IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILTERING OR SEPARATING WATER FROX EARTHY MATTERS FROM WHICH CEMENTS AND SIMILAR BODIES ARE MADE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Burnett Houghton, of No. 40, Borough
Road, in the Borough of Southwark, and County of Surrey, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILTERING
OR SEPARATING WATER FROX EARTHY MATTERS FROM WHICH CEMENTS AND
SIMILAR BODIES ARE MADE."
Scaled the 9th September 1873, and dated the 12th March 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Burnett
Houghton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th March 1878.
I, FREDERICK BURNETT HOUGHTON, of No. 40, Borough Road, in
the Borough of Southwark, and County of Surrey, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS
FOR FILTERING OR SEPARATING WATER FROM EARTHY MATTERS FROM WHICH
CEMENTS AND SIMILAR BODIES ARE MADE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the form, construction, and
method of action of filtering apparatus, intended chiefly to be used in

page_text: cement and other similar works, for separating water from the earthy
matters from which cements, whiting, or other such like bodies or
materials are made.
According to the present method the raw earthy bodies are reduced
by agitation with water to a thin creamy consistency for the purpose
of thoroughly mixing or amalgamating the bodies; this mixturo is
termed "first slip," or "first slurry" and is afterwards forced into open
tanks or "setling backs," for the precipitation of the earthy matters from
the water, which is drawn or allowed to flow off at the top as it accumu-
lates. The "gates" of the backs are then removed, and the thick or
"second slip" or "second slurry" is removed and spread out in a thin
layer upon coke ovens, the top heat of which evaporates the remaining
moisture from the "slip," and dry's it ready for the burning process. Now
this plan is very tedious, and the settling backs occupy a deal of valuable
space, each back full of slip taking from seven to ten days to pro- :
cipitate, the residue being still so much surcharged with moisture as to
leave it like newly made checse.
•
By my Invention the first slip is converted into second slip in a few
seconds, and it is of such a solid semi-moist character that it occupies
very little time in drying previous to being burnt in the kiln.
"
Accordingly to the first construction I make a series of hollow shelves
or partitions, into which loose frames can be slid and hermatically
enclosed therein, the loose frames being fitted with a close compact
felted fabric streched over a network or perforated backing to prevent
the fabric sagging or bellying to too great an extent. The shelves are
superposed, and one end of them have branch pipes all common to one
service pipe of a pump, by which the first slip is fed to the apparatus.
The opposite ends of the shelves aro also fitted with branches leading
to one main outlet pipe for the escaping water to flow into a tank to bo
reused if desired. The front or the sides of the series of hollow shelves
have doors, which when open permit the withdrawal of the loose frames
singly for the removal of the second slip deposited upon the surfaco.
The inlet tap of the branch having first been shut off the shelves
are set slightly at an angle and the inner bottom faces are channelled or
grooved so that the water will flow clear away to the outlet pipe, or the
bottoms can be despenced with. The loose frames when drawn outward
can be made to fall down on edge so that the second slip can be scraped
off, but in most cases its weight will cause it to fall off, or the loose

page_text: frames can be removed with the second slip upon them and be conveyed
to a drying chamber, through which they would pass, issuing dry at the
opposite end, tho slip being afterwards removed by hand or otherwise.
By this first method a continuous succession of chargings and dischargings
of the frames and deposits and also the dryings can tako place.
According to the second method. I arrange the shelves, or partitions as
rays from a centro common to all of them, the contro being partly hollow
or formed with a channel open to a fixed number of shelves and into
which tho supply of and the filtering of the first slip is going on con-
tinuously from the pump as the rays rovolvo, the other rays already
charged being emptied of the second slip.or of the frames in, succession
as they como round.
According to the third method. the shelves are arranged upon edgo
upon one or moro bars by lugs from the top or from the sides and they
can be brought into close contact by a screw or lever. Each of theso
shelves or more properly speaking boxes can be fed singly by ono pipo
common to all of them, or they can be arranged in pairs,, so that should
the "first slip be very thin or overcharged with water, the escaping
slip from the first felted fabric will be arrested by the second, so that
nothing but clean water will flow away.
According to the fourth method I employ a cylindrical vessal; tho
lower end, and in some cases a portion of the sides also; has felted fabric
fitted in, this being retained in position by an exterior casing. The cylinder
being wholly or partially fitted with first slip a plungor or ram head is
caused to descend upon its surface to face the water through the fabric or
leaving the second slip in the bottom of the cylinder, to be removed after
the ram head is again lifted.
According to the fifth method I employ a perforated or wire lined
cylinder, into which charged bags of felted fabric can be placed in layers,.
and upon which the ram head or plunger can be caused to exert a
pressure for forcing the water through them, the water cscaping through.
the wirowork or the perforation of the cylinder as the case may bo.
When the pressing operation has been completed the ram head is raised
and the bags, removed the mouths can then bo untied and the contents
scraped and shovelled out as found convenient.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Burnett Houghton in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 12th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
BURNETT HOUGHTON, of No. 40, Borough Road, in the Borough of 5
Southwark, and County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-threo, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give 1
and grant unto me, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, Her special
licence that I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick
Burnett Houghton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all 1
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR FILTERING OR
SEPARATING WATER FROM EARTHY MATTERS FROM WHICH CEMENTS AND SIMILAR S
BODIES ARE MADE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Frederick Burnett Houghton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and :
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner :
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hercunto annoxed, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to means of and apparatus for separating the

