IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER MITTO
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Simon of N° 7 St Peters Square Manchester in
the County of Lancaster for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER
MITTO"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Simon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th March 1883.
1
HENRY SIMON of N° 7 S. Peters Square Manchester in the County of Lancaster
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER MILLS
"
The rollers employed in roller mills for reducing or grinding cereals or other
substances are liable to be damaged, principally when fluted or grooved, by revolving
in contact with each other when none of the matter to be treated by them is
interposed between them. Part of my invention relates to means of avoiding this
evil by causing the cessation of the feed in such mills either to stop the mill
automatically or to give an alarm so that the mill can be stopped or have its feed
rectified, or both. I achieve this object by different ways. In one of these either
the hopper, shoot or flap or similar contrivance through which or over which the
feed passes to the feed roll or roller mill may be hinged and suspended or balanced
on springs or weights or weighted levers in such a manner that when the load or
weight of material on it becomes considerably decreased or entirely ceases, the
apparatus above described comnes into operation and may be arranged either to
throw the grinding rolls apart or to stop the feed, or both, or to actuate the stopping
gear such as employed in spinning or other machinery so as to stop the mill
automatically.
Thus according to one arrangement for the latter purpose, the feed roller is
driven through a friction clutch or coupling, which, when the before mentioned flap
comes into action, is drawn out of gear by weighted lever or spring or springs and
levers combined, released by the flap or shoot or similar contrivance on the cessation
or diminution of the feed acting on the clutch lever.
The apparatus above described may also either be fixed in existing hoppers or be
used in place of wooden hoppers either in constructing new mills or as applied to
existing roller mills. It may also be made either electrically or mechanically or

page_text: pneumatically to sound an alarm calling attention to the deficiency of feed, and
such deficiencies of feed can in the central office of the mill or in any other place
be automatically registered as a check upon the attendants in a large mill.
According to another part of my invention I provide improved means for
preventing the possibility, in the case of fluted rollers, of their touching each other
at all. Fluted rollers should never be allowed to come in absolute contact but
always be kept at a distance suitable for the thickness of branny or other materials
that it is intended to reduce on them. I therefore provide stops that can be set to
the exact distance and these stops are provided as near as possible to the working
surfaces of the rollers. The distances to which rollers have to be set are very
small and do not exceed in some cases the thickness of the thinnest of papers. It is
therefore obvious that the play of any articulations or bearings would materially
reduce the utility of any such stopping apparatus if between it and the working
surface more articulations or wearing surfaces of any kind were allowed to
intervene than are absolutely necessary. For this purpose I provide in a suitable
place in the frame of the machine a set screw, the end of which acts as a stop and
bears against the end of the lever or arm or bearing that carries the adjustable
roller.
For the purpose of regulating and altering the distance of the rollers, above the
minimum determined as just described I form on the free end of the lover or arm
that carries the adjustable roller a hollow socket, through which passes the screw
spindle for, regulating the distance of the roller. Within the socket of the lever
there is arranged between its end, surface and an adjustable screw nut on the screw
spindle a helical spring, the compression or tension of which is regulated by the
screw nuts and which consequently serves to keep the lever and the roll 'it bears
pressed towards the other roller by an adjustable elastic pressure. The other end
of the screw spindle screws into a sleeve the outer end of which has a screw thread
of slightly different pitch working in a fixed screwed bush, so that on turning
the sleeve by a hand wheel the screw spindle and consequently the lever and its
roller are adjusted to an extent equal only to the difference of pitch of the two
screw threads, so that a very fine adjustment is thus afforded. The screwed bush
is by preference split longitudinally, and provided with a screw so as to grip.the
sleeve firmly and prevent it from shifting when the adjustment of the roller has
been effected.
1
Another part of the improvements consists in the arrangement of a new four
róller mill, that is to say, a roller mill consisting of two pairs of rolls.
In order to save floor space in flourmills I do not as usual put the four rollers in
one horizontal plane, but I put them in two planes inclined at an angle of 45 degrees
towards the horizon and consequently intersecting each other at a right angle. I
thereby obtain the further advantage of getting a smaller hopper; as the two feeds
are not so far apart as in roller mills in which all the four rollers are in one horizontal
plane..
