IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, CHARLES AUBREY DAY, of 321, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The object of this present Invention is the production of a machine which may
be more readily started, and more quickly discharged than heretofore.
The machine herein described has a suspended rotating cylinder provided at its
lower end with a flange which constitutes an unobstructed or open bottom for the
direct discharge downward of the contents of the cylinder when the valve co-
operating with the said open bottom is moved away from and to uncover the
opening therein, the mechanism for moving the valve being located below and
outside the cylinder.
The valve herein shown is closed upon its seat at the bottom of the cylinder by
an upward movement, and is opened by a downward movement, the valve when
moved to uncover the bottom of the cylinder being moved outward in the direction
of the discharge.
This Invention in centrifugal machines consists in:-
Firstly-A suspended rotating pervious cylinder having an open bottom
forming the discharge, combined with a bottom closing valve which is adapted to
be removed outwardly from the cylinder to uncover the same for the discharge
from the cylinder of its contents.
Secondly A suspended cylinder having an open bottom constituting a discharge,
combined with a vertically movable dome-shaped bottom closing valve adapted to
be moved from below up into the cylinder to close the same, the said valve
partially filling the center space of and assisting in throwing the charge up against
the inner wall of the cylinder.
Thirdly-A suspended cylinder having an open bottom constituting a discharge,
and a valve to close the said open bottom and actuated by mechanism below and
external to the cylinder.

page_text: Fourthly A suspended cylinder, and a valve to close its open end, the said
valve having a pintle fitted into and adapted to rotate in a step placed to support
the valve independently of the cylinder.
Fifthly A rotating cylinder open at its lower end to constitute a discharge,
and a vertically movable bottom closing valve operated by mechanism located
outside the cylinder, the valve having a guide to ensure its movement in the line
of the spindle which supports the cylinder.
:-
Sixthly A suspended rotating cylinder open at its lower end to constitute a
discharge, and having not only a vertically movable bottom closing valve operated
from below the cylinder, but also a plow adapted to be turned from below up and
over the bottom flange and into the cylinder to attack the material collected
against the wall.
Seventhly-A suspended rotating cylinder open at its lower end to form a
discharge and a vertically movable bottom closing valve having a pintle supported
in a step independent of the cylinder, combined with a stem or rod to support the
said step, a yielding bolster to guide the said stem or rod, and mechanism located
outside and below the said cylinder to operate the said guide and valve.
•
I have, by experiment discovered that the lower flange of the cylinder, may be
made narrower than the upper flange provided the valve when moved to uncover the
lower end of the cylinder be lowered or moved bodily downward away from the
said lower end, and so also I have discovered that by moving the valve from
the lower end of the cylinder outward the valve may be made of larger diameter,
and that the entire inner space of the cylinder may be left entirely free or
unobstructed when the valve is open for the discharge of the sugar wall or other
contents of the cylinder, and this method of operating the valve also enables the
valve to be made of such length and diameter, or of such shape and size, as to
occupy a very considerable portion of the center space of the cylinder, while the
same is at rest and receiving its charge, and also while the latter is being separated
or thrown centrifugally to form a wall against the inner side of the cylinder,
which is of very material importance, for thereby the sirup-like contents of the
cylinder, even before the machine is started, is held high up against the inner wall
of the cylinder so that after the machine is started the sugar wall may be more
easily and quickly formed upon the inner wall of the cylinder, and be formed'
uniformly to a higher level than heretofore, and the contents of the cylinder or the
sugar wall when to be discharged is found to be more evenly distributed than in
other usual machines, and also by holding up the sirup-like material by the large
central valve so constructed and operated with relation to the cylinder as to
occupy greatest space in the cylinder when the valve is acting to close the cylinder,
and leaving the interior of the cylinder entirely free from the valve when the valve
is opened for the discharge of its contents, it is practicable to make the cylinder
very much longer than heretofore, and to lay a more perfect wall over its entire
inner face, and at the same time the machine may be started and moved to its
maximum speed more slowly and safely than heretofore, and consequently with a
less expenditure of power and less strain upon the belting and other parts.
