AN IMPROVED BOTTOM PLATE FOR RAG ENGINES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1884

page_text: We THOMAS BIGGIN and GEORGE ELLIOTT of the North British Steel Works,
Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel Refiners and Manufacturers, do hereby
declure the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED BOTTOM PLATE FOR
RAG ENGINES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows :-
:
This Invention relates to the construction or manufacture of an improved bottom
plate, of both the straight and elbow shapes, for use in rag engines employed in
the manufacture of paper, which plate will be more durable and lasting than the
bottom plates as hitherto made.
According to this invention, the bottom, plate is made with steel dividers placed
between each bar of the plate and made of the same quality of steel as the bars
of the plate. The plate is so constructed that the bars and the dividers will bo
easily, reversible, that is, when the bars become with use worn level with the dividers,
the dividers can be raised and used as bars, and the worn bars then become the
dividers.
The dividers are made with an extra hole or holes situated exactly, or nearly so,
over every bole or holes as formerly in the dividers, by means of which boles and
corresponding holes in the bars, the dividers are raised up and screwed or fixed in
position by means of bolts and nuts or other suitable means, in order to be used as
bars in the plate, by which reversing process the bars become the dividers, and
when the raised dividers are worn by use, they can be lowered or noved into and
secured in the top hole or holes and the original bars can then be raised into work
again.
By this improved arrangement, neither the bars nor the dividers will require
sharpening as at present, as both will be of one uniform thickness,

page_text: Figure 5 is a section of a bolt,
According to this Invention the bottom plate is made with dividers B. B. of the
same quality of steel and of the same thickness as the bars A. A. a divider being
placed between each of the bars in the manner shewn in figures 1 and 2 so that
bars and dividers may be reversed, that is when the bars become worn with use
level with the dividers the dividers can be raised and used as bars and the worn
bars then become dividers as in figure 24 And when the dividers become worn
level with the original bars the dividers can be lowered to their original position
and the original bars can be used again.
In order to raise the dividers as above we make holes in the divider as D. D. in
-figure 4 or we make two holes D. D. in figure 44 one exactly over the other or
nearly so and we make corresponding holes C. c in figure 3 so that when the bars
and dividers are placed together in their first position in figure 2 the upper part of
cach hole D in figure 4 or each upper hole D in figuro 4ª may be opposite to the
corresponding hole C in figure 3 and the whole fastened together by means of bolts
of a corresponding shape similar to E in figure 5, and when it is required to reverse
the bars and dividers the dividers may be raised up so that the lower part of each
hole D in. the dividers in figure 4 or the lower hole D in figure 4 may be opposite
to the corresponding holes C. c. in the bars in figure 3 and the whole secured in
position by the bolt E.
By making holes in the bars similar to those above described in the dividers and
making holes in the dividers similar to those above described in the bars, the bars
when worn may be raised, and when again worn so as to be level with the dividers
may be lowered to their original position and the dividers will then serve as bars,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it to be
understood that we do not claim the use (in bottom plates of rag-engines used in
the manufacture of paper) of reversible bars and dividers, but we declare that what
we do claim is
The use of the holes CC and DD and the corresponding bolt E as an arrangement
for reversing the bars and dividers of bottom plates of rag-engines used in the
manufacture of paper substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
THOB BIGGIN.
GEORGE ELLIOTT.