AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SLABS, STRIPS, AND CUBES OF SUGAR
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Maurice Bauer, Civil Engineer, of the Firm of M. Bauer
& Co., 30, Boulevard Magenta, Paris, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SLABS, STRIPS, AND
CUBES OF SUGAR." A communication from abroad by Hermann Tietz,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Maurice Bauer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th February 1881.
MAURICE BAUER, Civil Engineer, of the Firm of M. Bauer & Co., 30, Boulevard
Magenta, Paris. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF SLABS, STRIPS, AND CUBES OF SUGAR." A communication from [abroad by
Hermann Tietz, Johannes Selwig, and Bruno Lange, all of Brunswick, Germany.
In this process slabs of sugar of a rectangular form and of equal thickness are
first produced; from these slabs strips are produced by breaking, and from these
letter cubes are produced by further breaking.
In a square or rectangular box, the upper part of which is somewhat wider than
the bottom, and which is by preference made of sheet metal, are formed a number'
of open topped cells or compartments of rectangular section composed of metal
plates placed vertically therein at right angles to each other and to the sides of the
box, namely, 1st, thick metal plates which reach from one wall of the box to the other;
their distance apart everywhere must be equal to the breadth of the slab of sugar
to be produced; 2nd, thinner plates which are exactly the length and breadth of
the slab of sugar to be made are placed at right angles to and between the first
named plates.
The distance apart must be equal to the thickness of the slab of sugar to be

page_text: made. The two outer plates are fixed by pins to the adjacent walls of the box,
the other thick plates are held in their places by the thinner plates placed between
them.
In order to secure the thinner plates in their places there are applied to the
thicker plates two pairs of small pins for each thinner plate, and between which
pins the said thinner plates are pushed.
Instead of this the thick plates may be furnished with small elevations or other
suitable means for preventing the displacement of the thin plates. In the box
thus prepared is cast a sufficient quantity to fill it up to the top edge of the
plates.
After this is set, that is, after 18 to 30 hours, the box is turned over and shaken.
The blocks so obtained are then divided either into the blocks formed in the spaces
between the thick plates which include the thin plates, or into the separate slabs
of sugar laying between the thin plates.
These slabs of sugar, or the blocks above mentioned consisting of the slabs of
sugar and thin plates of metal, are then treated in a centrifugal machine, the drum
of which has a special arrangement.
To the inner circumference of the centrifugal drum are attached a number of flat
metal plates of equal size which are provided with fine holes and are stiffened
outside as may be necessary. Between these plates are placed wooden or hollow
metal wedges, the flat sides of which stand vertically on the bottom of the drum
and form a right angle with the aforesaid plates. The flat plates, the wedges, and
the bottom of the drum thus form a number of compartments or cells open
to the drum on their inner sides and top, which are appropriate for the reception
of the rectangular blocks of. sugar. In these compartments are placed the slabs of
sugar and the thin plates of metal, forming together rectangular blocks in. such
manner that the said metal plates stand at right angles to the perforated metal
plates of the centrifugal drum, or if preferred the separate slabs of sugar may be
placed in the said compartments or cells in suitable order, laying on one another or
standing beside or behind one another, the intervening spaces being filled up with
suitable wooden wedges. The moveable upper rim of the centrifugal drum is then
put in place.
The centrifugaling (ausschleudern) of the slabs takes places in the usual way,
with or without the employment of clayed syrup or steam vapour, dampfnebel.
The slabs of sugar obtained in this manner are either dried in the centrifugal
machine itself by means of hot air conducted through it, or they may be dried in
any other convenient manner after removal from the drum, for example, in a
drying chamber.
They are either sold in this condition or converted into strins or cubes.
The rectangular slabs of sugar produced in the manner herein before described, or
otherwise (by sawing, for example,) are next cut up into strips by means of a
breaking machine, and from these strips are produced cubes by repeated breakings.
A saw is not employed in this case. The breaking machine used for breaking the
slabs of sugar is of simple construction, and consists substantially of two parallel
breaking rollers, the axles of which are carried in a fixed frame..
These rollers revolve slowly, each at the same speed, but in opposite directions.
Their section is starlike, or like the blade of a circular saw, they also have at their
circumference a number of sharp cutters placed at equal distances apart.
