IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING ROLLERS AND REDUCING THE FRICTION IN THE BEARINGS OF THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO ALL PURPOSES WHERE ROLLERS ARE USED FOR EXERCISING PRESSURE.”
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Pilkington, of Pendleton, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING ROLLERS AND REDUCING THE
FRICTION IN THE BEARINGS OF THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO ALL PURPOSES WHERE
ROLLERS ARE USED FOR EXERCISING PRESSURE.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Pilkington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th May 1873.
I, EDMUND PILKINGTON, of Pendleton, near Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOUNTING ROLLERS AND REDUCING the
FRICTION IN THE BEARINGS OF THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO ALL PURPOSES WHERE
ROLLERS ARE USED FOR EXERCISING PRESSURE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel method of mounting the rollers in
rolling mills, sugar mills, ore crushing, stone breaking, and plate
bending machines, squeezers, calenders, washing machines, and other

page_text: machines in which pressure is exercised by means of rollers for reducing
friction in the bearings of the same, and consists in dispensing with the
usual stationery bearings of such rollers, and substituting a metallic ring
of sufficient diameter to embrace the cylindrical surface of the rollers or
their gudgeons at each end, and of sufficient strength to take the strain
of the rollers. The rollers in this case are mounted in a framework, and
either one of the rollers simply rests upon bearings to carry the dead
weight of all the rollers, or the embracing rings may be mounted upon
rollers, and thus carry such dead weight. These rings revolve with the
rollers and in the same direction, and thus reduce the friction; and
in those cases where a roller in contact with such rings would otherwise
be revolving in a contrary direction I introduce an idle roller or bowl
between such roller and the rings.
In rollers which require to be adjusted in their distance from each
other I employ cones on each end of the rollers, and slide the rings along
such cones and so cause the rollers to approach or recede from one
another.
If clasticity is required in the rings I construct the same of steel so as
to yield with an elastic action in the direction of the pressure, the
clasticity being regulated by an outer rigid ring of larger diameter fitted
with cushions of india-rubber or spring steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund Pilkington in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND 2
PILKINGTON, of Pendleton, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edmund Pilkington, Her special licence
that I, the said Edmund Pilkington, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmund Pilkington, my executors,

page_text: ""
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MOUNTING ROLLERS AND REDUCING THE FRICTION IN THE BEARINGS OF THE SAME,
APPLICABLE TO ALL PURPOSES WHERE ROLLERS ARE USED FOR EXERCISING PRESSURE,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edmund Pilkington,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calender months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edmund Pilkington, do hereby.
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the samo
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to a novel method of mounting the rollers in
rolling mills, ore crushing and stone breaking machines, squeezers,
calenders, washing machines, and other machines in which pressure is
exercised by means of rollers for reducing friction in the bearings of the
same, and consists in dispensing with the usual stationary bearings of
such rollers and substituting a metallic ring of sufficient diameter to
embrace the cylindrical surface of the rollers or their gudgeons at each
end, and of sufficient strength to take the strain of the rollers. The
rollers in this case are mounted in a framework, and either one of the
rolls simply rests upon bearings to carry the dead weight of all the
rollers, or the embracing rings may be mounted upon rollers and thus
carry such dead weight. These rings revolve with the rollers and in
the same direction, and thus reduce the friction; and in those cases
where a roller in contact with such rings would otherwise be revolving
in a contrary direction I introduce an idle roller or bowl between such
roller and the rings. If elasticity is required in the rings I construct
the same of steel so as to yield with an elastic action in the direction of
the pressure.
And in order that this my said Invention may be the more readily seen,

page_text: and understood, I have hereunto annexed a Drawing illustrating two
modifications of my improvements in mounting rollers.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; and Fig. 2, a back elevation shewing my
improvements applied to a three bowl calendar; and Fig. 3 is a detail of
Fig. shewing the application of the ring more clearly drawn to a scale
of about one inch to the foot.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation; and Fig. 5, a front elevation of part of the
framework of a domestic wringing and mangling machine shewing the
application of my improvements to the rollers of the same drawn to a
scale of about one-fourth full size. Similar letters marked on the several
views are used to denote similar parts.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A is the framework of the machine which may be of
a lighter construction than is practicable by the old method of mounting
the bowls. B and C are the two "bowls" mounted respectively at the top
and bottom with the smaller roller D between them. As these bowls and
roller differ in construction in no material respect from those at present in
use it will be unnecessary to describe their construction. The gudgeons or
axles however of these bowls B and C must project sufficiently beyond
the frame A to receive the embracing, rings, as will be herein-after
explained. The bottom bowl C rests in the usual steps E, E', and as will
be hereafter more apparent it carries when in action the entire dead
weight of the intermediate roller, upper bowl, and embracing rings; the
intermediate roller D is supported in blocks F, F¹, which are free to slide
horizontally in the recesses G of the frame A; the upper bowl B is guided
between the cheeks H of the frame A in a vertical position immediately
over the bowl C, as shewn. I, I', are the rings embracing the gudgeons
or axles J, J¹, of the bowls B and C, which rings form an essential
feature in this Invention, and are made sufficiently strong, by preference
of iron or steel, to resist the greatest strain to which the bowls may be
subjected. The sliding blocks F and F¹ carrying the intermediate
roller D are provided at each end with projecting pieces K which receive
the short arms of bell-crank levers L centered in the framework, as shewn
at M, the long arms of which levers are weighted by having weights
suspended from them, or the pressure may be exercised by springs
stretched between their outer extremities and the floor, or compound
levers may be employed for the same purpose. The object of these
weighted levers as will be seen is to draw the intermediate roller D