In my roller mill each pair of rollers is entirely independent of the other and
besides the automatic arrangement for the stopping of my rollers mentioned in the
former part of this Specification, other apparatus is provided to allow the miller to
stop the supply in each pair of rollers, on whatever side of the roller mill he may
be standing. By the turning into certain positions of one handle he can stop
either the supply of that pair which is next to him or of the pair behind this and
situated on the other side of the machine, or he can stop both at the same time;
but not only does the turning of this handle to different positions stop the supply
or feed, but it also throws the rollers immediately, out of contact, and to a certain
distance apart.
For this purpose, there is arranged in front of the before mentioned levers that
serve to throw the clutch of the feed roller in and out of gear, a.horizontal spindle
which, at each end, has a handle, while in front of each lever it is provided with
cams of such shapes relative to each other that, by turning the spindle in one
direction or the other to a greater or less extent, the one or other cam will be

page_text: made to act on its lever so as to throw the one clutch out of gear while the other
clutch is left in gear or both clutches will be thrown in gear or both thrown out of
gear.
The clutch levers have tails, with catches that engage with levers fixed on
transverse spindles, one end of which has an eccentric pin projecting from it which
carries the before mentioned bush of the feed adjustment screw spindle, while the
transverse spindle is also connected to a volute or other spring or springs tending
to turn it in a certain direction. When the grinding irollers are in action, the lever
of the transverse spindle is held by the catch of the clutch lever so as to keep the
screw adjustment of the grinding rollers in proper position for grinding.. When
the clutch of the feed roller is thrown out of gear, the catch.of the clutch lever, in
releasing the arm on the transverse spindle, allows the latter to be partially
rotated by the spring, thus causing the eccentric pin thereon to move the screw
adjustment so as to draw the adjustable grinding roller away from the other one.
This arrangement may also be made to act without the spring, the spindle being
turned by hand.
1
Another part of my invention is as follows:-
The rotating feed rolls which in most cases regulate the outlet of material from
the lower part of the hoppers, even when stopped allow certain materials that run
very easily to continue running out through the slit formed by the slide generally
provided, and the feed roller. Certain materials such as fine semolina will run
through a very small slit, even when the feed roll does not rotate; others, like
bran or larger particles will of course not. run through the slit. An important
point in this arrangement is the angle which the. slide or feed sluice makes with
the surface of the feed rollers. For materials that run through easily, the feed slide
should touch the feed roller at a higher point, almost lying on the side of the
vertical centre line, opposite that over which the material to be fed has to run. I
therefore provide a slide, so adjustable that the lower part thereof can be made to
touch the feed roller at various points, so as to place the point of outlet at various
points of the circumference of the feed roller, according to the nature of the
material which is being ground. The driving of my improved roller mills can be
done either by gearing in the usual way or by straps. I consider the best plan to
be to connect each pair of the rolls by a pair of wheels giving the desired differ-
ential speed, if any, and drive one of the axles of each pair by a separate strap, but
I also drive both pulleys by one strap, or every one of my fours rolls by a strap
separately.

page_text: the
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Simon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
3rd September 1883.
3
HENRY SIMON of No. 7 St. Peters Square Manchester in the County of Lancaster
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER MILLS"
The rollers employed in roller mills for reducing or grinding cereals or other
substances are liable to be damaged, principally when fluted or grooved, by
revolving in contact with each other when none of the matter to be treated is
interposed between them. Part of my invention relates to means of avoiding this
evil by causing the cessation of the feed in such mills to stop the mill auto-
matically, so that the mill can have its feed rectified. I I achieve this object by
different ways. In one of these, either the hopper, shoot or flap, or similar
contrivance through which or over which the material passes to the feed roll or
roller mill, may be hinged and suspended or balanced on springs or weights or
weighted levers in such a manner that when the load or weight of material on it
becomes considerably decreased or entirely ceases, the apparatus above described
comes into operation and may be arranged either to throw the grinding rolls apart
or to stop the feed, or both, or to actuate the stopping gear such as employed in
spinning or other machinery so as to stop the mill automatically.
Thos, according to one arrangement for the latter purpose, the feed roller is
driven through a clutch or coupling which when the before mentioned flap comes
into action, is drawn out of gear by a weighted lever or spring or springs and
levers combined, released by the flap or shoot or similar contrivance on the cessation
or diminution of the feed and acting on the clutch.lever.
.
