Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Compressing Coal or similar Material.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Compressing Coal or
similar Material.
I, HERMANN ROCKLING, Engineer, of Volklingen an the Saar, in the Empire of
Germany, 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:-
This invention relates to a device for compressing granular material, such as
wet coal or similar material used for feeding coke-retorts, into a mould or chamber
by means of a stamp or plunger, operated by fluid under pressure and for delivering
the compressed material into retorts or the like.
An apparatus constructed according to the present invention is illustrated in
the accompanying diagrammatic drawings of which
Fig. 1 is a side view of the complete apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the compression chamber and its carrying truck.
Fig. 3 is a detail of part of the compression chamber.
Fig. 4 is an end view partly in section of the compression chamber, carrying
truck, and hopper, and
Fig. 5 shows the connection between the hopper and top plate and the com-
pressing head.
Similar letters indicate like parts in all the drawings.
On foundations a a in a suitable situation near the coke-furnace is arranged a
press cylinder b (Fig. 1) having a piston the stroke of which is somewhat greater
than the length of the retorts of the coke-furnace. To the cylinder is secured a
valve chest c, the valve of which is operated from a rotating shaft by means of
a crank disc d and connecting rod e.
The piston rod g of the cylinder bis provided at one end within the cylinder b,
with a piston, and at the other end, outside the cylinder, with a stamp head or
compressing head h having at the bottom one or more anti-friction rollers h¹
(Figs. 1 and 5) for the purpose of minimising friction between it and the surface
over which it travels. It is also provided with a horizontal top plate h² and lug h³
(Fig. 5) the use of which is hereinafter explained.
On a truck i running on rails jis arranged a mould or compression chamber k
comprising two side-walls hinged at to the framework of the truck i and a
front wall mounted at the front end of the chamber in any convenient manner
enabling it to be easily opened and closed; it turns in the present example on
hinges fixed to the side wall 2, and is secured by bolts 12, hinged on the side
wall k¹.
The bottom of the chamber is formed by a plate m provided with a toothed rack m¹;
it is supported by rollers n pivotted on the truck and is adapted to be moved in
a longitudinal direction by means of a toothed wheel o driven in any convenient
manner. A suitable arrangement of driving-gear for the wheel. o in shown in
Fig. 2, comprising a gear wheel o¹ connected by, a cross shaft and wheels of o
[Prion R7

page_text: with the gear wheel o³ which may be operated by its shaft of by hand or other
power as preferred.
At each side of the mould or chamber channelled rails or tracks q (Figs. 1, 2
and 4) are secured to the upper ends of standards supported on the truck i;
between the rails is arranged a longitudinally movable filling-hopper (Figs. 1, 2,
4 and 5) secured to the back portion of a plate s supported upon the two tracks
by rollers the plate has an opening at 2 (Fig. 5) corresponding to the lower
or delivery opening of the hopper r. This plate s forms the upper wall of the
compressing chamber and keeps down the portion of the charge which at any time
is undergoing compression; it is removably connected in any convenient manner
with the top plate of the stamp head h, say by a pin 3 as shown in Fig. 5. It
is provided with a projections which engages the lug ³ on the top plate of the
head h, before described.
At the rear end of the mould or chamber k there are secured to each of the
side walls lugs with which engage by means of the removable pins t' rods u
secured to the cylinder b, whereby the cylinder is readily attached to or released
from the mould or chamber k.
On the top of the apparatus is a coal or fuel conveyor v carried on rollers v¹,
running on rails ², mounted on standards on the truck and cylinder & respec-
tively. The conveyor here shown as an endless carrier is operated from the shaft w
(Fig. 1) driven conveniently by means of toothed gearing from the valve gear
operating shaft f, so that the feed of the conveyor synchronizes with the giving
of motion to the stamp head. On the shaft is mounted a rope or other pulley w
which drives an endless rope w² passing over two pulleys journalled in the ends
of the conveyor frame and operating the endless carrier-band v
so
The front end of the conveyor is connected to the hopper by trunnions
that the conveyor participates in any travelling movement of the hopper r and
plate s. Over the conveyor is a filling hopper, from which the wet coal or
material for the coke furnaces falls on to the band of the conveyor by which it
is delivered into the filling-hopper and thence into the space between the front
wall of the mould or chamber and the head h.
In a line with and forming a continuation of the guide rails
over the cylinder b guide rails g¹, supported by standards
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-
there are arranged,
(Fig. 1).
The truck with the mould or compressing chamber is brought in front of
the cylinder band secured to it by the pins t', the top plates and hopper are con-
nected by the pin with the head h, and the front wall or door is shut. By
suitably adjusting the valve gear d and a the stamp or head is caused, by the
motive power employed to move forward towards the front wall of the mould,
until the space between the front wall and the head h is sufficient for the first
filling of coal or other material, the plates and the filling hopper being carried
with it so that the lower opening of the hopper r comes exactly above the space
between the front wall and the head which is then filled with the material to be
compressed. The plates and hopper r are now disconnected from the head by
removing the pin 3.
The valve gear being suitably adjusted, the head is caused to move further
forward, thus effecting compression of the material in the space aforesaid, against
the front wall Z bottom plate m top plate s and side walls k.