In this my improved machines the weight of the valve is not added to that of
the running parts of the cylinder, and when the sugar wall is being finished the
valve does not even rotate with the cylinder.
The valve has an independent pintle of its own which is fitted to a suitable foot-
step or bearing located upon a spindle or slide-rod which is maintained in vertical
position by means of a suitable stationary guide, the mechanism for operating the
said valve being located below and being moved by devices outside of the cylinder.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a centrifugal machine embodying my
improvements, and Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the spindle and part
of the valve and its supporting devices.
The spindle a, its surrounding hollow shaft 68 and the parts marked c, c³, c³, c, a³
and 66 employed between the spindle a, and hollow shaft 6 in order that the

page_text: spindle may sustain the entire weight of the said shaft, the spider B, and cylinder C,
attached to it are all substantially as in machines already patented.
The yielding bearings for the spindle, the means for revolving the hollow shaft,
the stationary curb D, the mixer D₁, and sugar spout D³ are and may be all as
usual and so need not be herein further described.
The cylinder C in practice will be made of usual perforated sheet metal, and
will have an upper flange m, and a lower flange m¹, but as herein shown, the
lower is narrower than the upper flange, which thus enables the contents of the
cylinder or the sugar wall to be more easily removed through the central
unobstructed portion of the bottom flange, than were the said flange wider.
The under side of the spider B, which supports the cylinder from its interior
between its open ends is provided with a valve centering device n, connected
therewith by a suitable bolt or bolts n¹. The valve E made as herein shown of
cone shape is of sufficient diameter and length to fill up a very considerable portion
of the interior of the cylinder when its lower end is closed by the said valve, the
latter, when it acts to close the cylinder, occupying a greater space within the
same than when the cylinder is open.
The valve E is composed preferably of a light sheet metal shell of copper, shaped
to resemble part of a dome, and is connected at its small or upper end with a
thicker metallic top piece b, and at its large or lower end with a bottom-piece or
annulus 6, the latter and the lower end of the valve shell cooperating with the
inner edge of the lower flange m' to close the cylinder at the bottom.
This valve E has an attached pintle b¹ which is inserted within a bolster b' or
step-piece held in a yielding manner in a case F attached to a vertically movable
rod or standard F.
The yielding material which it is preferred to use consists of two india rubber
rings 2, 2, placed each side of a suitable flange on the outer side of the said bolster,
or step, and the case F is composed of two parts 3, 4 suitably joined together by
bolts 5, the part 4 being attached to the rod F by a screw thread.
The top-piece 6 has an attached cap or socket a² which cooperates with the valve
centering device n, as shown in full lines Figure 1, to center the valve when the
same is lifted from below into position to close the lower end of the cylinder C.
The rod F¹ is extended through a flanged bolster d or guide provided externally
with two india rubber rings or yielding washers d' d², the one d¹ being acted upon
by a metal washer do held down by bolts d³ extended through the brace or cross
arm d', bolted at its end to the curb D.
The lower end of the rod F¹ is jointed or pivoted to a lever or valve-mover f
having its fulcrum f', upon a link f³ pivoted at its upper end to the cross-bar d
by a pivot or bolt f*, so that the said valve mover may move in a right line.
The outer end of the valve mover f has connected with it a rod g, which is
extended up through the floor g¹ and provided with a combined handle and dog g³,
adapted to engage a lug or projection 10 of the curb to keep the valve up to close
the lower end of and partially fill the interior of the cylinder as shown in full
lines, that being the position of the said valve when the machine is receiving the
sirup-like mass or charge from the mixer, and for a short time after the cylinder
has been started.
:
It will be readily seen and understood that a valve shaped as shown when elevated
to close the cylinder preparatory to partially filling and starting the same in motion,
will act to displace much of the material from the center of the cylinder and will
cause the material to stand high up against the inner wall of the cylinder, so that
the sugar wall will be forced up and formed more readily than heretofore and will
be sooner spread over the inner wall of the cylinder, and will be more uniformly
spread thereon, which is a matter of very great importance.
