Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Treating Ramie, China Grass and other Vegetable Fibres, also applicable for the Drying of Grain and other Articles or Materials.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1898
Completes Specification Loft 25th lon 1809 Accented 30th Mar
1899
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Treating Ramie,
China Grass and other Vegetable Fibres, also applicable for the
Drying of Grain and other Articles or Materials.
We, WILLIAM MCGREGOR SMITH, of 119, St. Mark's Road, Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and WILLIAM GEORGE STEVENS TYACKE, of 16,
Mansion House Chambers, in the City of London, Commission Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Ramie fibre, after being degummed, or after being bleached, is at present
usually put into a centrifugal machine, in which a portion of the moisture con-
tained in it is removed, and afterwards placed in a drying stove to be completely
dried. Other vegetable fibres and grains are in like manner partially dried in
centrifugal machines and afterwards completely dried in drying stoves or in the
open air.
Our improved treatment of ramie and other vegetable fibre and grain, con-
sists in effecting a larger proportion, or the whole, of the drying in a centrifugal
machine by treating them, while in the machine, with steam, the effect of such
treatment being at once to soften and to brighten the fibre and to dry the grain.
For the sake of clearness we will speak, in describing this invention, of the
treatment of fibre only, but it will be understood that similar treatment is applic-
able also to grain and spent grains and many other substances and articles.
Centrifugal machines used for drying fibre are frequently driven from an
engine having a vertical crank shaft on which is fixed a pulley, motion being
conveyed from the engine to the centrifugal machine by means of a belt com-
municating the motion to the centrifugal machine by means of a pulley fixed
upon the spindle of the centrifugal itself.
In
The steam desired for the treatment of the fibre in the centrifugal machine,
may conveniently be obtained from the exhaust steam of the driving engine.
order to effect this end the exhaust pipe of the engine communicates with a steam
receiver, so arranged as to detain any water, grease and other dirt passing along
with the steam, and to prevent it from passing forward, and of such a capacity
that the intermittent and the pulsatory action of the steam from the engine may
he converted into a continuous and almost equal flow.
From this receiver the steam passes into a fixing
or small chamber upon the
casing of the centrifugal, the centrifugal itself being provided with a cover to
prevent the free admission of air at the upper part, and prevent the free escape
of the steam.
The cover is so arranged that it can be easily lifted for the putting in of the
material, and for its removal. A fixture upon the cover is so arranged that
when the cover is closed a passage is provided through which the steam can pass
to the centre of the cover, where it enters a projecting pipe descending into the
basket of the centrifugal machine.
The arrangement of the various parts is such that a fairly close joint is made,
so that little or no steam escapes, but the whole, or almost the whole, of the
steam passes through the central pipe into the revolving basket of the machine.

page_text: The steam, as described, enters the basket of the machine, in a downward
direction, so that any moisture which it may contain is thrown downwards, and
within the machine we provide a loose dome, slightly conical in form, projecting
upwards to the level of the top of the basket or thereabouts, and provided at its
lower part with a plate which forms a false bottom resting upon the bottom of
the basket, but prevented from touching it by bars or rods, which preserve a
short distance between the false bottom and the true bottom of the revolving
basket.
Any water thrown downwards by the steam, or condensing upon this dome,
is accordingly guided below this false bottom and passes out without passing
through the fibre in the machine. The steam however rising above the dome
can pass into the basket, and come into contact with the fibre, so that the fibre,
while undergoing the operation in the centrifugal machine, is in an atmosphere
of steam.
The effect of this is to render the fibre hot and to cause it more freely to part
with moisture, while at the conclusion of the operation the heat remaining in
the fibre is sufficient to evaporate a portion, or the whole of the moisture, which
may still remain combined with the fibre.
At the same time the action of the steam upon the fibre softens it, and renders
it more pliant and brighter in appearance, but in the case of grains the apparatus
is only used for drying the same.
In some cases in order more thoroughly to dry the fibre contained in the
centrifugal machine, we introduce a super-heater between the steam receiver
already described, and the point at which the steam enters the centrifugal
machine.
