IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF HYDRAULIC PRESSES EMPLOYED FOR PRESSING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, FUEL, HAY, PEAT, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS AND SUBSTANCES, AND FOR CRUSHING MINERAL SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ashcroft, of Hendon, Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF HYDRAULIC PRESSES EMPLOYED FOR PRESSING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, FUEL, HAY, PEAT, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS AND
SUBSTANCES, AND FOR CRUSHING MINERAL SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 13th April 1865, and dated the 2nd November 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ashcroft at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
November 1864.
I, GEORGE ASHCROFT, of Hendon, Sunderland, in the County of Durham,.
do hereby declare the nature of the said, Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF HYDRAULIC PRESSES EMPLOYED FOR PRESSING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, FUEL, HAY, PEAT, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS
AND SUBSTANCES, AND FOR CRUSHING MINERAL SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct hydraulic presses in such
manner as to render them capable of being worked at a greater speed than
those ordinarily in use; in other words, this Invention consists in constructing
pressing machinery in such a way as to constitute a complete machine in
itself, and as such requiring no separate engine to drive it as heretofore
practised. I propose to effect this by the combined action of steam and
bydraulic pressure exerted at different parts of the stroke, namely, by causing
the early part of the pressure to be performed by the force of steam applied

page_text: directly to one or more pistons, whilst the same pistons are made upon their
return stroke to work a force pump, and thus bring up a final pressure to any
required amount. The press in no way differs from those ordinarily con-
structed for packing purposes, and may be made either with or without the
timber box.
The peculiarity of this Invention consists in the mode of applying the power
upon the top plate of the press, for which purpose I erect on the press two
steam cylinders provided with slide valves and steam and exhaust valves
similar to those used in steam engines. Across the centres of these cylinders,
and connected with their respective piston rods runs a cross bar, to the centre
of which is attached the plunger of a force pump, which consequently rises
and falls with said bar. Suitable rods serve to give motion to the slide valves
of the cylinders, and there are studs in said rods which may be shifted to
make the stroke longer or shorter as required. To the ends of the aforesaid
cross bar are attached side levers or rods which pass through the "following"
or rising plate of the press. When the pistons in the steam cylinders are
forced up by the steam being admitted below them the cross bar aforesaid
rises, and with it the rods of the slide valves. Collars are placed upon said
rods which bring with them the "following" plate of the press to the desired
height by regulating the stroke of the steam.cylinders.
By the use of the aforesaid following plate the early part of the operation
of pressing which offers the least resistance will have been effected. The
reversing of the valves by their respective levers and rods will cause the force
pump to come into action, and the water from this pump by means of a pipe
and valves will flow into the hydraulic cylinder, and finish the stroke to any
required degree of pressure, When the pressure is finished, the opening of
the waste valve by means of suitable handles will cause the ram of the
hydraulic cylinder to fall on the cylinder to the point at which it rests ready
for another operation.
c
The press above described is a double press for pressing two valves at once,
but single presses may be supplied with one cylinder and two pumps if
desired. *
Presses constructed according to this Invention are well adapted for
pressing cotton and other fibrous substances, fuel, hay, peat, and other
vegetable matters and substances, and for crushing mineral substances, and
are designed to facilitate and expedite these operations.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Ashcroft in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd May 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
ASHCROFT, of Hendon, Sunderland, in the County of Durham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George Ashcroft, Her special licence that I, the
said George Ashcroft, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such other's
as I, the said George Ashcroft, my 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESSES EMPLOYED FOR PRESSING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, FUEL, HAY, PEAT, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTERS
AND SUBSTANCES, AND FOR CRUSHING MINERAL SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Ashcroft, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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 I, the said George Ashcroft, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
"
My Invention consists in a mode of combining the action of steam and
hydraulic power to presses, whereby the steam power is caused to perform.
the first part of the pressure when making a stroke in one direction, whilst in
the return stroke motion is communicated from the steam power to the
plunger of a force pump, or the plungers of force pumps, so as to cause water
or other fluid to be forced into the hydraulic cylinder of the press, and thus.
give motion to the bydraulic ram in order to complete the requisite pressure.
о