. The apparatus above described may also either be fixed in existing hoppers or be
used in place of wooden hoppers either in constructing new mills or as applied to
existing rolling mills. Means may also be provided for. preventing the possibility in
the case of fluted rollers of their touching each other at all. Fluted rollers should
never be allowed to come in absolute contact but always be kept at a distance
suitable for the thickness of branny or other materials that it is intended to reduce
on them: I therefore provide stops that can be set to the exact distance, and
these stops are provided as near as possible to the working surfaces of the
rollers.
The distances to which rollers have to be set are very small and do not exceed in some
cases the thickness of the thinnest of papers. It is therefore obvious that the play of
any articulations or bearings would materially reduce the utility of any such stopping
apparatus if between it and the working surface more articulations or wearing
surfaces of any kind were allowed to intervene than are absolutely necessary.
For this purpose, 1 provide in a suitable place in the frame of the machine a set.
screw, the end of which acts as a stop and bears against the end of the lever or
arm or bearing that carries the adjustable roller. I do not however claim this
arrangement as part of my present invention.
For the purpose of regulating and altering the distance of the rollers above the
minimum, determined as just described, I form on the other end of the lever or
arm that carries the adjustable roller, a hollow socket, through which passes the
screw spindle for regulating the distance of the roller. Within the socket of the
lever there is arranged between its end surface and an adjustable screw-nut on the
screw spindle, a helical spring, the compression or tension of which is regulated by
the screw nuts and which consequently serve to keep the lever and the roller it
bears pressed towards the other roller by an adjustable elastic pressure. The other

page_text: end of the screw spindle screws into a sleeve, the outer surface of which has a
screw thread of slightly different pitch working in a fixed screwed bush, so that in
turning the sleeve by a hand wheel, the screw spindle and consequently the lever
and its roller are adjusted to an extent equal only to the difference of pitch of the
two screw threads, so that a very fine adjustment is thus afforded. The screwed
bush is by preference split longitudinally and provided with a screw so as to grip
the sleeve firmly and prevent it from shifting when the adjustment of the roller
has been effected.
Another part of the improvements consists in the arrangement of a new four
roller mill, that is to say, a roller mill consisting of two pairs of. rolls.
In order to save floor space in flour mills, I do not, as usual put the four rollers
in one horizontal plane, but I put them in two planes inclined at an angle of
45 degrees or thereabouts towards the horizon and consequently intersecting
each other at about a right angle, I thereby obtain the further advantage of
getting a smaller hopper, as the two feeds are not so far apart as in roller mills in
which all the four rollers are in one horizontal plane.
In my roller mill, each pair of rollers is entirely independent of the other and
beside the automatic arrangement for the stopping of the rollers mentioned in the
former part of this Specification, other apparatus is provided to allow the miller to
stop the supply in each pair of rollers on whatever side of the roller mill he may
be standing.
By the turning into certain positions of one handle he can stop either the supply
of that pair which is next to him or of the pair behind this, and situated on the
other side of the machine, or he can stop both at the same time; but not only does
the turning of this handle to different positions stop the supply or feed, but it also.
throws the rollers immediately out of contact and to a certain distance apart.
For this purpose, there is arranged in front of the before mentioned levers that
serve to throw the clutch of the feed roller in and out of gear, a horizontal spindle,
which at each end has a handle, while in front of each lever it is provided with
cams of such shapes relative to each other that by turning the spindle in one
direction or the other to a greater or less extent, the one or other cam will be made
to act on its lever so as to throw the one clutch out of gear while the other
clutch is left in gear, or both clutches will be thrown in gear or both thrown.out
of gear.
The clutch levers have tails, with catches that engage with levers fixed on
transverse spindles, one end of which has an eccentric pin projecting from it, which
carries the before mentioned bush of the feed adjustment screw-spindle, while the
transverse spindle is also connected to a volute or other spring or springs tending
to turn it in a certain direction. When the grinding rollers are in action, the
lever of the transverse spindle is held by the catch of the clutch lever, so as to
keep the screw adjustment of the grinding rollers in proper position for grinding.