page_text: whereby the use of the settling backs is dispensed with, and the after
drying operation rendered less-troublesome and performed at less cost.
According to the present method the raw carthy bodies are reduced
by agitation with water to ȧ thin creamy consistency for the purpose
5 of thoroughly mixing or amalgamating the bodies; this mixture is
termed "first slip" or "first slurry," and is afterwards forced or run
into open tanks or "settling backs" for the precipitation of the carthy
matters from the water, which is drawn or allowed to flow off at the
top as it accumulates. The "gates" of the backs are then removed
and the thick or "second slip" or "second slurry" is removed and“
spread out in a thin layer upon coke ovens, the top heat of which
evaporates the remaining moisture from the slip and dries it ready.
for the burning process.
Now this plan is very tedious and the settling backs occupy a deal of
à valuable space, cach "back" full of slip taking from seven to ten days
to precipitate, the residuo being still so much surcharged with moisture
as to leave it like newly-made cheese. By my Invention the "first slip"
is converted into "second slip in a few seconds, and into cakes which can
bo easily removed. The cakes are of such a solid semi-moist character
that they occupy very little time in drying previous to being burnt on
the kiln.
According to the first construction I make a series of hollow boxes,
shelves or partitions A, A, into which loose frames B, B, can be slid
and hermetically enclosed therein, as in Figure 1 of the Drawings, tho
loose frames being fitted with a close compact felted fabric O stretched
over a network or perforated backing D, to prevent the fabric sagging
or bellying to too great an extent. The shelves are superposed and have
at one end of them branch pipes E, all common to one service pipe F
of a pump, by which the first slip is fed by pressure to the apparatus.
The opposite ends of the shelves are also fitted with branches G
leading.to one main outlet pipo H for the escaping water to flow into a
tank or back into the wash mill to be reused if desired. The front or the
sides of the scrics of hollow shelves have doors I, I, which when open
permit the withdrawal of the loose frames singly for the removal of the
second slip deposited upon its surface, the inlet tap J of the branch E
having first been shut off. The shelves are set slightly at an angle, and
the inner bottom faces are channelled or grooved, so that the water will
flow clear away to the outlet pipe, or the bottoms can be dispensed with."
3

page_text: The loose frames, when drawn outwards, 'can be made to fall down on
edge, so that the second slip can be scraped off, but in most cases its
weight will cause it to fall off, or the loose frames can be removed with
the second slip upon them, and be convoyed to a drying chamber, through
which they would pass; issuing dry at the opposite end, the slip being t
afterwards removed by hand or otherwise. By this first method a con-
tinuous succession of charging and dischargings of the frames and
deposits and also the dryings can take place.
According to the second method, which I show in one position in
Figure 2, I arrange the boxes, shelves, or partitions A as rays from a 1
centre K common to all of them, the centre acting as a pivot or hollow
trunnion, upon which the boxes rotate; the hollow trunnion is formed
with a channel open to a fixed number of shelves, and into which the
supply and the filtering of the first slip is going on continuously, as
indicated by the arrows from the pump as the rays revolve through
toothed or other gearing, one of tho band ties L having teeth upon it, tho
other rays already charged being emptied of the second slip, or of the
frames through the front in succession as they como round. In tho
Drawing I havo shown the centre or trunnion as vertical, but it may be
arranged horizontally, and any number of rays or radial boxes can be
employed. The series of boxes can be held firmly together, and when
arranged in a horizontal manner, as shown, they can have bowls M
upon them or upon the bottom band L to run upon a rail N, as indicated,
the ruil being fitted in a trough P, into which the escaping water from
the boxes flows before entering the outlet pipe H. I have not shown
taps to the branches E, but I prefer that some be fitted in order to shut
off any one or more of the boxes should a faulty felt bo discovered.
•
According to the third method the shelves are arranged upon edge
upon one or more bars Q by lugs B from the top or from the sides of a
stand S, as in. Figuro 3, and they can bo'brought into close contact by
screws or other bolts T passed through lugs U at top and bottom. Each
of these boxes or shelves can be fed singly by branches E, E, from one-
pipe F common to all of them, or they can be arranged in pairs, so that
should the first slip-be very thin or overcharged with water the escaping
slip from the first felted fabric will be arrested by the second, so that
nothing but clear water will flow away. This can also be provided for
in all my apparatus simply by increasing the thickness of the felt body,
or by adding one or more layers in contact in each of the boxes.