page_text: The arrangement and details of construction of the parts of the presses may
be greatly varied, but such variation will however depend more or less on the
purpose to which my Invention is to be applied, but a machinist will readily
make such variations when aided by the following.description of the arrange-
ment and combination of a press suitable for pressing cotton and other
fibrous materials into bales, for which purpose a press when according to my
Invention is constructed for the most part similar to one of an ordinary con-
struction when worked wholly by bydraulic power. Between the top and
bottom of the press as heretofore, an ordinary box or trunk with openings
and doors at the upper part for removing the bale when formed and lashed
or bound. Through these openings the trunk or box is charged with cotton
or other fibrous materials in the ordinary manner at the time the follower of
the press is at its lowest position, in fact, the construction of the press is, as
above stated, the same as like presses when worked by hydraulic power alone,
but according to my Invention steam power is applied in the following
manner: At the top of the press, and combined therewith, one or more
steam cylinders is or are fixed, and also one or more force pumps, by which
the steam cylinder or cylinders, the pumps, and bydraulic press are combined
into one machine. The piston rod or piston rods of the steam cylinder or
cylinders is or are connected to a cross head so as to give motion thereto, and
the length of stroke of the piston or pistons is to be equal to the greatest
length of motion it is desired to give to the follower of the press by steam
power, and it is preferred that provision should be made by adjustable tappets
or studs, as is well understood, in order that the stroke of the piston or pistons
in the steam cylinder or cylinders may be stopped and reversed at any points
short of the whole length of stroke of such piston or pistons in order that the
extent of movement of the follower of the press when actuated by steam
power may be adjusted to any length within the full range or length of the
stroke of the piston or pistons of the steam cylinder or cylinders.
A very convenient arrangement for a cotton press, according to my
Invention, is to have a single steam cylinder fixed at the top of an otherwise
ordinary hydraulic press, together with two force pumps, one on each side of
the steam cylinder. The plungers of the force pumps have a like length of
stroke to that of the piston in the steam cylinder, the plunger rods of the
pumps being connected to the cross head fixed at. the top of the piston rod of
the steam cylinder, The two force pumps by means of suitablo pipes and
valves communicate respectively with a cistern and the hydraulic cylinder, so
that in the up stroke of the piston in the stean cylinder, water will pass
into the cylinders of the force pumps, whilst in the down strokọ of the

page_text: steam piston, the water will be forced from the force pump cylinders.into the
hydraulic cylinder and actuate the ram therein, and cause it to continue and
finish the pressure commenced in the following manner, by the up stroke of
the piston in the steam-cylinder by the aid of two side rods connected one at
each end to the cross head, before mentioned, which is put in motion by the
steam power. The other or lower ends of such two side rods are connected to
the two ends of a bar or beam, through the centre of which the ram of the
bydraulic cylinder can move freely; this bar or beam comes under the follower
of the press, so that in the up stroke of the piston in the steam cylinder the
follower and the hydraulic ram will be lifted, and the follower will by the
power of steam press the cotton upwards within the trunk or box of the press.
And in order that the bar or beam lifted by the side rods may be at liberty to
ascend, there is a narrow opening on each side of the trunk or box to admit of
the rise of the bar or beam. The rising of the follower, and consequently of
the hydraulic ram to which it is fixed will continue by the power of steam,
till by the action of one of the tappets or studs on the valve the steam engine
is reversed, when the hydraulic ram will be actuated by water being forced
into its cylinder by the force pumps by the descending stroke of the piston-in
the steam cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder is to be provided with an outlet
or exhaust pipe so that the water may escape from the hydraulic cylinder
when the bale has been lashed or bound, as is ordinarily the case, and water
or other fluid is to be allowed to flow into the hydraulic cylinder at the same
time that water or other fluid is flowing into the force pump cylinders in order
that the hydraulic cylinder may become full of fluid as the hydraulic ram is
raised with the follower of the press by the up stroke of the piston in the
steam cylinder. In place of using only one steam cylinder at the top of a
press, two or even more may be similarly used to give motion to the follower
of the press in the upstroke and to the plungers or pistons of force pumps in
the down stroke.
When applying my Invention to presses for other purposes than for com-
pressing cotton and other fibrous materials into bales, then the arrangements
of the presses between the followers and the tops of the presses will be accord-
ing to the particular purpose to which the press is to be applied; but the
arrangement and combination of steam power to act with hydraulic power' will
be the same as that above described, and the followers of such presses will in
all cases at the commencement, of the pressure be actuated by the power of
the steam acting on the pistons in the steam cylinders, and so as to perform
the first or more speedy part of the pressure, whilst in the return stroke of
the pistons of the steam cylinders the force; pumps will be put into action, and
0
0

page_text: the remainder or slower and more powerful pressure will be completed by
the follower of the press being acted on by the hydraulic rams.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ashcroft, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.