Year: 1886

page_text: I DAVID MCCOLLEY WESTON of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of
Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Inventor 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 in centrifugal machines is an improvement upon the class of
machine represented in English Patents No. 1936 and 1937 April 17th 1883 and
No. 10103 of July 12 1884, to which reference may be had.
The machine described in the former patent has a valve to close its lower end,
and the said valve is adapted to be moved upwardly and inwardly toward the
centre of the machine in coming to its seat, and in the machine described in the
latter patent, the valve is counterbalanced by a weight, but the normal action of
the counterbalance or spring is to lift the said valve away from the seat with
which it co-operates.
In my present invention, the valve moves in the same direction when closing the
bottom of the basket, but herein the devices for opening the valve are extended
upward from the valve rather than downward below it, and so also the counter-
balance acts in the direction to aid in keeping the valve on its seat.
I have also shown a novel plow to enter the lower end of the basket and attack
the sugar wall.
Figure 1 in partial elevation and vertical section represents a sufficient portion
of a centrifugal machine to illustrate my present invention.
Figure 2 a top or plan view below the dotted line x-x, the curb and its attached
parts being omitted.
Figure 3 a detail of the curb and the devices for moving the plow, and
Figure 4 a detail showing the plow and its shaft detached.
The hollow spindle A, having an attached band-wheel A¹, and supported by and
moving upon a depending spindle such as commonly used in patents' lieretofore
granted to me, has at its lower end a tri-armed spider B which supports the usual
basket C having top and bottom curbs b, b', the latter having a seat at its inuer
Price 81l

page_text: edge against which bears the edge of the valve D, shown as a conical metal
shell, the lower end of which is more nearly cylindrical than the main body of
the valve.
The conical hollow valve D forms part of a hollow shell d having a hub d² to fit
a guide-rod d³, the upper end of which is securely attached to a socket d', firmly
attached to or forming part of the spider B.
The end of the hub d² rests upon a counterbalancing spring d, the lower end
of which rests on a washer d³ held in place by the nut 2, the said spring d
having sufficient strength to aid in lifting the valve D into the basket C, as in
Figure 2.
To keep the valve closed when material is added to the basket, I have provided
the valve with two lifting rods e, e, which are extended upward above the top of
the basket, where the said rods are attached to a cross-head e¹ having a locking
device composed of a latch e' acted upon by a spring e³, one arm of the latch
engaging the notch cut in the periphery of the hollow spindle A.
•
To open the bottom of the basket and discharge its contents, the operator will
disengage the dog e², permitting the valve to drop as in dotted lines Figure 1 which
it may do while in motion or at rest in order to discharge the contents of the
basket.
When the valve is to be moved to close the basket, the operator will grasp the
cross-head e¹, or a rod e, and lift the valve, the spring d greatly assisting in the
operation as its strength is almost sufficient to lift the valve into its full line
position.
When the valve has been lowered, the operator will grasp the hand lever f,
pivoted at 1, on a stand 12, attached to the usual curb f³, and will move its upper
end outward causing the lower forked end of the said lever having pins or shoes
entering an annular groove of a hub or collar attached to the plow shaft g, to
move the said shaft and its attached plow longitudinally inward toward the centre
of the machine, carrying the point of the plow g¹ inward beyond the inner edge of
the rim b¹ when the operator will move the arm g₁ from its full into its dotted line
position, or from a horizontal into a vertical position, see Figure 3, the plow being
thereby turned upward as in dotted lines Figure 2, and then the upper end of the
handle is gradually moved toward the curb fs which causes the plow to be moved
outwardly across the rim b¹, as in dotted line Figure 1, at which time it cuts into
and through the bottom of the wall of sugar or other material deposited thereon
permitting it to fall as is well understood.
The plow may be inserted to act upon and break up the foot of the wall while the
basket is being rotated.
The valve and rods and collar revolve with the basket C.
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 centrifugal machine, a rotating basket open at its lower end, a valve to
close the lower end of the basket by moving vertically upward into the said basket
from below its lower end, and a guide for the said valve, combined with a spring
to support the said valve, substantially as described.
2. In a centrifugal machine, a rotating basket open at its lower end, a valve to
close the lower end of the basket by moving vertically from outside of and below
the basket upward, combined with the rods and cross-head, and a locking device to
keep the valve in elevated position, substantially as described.
3. In a centrifugal machine, a rotating basket open at its lower end, and the
curb, and the plow-shaft and plow, combined with means to move the plow-shaft
and plow horizontally in one direction to partially rotate it and then move the
plow and plow-shaft horizontally in the opposite direction to enter the basket
above the rim 6', substantially as described.

page_text: 4. In a centrifugal machine, a basket open at its lower end, the spindle A, and
the spider attached to the rim b at the top of the basket, the guide-rod fixed to the
under side of the spider, and the spring supported upon the said rod, combined with
the valve to slide upon the said guide-rod, and with rods e, e, the said valve when
closing the bottom of the basket being moved vertically from below the open lower
end of and into the said basket, all substantially as described.
1000