IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERS
Year: 1884

page_text: FRUYIDIONAL
DIECINICATION.
I, DUGALD CLERK, of 48 Wellington Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERS to be as follows:-
"
"
My said Invention consists in forming a filter by combining sheets or plics of
wire gauze with or without sheets or plics of cloth or fibrous materials, with metal
plates which bind the sheets of wire gauze or wire gauze and fibrous materials in
such a way that the water or liquid that is being filtered passes edgeways through
or between the sheets and not at right angles thereto. The forms, dimensions, and
arrangement of the parts may be varied but in a convenient and satisfactory
working modification the filter is contained within a vertical cylindrical casing or
vessel into the lower part of which the water or liquid to be filtered is admitted,
whilst the filtrate passes off from a cavity formed in the cover of the vessel. The
filter consists of a number of horizontal metal plates having in each space between
them a number of sheets or plies of wire gauze with or without alternate sheets or
plics of cloth or fibrous material. Long vertical bolts or rods pass through the
plates and through the cover and are secured by external nuts which can be screwed
to tighten or bind together the plates and filtering materials. Slots or passages
are formed completely through all the plates excepting the bottom plate or plates;
and there are holes in the bottom plate or plates corresponding to some of the slots,
whilst corresponding to the other slots there are holes in the cover leading into the
cavity in that cover with which cavity the outlet pipo is connected. The liquid to
be filtered has access to the outer edges of the sheets or plies of wire gauze and
also to the inner edges thereof in those slots or passages for which there are
openings in the bottom plate. The slots or passages which communicate with the
cavity in the cover are between the other slots or passages and the outer parts of
the filter and the liquid becomes filtered in passing through the filtering materials
to them, the construction being such as to present a very extensive filtering area
in a compact form. The filter occupies only the upper part of the vessel or casing,
the separated matters falling for the most part to the bottom from which they
can be removed at suitable intervals. When the filtering materials require cleaning
all that has to be done is to slacken the bolts binding the parts together, and to
pass a current of clean water or liquid through in the opposite direction to that in
which the liquid passes when being filtered.

page_text: I, DUGALD CLERK, of 48 Wellington Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FILTERS" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that
is to say :-
My said Invention consists in forming a filter by combining sheets or plies of
wire gauzo with or without sheets or plies of cloth or fibrous materials, with metal
plates which bind the sheets of wire gauze or wire gauzo and fibrous materials in
such a way that the water or liquid that is being filtered passes edgeways through
or between the sheets and not at right angles thereto. The forms, dimensions, and
arrangement of the parts may be varied but in a convenient and satisfactorily
working modification the filter is contained within a vertical cylindrical casing or
vessel, into the lower part of which the water or liquid to be filtered is admitted,
whilst the filtrate passes off from a cavity formed in the cover of the vessel. The
filter consists of a number of horizontal metal plates having in each space between
them a number of sheets or plies of wire gause. Slots or passages are formed
completely through all the plates excepting, the bottom plate, and also through the
bundles or piles of sheets of wire gauze, so that vertical passages are formed
through the wire gauze sheets. These vertical passages are closed at their bottom
ends but their upper ends communicate through slots in the inner cover plate with
a space in the cover which communicates with the outlet. The liquid to be filtered
bas access to the outer edges of the sheets of wire gauze and becomes filtered in
passing through between those sheets to the internal vertical passages, through
which latter it proceeds to the cover and outlet. This construction presents a
very extensive filtering area in a compact form. The filtor occupies the upper
part of the vessel or casing, the separated matters falling for the most part to
the bottom from which they can be removed at suitable intervals. When the
filtering materials require cleaning the parts binding the plates and wire-gauze
sheets together are slackened or moved apart and a current of clean water or liquid
is passed through the apparatus in the opposite direction to that in which the
liquid passes when being filtered. When the apparatus is to be used for filtering
some liquids I find it desirable to arrange parts for applying concussive action for
detaching from the outer edges of the wire-gauze sheets matters separated from
the water and deposited on them, and I arrange such parts so that the cleaning
operation may be completely effected without opening the casing or vessel
containing the filter.
And in order that my said Invention and the mainer of perforining the same
may be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings
to be lſercinafter referred to and representing a filter as constructed according to
one modification of my Invention. Figure, I, is a vertical section and figure, 2, is
a horizontal section corresponding to half of figure, 1. In figure, 1, the section of
the filtering details is on the left-hand side as at the line -u, and on the right-
hand side, as at the line, bb, figure, 2. Figure, 3, is a view of one of the wire-
gauze plies or sheets; and is shown full size in the original drawing accompanying

