means of a hydraulic jack.
I accomplish these objects by means of the construction, arrangement, and.
combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,
Fig 1, is an elevation of a hydraulic press embodying the invention.
Fig 2, is a vertical cross section on line x, x, of Fig 3, of the upper steam heating,
plate, and,
Fig 3 is a horizontal section of said plate, taken on line y, y of fig. 2.
A, is the base or foundation of the hydraulic press to which the lower ends of
the standards or guide rods B, are secured. To the upper ends of said guide and.
supporting rods is fastened the combined steam plate and platen C. The lower
platen D, is guided in its movements by the perforated lugs E, through which the
guide rods B pass. To the upper surface of the lower platen is fastened the lower
steam plate G, a layer of wood, or other non conducting substance I, being
interposed between said platen and plate for obvious reasons. The under side of
the lower platen and the upper side of the foundation or base plate are each
provided with retaining lugs, or are formed with a cavity, to hold in place the
hydraulic jack K, through the medium of which the lower platen is raised or
lowered. The hydraulic jack is provided with a hand-lever L, for operating the
same, or it may be operated by power. It may be of any suitable construction.
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page_text: The steam heating plates are each formed with a chamber M, provided with
steam inlet and outlet pipes N and O, the former being connected with any
suitable steam supplying apparatus. To insure a proper distribution of heat, i.e. to
cause all parts of the surface of the plate to be equally heated, I arrange in the
chamber thereof a number of partitions or deflecting walls P, P¹ and P² which
project or extend alternately from opposite sides of the chamber, and nearly across
the same, leaving a communicating passage-way between the end of each partition
and the side or wall of the chamber opposite thereto. The steam, therefore, instead
of passing directly across the chamber from the inlet to the outlet pipe-as it
would do were the partitions omitted-is compelled to take the longer and
circuitous path indicated by the arrows on the drawing, thus causing the steam to
act over a correspondingly greater area of surface, and thereby ensuring the uniform
heating of the plate. Of course a greater or less number of partitions than shewn
may be employed.
As any accumulation of water in the chamber caused by condensation of steam
would seriously interfere with the proper heating of the plate, I arrange the
chamber on an incline as shewn, placing the steam inlet end of the chamber at a
higher level than the steam outlet end, so that the-water condensed in the chamber
may flow out of the same through the steam outlet pipe as rapidly as it is formed.
The interior surface of the inlet and outlet pipes is on a level with the floor or
bottom of the chamber, which arrangement, in the case of the outlet pipe, serves
to ensure the complete discharge of water from the said chamber. The construction
of the chamber in the lower plate is identical with that of the upper one.
These steam plates provided with the partitions and the inclined bottom are, of
course, capable of use in any press, hydraulic or otherwise.
In the operation of the press the mould containing the rubber to be vulcanised
is placed on the lower steam plate, and the hydraulic jack is operated to press the
mould between the upper and lower plates, the same being heated to the required
degree by the steam circulating in the chambers thereof.
Having now described the invention and in what manner the same may be
performed I claim
1. A steam heating plate of a vulcanizing press provided with steam inlet and
outlet openings and constructed with a number of partitions in its chamber
extending alternately from opposite sides thercof and nearly across the same,
substantially as herein described, and as shewn, for the purpose of ensuring a
uniform heating of the surface of said plate.
2. A steam heating plate of a vulcanizing press provided with steam inlet and
outlet openings and having the bottom of its chamber inclined so as to ensure the
removal of the water of condensation therefrom, as described and shewn.
3. A steam heating plate of a vulcanizing press provided with steam inlet and
outlet openings and constructed with a number of partitions in its chamber
extending alternately from opposite sides thereof and nearly across the same, said
chamber having an inclined bottom to ensure the removal of the water of conden-
sation therefrom, all substantially as herein described and illustrated.
4. In a hydraulic press the combination with the steam heating plates of a
hydraulic jack set on the base plate and connected with the lower platen, as
described and shewn.