The super-heater may be somewhat similar in construction to an arrangement
of surface condenser as used in some condensing engines; the superheating being
effected either by passing the steam through tubes which on the outside are
heated by steam at a higher pressure, or passing the steam around tubes which
on the inside are heated by steam at a higher pressure.
This superheated steam coming in contact with the fibre containing moisture,
will evaporate a portion of the moisture contained in such fibre, and so dry the
fibre.
In some cases we may use an apparatus similar to the above for heating air,
which may be made to follow the application of steam; the same apparatus
may indeed be used first for superheating steam to be used in the centrifugal
machine, and afterwards, the superheating of the steam having been stopped,
and the passage of steam from the receiver into the centrifugal machine having
also been stopped, arrangements being made so that the steam can escape into
the atmosphere, then the same apparatus which has been used for superheating
the steam may be used for heating the air, and in some cases the air may be
forced through this apparatus and into the machine by a fan, or by other means
for producing an artificial flow of air.
When heated air is forced into a centrifugal machine for the purpose of com-
pleting the drying, we usually make the, dome somewhat lower than the top of
the centrifugal basket, and we make the top rim of the basket of such a width
as to extend inwards considerably beyond the position of the dome. It is neces-
sary in this case to make the top rim of the basket removable, as otherwise it
would be difficult to introduce fibre into the machine, and remove it therefrom.
It is also often convenient in other cases to make the top rim removable, as
otherwise the space between it and the dome is not sufficient to enable the fibre
to be easily introduced and removed.
Dotal this 20th dow of March 1908
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton, Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: mprovements in the Method of and Apparatus for Treating Kaune,
China Grass and other Vegetable Fibres, also applicable for the
Drying of Grain and other Articles or Materials.
We, WILLIAM MCGREGOR SMITH, formerly of 119, St. Mark's Road, Kensing-
on, but now of 12, Woodstock Road, Bedford Park, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, and WILLIAM GEORGE STEVENS TYACKE, of 16, Mansion House
Chambers, in the City of London, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the
ature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
e particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following statement:-
Ramie fibre, after being degummed, or after being bleached, is at present
usually put into a centrifugal machine, in which a portion of the moisture con-
tained in it is removed, and it is afterwards placed in a drying stove to be com-
pletely dried. Other vegetable fibres and grains are in like manner partially
dried in centrifugal machines and afterwards completely dried in drying stoves
or in the open air.
We will describe our invention in connection with the accompanying draw-
ings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of one arrangement of apparatus such
as we employ in carrying our invention into effect.
Fig. 3 is an elevation and Fig. 4 a plan of similar apparatus to the above,
but with a heater for superheating the steam, or heating the air, etc.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the centrifugal machine separately, and
Fig. 6 is a side elevation and Fig. 7 an end elevation of the heater separately.
In all the figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
Our improved treatment of ramie and other vegetable fibre and grain, con-
sists in effecting a larger proportion, or the whole, of the drying in a centrifugal
machine by treating them, while in the machine, with steam, the effect of such
treatment being at once to soften, brighten and dry the fibre or to dry the grain.
For the sake of clearness we will speak, in describing this invention, of the
treatment of ramie fibre only, but it will be understood that similar treatment
is applicable also to various kinds of vegetable fibre, grain and spent grains,
and many other substances and articles.
b
Centrifugal machines, such as a, used for drying fibre, are frequently driven
from an engine having a vertical crank shaft c, on which is fixed a pulley d,
motion being conveyed from the engine to the centrifugal machine a by means
of a belt e, communicating the motion to the centrifugal machine by means of a
pulley a fixed upon the spindle a¹ of the centrifugal itself.
The steam desired for the treatment of the fibre in the centrifugal machine
may conveniently be obtained from the exhaust steam of the driving engine b.
In order to effect this end the exhaust pipe f of the engine communicates with a
steam receiver g arranged in any well known manner so as to detain any water,
grease and other dirt passing along with the steam, and to prevent it from pass-
oing forward, and of such a capacity that the intermittent and the pulsatory
action of the steam from the engine b may be converted into a continuous and
almost equal flow.
