Improvements in Process and Apparatus to be Used in the Manufacture of Soap.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1896-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Process and Apparatus to be Used in the
Manufacture of Soap.
I WILLIAM FRANCIS HAYWOOD of the Town of Austin in the County of
Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America Soap Maker 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:-
My invention consists of a certain process and apparatus to be used in the
manufacture of soap, the object of the invention being to greatly expedite the
process and to materially increase the yield as compared with ordinary soap making
processes.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of soap-making apparatus constructed in
accordance with my invention;
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line xx Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a section on the line y y Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the apparatus; and Figure 5 is a
perspective view illustrating a modification.
The casing of the apparatus is preferably cylindrical and may be constructed in
any convenient manner so that it is capable of withstanding the internal pressure
to which it is subjected in carrying out the process. It is also preferable that the
casing should be steam jacketted, hence in the present instance it is composed of
an outer cylindrical shell 1 and an inner cylindrical shell 2 forming between them
an annular chamber or jacket 3 which receives steam under pressure from a valved
pipe 4, a valved drainage pipe 5 serving for the discharge of steam, and water of
condensation from the steam jacket 3, when necessary or desirable.
Any other means of heating the casing may however be adopted without
departing from my invention, the steam jacket forming no part of said invention
but being adopted simply for convenience and economy.
A valved pipe 6 serves to introduce into the saponifying chamber, within the
steam jacketted casing, the charge of fatty matter and alkali to be used in the
production of the soap, a valved pipe 7 in the head 8, or other convenient part of
the casing, serving for the discharge of the fluid, or semi-fluid mass, after
saponification has been effected.
A valve 7 some distance above the bottom of the casing, provides for the
removal of small quantities of material from the saponifying chamber for testing
purposes.
There is also in the head 8 of the casing, or at any other desired part of the
said casing, a valved outlet 9 communicating with the upper portion of the
saponifying chamber and providing for the discharge of air or steam therefrom.
Passing through a stuffing box on the head 8 of the casing, is a short shaft 10
which is provided with a belt pulley or any other suitable means whereby it may
be rotated, and secured to this shaft, on the inside of the casing, is a hub 11 from
which project a number of radiating arms 12, four in the present instance, the
outer ends of these arms being secured to longitudinal bars 13 of L-shape or
other angular cross section, ordinary wrought-iron or steel angle bars being preferred
for this purpose.
These bars 13 extend from end to end of the saponifying chamber, the ends of
the bars adjacent to the head 14 of the casing, being secured to arms 15 which

page_text: project from a hub 16 free to turn on a shaft 17 which passes through a stuffing
box in the head 14 and is provided with a pulley or other means for rotating the
same. The shaft 17 extends throughout the saponifying chamber and is supported
at its inner end in a suitably formed recess in the hub 11.
Secured to the shaft 17 are a series of paddles 18 having enlarged centres or hubs
for the reception of the shaft, the paddles being, as shown in Figure 3, inclined in
respect to the longitudinal axial line of the shaft 17, so that, as they are rotated,
they serve not only to stir up the mass in the saponifying chamber but also to
cause longitudinal movement in each portion of the mass subjected to the action
of a paddle.
Alternating with the paddles 18 are transverse bars or paddles 19 which, at
their outer ends, are connected to the longitudinal bars 13, the bars 19 having
enlarged central portions or hubs for the passage of the shaft 17 upon which they
can freely turn.
The bars 19, like the paddles 18, are inclined in respect to the longitudinal axial
line of the shaft 17 so that they also, in addition to the stirring effect due to their
rotation through the mass in the saponifying chamber, have a longitudinal
propelling effect upon each portion of the mass subjected to their action.
The bars 19 in the present instance are inclined in the same direction as the
paddles 18, but the shaft 10 is designed to rotate in a direction the reverse of the
direction of rotation of the shaft 17, hence the propelling effect of the bars 19 is
in a direction the reverse of that of the paddles 18, and, in the operation of the
machine, there is, in addition to the constant stirring up of the mass due to the
rotation of the paddles and bars through the same, a constant beating of
the different portions of the mass back and forth between adjoining bars and
paddles, in other words, in addition to the general stirring action there are as
many local back and forth beating actions as there are pairs of paddles 18 and
bars 19 in the machine.
These local beating actions aid materially in the success of the process herein-
after set forth, owing to the desired thorough agitation and commingling of the
particles of the charge which they effect.
A result similar in kind might be attained if the bars 19 were rotated in the
same direction as the paddles 18. In such case both bars and paddles may be
secured to the shaft 17, as shown in Figure 5, but the angle of the bars should be
the reverse of that of the paddles, and they should also be disposed on the shaft
at an angle in respect to the paddles instead of being parallel therewith, an angle
of 180° being preferred, as shown in said Figure 5.
Besides serving as agitators or mixers the bars 19 shown in Figures 1 to 4 serve
to brace or stiffen the bars 13 and also to provide support for the shaft 17 at short
intervals throughout its length, hence the two rotating elements of the machine
serve to mutually support and strengthen each other so that they are capable of
withstanding the strains to which they are subjected. For this reason I term the
bars 19 agitator-braces..
The longitudinal bars 13 have their hollow angles presented forwardly as they
rotate, hence they are adapted to act as scoops to carry vapour from the upper
portion of the saponifying chamber down into the liquid or semi-liquid mass
below.
In order to provide for the ready attachment of the angularly disposed agitator-
braces 19 to the longitudinal bars 13 said agitator-braces have at each end a
triangular projection 20 with upturned edge flange 21, these edge flanges, when
the agitator-braces are set at the proper angle, being in line with the longitudinal
webs of the bars 13, so that they can be readily secured thereto by bolts, rivets or
other appropriate fastenings.
In carrying out the process of making soap in the apparatus described the
desired charge of fluid-fat and alkaline solution is run into the saponifying chamber
through the valved pipe 6, the said ingredients being run in either separately or
together as desired.