The cutters on one roller are arranged so as to come exactly opposite the cutters
on the other roller, and the distance of each set of cutters from the other is
about to smaller than the thickness of the slab to be broken. The slabs of
sugar are now conducted between the breaking rollers, in the direction in which

page_text: the latter revolve, and are seized by the cutters as they approach each other and
are cut up into separate strips. The length of these strips is equal to the breadth
of the slabs of sugar; their breadth is equal to the distance of the cutters of each
breaking roller from each other; they possess two smooth and two rough side
surfaces.
If it is desired to produce cubes of sugar from these strips, they are cut up into
cubes by means of a breaking machine, of the kind hereinbefore described, or of
other suitable construction.
The cubes of sugar produced by these means have two smooth and four rough
surfaces.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Maurice Bauer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th July
1881.
MAURICE BAUER, Civil Engineer, of the Firm of M. Bauer & Co., 30, Boulevard
Magenta, Paris. "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF SLABS, STRIPS, AND CUBES OF SUGAR." A communication from abroad by
Hermann Tietz, Johannes Selwig, and Bruno Lange, all of Brunswick, Germany.
This Invention relates to the production of slabs, strips, or cubes of sugar, and
consists of an improved method of producing the slabs of melted sugar by centri-
fugaling (ausschleudern), and further treatment in the centrifugal machine,
whereby blocks are formed composed of slabs of sugar of equal length and breadth
with plates between them, which blocks are suited for placing in the drum of the
centrifugal machine without the mould in which they have been made. Also in
the centrifugaling and further treatment of these blocks by a centrifugal machine
furnished with a special arrangement of drum; also in the dividing up of the
rectangular slabs of sugar thus obtained into strips by means of a breaking machine
of special construction, with which, or with a breaking or chopping machine of
other suitable construction these strips may be afterwards broken or chopped
into cubes.
In order to produce the slabs of sugar which are of rectangular forms of, for
example, 3 to 6 inches broad by 10 to 18 inches long, and all of one thickness,
plates or slabs of equal size are made by pouring melted sugar (zuckerfullmasse)
into a box divided into rectangular compartments. Such box is shown in longi-
tudinal section in Figure 1, in cross section in Figure 2, and in plan in Figure 3
of the Drawings. This box of rectangular form, the upper part being somewhat
wider than the bottom.
21
The separate compartments of this box are formed, firstly, of thick metal plates
a and a', of, say, 1/12 to 1/8 inch thick, which extend from one side c of the box
to the opposite side c', the height of such plates being equal to the length of
the slabs of sugar to be produced; secondly, of thinner plates b, say about 1/30
to inch thick placed at right angles to the plates a; these plates bare of
the same heigth as the plates a, and their breadths the same as the breadth of the
slabs of sugar to be made, and their distance apart equal to the thickness of such
slabs. The two outer thick plates a 1 are secured by pins in the adjacent walls d
and d 1 of the box, the other thick plates a are held in their places by the thinner
plates placed between them.
b
Figures 4 and 5 show in full size how the plates bare secured. The plates a are
provided with three or more pairs of small pins for each plate b; or instead of
these pins the plates may be provided with projections or elevations of other
forms; the plates b are pushed down between these pins or other projections or
elevations. When the boxes are thus prepared melted sugar (zuckerfullmasse) is
poured into them up to the top edge of the plates a and b. After this sugar is set,
that is, after 18 to 30 hours, the box is turned over and emptied. The blocks of
sugar thus obtained are then separated into the smaller blocks B1, B2, B3, B4,
contained between each two plates a and a 1. These smaller blocks include in
them the plates b, or if preferred they may be divided at once into the separate
slabs.
The blocks B1, B2, which may if preferred be divided into two equal parts
(on the line x, x,) or the separate slabs are then centrifugalled (ausgeschleuder t)
and further treated in the specially arranged centrifugal machine, shown in vertical
cross section in Figure 7 and in plan in Figures 8. The drum of this centrifugal

page_text: machine is arranged as follows:-To its inner circumference are attached flat
plates e pierced with a suitable number of fine holes, these plates are stiffened as
may be necessary to resist the outward bending strain. At the points where each
two plates come together are placed wooden or hollow metal wedges f, the flat
sides of which stand vertically or nearly so to the plates e and to the bottom of the
drum. The perforated plates e as well as the wedges fare secured to the casing of
the drum. In this manner there are formed at the circumference of the drum a
number of compartments F, open at their inner sides and at top, which are bounded
by flat surfaces standing at right angles or nearly so to one another, adapted to
receive the rectangular pieces or blocks of sugar.
