Sugar cane.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1887
Specification Accepted, 13th Jan., 1888
Sugar cane.
I, SAMUEL FISKE, of 10 Barclay Street, in the City and State of New York,
United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to simplify and improve the construction of a cane
shredder and to render it more efficient in action.
The invention consists of a cane shredder of improved construction and mode of
operating.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the
specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1, is a side elevation showing the cane shredder, a set of rolls, cane carrier
and conducting chutes in their proper relative positions for operating on sugar cane.
The shredder having housing broken away in part to exhibit other parts.
Figure 2, is an enlarged elevation of a shredder housing.
Figure 3, is a section of shredder back plate showing door therein.
Figure 4, is a plan of a cap journal box for shaft of shredder rolls.
The shredder A, consists essentially of two toothed rolls A', A³, respectively, fixed
opposite each other, so as to revolve, in a suitable frame. Each roll consists of a
drum or shaft on which are secured, in face contact with each other, a number of
rings or annular disks whose peripheries are beveled off on both sides at angles of
about forty five degrees and are there provided with teeth.
These rolls are set parallel with each other and so that their rings or disks interlock
as shown, and, when in operation, they revolve at different speeds and in opposite
directions, so that the teeth make a peculiar shearing cut, which prevents them from
becoming clogged and causes them not only to cut but to tear apart, in fine fibres
or shreds, the cane or other fibrous material operated upon, so as to expose the
juice-containing cells more completely to the subsequent action of the juice extractor.
My special improvements will be hereinafter set forth.

page_text: In some cases the shredder shafts or drums have been journaled in a horizontal
bed plate and in the same horizontal plane, and in some instances in like boxes of
ordinary construction set at an angle of about 45°; but in neither method of con-
struction or arrangement are the boxes sufficiently rigid to properly withstand the
strain when the shredder becomes accidentally crowded with cane or when it is
working to the full capacity of the rolls.
To remedy this defect I construct the housings C, as shown, much broader than the
diameter of a shredder roll, and having broad bases by which they may be most
rigidly secured to the supporting timbers D, as shown in figure 1.
A back plate C, secured by bolts a, to the flanged upper edges of the housings add
rigidity to the latter.
In this back plate C, is a door E, which may be opened at will to enable the
operator to inspect and adjust the disks or remove any material with which the rolls
may become clogged.
As best shown in Figure 2, it will be seen that the housings have central,
longitudinal grooves m, the sides of which are formed by strong guiding ribs m', and
in the lower ends of these grooves m, are fashioned the bearings n for the lower roll
shaft.
The caps n¹, of these lower journal boxes or bearings have slotted ends, as shown in
figure 4, so that they may engage on the ribs m³, and be easily raised out of the way
or be entirely removed whenever it may be desired.
Both halves of the bearings or boxes o, of the upper roll also have slotted ends like
the cap n', and for the same reasons, so it will be seen that all obstructions can be
removed from the grooves m, to the end that both rolls may be readily removed from
the shredder for repairs etc., without displacing anything but said bearings and a
section pl, of the shrouding p, which covers the tops of said grooves and extends from
one housing to the other to brace them more firmly in place.
screw T,
Two cheek pieces q, support a cheek block 9', up through which is passed a
whose point engages against a boss r¹, on the under side of the lower half of
the journal box o, so that by turning the said screw r, in one or the other direction,
as the case may be, the said bearing o, and consequently the upper roll supported
therein, may be adjusted nearer to or farther from the lower shredder roll in order to
shred the cane finer or coarser, as may be desired.
A screws; passed down through the shrouding p², over each housing, bears on a
cap s¹, fixed on the top of a strong, spiral spring, whose lower end is engaged in
a recessed boss s³, on the top of the cap of the upper journal box o. By this screw
the tension of the springs, may be regulated or adjusted, and it is designed to so
adjust it that it will yield, when desirable, sufficiently for the upper shredder roll to
lift in order to relieve the shredder so that pieces of iron or other foreign substances
accidentally entering with the cane, may pass through without injury to the machine.
These improvements greatly simplify the construction of the shredder, strengthen
the weaker parts, diminish the chances of injury to it, remove all difficulties in its
operation and facilitate inspection and repairs, and consequently, add much to the
commercial value of the machine.
In the drawings, Fig. 1, F, represents an ordinary set of juice-expressing rolls;
G, a chute for conducting shredded cane from shredder to rolls, and H, a chute con-
ducting cane froin cane-carrier I, to shredder, and K, is a frame supporting the
shredder, cane-carrier etc.
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. In a cane shredder the combination with housings provided with guiding
grooves open at the top and inclined at an angle from the horizontal, of shaft or roll
bearings or boxes fitted in said grooves and adapted to be moved up and out thereof,
substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the rolls may be easily removed
as set forth.
2. In a cane shredder the combination with the upper roll bearings arranged to be

page_text: adjusted up and down in the housings, of adjusting screws, substantially as herein
shown and described, whereby the distance of the upper roll from the lower roll may
be regulated and adjusted for the purpose of shredding the cane coarser or finer as
may be desired.
3. In a cane shredder the combination with housings having inclined guiding
grooves holding the journal bearings or boxes, of adjustable relieving springs applied
to the boxes of the top roll, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the
shredder, when in operation, may be automatically relieved on the accidental intro-
duction therein of pieces of metal or other foreign substances, as set forth.
4. In a cane shredder provided with housings substantially as herein shown and
described, a back plate rigidly connecting said housings and provided with a door
through which the shredder rolls may be inspected and the disks adjusted, as set
forth.