AN IMPROVED GRINDING, CRUSHING, PULVERIZING, OR DECORTICATING MACHINE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Office of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED GRINDING, CRUSHING, PULVERIZING, OR DECORTICATING
MACHINE." A communication from abroad by Casimir Déchamp, of Serville-
les-Eaux, France.
Sealed the 25th November 1879, and dated the 31st May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st May 1879.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Office of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED GRINDING, CRUSHING, PUL-
VERIZING, OR DECORTICATING MACHINE." [A communication from abroad by
Casimir Déchamp, of Serville-les-Eaux, France.]
This Invention relates to an improved machine for grinding, crushing, pulverizing,
or decorticating substances of various kinds.
The said Invention is based upon the principle that when the striking body
possesses a greater speed than the speed of transmission of the shock from one
molecule to another in the body struck while at rest it detaches sharply or suddenly
from the latter the molecules which are found in its passage, whatever may be their
hardness, itself incurring a loss or wear which is less according as its speed, bulk,
and hardness are greater.
The apparatus constructed according to this Invention is composed of two
principal parts, one moveable around a vertical axis, and the other fixed, serving as
a casing to the first and as a support for the driving gear.
The movable part of the said apparatus is formed of a greater or less number of
sheet iron plates, circular and horizontal, provided upon their circumference or
periphery with spokes or arms of strong and rough steel of commerce, which arms
are firmly bolted thereto. These plates, constructed in two pieces in order to

page_text: facilitate their being put into position, are riveted upon circular rims or flanges
fixed upon a hollow shaft of cast iron arranged in the centre of the apparatus.
The socket or bearing of this shaft is placed at the upper part, and its steel pivot
rests by the medium of a block, which is also of steel, upon the upper extremity of
a vertical shaft passing through the said hollow shaft, and fixed by a key upon the
bottom of the casing. This pivot is keyed upon the upper extremity and to the
interior of the hollow cast iron shaft.
The lubrication only takes place when the apparatus is in action and according
to need, and the oil-chambers are perfectly protected from the dust which is
produced in profusion in every kind of grinding apparatus. An iron cap screwed
to the end of the hollow shaft supports all the movable part which effects the
grinding or similar operations.
I employ ordinary friction driving gear, the shaft of which is solidly fixed in two
plummer blocks supported by a cylindrical rib of a diameter nearly equal to that
of the case of the apparatus. This driving gear may be of any suitable con-
struction.
The fixed part of the said apparatus is composed of a cylindrical casing made of
a single piece with the bottom, which has a wide aperture in it for the exit of the
substances or matters treated, which are pushed there by two vertical pieces
provided upon two of the armatures of the lower plate and at the extremities of
the same diameter. A lower flange serves to fix the apparatus in place upon
masonry or woodwork. Two doors are provided in the casing opposite to each
other to facilitate the cleaning and repairing of the apparatus.
A cover is provided, made in one piece, and the aforesaid hollow axis passes
through its centre. The cover is bolted upon the upper flange of. the casing, and
carries underneath a toothed ring around which is placed upon the cover itself a
toothed part which forms with the top of the cylindrical casing and the armatures
of the first plate a hollow ring of rectangular section.
In the interior the cylindrical and vertical surface of the casing is furnished on
the whole of its circumference and without interruption from top to bottom with
as many toothed or indented pieces as there are plates. Excepting the toothed
piece of the first plate they form at the same time strainers or passages. These
toothed or indented pieces are of very hard cast iron, rough from the foundry.
The substance or material to be treated being brought through one or more
charging orifices to the spokes or arms of the first plate is thero inevitably struck,
for only an excessively short time clapses between the passing of two consecutive
arms to the same point. The débris resulting from this first operation being thrown
by centrifugal force against the casing is stopped by the teeth or indentations, and
falls inevitably through the indented strainers or passages to the arms of the second
plate, which strike them in their turn, and the substances arrive in the same manner
upon the arms of the third plate, and thus in succession as many times as there
are plates, so that the substances become reduced to impalpable powder by the time
they arrive at the bottom of the apparatus, where the aforesaid pushing or removing
pieces cause them to fall into any suitable receiver.
These strainers or passages have not only for their object the bringing back by
the action of gravitation of the débris of increasing fineness resulting from the
successive operations to the extremity of the arms of the next plate, but also to
prevent the same débris, although fine, from being carried away with the air to
which is given a rotating movement by the revolving portion of the apparatus; in
this manner the substances are presented successively and without rapidity to the
spokes or arms of the revolving plates, an eminently favorable and characteristic
condition which allows them to be reduced with certainty into impalpable powder.
It will be understood that this system of grinding, pulverizing, and the like will
allow as many variations as inay be desired to be made in the nature of the
substances to be treated and the state into which it is desired to reduce them. In
fact, according to the nature of the substances, the state into which it is desired to