In these compartiments F the above mentioned blocks B1, B2, or parts thereof
are so placed that the plates between the slabs stand at right angles to the
plates e, or the separate slabs of sugar may be placed in the said compartments in
suitable order, laying on one another or standing beside or behind one another, the
intervening spaces being filled up with suitable wooden wedges. By the employ-
ment of the box shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and of the drum with eight com-
partments F, the half of a block B1, B2, etcetera; for example, a portion J, D, E,
(Figure 3) will always be so placed in a compartment F that the plate b stands
vertically as in the compartment marked F.
The contents of a box is exactly sufficient to fill a drum. After the rim of the
drum is put in place the blocks or slabs are centrifugaled and purified (ausgedeckt)
in the usual way with sugar liquor, or steam, or hot air, alone or together
(dampfebel). The centrifugal machine shown is also provided with an arrange-
ment for drying the slabs of sugar in the drum itself after centrifugaling and
purifying (ausdecken). The drying is effected by warm air. For this purpose the
cover G of the centrifugal machine is provided at its centre with an air inlet
opening H, which may be opened or closed at will by means of a slide; the cover G
is also provided with a worm or coil of pipe L, which extends into the drum, and
through which steam may be conducted. The cold air entering through the
opening El is warmned by contact with the worm L, and effects the drying of the
moist slabs of sugar, or these may be taken out and dried in any other convenient
way. After drying these slabs may be sold without further treatment, or they may
be broken up into strips or cubes. In order to produce strips, and subsequently
cubes of sugar, either the slabs of sugar, shown in Figure 6, obtained in the
manner above described, or slabs obtained from sugar loaves by sawing, for
example, may be employed.
These slabs are divided into separate strips by means of a breaking machine of
peculiar construction. From these strips cubes are produced by further breaking.
The machine for breaking the slabs is shown in front elevation in Figure 9, in side
elevation in Figure 10, and in plan in Figure 11.
The essential part of this machine is the two parallel breaking rollers n, n³,
made of steel and mounted either vertically, as shown, or horizontally if preferred
in a fixed frame y. These rollers are of star like section, as seen in Figure 11,
their circumferences being divided into a number of sharp cutters equidistant from
each other, the cutters on the roller n coming exactly opposite those on the roller n';
the distance between the cutters of the two rollers must be about 1/2 to 1/s inch
less than the thickness of the slab of sugar to be cut. This distance can be
regulated by means of the set screws q and q¹. The rollers are caused to revolve
slowly in opposite directions by means of the worm wheels o and o' fixed on their
axis and the worms p and p¹. The slabs of sugar conducted between then in
the direction of their rotation, as indicated by the arrow, and are seized by the
cutters as they approach each other, and are cut up into separate strips s (Figure 6ª),
as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 6, the breadth of such strips being equal
to the distance between the cutters on each roller.
From the strips of sugar & thus obtained, cubes of sugar (Fig. 6b) are produced
by further breaking in the direction of the dotted lines on the strip s (Figura 6ª).

page_text: For this purpose the breaking machine above described may be employed, or any
other of suitable construction.
Having now described the nature of the said said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to or may be carried into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
First. The mode, method, and manner of forming the rectangular blocks B1, B2,
etcetera, which consists of slabs of melted sugar with the plates b between them by
filling with melted sugar (zuckerfullmasse) a rectangular box divided into com-
partents by means of the plates a, a¹, and other plates 6 placed at right angles
between the said plates a, a', such plates 6 having the same breadth and length as
the slabs of sugar to be produced, substantially as herein before described.
Second. The centrifugaling (ausschleuderen) and further treatment of blocks
composed of rectangular slabs of melted sugar with plates between them of equal
breadth and length, or of the separate slabs of melted sugar without the mould
wherein they have been formed in a centrifugal machine, the drum of which is
provided with compartments F for that purpose, all as hereinbefore described and
shown in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Third. The production of strips of sugar from slabs of sugar by dividing the
latter in the breaking machine herein before described, and the production of cubes
of sugar from the aforesaid strips by further breaking in a breaking machine of
suitable construction, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Maurice Bauer, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.