page_text: between the two bowls B and C, which they do with great force as the
centres of the bowls and rollers are so nearly in a straight line, the
weight upon these levers being regulated according to the pressure at
which the machine is to work.
The further details of construction will best be understood by
describing the manner of putting the machine together and commencing
to work; the bottom bowl C is first placed in position when it rests in
the bearings E, E¹, the sliding blocks F, F, and intermediate roller D
are next put in, when such roller should be traversed as far as possible
from the centre until it stands at about the position shewn by the dotted
line in Fig. 1, in which position it is clear of the bottom bowl C.
The loose bridge picces N being now introduced the upper bowl B is
lowered in between the cheeks H until it comes down upon the loose
bridge pieces N, in which position it will be observed that such upper
bowl is also clear of the intermediate roller D. The two bowls B and C
at this time being at their closest position, the rings I, I', are now put
on to their gudgeons or axles J, J', and whilst the bowls and roller
remain clear of cach other the material to be calendered is fed in. The
intermediate roller D is now drawn in between the bowls B and C by
placing the weights upon the levers L, so causing the gudgeons J of the
upper bowl B to rise clear of the bridge pieces N, and in so rising to lift
the rings I, I', until they come in contact with the gudgeons J' of the
lower bowl C. The rings I, I', then receive and carry the entire thrust
of the bowl and roller, and the machine is ready for action. An
examination of the direction in which the bowls B and C revolve, as
shewn by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 3, will make it clear how the
rings I, I', are enabled to roll with them, and as the rings take the
entire strain of the bowls it will be obvious that as compared with the
stationary bearings hitherto in use a very considerable reduction in
friction must result. I would here remark that the centre of the inter-
mediate roller D being a little out of line with the contres of the two
bowls B and C, as shewn by the dotted centre line in Fig. 1, it will be
obvious that any irregularity of thickness occurring in the material under
operation will be accomodated partly by the rings yielding to an oval
form, and partly by the said roller moving outwards or inwards as the
caso may be, and with this object the sliding blocks F, F¹, arc so
adjusted with regard to the recesses G in the frame that the weighted
levers cannot draw the intermediate roller D further inwards than that

page_text: its centre shall be a little short of a straight line with the centre of
the upper and lower bowls B and C.
I would further observe that for the perfect working of rollers in
machines to which this Invention is applied that it is necessary to
ensure that the axles embraced by the rings shall have the same surface
velocity, and for this purpose I provide a number of ferrules or sleeves,
two of which are shewn at a, Fig. 3, of various thicknesses which may be
slipped over the axles or gudgeons when necessary to make up the
deficiency, as for instance when one of the bowls is turned down more
than the other, and I secure these ferrules in position by a plate and set
screw as marked O, in Figs. 1 and 2.
It will be readily apparent that this method of mounting the rollers is
equally applicable to calenders in which more than three bowls or rollers
are employed, taking care that the axles of the outer rollers embraced by
the rings revolve in the same direction and at the same speed, and this
method of mounting affords facility for arranging a calender with bowls
or rollers surrounding a main central bowl, for instance, three or more
rollers equally distant from each other around a main central one with
which they are all in frictional contact. In those cases when the rollers
to be embraced, by the rings do not revolve in the same direction, for
instance, where only two rollers are employed, as in a domestic wringing
and mangling machine, I use an idle roller as seen in Figs. 4 and 5. In
these Figs. 4 and 5 a is the top roller and 6 the bottom roller, both
revolving in contrary directions in the framework c, the bottom roller b
resting upon the bottom of the usual slots forned in the framework.
d is an idle roller or bowl which is carried at the extremity of the short
arme of the double armed lever f working upon the fixed stud g in the
framework. One of these bowls is similarly mounted at cach outer side
of the framework and so receives the whole thrust of the rollers, and
along with the top roller a is embraced by the elastic steel ring h, the
pressure upon such ring being exercised by means of the long arm of the
leverf which is depressed until a hole formed through it comes opposite
to a corresponding hole in the framework, when a peg i is inserted
through both holes, and thus the bowl is maintained in position; the
rings are thus drawn into a slightly oval shape and become still further
"ovalled" as the articles to be mangled are passed between the rollers.
By withdrawing such pegs the levers may be lifted so as to withdraw
the bowls from under the bottom roller, and thus the pressure may be

page_text: taken off the rollers; it will thus be apparent that this Invention not
only dispenses with the usual stationary bearings upon the axles of such
rollers, but at the same time as the rings are elastic a means of producing
yielding pressure is obtained without the use of weights or springs.
Although I have only described the application of this Invention to
calenders and domestic wringing and mangling machines, it will be
sufficiently obvious that it is equally applicable to the rollers of rolling
mills, ore crushing and stone breaking machines, squeezers, and other
machines in which pressure is exercised by means of rollers. I claim
the use and application of rings embracing the axles of rollers used for
exercising pressure as and for the purposes herein-before described and
illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Pilkington, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
threo.
Witness,
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
71, Market Street,
Manchester.
EDMUND PILKINGTON. (L.S.)