IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING, GRINDING, AND PULVE PIZING STONE QUARTZ OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Webster Cochran, of No. 17, Gower
Street, London, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING, GRINDING, AND PULVE
PIZING STONE QUARTZ OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
Sealed the 21st November 1853, and dated the 20th August 1853.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Webster
Cochran at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 20th August 1853, pursuant to
the 9th section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN WEBSTER COCHRAN, of No. 17, Gower Street, London, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare that the nature of my Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING, GRINDING, AND
PULVERIZING STONE, QUARTZ, OR OTHER SUBSTANCES," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following stateinent and accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:
My Invention consists in certain means of maintaining more expe-
ditiously and economically the efficiency of my said machinery for

page_text: crushing, grinding, and pulverizing stone, quartz, and various other
substances. It will be necessary, in order to render properly intelligible
such special improvements, to describe succintly my machinery in its
entierty.
A circular plate or disc a, more or less flanged or curved upwards
throughout its whole circumference, is firmly fixed on a strong founda-
tion P. In the concave part of this plate a, are loosely placed several
balls, hollow spheres, or shells b, generally six in number, each alter-
nate ball being of a smaller size. On the balls, hollow spheres, or
shells b, is placed a table plate or disc c, similarly formed to the plate a,
just described, but otherwise differing from it in its inverted position
and mobility. The upper plate or disc c, being put in motion, its
pressure on the balls b, the amount of which is regulated by the weight
given to or placed on this plate, forces them to circulate between the
two plates or discs a, c, in a complex rotary manner, the effects of
which are both to roll and grind any substance brought in contact with
them. In place of balls, spheres, or shells, conical or other wheels
might be used in connexion with and driven by an upper plate similar
to that above mentioned.
I will now proceed to delineate minutely the different improvements
which I propose to make in a machine such as I have described. My
Invention then consists,
Firstly, in renewing with facility those parts of my machine more
immediately liable to wear and damage. The particular portions of
such machinery thus exposed are where the upper and lower plates or
discs a, c, are in conical contact with the balls and stone, quartz, or
other substances being operated upon. To remedy this defect without
replacing entirely the plates or discs I propose to inlay the upper and
lower plates with moveable dises or bushings A, 'A, which are held in
their places by bolts b, as shown on the Drawing, or in any other simple
manner. Theso dises or bushings, when worn to any extent, may be
replaced by others, and thus renew the efficiency of the machine with
little cost or trouble. The moveable dises or bushings A, A', may be
composed of any metal, or the grooves in the upper and lower plates in
which they are placed might be filled with cement or other material, and

page_text: thus with suitable balls, all kinds of ores, grain, dyes, drugs, seeds for
making oil, &c., might be crushed; ground, or pulverized. Any one or
all of the plates or discs may be constructed hollow, so as to receive hot
air or steam when, during the process of grinding, certain substances,
such as seeds for making oils, &c., require to be kept hot.
Secondly, the flange C, forming the outer circumference of the lower
plate a, is made to receive standards D, for supporting a grating or
bolting screen E, through which, when the machine is at work, the
crushed, ground, or pulverized matter, whether wet or dry, is forced by
the rapid centrifugal motion imparted to it by the action of the balls
and upper plate. After passing through the grating E, the ground
matter is received into a trough F, formed round the outside of the
lower plate a, and thence may be passed off through tubes G, to the
amalgamators or elsewhere. The number of these standards D, and
sheets or panels 1, 2, 3, &c.. of the grating E, may be regulated at
pleasure. The lower edges of the panels rest in a groove H, cast in the
outer edge of the lower and stationary disc or plate a; and the sides of
the pannels are bent into wedge-like recesses formed in the inside of
the standards D. These recesses are made sufficiently large to receive
keys J, which are tightened by bolts passing through the standards and
tapped into the keys, as shown on the Drawing, or in any other conve
nient way. These keys J, not only tighten and secure the pannels, but
their thickness being so regulated as to make them flush or even with
the inside of the pannels, the result is, that the whole interior of the
grating and keys presents a perfect uniformity of circular surface, so
that when the ground matter is ejected from the lower plate, and comes
in forcefull contact with this surface, the minimum of resistance is
opposed to the egress of such matter through the pores of the grating.
The pannels being fitted in their places independently of each other, any
one or more of them may be replaced with the greatest facility when
worn, or when the substances to be ground require to be of a different
fineness. A sheet iron or other covering K, extends from the outside
extremity of the trough F, to within a short distance of the upper
plate C, where it may be finished off with a border composed of some
elastic substance, such as leather, &c.