When the clutch of the feed roller is thrown out of gear, the catch of the clutch
lever, in releasing the arm on, the transverse spindle, allows the latter to be
partially rotated by the spring, thus causing the eccentric pin thereon to move the
screw adjustment so as to draw the adjustable grinding roller away from the other
one. This arrangement may also be made to act without the spring, the spindle
being turned by hand. For the correct action of the above described automatic
releasing gear, it is essential that the supply of material from the feeding hopper
should be accurately regulated, and an important point in the attainment of
such accurate regulation is the angle which the slide or feed sluice makes with the
surface of the feed rollers. For materials that run through easily, the feed slide
should touch the feed roller at a higher point, almost lying on the side of the
vertical centre line opposite that over which the material to be fed has to run.
I therefore provide a feed sluice so adjustable that the lower part thereof can be
made to touch the feed roller at various points, so as to place the point of outlet
at various points of the circumference of the feed rollers, according to the nature
of the material which is being ground.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a part end elevation and part cross
section of a roller mill having my before described improvements applied thereto,
and fig. 2 shews a side view of the same, and figs. 3, 4 and 5 shew diagrams of the
disengaging gear.
The roller inill contains two pairs of grinding rollers A A, A¹ A' each pair being
inclined at an angle of 45° or thereabout instead of all four lying in one horizontal
plane as heretofore. By this arrangement, a single hopper B of moderate width is'
enabled to supply both pairs of rollers with the material to be ground. The lower
roller A of each pair runs in fixed bearings on the framing while the upper
roller A runs in bearings on levers C pivotted at C to the framing, and having at
their lower ends sockets C2, through which pass screw spindles D and which
contain helical springs E bearing against nuts D¹ adjustable on the spindle, so as
to adjust the degree of compression of the spring, the socket being pressed by
the latter against the stop pin D² on the spindle. Thus, assuming the lever C to
be adjusted by the screw spindle D, so as to hold the roller A in the required
position relatively to the roller A, it will be seen that by means of the spring D
the lever and roller are held in that position by an elastic pressure permitting them
to yield somewhat on the passage of a hard substance between the rollers. The
spindle D screws into a tubular spindle F and this screws into a sleeve G, the
threads of F and G. having slightly different pitches,, so that by turning the
Spindle F by the hand wheel F¹, a very fine adjustment of the lever and roller A¹
is obtained.
The sleeve G is by preference split and is nipped on the spindle F by a pinching
screw G¹ when the adjustment of D has been effected, so as to prevent any shifting
of the parts by vibrations. The sleeve G is held by an eccentric pin H¹ on the end
of a shaft H, carried in bearings in the framing and having fixed on its one end a
lever H² the upper end of which has a handle and also a projecting tooth H³ which
gears with a segment rack I¹ on a lever I. On the other end of the shaft H is
a short lever H', the end of which is connected to a spring K that tends to turn
the shaft H so as to bring the lever H2 into the position shewn in dotted lines
at fig. 1.
Thus, it will be seen that when the lever He is moved by hand in the direction
towards the grinding rollers, the consequent turning of the shaft H will cause the
pin H to move the sleeve G and with it the spindle D so as to bring the roller A¹
in close proximity to the roller A, this being the position of the parts shewn
on the drawings, and the several parts are held in that position by the segment
rack I', while the accurate adjustment of the roller A' is effected by the screw
spindle Das described. When, however, the segment rack I' is moved out of gear
with the lever H2, the spring K will cause the shaft H to turn back, thereby
effecting the backward motion of the sleeve G and spindle D and consequently
drawing the roller A' away from the roller A.
The lever I carrying the rack I' engages with a spring clutch L sliding upon but
revolving with the shaft of the feed roller N, the spring coupling being caused by
the spring L to gear with the other half coupling L2 formed or fixed on the
driving pulley L³ loose on the feed roller shaft.