Upon the completion of this operation of compression the head h is again retired
beyond the position from which it commenced such operation and owing to the
projections engaging with the lug h³ on the top plate of the head h, the plate
and hopper are caused to participate in this return motion of the head and to
move back until there is a sufficiently large space for a new supply of loose coal
between the compressed coal and the head h, the lower opening of the hopper w
being always brought by this return movement over the empty space formed in
this way. The new supply of loose coal is met by another advance of the stamp
S

page_text: head h, aggregated with the charge previously compressed, and by a repetition of
like operations successive charges of loose coal are compressed upon preceding
charges of compressed coal until the mould or chamber is filled with compressed
material to the length or extent corresponding to that of a retort of the coke
furnace.
The horizontal plate h² on the top of the head (Fig. 5) closes during the advance
movements of the head in compressing the lower opening of the hopper r, and thus
prevents the discharge of coal therefrom during those portions of the operation.
As soon as the plate s in its backward movement with the head has moved
from over the top of the compressed block of coal, clamps or ties (Fig. 3), having
bent ends, are introduced into corresponding holes in the side-walls and in
combination with the front wall tie the walls together during the succeeding
compressing operations.
As soon as the mould is filled with the compressed material in the manner
described the valve gear of the cylinder is adjusted so that the head his drawn
so far back that it releases and is free from the compression chamber, at the same
time drawing with it the top-plate s hopper r and conveyor from off the rails,
and carried by the truck i, on to the rails q¹³ respectively, carried on the
cylinder b.
The pins are now released, disconnecting the compressing chamber from the
cylinder and the truck i is moved along its rails j so as to bring the compressing
chamber in front of the retort of the coke-furnace it is desired to feed.
A convenient arrangement for moving the truck is shown in Fig. 2. The run-
ning wheels on one side being provided with a common axle carrying a gear
wheel operated by a gear wheel whose shaft it may be rotated by hand or power
as preferred.
Next the front wall is opened on its hinges and folded back until the coal
block can freely enter the open front of the coke retort. Then the tie bars or
clamps are withdrawn and the two side walls moved outward (as shown
in Fig. 4 in dotted lines) so that the coal-block rests only on the bottom plate m.
By means of the toothed rack m secured to the bottom plate m and the toothed
wheel o the bottom plate together with the coal block thereon is introduced into
the retort, and on reversing the motion of the wheel o the bottom plate is with-
drawn from the retort, the coal block being secured so as to be retained within the
retort whilst the plate is drawn from beneath it.
Preferably for this purpose the retort door is formed in two portions, so that
when the upper part is closed a space is left permitting the withdrawal of the
plate, whilst the closed portion retains the coal-block. The carriage with the
empty mould then returns into position in front of the compressing cylinder to
which it is again connected, and the operations above described are repeated to
form another block.
Preferably the apparatus is constructed, as above described, so as to form a block
which will constitute a complete charge for the retort. If, however, the space ad-
joining the furnace does not admit of a machine of this length, two sets of appara-
tus may be employed, each capable of forming a block half the length of the retort.
These may be arranged in relation to the furnace as most convenient, and the
retort may be fed by two successive operations, or if the retort be open at both ends,
the apparatus may be so placed that the two blocks can be introduced simul-
taneously one from each end.
Owing to the whole compressing operation being effected completely by mecha-
nical means, unlike former processes where this operation was effected by stamping
by hand, and owing further to the uniform compression obtained by the herein-
before described apparatus, such as could never be obtained by stamping by hand,
this invention is of great importance in the manufacture of coke, as there results
from its use, not only a great saving of time, labour and money but also a more
uniform and compact form of coke such as could not be produced by the processes
hitherto known.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1. An apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them successively into a single block.
2. An apparatus comprising a mould chamber a conveyor a compressor and a
plate such as s operating to automatically separate granular material into charges
and compress and aggregate them successively into a single block.
3. In an apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material
and aggregates them the combination with a mould chamber and a compressor
head of a travelling band a plate such as s operated by the compressor head and
valve gear which controls the movement of the head h and is operatively connected
with the band for the purpose described.
4. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them valve gear for the power cylinder boperatively connected with the
travelling band of the conveyor and operating substantially as and for the pur-
pose described.
5. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them the combination with a mould or chamber and a mechanically
operated head of a plate such as s with or without a hopper thereon and operating
in conjunction with the head in the manner described to control the delivery of
loose material into the chamber for compression.
6. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them the combination with a mould or chamber k and a mechanically
operated stamp head h of a plate such as s to close the mould above the charge
undergoing compression.
7. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them the combination of a mould or chamber k, a compressor head h
and a removable bottom arranged and operating substantially as and for the pur-
pose described
'
8. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them the employment in combination of the head h hopper and con-
veyor connected together and operating conjointly substantially as and for the
purpose described.
9. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them the combination with a chamber k movable upon a truck, a head h
hopper and conveyor of tracks to receive the hopper, its appurtenances and the
conveyor when the head is retired clear of the chamber.
10. In apparatus which compresses separate charges of granular material and
aggregates them the employment of detachable ties for connecting the mould or
chamber with the cylinder b substantially as and for the purpose described.
11. The complete apparatus for compressing separate charges of granular
material and aggregating them substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
1011
L
1000