page_text: this Specification. In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
The filter shown in the drawings is designed for being used in connection with a
steam boiler according to the system described in my Complete Specification
No 10815 of 1884, and the filtering details are contained in a vessel, 4, constructed
to withstand the pressure of the water or liquid passing through it, as are the
pump, pipes, and other parts through which the water or liquid has to pass. My
improved filter may however be used otherwise than in connection with a steam
boiler; and in all applications the liquid to be filtered may be passed through it
under pressure and with corresponding speed. The containing vessel, 4, is a vertical
cylinder with convex top and bottom ends, 5, 6. The upper end, is bolted by
flanges to the cylindrical part, and between the flanges there is fixed a horizontal
plate, 7, enclosing a space, 8, between it and the end, 5, this space being hereinafter
referred to as the outlet space, the filtered water or liquid passing from it through
an outlet, 9. The water or liquid to be filtered enters by an inlet, 10, in the side;
and the matters which are separated by the filtering action can be discharged at
convenient intervals through an outlet, 11, in the bottom.
The wire-gauze filtering sheets, 12, are arranged in a number of bundles or piles.
between the top plate, 7, and a bottom plate, 13, the latter being supported by a
central vertical rod, 14, which passes up through a stuffing box at the top so as
to be movable from the outside of the vessel for cleaning purposes as hereinafter
explained. The bottom plate, 13, is made with a number of openings; or in other
words it may be said to consist of a number of spokes combined with two rings
and having interstices through which there is ample passage for the liquid which
passes upwards and for the matters which are separated from the liquid and
descend. There are piles of wire-gauze sheets, 12, on all the spokes of the plate, 13,
but in figure, 2, the alternate piles are supposed to be removed to show the shape
of small separating plates, 15, which are interposed between the several piles
forming each column between the lower and top plates, 13, and 7 Each wire-gauze
sheet, 12, has a slot cut through it as shown in figure, 3, and corresponding slots
are formed in the small separating plates, 15, and in the top plate, 7, but not in the
bottom plate, 13, and these slots combine to form a vertical passage through each
column or vertical set of piles of wire-gauze sheets extending from the upper side
of the bottom plate, 13, up through the small separating plates, 15, and top plate, 7,
into the outlet space, 8. The liquid has access to these vertical passages but only
by passing edgeways, as it were, between the wire-gauze sheets; and the com-
pleteness of the filtering operation will depend on the fineness of the wire gauze
employed and on the closeness with which the sheets are pressed together.
The small separating plates, 15, are kept in their proper positions by two sets
of vertical rods, 16, 17, which are embraced by forked ends formed on the plates
for the purpose. Que set, 16, of the vertical rods, is fixed to the top plates, 7, and
the other set, 17, is fixed to the bottom plate, 13. Small rods, 18, extend up
through the slots in the wire-gauze sheets, separating plates, 15, and top plates, 7,
to keep the vertical passages clear and to prevent the separate wire-gauze sheets
from getting displaced. The central rod, 14, is not rigidly fixed to the bottom
plate, 13, but extends down through a central opening in that plate and has fixed
to its bottom end, a block, 19, between which and the underside of the plate, 13,
there is interposed a cushion, 20,.formed of any suitable elastic material, a pile of
wire-gauze sheets serving the purpose very well. The block, 19, is made with
lugs, 21, through which are passed bolts, 22, which are screwed up into the bottom
of the plate, 13, and the block, 19, has a short extent of play or free movement on
these bolts, so as to act concussively when moved up and down. The upper end of
the central rod, 14, is fixed to a piston, 23, in a small steam cylinder, 24, the action
of which is controlled by a valve worked by means of a handlever, 25. A reduced
part, 20, of the central rod, 14, is extended up through the top of the steam
cylinder, 24, and through a bracket, 27, and its upper end is screwed to receive a
lever nut, 28. When the filter is to be set to work steam is admitted under the

page_text: piston, 23, to raise the central rod, 14, and bottom plate, 13, and thereby compress
the piles of wire-gauze sheets together and before turning off the steam the lever
nut, 28, is screwed down to the bracket, 27, so as to hold the central rod, 14, up in
its raised position. When it is considered necessary to clean the filter the passage
of the water through it in the direction for filtering is stopped; and the central
rod, 14, is lowered, with the aid of steam in the cylinder, 24. The consequent
lowering of the bottom plate, 13, sets the piles of wire-gauze sheets, 12, free to
separate, but to make sure of their separating, collars are formed on the vertical
rods, 17, fixed to the bottom plate, 13, and act on the small separating plates, 15,
whilst similar collars formed on the rods, 16, fixed to the top plate, 7, determine
the distances to which the several separating plates, 15, can descend. These
collars on the rods, 16, 17, are spaced so that about equal amounts of opening will
be produced between the several piles. If found necessary the central rod, 14,
is worked up and down by means of the steam cylinder, 24, so as to act con-
cussively on the piles of wire-gauze sheets in order to detach matters separated
from the water or liquid by the filtering action and adhering to them.
same time or after the concussive treatment pure water is passed through the filter
by means of a pump or otherwise in the opposite direction to that in which the
water passes when being filtered.
At the
It will be obvious that the arrangement and construction of the accessory parts
are susceptible of considerable modification but the essential and distinguishing
feature is the employment of bundles or piles of wire-gauze sheets with or without
interposed fibrous materials, the same being bound together and arranged so that
the liquid may pass edgeways through or between them.
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 employment of bundles or piles of wire-gauze sheets with or without
fibrous materials for filtering liquids the same being arranged so that the liquid
may pass edgeways through or between the sheets substantially as herein before
described.
2-The combination of parts forming the improved filter substantially as
herein before described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.