The more uniform distribution of material also enables the cylinder to be made
very considerably longer than heretofore, thus greatly increasing the capacity of
the machine.

page_text: When the machine is in motion the valve rotates with it, but as the weight of
the latter is not sustained by the cylinder, but by the step b¹ below it, the friction
exerted between the spindle, the hollow shaft, and their connecting devices is very
much diminished.
The plow h, a curved piece of metal pivoted at h* upon the curb D, has an
operating rod h³, extended through the floor g, when it is provided with a suitable
handle to engage the upper end of the curb D, to thus keep the plow normally in
its full line position.
The valve will occupy its full line position when the material is fed into the
cylinder from the mixer D¹, and it will remain in such position for a sufficient
time after the machine has been started to enable a wall to be formed from the
said material against the interior of the cylinder by centrifugal action, and the
wall having been formed the handle part g³ will be withdrawn from its holding
projection 10, thus liberating the valve and permitting it to descend by its own
weight into its dotted line position, after which the rotation of the machine will be
continued, in the case of sugar, until the sugar wall is finished to the required
dryness when the machine will be stopped for the removal of its contents.
In this condition with the valve lowered and the lower end of the cylinder
uncovered, the interior of the cylinder below the spider will be entirely unobstructed
except by the narrow flange m¹, and the attendant, the speed of the cylinder having
been first partially reduced, will release the catch h*, and turn the plow h up from
its full into its dotted line position over the edge of the flange and into the interior
of the cylinder, where the plow will be held to act as usual upon and cut away the
lower part of the sugar wall, which done, the said wall will usually fall as soon as
the machine has been fully stopped, the plow by its action upon the sugar wall
assisting in stopping the machine.
The inner wall of the cylinder has frequently to be scraped down or cleaned by
hand work, and with the valve open as in dotted line position and outside of and
below the cylinder, the interior of the latter is entirely unobstructed for free access
by the attendant.
The weight of the valve E is substantially counter balanced by the weight 20.
I do not desire to limit this Invention to the particular means shown for
actuating the valve as instead of the same I may use any other well known or
suitable mechanical appliances or mechanism external to the cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A suspended rotating pervious cylinder having an open bottom forming the
discharge, combined with a bottom closing valve which is adapted to be moved
outwardly from the cylinder to uncover the same for the discharge from the
cylinder of its contents, substantially as described.
2. A suspended cylinder having an open bottom constituting a discharge,
combined with a vertically movable dome-shaped bottom closing valve adapted to
be moved from below up into the cylinder to close the same, the said valve partially
filling the center space of and assisting in throwing the charge up against the inner
wall of the cylinder, substantially as described.
3. A suspended cylinder having an open bottom constituting a discharge and a
valve to close the said open bottom and actuated by mechanism below and external
to the cylinder, substantially as described.
4. A suspended cylinder, and a valve to close its open end, the said valve having
a pintle fitted into and adapted to rotate in a step placed to support the valve
independently of the cylinder, substantially as described.
5. A rotating cylinder open at its lower end to constitute a discharge, and a
vertically movable bottom closing valve operated by mechanism located outside the
cylinder, the valve having a guide to ensure its movement in the line of the spindle
which supports the cylinder, substantially as described.

page_text: 6. A suspended rotating cylinder open at its lower end to constitute a discharge,
and having not only a vertically movable bottom closing valve operated from
below the cylinder, but also a plow adapted to be turned from below up and over
the bottom flange and into the cylinder to attack the material collected against the
wall, substantially as described.
7. A suspended rotating cylinder open at its lower end to form a discharge, and
a vertically movable bottom closing valve having a pintle supported in a step
independently of the cylinder, combined with a stem or rod to support the said
step, a yielding bolster to guide the said stem or rod, and mechanism located
outside and below the said cylinder to operate the said guide and valve, substantially
as described.