page_text: reduce them, and the quantity to be produced in a given time, it will be possible to
make variations in the following particulars, that is to say :-
1st. The diameter of the apparatus.
2nd. The height from which the substance falls into the apparatus.
3rd. The speed of rotation of the movable parts.
4th. The number of reducing plates.
5th. The number of arms of each plate.
6th. The form and the length of these arms.
7th. The number of teeth in the cast iron pieces of the casing.
8th. The depth of these teeth or indentations.
9th. Their advancement beyond the strainers.
Knowing the influence of each of these particulars upon the result of the reducing
operations it is easy to find the best conditions to be adopted in an apparatus which
is desired to furnish in a given time a determined quantity of any substance in a
state of pulverization more or less fine.
It will thus be understood that the apparatus may be used to pulverize the
heaviest and hardest substances, as well as the lightest and softest. Moreover, this
apparatus may be used advantageously either for decorticating, grinding, granulating,
or even for simply crushing; and lastly (the most difficult of all), may advantage-
ously take the place of the mill as a pulverizer of materials into impalpable powder.
This apparatus is at the same time a perfect mixer.

page_text: In the interior the cylindrical and vertical surface of this casing is furnished on
the whole of its circumference and without interruption from top to bottom with
as many toothed or indented pieces 9 as there are plates. The said toothed pieces,
with the exception of the toothed piece of the first plate are arranged in com-
bination with inclined passages », and are formed of very hard cast iron as it comes
from the foundry.
The substance or material to be treated being fed through one or more charging
orifices s to the spokes or arms of the first plate a is there inevitably struck, as
only an excessively short time elapses between the passing of two consecutive arms
at the same point. The débris or fragments resulting from this first operation
being thrown by centrifugal force against the casing are stopped by the teeth or
indentations and fall unavoidably through the inverted or inclined passages or
channels to the arms of the second plate a, which strike them in their turn and
the substances being treated arrive in the same manner upon the arms of the third
plate a, and thus in succession as many times as there are plates, so that these
substances become reduced to impalpable powder by the time they arrive at the
bottom of the apparatus where the aforesaid pushing or removing pieces cause them
to fall into any suitable receiver.
The said inclined passages have not only for their object the bringing back by
the action of gravitation of the débris of increasing fineness resulting from the
successive operations to the extremity of the arins or spokes of the next plate, but
also to prevent the same débris, although fine, from being carried away with the air
to which a rotary movement is imparted by the revolving portion of the apparatus ;
in this manner the substances are presented successively and without rapidity to
the spokes or arms of the revolving plates, an eminently favorable and characteristic
condition, which allows them to be reduced with certainty into impalpable powder.
It will be understood that this system of grinding, pulverizing, and the like will
allow as many variations as may be desired to be made in the nature of the
substances to be treated and the state into which it is desired to reduce them. In
fact, according to the nature of the substances, the state into which it is desired to
reduce them, and the quantity to be produced in a given time, it will be possible to
make variations in the following particulars, that is to say, in,-
1st. The diameter of the apparatus.
2nd. The height from which the substance falls into the apparatus.
3rd. The speed of rotation of the movable parts.
4th. The number of reducing plates.
5th. The number of arms of each plate.
6th. The form and the length of these arms.
7th. The number of teeth in the cast iron pieces of the casing.
Sth. The depth of these teeth or indentations.
9th. Their advancement beyond the inclined passages.
Knowing the influence of each of these particulars upon the result of the
reducing operations it is easy to find the best conditions to be adopted in an
apparatus which is desired to furnish in a given time a determined quantity of any
substance in a state of pulverization more or less fine.
It will thus be understood that the apparatus may be used to pulverize the
heaviest and hardest substances as well as the lightest and softest substances.
Moreover, the said apparatus may be advantageously used either for decorticating,
grinding, granulating, or even for simply crushing; and lastly (the most difficult of
all), may advantageously take the place of the mill as a pulverizer of materials into
impalpable powder. This apparatus is at the same time a perfect mixer.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim the improved grinding, crushing, pulverizing, or decorticating
apparatus hercin described and shewn in the accompanying Drawing, the charac-
teristic features of which are,-
First. The employment of a fixed casing furnished in the interior with vertical

page_text: and inclined channels or passages for constantly maintaining at rest the substance
which is thrown there to be treated, and for returning it to the arms or spokes of
the apparatus, as above set forth.
Second. The superposition in the said apparatus of any suitable number of
grinding plates provided with spokes or arms, as above set forth.
Third. The combination of the fixed drum having interior channels with the
plates having arms or spokes turning upon a vertical axis, as above set forth.
Fourth. The peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts of the said
apparatus, substantially as shewn in the accompanying Drawing and as above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.