In front of the two levers II is a spindle M extending across the machine and
having hand levers at each end by which it can be turned, and having also opposite
each lever I, a cam M M², the arrangement and action of which is shewn more
clearly at Figs. 3 to 5. By turning the spindle one quarter round in one direction

page_text: from the position shewn at fig. 2, the cam M' pushes back the one lever as at
fig. 3, while by turning the spindle one quarter round in the contrary, direction,
the cam M² pushes the other lever back as at fig. 4, and by turning the spindle
half round in either direction, both cams push both the levers back simultaneously
as at fig. 5. By such pushing back of the levers I, the clutch L is firstly drawn
out of gear with the driving pulley L³, thus stopping the rotation of the feed
roller N and consequently stopping the supply of material; and secondly the
rack is thrown out of gear with the lever H so that this is free to allow the
shaft H to be turned by the spring K so as to move the roller A¹ away from the
roller A as before described, and it will be seen that by the before described
arrangement of the cams M¹ M², such throwing out of gear and stopping of the
feed of each pair of rollers can be effected either separately for each pair or
simultaneously for both, and from either end of the machine. In the hopper B are
metal flaps O attached to spindles O¹ having fixed thereon fingers O² outside the
hopper. Against these fingers bear the short ends of weighted arms P, which
when the flaps O are held down by the weight of grain or other material in the
hopper resting upon them are held in the raised position shewn. As soon, however,
as, by the stoppage of the supply, the load on the flaps is sufficiently diminished
to allow the flaps to give way to the pressure of the arm P, the. latter: will escape
the finger 0 and in descending, will strike against the sloping face 12 of the lever I
and in pushing this back will thus effect the automatic throwing out of gear of the
roller mill. When replacing the arm and flap in the original position for starting
the mill again, the arin is temporarily supported in its raised position by a pin P¹
which is withdrawn as soon as the flap is sufficiently loaded with grain or other
material.
For the correct and reliable action of this automatic gear, it is necessary that the
supply of grain or other material from the hopper B to the grinding rollers should
be, very accurately regulated; on the other hand, as before stated, the degree of
feed for different kinds of materials depends very much upon the angle which the
feed sluice Q makes with the surface of the feed roller. In order therefore to
enable the amount of feed to be regulated with the degree of accuracy required
for the above described automatic action, I construct the feed sluico Q with a hinge
joint a Q, so that while the entire sluice is adjustable nearer to or farther from
the feed roller, the angle which its lower part inakes with the surface of the roller
is at the same time, also capable of adjustment, according to the material to be
treated. After adjustment, the lower part of the sluice is secured in position by
the slotted quadrants and pinching screw at Q2. The upper grinding rollers A¹ are
driven from pullies at R and the lower rollers are driven from the upper ones by
gearing at S. The pullies L³ driving the feed rollers N receive their motion by
straps from the pullies T on the shafts of the lower rollers
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of roller mills of the kind herein
referred to
First: The combination in a roller mill of two sets of grinding rollers, each set
being placed at an angle of 45°, or thereabout, to the horizon and arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
Second-The use, for the adjustment of the moveable grinding roller A, of the
screw spindle D operating in combination with the lever C, spring E, nuts D',
screwed hollow spindle F and split screwed sleeve G with pinching screw G',
substantially as herein described.
Third-The use of apparatus for throwing out of gear the moveable grinding
roller, wherein the screw adjusting gear of the said roller is connected to a crank
pin or eccentric that is held in one position by a catch and is urged in a contrary
direction by a spring, the said catch being in its turn held by a lover which is
operated by a cam on a spindle, so that by turning the said spindle, the lever is
made to release the catch and the spring is then free to turn the crank pin so as to
throw the roller out of gear, substantially as herein described.

page_text: Fourth The use, in combination with two levers, such as are referred to in the
preceding claim, of the spindle M having two cams M' M², so formed and arranged
in combination with the said levers, that, according as the spindle is turned in one
direction or the other, either lever may be actuated independently of the other for
throwing the one or the other set of grinding rollers out of gear, or both may be
actuated simultaneously for throwing both sets of grinding rollers out of gear,
substantially as herein described.
Fifth The combination of the flap O, finger 02 and weighted arm P, with the
lever I and clutch L. arranged and operating substantially as herein described for
stopping the motion of the feed roller on the stoppage or diminution of the supply
of material to the feed hopper.
Sixth Arranging the lever I referred to in the preceding claim, to serve also as
the lever for holding the catch referred to in the third claim so that on stopping
the motion of the feed rollers, the simultaneous throwing out of gear of the moveable
grinding roller is also effected substantially as herein described.
Seventh: The use, in combination with the automatic stopping gear, referred to
in the preceding claim, of a feed' sluice to the hopper, so arranged that while
the sluice is adjustable to and from the feed. roller, the angle which it makes
with the said roller can also be varied, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described.
In witness whereof, I the said Henry Simon have hereunto set my hand and seal
this twenty eight day of August in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight
hundred and eighty-three