page_text: Thirdly, the centre of the lower plate or disc a, rises in a conical
form, as best suited to facilitate the crushing of the stone, quartz, or
other substances as they enter the machine and come first in contact
with the balls. The centre shaft L, rising up the interior of this cone,
which is formed into a bearing for it, enters a hub M, attached to the
upper or rotary plate c, by means of arms N, which I prefer to be of
wrought iron. I consider it most convenient to fix the upper end of
the shaft L, to this hub M, by an intermediate bushing O, the extreme
outline of which, whether octagonal, as shown on the Drawing, or other-
wise, must correspond with and fit into the aperture, of whatever shape it
may be formed, in the hub M, to receive it. A slightly convexed square
hole is left in the middle of the bushing O; and the end of the centre
shaft L, which is also square, is made to fit exactly within the extreme
points of this convexed aperture. My object for making the bushing
in this form is to avoid any undue friction or jarring of the parts of my
machine. It will be obvious that when the machine is at work, con-
sidering that the balls must rise and fall as they pass over the different
sized pieces of matter submitted to their action, the upper plate c, and
balance wheel d, which rest upon the balls, will be continually rising or
rocking during their rotary course. The upper plate or disc C, being
in connexion with the bushing O, by means of the hub M, when the
end of the centre shaft L, is properly placed within this bushing, and
the machine is in action, the convexity given to the hole in the bushing
allows the upper plate or disc C, sufficient scope to reck, and therefore
gives free and unconstrained action to the whole machinery; the same
object may be effected by making the end of the shaft convex, with
simply a square hole in the bushing, or by giving other forms to the
bushing and shaft.
I neither confine myself to the use of any particular number of balls,
hollow spheres, or shells revolving between two discs or plates, nor to any
number of series of balls, &c. arranged one above another, and sepa-
rated by plates or discs such as I bave described; but I consider six
balls working between two plates, the upper one of which may be
weighted at discretion, as being amply sufficient to effect efficiently all
the objects above specified.

page_text: Fourthly, motion may be given to the upper plate c, either by means
of a belt passing round that part of the upper plate c, made in the
form of a pully, or by a pully on the centre shaft L. I prefer, how-
ever, to give rotary motion to the upper dise or plate c, by attaching
the centre shaft L, which is connected with this plate, as above
described, directly to the cross-head of a steam engine Q. placed imme-
diately below my machine. This arrangement is clearly shown in the
accompanying Drawings. The action and operation of the machine are
as follows:-The lower end of the centre shaft L, being attached to the
cross-head of a steam engine Q, placed directly beneath the machine,
the shaft L, and consequently the upper plate c, and balance wheel d,
which are connected with it, are made to turn. Rotary velocity,
properly regulated to suit whatever substances are intended to be
crushed, ground, and pulverized, is thus given to the upper plate and
balance wheel. The substances to be operated upon are then put
through an aperture made in the centre of the upper plate for that
purpose, and thence, as indicated by arrows in the Drawing, pass
under the balls, by which they are gradually crushed, ground, and
pulverized. Reduced to this state the substances are forced by the
rapid centrifugal action of the balls over the outer edge of the lower
plate or disc a, and against the grating or bolting screen E, through
the pores of which they pass and fall into the trough F, which sur-
rounds the lower plate a, and are finally carried off, as still shown by
arrows, through tubes G, towards the amalgamators, or whatever other
receptacles may be intended for them.
Such being the nature of my Invention, I now proceed to state that
I claim,-
Firstly, the manner of constructing the outside plates or discs so as
to receive interior moveable discs or bushings combined and arranged
for purposes such as are herein-before described.
Secondly, the construction and arrangement of the standards, grating,
or bolting screen and trough in manner substantially as above specified.
Thirdly, the manner of constructing the centre hub and bushing
connected with the upper and moveable plate which is turned by them
through the medium of the centre shaft attached to a steam engine,

page_text: without any intermediate gearing, substantially as set forth in the fore-
going Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Webster Cochran, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three
J. W. COCHRAN. (L.S.)