page_text: Steam at a pressure of say from 40 to 60 pounds to the square inch is admitted
to the steam jacket 3 and in a few minutes the temperature of the material in the
saponifying chamber rises to that of the steam supply. The valve 9 is then
opened so that the air in the upper portion of the saponifying chamber is permitted
to escape, steam generated from the alkaline solution of the charge filling the space
formerly occupied by the air. The chemical conflict between the alkaline and
acid ingredients of the charge is thus carried on in a chamber from which the
atmosphere is excluded and there is a rise of temperature in the charge to an extent
exceeding 500° F due to this chemical action..
The atmosphere being excluded, the alkali and glycerine unite at this temperature
and produce a new digesting or saponifying agent and in a few minutes perfect
saponification results, the valve in the pipe 7 being then opened and the mass ejected
by the steam within the chamber which is at a pressure of from 150 to 200 pounds
to the square inch, the pipe 7 discharging into a tank from which the material passes
into the "crutcher" to be cooled. At this point I prefer to utilize the clippings
which invariably result from cutting soap, a quantity of these clippings being
incorporated with the hot soap so as to bring it to the desired consistency for
dropping into the cooling frames.
In the manufacture of soap in accordance with this process the thorough
agitation of the charge is necessary, in order to so intermingle the ingredients as to
insure a rapid and thorough chemical action, hence the peculiar construction of the
agitating devices which I have before described.
Owing to the thorough mechanical and chemical action upon the ingredients of
the charge there is a practically perfect combination of all parts of the latter,
there being no waste products such as spent or exhausted lye, or dark waxy
residum known to ordinary soap makers as "niger," nor is there any by-product
such as free glycerine, hence the yield of soap is equal to the combined weight of
the ingredients in the charge. Further than this, the time occupied in effecting
saponification is but a few minutes instead of many hours as in ordinary processes,
hence an apparatus of very limited capacity is capable of producing an enormous
quantity of soap in an ordinary working day, and the process is extremely
economical, saving time, fuel, space and labour, and being carried on without the
exercise of the usual skill of the soap maker.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The process of making scap in the manner and by the means substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2nd. A soap making apparatus in which are combined a casing adapted to be
beated and provided with a valved inlet for the charge, a valved outlet for the
saponified mass, and a valved outlet for air or vapour from the saponifying
chamber, with two sets of internal stirrers or beaters alternating with each other
and inclined so that the beaters of one set tend to move those portions of the mass
subjected to their action longitudinally in one direction, while the beaters of the
other set tend to move those portions of the mass subjected to their action
longitudinally in the opposite direction substantially as hereinbefore described.
3rd. In a saponifying apparatus the combination with a casing containing a saponi-
fying chamber and adapted to be heated, of means for agitating the charge in the
saponifying chamber, said agitators comprising a longitudinal shaft projecting from
one end of the casing and having projecting paddles secured thereto, and a
longitudinal frame carried by a shaft projecting from the opposite end of the casing
and having transverse agitator-braces free to turn around the paddle shaft, whereby
the shaft and its paddles may be rotated in one direction, and the longitudinal
frame and its agitator-braces may be rotated in the opposite direction substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4th. In a saponifying apparatus, the combination with a casing containing a

page_text: saponifying chamber, and adapted to be heated of means for agitating the charge
in the saponifying chamber, said agitators comprising a longitudinal shaft
projecting from one end of the casing and having projecting paddles secured
thereto, and a longitudinal frame composed of angle bars presenting their hollow
angles forwardly as they are rotated, said frame being carried by a shaft projecting
from the end of the casing, and opposite bars of the frame being combined with
transverse agitator braces which are free to turn around the paddle shaft,
substantially as herein before described.
5th. In a saponifying apparatus, an agitator consisting of a longitudinal frame
combined with transverse agitator braces, each consisting of a central portion
disposed at an angle to the longitudinal line of the frame, and having at each end a
triangular projection and a flange secured to the longitudinal bars of the frame
substantially as herein before described.
6th. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
saponifying apparatus substantially as herein before described and as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of July 1896
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.