From this receiver g the steam passes by the pipe g¹ into a fixing or small
chamber a³ upon the casing of the centrifugal a, the centrifugal itself being
5 provided with a cover a to prevent the free admission of air at the upper part
and prevent the free escape of the steam. The pipe g₁ is fitted with a valve g²
to enable the steam to be cut off when not required..

page_text: The cover a is so arranged that it can easily be lifted for the putting in of the
material and for its removal. A fixture a upon the cover a is so arranged that
when the cover is closed, a passage is provided through which the steam can
pass to the centre of the cover, where it enters a projecting pipe as descending
into the basket a of the centrifugal machine, the sides of which are perforated
as usual.
The arrangement of the various parts is such that a fairly close joint is made,
so that little or no steam escapes, but the whole, or almost the whole, of the
steam passes through the central pipe a into the revolving basket a of the
machine.
In Fig. 5 we have shown the cover at of the centrifugal machine hinged at all
to the body of the machine and fixed in position by bolts a¹. We have also
shown the top a¹8 of the centrifugal basket a removable and capable of being
fixed in position by bolts als engaging with lugs on the body of the basket a
a is a counterbalance carried by the cover a, al is a drip pipe for the water
of condensation and a" is a tube leading to the exhaust.
The steam, as described, enters the basket a of the machine, in a downward
direction, so that any moisture which it may contain is thrown downwards, and
within the machine we provide a loose dome as, slightly conical in form, pro-
jecting upwards to the level of the top of the basket a or thereabouts, and pro-
vided at its lower part with a plate a, which forms a false bottom supported
at the bottom of the basket a², but prevented from touching it by bars
or rods a¹, which preserve a short distance between the false bottom a and the
true bottom of the revolving basket.
Any water thrown downwards by the steam, or condensing upon the dome 8,
is accordingly guided below this false bottom and passes out through the side
of the basket between the true and false bottoms without passing through the
fibre in the machine. The steam however rising above the dome « can pass
into the basket and come into contact with the fibre, so that the fibre, while
undergoing the operation in the centrifugal machine, is in an atmosphere of
steam.
The effect of this is to render the fibre hot and to cause it more freely to part
with moisture, while at the conclusion of the operation, the heat remaining in
the fibre is sufficient to evaporate a portion or the whole of the moisture which
may still remain combined with the fibre.
At the same time the action of the steam upon the fibre softens it and renders
it more pliant and brighter in appearance and dries it, but in the case of grains
the apparatus is only used for drying the same.
In some cases, in order more thoroughly to dry the fibre contained in the
centrifugal machine, we introduce a superheater (see Figs. 3-4, 6-7) between
the steam receiver already described and the point at which the steam enters the
centrifugal machine. The superheater may be somewhat similar in construc-
tion to an arrangement of surface condenser as used in some condensing engines,
the superheating being effected either by passing the steam through tubes which
on the outside are heated by steam at a higher pressure, or by passing the steam
around tubes which on the inside are heated by steam at a higher pressure.
This superheated steam, coming in contact with the fibre containing moisture,
will evaporate a portion of the moisture and so dry the fibre.
The time during which the steaming operation is continued varies according to
the state of the fibre. It may occupy from ten minutes to half an hour or even
longer.
In some cases we may use an apparatus similar to the above for heating air,
which may be made to follow the application of steam; the same apparatus
may indeed be used first for superheating steam to be used in the centrifugal
machine, and afterwards, the superheating of the steam having been stopped,
and the passage of steam from the receiver into the centrifugal machine having
also been stopped (arrangements being made so that the steam can escape into

page_text: the atmosphere) for heating the air, and in some cases the air may be forced
through this apparatus and into the machine by a fan or by other means for
producing an artificial flow of air.
This combined arrangement for supplying either superheated steam or hot
In this case
air to the centrifugal machine is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7.
the superheater h is connected with the steam receiver g by a pipe h¹ provided
with a valve 2, and with a fan i by a pipe h³ provided with a valve h, whilst
the steam receiver g is also connected directly with the fixing or small
chamber a by a pipe gl having a valve gas before described. A valve h5 which
connects one end of the superheater h with the pipe is closed when the super-
heater is not being used.
