IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISINTEGRATING ARTIFICIAL MANURES, AND VARIOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Carr, of Bebington, in the County of Chester,
Artificial Manure Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DISINTEGRATING ARTIFICIAL MANURES, AND VARIOUS
SUBSTANCES."
Scaled the 8th September 1859, and dated the 29th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Carr at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th March 1859.
I, THOMAS CARR, of Bebington, in the County of Chester, Artificial Manure
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISINTEGRATING ARTIFICIAL MANURES AND VARIOUS
OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
A strong cage of iron or other material is so constructed and mounted on
an axle that the outer revolving periphery is composed of a series of bars with
open spaces between them, while one end is made closed and the other end is
entirely open or is provided with a sufficiently large central opening. Outside
this cage, and mounted concentrically with it, is another similar but larger cage,
which may be caused to revolve the contrary way. When, now, the material
to be disintegrated is introduced by means of a shovel, or otherwise, into the
centre opening, it will be thrown by centrifigal force through the bars of the
inner cage, and meeting the bars of the outer one, which are also moving with
great velocity, will be beaten with great violence, and delivered in a more

page_text: or less reduced state from the outer circumference. The cages may be
surrounded with a trough or case to catch the reduced particles thus projected.
If the requisite state of pulverization is not produced by means of two cages,
three, or four, or more concentric cages may be used, each constituting a series
of beaters acting upon the material consecutively. It is not, however, necessary
that every two contiguous cages should move relatively in contrary directions,
but they may move in the same direction at different speeds, or one cage may
be stationary while another is in motion.
Instead, also, of the cages being furnished with open bars, they may be
made of perforated plate, or they may be fitted with knives or spikes to give a
chopping or a tearing action, according to the nature of the material to be
disintegrated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Carr in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
16th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CARR, of Bebington, in the County of Chester, Artificial Manure Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
mc, the said Thomas Carr, Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Carr, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Carr, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DISINTEGRATING ARTIFICIAL MANURES
AND VARIOUS OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Carr, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Carr, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :—
My Invention consists of a series of two or more circular cages of iron or
other suitable material; the outer periphery of each cage being composed of
a series of bars having open spaces between them, which cages are arranged
on an axle concentrically. One series of alternate cages are carried by a disc
plate fixed on the axle; the other series (forming the intermediate cages
between the first-mentioned series) being carried by a disc plate on a boss
working loose on the said axle, so that each series of cages can be rotated in
opposite directions. The material to be disintegrated is introduced into the
central cage (the end of which is left open for the purpose), and it is by
centrifugal force thrown through the bars of this first cage, and will come in
contact with the bars of the second cage moving in an opposite direction, and
then again with the bars of the third cage moving in a direction opposite to the
second cage,
and I so on, according to the number of cages employed; the material
being finally delivered in a more or less reduced state from the circumference.
of the outer cage, having been subjected in passing outwards from the inner
cage to violent blows by the bars forming each cage. It has been stated that
the machine may consist of a series of two cages, which for disintegrating some
materials may be sufficient, but the number is only limited by convenience, as
more cages there are used and more effective the machine will be. It is not,,
however, necessary (through preferable) that every two contiguous- cages:
should move in opposite directions, but they may move in the same direction at
different speeds, or one scries of cages may be stationary while the other is in
motion.
Instead of the cages being formed by bars, leaving open spaces between
them, they may be made with knives or spikes to give a chopping or tearing
action, according to the nature of the material to be operated upon. The cages
may be surrounded with a trough or case to catch the reduced particles
projected from the machine.
The accompanying Drawing exhibits two views of a machine according to my
Invention, consisting of a series of four cages.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation in section, all the bars forming each cage,
except the two in each cage which occur at the sectional line of the Drawing,
being omitted to avoid confusion; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine,
one half of the outer end disc being supposed broken away to shew the cages
more distinctly, the casing being also shewn in section. The machine consists.

page_text: of a frame or headstock a, which can be bolted down to a suitable bed of stone
or wood by bolts passing through the cars a'. This headstock a forms the
bearing of a solid shaft b and a hollow boss or shaft c. The solid shaft, as will
be seen,
is conical at the end, and carries a disc plate &', which is firmly secured
to it by a key s passing through a slot in the end of the shaft b, as shown.
This disc plate (6') carries a series of bars (6³), which are rivetted in it at onc
end, and at the other end in another disc b', in which one end of another
series of bars are secured, the other ends of these bars being connected
together in a ring be; thus two circular cages formed by the series of bars 6³
and 65 are obtained, which will rotate with the shaft b. The hollow boss c
working loose on the shaft 6 is solid, with the disc or face plate c¹ which
carries the series of bars c³ and c³, forming the cages intermediate and alternate
with the cages formed by the bars 6 and 6, and the outer ends of the bars c³
and are respectively connected and secured in the rings c' and c'. The
shaft and hollow boss c are rotated in opposite directions by belts (one of
them being crossed and the other open) working on the fast and loose driving
pulleys 6' and c. The hollow boss c is lubricated by passing the lubricating
matter through holes formed in it, which are closed by screw plugs to prevent
the lubricating matter from being thrown out when at work by centrifugal
action. The contrary rotating motion of cach scries of cages may be readily
produced by bevil wheels in a manner well understood by mechanics, but I
prefer to use belts, which will not only work with less noise than geering, but
will slip readily in case of any accidental obstruction. It will be seen that a
standard a from the headstock or frame a carries a bar or knife d, the object
of which is to break up such lumps as will not pass between the bars of the
internal cage. The covering (e) for the cages is made of wood, and in two
parts, the upper part being arranged so that it can be readily removed by.
lifting it off from the lower part when the cages require to be got at. This
cover (e) has an opening opposite the internal cage, through which the material
is passed which is to be operated upon, and openings are also left in the
casing (e) at e' for the removal of the material disintegrated. This machine is,
most conveniently worked when it is placed on a floor, so that the material
operated upon will drop down spouts into receptacles placed below the floor.
The axis on which the cages rotate may be placed in a vertical position, but
when the material has to be shovelled in, I believe the horizontal position of
the axis of the cages, as shewn in the Drawings, will be found most convenient.
The proper speed for each series of cages is about three hundred and fifty
revolutions per minute, and owing to the reverse movements of the cages, the
bars will act upon the material passing between them with an effective force:

page_text: equal to that which would be produced by a velocity of seven hundred re-
volutions per minute. When driven at the speed above mentioned a machine
similar to that shewn in the accompanying Drawings will, with from four to
five horse-power, reduce to a fine granulated powder, almost like gunpowder
in size and regularity of grain, from twenty to thirty tons of conglomerated
clods of phosphates in ten hours. The pulverising power of the machine is in
direct proportion to its speed, so that a finer or coarser degree of granulation
is obtained by increasing or diminishing the rotating speed of the cages.
Machines made according to my Invention will disintegrate and mix con-
glomerated phosphates and other substances employed as artificial manures
and for other purposes, and will pulverise various substances friable by
percussion. In fact it will operate upon any unfibrous substance if less
tenaciously pasty than dough, or not much tougher than oil cake or any brittle
material, such as coal, soda ash, or silicate of soda, and is applicable for
disintegrating, mixing, or pulverising many articles of commerce and manu-
facture, the power, speed, and proper strength of construction being duly
apportioned for cach material to be operated upon.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which it may be carried into effect, and wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the details herein given; but what I claim
as new and as my Invention is, the improved machinery for disintegrating,
mixing, or pulversing artificial manures and various other substances, herein-
before described, and its mode of action.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Carr, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-ninc.
THOMAS CARR. (L.S.)