page_text: According to the fourth method I employ a cylindrical vessel A. upon
pivots V, as in Figure 4; the lower end of the cylinder, and in some
cases a portion of the sides also, has a felted or a non-felted fabric O
fitted in, this being retained in position by the exterior casing or
cylinder A. The cylinder bag C is wholly or partially filled with first
slip when the cylinder is vertical, as shown, and a plunger or ram
hoad W is caused to descend upon its surface to force the water either
through the fabric or through the bottom, only leaving the second slip
within it to be removed after the ram head is again lifted. This removal
can be effected by reversing the cylinder upon its pivots, when the com-
paratively dry slip can be shot out on to an endless belt leading to
drying chambers, or into wheelbarrows to bo conveyed to the coke ovens
as found convenient. The press head W can be operated in any manner,
but in the Figure I have shown scrow and bevil gearing X to bo worked
by handle Y. The bag is held up during the filling by chains and
hooks, which when the pressure is desired to bo put upon the slip aro
first unhooked and thrown in, the plungers thus forcing all before it.
According to the fifth method I employ a perforated or wire lined
cylinder A, as in Figure 5, into which charged bags O of felted fabric
can be placed in layers, and upon which the ram head or plunger W can
be caused to exert a pressure for forcing the water through them, tho
water escaping through the wirework or the perforations of the cylinder
as the case may be. When the pressing operation has been completed
the ram head W is raised and the bags O removed to the endless belt
leading to the drying chambers or to the coke ovens, the mouths can
then be untied and the contents shot or scraped out as found
convenient.
Figure 6 is a modification of Figure 3; here the boxes are suspended
upon two bars Q by their lugs R on either side, and in order to- regulato
the thickness of the filtered slip between the boxes I arrango a ring Z
between the edges of every two boxes, the ring being of metal of
hardened rubber, or other material which can be put into close
contact with the boxes. The rings have at one part of them a passago a,
which in the case of rubber can be preserved by imbedding a tubo before
curing or vulcanizing, which tube is like a T piece, the lower limb
serving to lead the first slip into the space 6 as indicated by the arrows.
The slip is first forced in under pressure as before stated and enters the
branches E from the main supply F, the water then percolates through

page_text: .
the felts C, C, and perforated plates D, D, on either side of the spaces b
into the spaces.c, c, from which it runs by the pipes G, G, to tlio
trough P, and from this to waste or back to the wash mill to be reused
with fresh carthy bodies as desired. The second slip is lifted in cakess
from the apparatus by removing the rings vertically and then the cakes 5
can be thrown on to an endless belt for drying purposes before being
burnt.
Figure 7 is a view of one of the filtering or separating screens com-
posed of a perforated plate or wirework D, a disc of felt O laid thercon
and covered by another disc or sheet of felt sewn at intervals to the 1
plate D. The felts may, however, bc cemented on to the plate, and a
strip of rubber can be fitted between at the edges, which becomes
compressed and makes a water-tight joint when the boxes are in close
contact for filtering purposes. An additional plate D' (perforated) or
wirework can be affixed to or placed in contact with the outside layer 1
of felt, so that the plate D can be removed with the slip upon it.
"
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the samo is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
The improved means of and apparatus for filtering or separating the
water from carthy matters from which cements and similar bodies are 20
made, as herein-before described with reference to the several Figures
upon the annexed Drawings.

page_text: Soventhly. I claim the apparatus shown at Figure 0, particularly the
rings Z, Z, for regulating the thickness of the cakes of second slip, as
described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Fourth day of September
One thousand eight hundred and soventy-three.
Witness,
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street,
London.
. F. B. HOUGHTON. (L.s.)