The fan i is driven from the engine by means of pulley on engine shaft,
belt j, and pulley on fan shaft.
When heated air is forced into a centrifugal machine for the purpose of com-
pleting the drying, we usually make the dome somewhat lower than the top of
the centrifugal basket, and we make the top rim of the basket of such a width
as to extend inwards considerably beyond the position of the dome. It is neces-
sary in this case to make the top rim of the basket removable, as otherwise it
would be difficult to introduce fibre into the machine, and remove it therefrom.
It is also often convenient, in other cases, to make the top rim removable, as
otherwise the space between it and the dome is not sufficient to enable the fibre
to be easily introduced and removed.
If desired steam may be conveyed direct from a steam engine to the steam
receiver.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1
1. The treatment in a centrifugal machine, of ramie, china grass, and other
vegetable fibre, grain and substances, by steam, for the purpose of more com-
pletely drying, and also in the case of fibre of softening and brightening, the
same, substantially as herein set forth.
2. The treatment in a centrifugal machine, of ramie, china grass and other
vegetable fibre, grain and substances, by steam, for the purpose set forth, and
afterwards by superheated steam, with the object of further drying the ire or
other material, substantially as herein set forth.
3. The treatment in a centrifugal machine, of ramie, china grass, and other
vegetable fibre, grain and substances, by steam, for the purposes herein set forth,
and afterwards by heated air, for the purpose of completing the drying of the
fibre and other substances, substantially as herein set forth.
4. In apparatus for treating ramie, china grass, and other vegetable fibres,
and the drying of grain and other articles or materials, the combination of a
steam engine, a steam receiver to receive the exhaust steam from the engine and
to separate water, oil and dirt therefrom, a centrifugal machine, and connections
with cocks thereon between the engine, steam receiver, and centrifugal machine,
substantially as herein set forth.
5. In apparatus for treating ramie, china grass, and other vegetable fibres,
and the drying of grain and other articles or materials, the combination of a
centrifugal machine, a steam engine, a steam receiver into which the exhaust
steam passes, apparatus for superheating the steam on the way from the said
0 receiver to the centrifugal machine, and connections having cocks thereon
between the engine, steam receiver, superheater, and centrifugal machine, sub-
stantially as herein set forth.
6. In apparatus for treating ramie, china grass, and other vegetable fibres,
and the drying of grain and other articles or materials, the combination of a
5 centrifugal machine, a steam engine, a steam receiver into which the exhaust

page_text: steam passes, an apparatus for supplying air, an apparatus for superheating the
steam and for heating the air on the way to the centrifugal machine, and con-
nections with cocks thereon between the steam receiver, air supply, superheater,
and centrifugal machine, substantially as herein set forth.
7. In apparatus for treating ramie, china grass, and other vegetable fibres,
and the drying of grain and other articles or materials, the combination of a
centrifugal machine, a steam receiver into which steam is supplied from any
suitable source, and connections, with cocks thereon, between the steam receiver
and centrifugal machine, substantially as herein set forth.
8. In apparatus for treating ramic, china grass, and other vegetable fibres,
and the drying of grain and other articles or materials, the combination of a
centrifugal machine, a steam receiver into which steam is supplied from any
suitable source, apparatus for superheating the steam on the way from the said
receiver to the centrifugal machine, and connections having cocks thereon between
the steam receiver, superheater, and centrifugal machine, substantially as herein
set forth.
9. In apparatus for treating ramie, china grass, and other vegetable fibres,
and the drying of grain and other articles or materials, the combination of a
centrifugal machine, a steam receiver into which steam is supplied from any
suitable source, an apparatus for supplying air, an apparatus for superheating
the steam and for heating the air on the way to the centrifugal machine, and
connections with cocks thereon between the steam receiver, air supply, super-
heater, and centrifugal machine, substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 25th day of January 1899.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.