IMPROVEMENTS IN HYDRAULIC PRESSES, AND IN STEAM ENGINES FOR WORKING THE SAME, WHICH ALSO APPLICABLE FOR WORKING HYDRAULIC HOISTS AND ENGINES ARE CRANES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Wilson, of Patricroft, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HYDRAULIC PRESSES, AND IN STEAM ENGINES FOR WORKING THE SAME, WHICH
ALSO APPLICABLE FOR WORKING HYDRAULIC HOISTS AND
ENGINES ARE
CRANES."
Sealed the 23rd January 1874, and dated the 27th November 1873:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th November 1873.
I, ROBERT WILSON, of Patricroft, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HYDRAULIC PRESSES, AND IN STEAM ENGINES FOR WORKING THE SAME, WHICH
ENGINES ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR WORKING HYDRAULIC HOISTS AND CRANES," to
be as follows:
L
-
The object of my Invention is to reduce the waste and cost of
hydraulic presses and to arrange the working parts so that the press may

page_text: be placed horizontally on the floor of a shed, whereby the lofty and
expensive building heretofore generally required is dispensed with.
In order to accomplish the desired objects I reduce the length of the
trunk in which the cotton or other fibres are placed before compression
and increase its depth. When the trunk has been filled with fibres the
preliminary compression is given by a heavy plate or weight box
descending by its own gravity into the trunk, or by screws, racks, and
pinions, or other equivalents; this plate or box is then fixed down and
forms the upper side of the trunk. The further compression is given
by one or more hydraulic cylinders and rams acting together or in suc-
cession on the follower of the press. The ram or rams is or are brought
back after the bale has been hooped or corded by a counterweight
suspended to chains passing over pulleys or other suitable means.
My improved steam engine is provided with three cylinders, the
pistons and piston rods of which are connected to one crank shaft
whereby a steady rotary motion is obtained and the fly wheel may be
dispensed with.
: The pumps for the hydraulic pressers and for the cranes and hoists
may be connected to one or both ends of the piston rods, or the pumps
may be worked by eccentrics, cranks, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WILSON, of Patricroft, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Wilson, Her special
licence that I, the said Robert Wilson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Wilson, my executors,

page_text: 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HYDRAULIC PRESSES, AND IN STEAM ENGINES FOR WORKING THE SAME, WHICH
ENGINES ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR WORKING HYDRAULIC HOISTS AND CRANES,".
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Wilson,
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 Robert Wilson, do hereby declaro
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 (that is to say) :-
The nature of my said Invention consists in placing the
press horizon-.
tally and in reducing the length of the trunk in which cotton or other
fibres are placed before compression, and increasing its depth and giving
the preliminary compression by a heavy plate or weighted box descending
by its own gravity or otherwise pressed into the trunk where it is then
fixed down and forms the upper side of the trunk. The further and
final compression is given by one or more hydraulic cylinders and rams`
acting together or in succession on the follower of the press.
My improved steam engine consists of three cylinders, the pistons and
piston rods of which are connected to one crank shaft whereby a
steady rotary motion is obtained, and the fly wheel may be dispensed
with, the momentum of which being the main cause of the bursting of
the connecting pipes.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the two accompanying
Sheets of Drawings.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved horizontal
hydraulic press for packing cotton and other fibrous substances; Fig. 2

page_text: is a plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a section through the line A, B, on
Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section through the line C, D.
a is the bottom plate of the trunk into which the fibres are placed,
and b, b, are the sides of the same which are made about twice the
height of the depth of the bale; c is a heavy plate or weight box which
when down forms the upper side of the trunk; this plate or box c is
suspended to two double rods c¹ united above by cross heads c³, and each
cross head is acted upon by the ram or piston of the small hydraulic
cylinders c³, the plate or box c is guided endways in the columns d, d,
one of which is supported by the head of the press and the other by a
cross beam; the columns d, d, are united by the beam e supporting the
cylinders c. The compressing cylinders f and rams g are placed hori-
zontally and the rams are connected to the follower h. The outer ends
of the cylinders are connected to the force pumps in the usual manner.
The head of the press is connected to the opposite end or bottom piece
by side rods or columns as in vertical presses of the usual construction.
To the sides b, b, of the trunk are jointed the angle doors b¹, 61, which
doors are closed as shewn by the full lines in Fig. 2 when the trunk
is being filled and opened, as shewn by the dotted lines when the fibres
have been partially compressed.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The attendants after putting
the gunny cloth over the face of the follower lashing plate h, and the
top lashing plate h¹, closes the door i by the lever ¹ and secures it in its
place by the shot bolts &², and then after filling the trunk with cotton or
other fibres lowers the plate or box c into the trunk by the rams or pistons
in the cylinders c³ to give the preliminary compression; this lowering of
the plate or box may be, effected by its own gravity, or by screws or
racks and pinions, or other equivalents.
When the plate or box is lowered to the position required to form the
thickness of bale, the angle doors 6¹ are opened, the box or plate is then
secured by the shot bolts c* actuated by the handle c³, the further com-
pression is then given by the centre ram 9 which acts on the follower h
until the resistance becomes too great, after which the final compression
is given by the combined action of the three rams g. When the cotton
has been sufficiently compressed to hold it in form, the box c is raised
by the rams or pistons in the cylinders c³, the trap door i forming the
bottom of the chamber in which the bale is finished is then released

page_text: by withdrawing the bolts actuated by the handle ³, which is connected
to the three bolts 22, as shewn in Fig. 2. The bale can now be lashed in
the ordinary manner, and when the bale is completed and the follower h
has been withdrawn, the wedge bolts 62 are released by the levers 6³ to
liberate the ends; the finished bale then drops on the truck j, as shewn
in Figs. 1 and 3, and the truck with the bale is moved along the tram-
rails or roadway. The angle doors 6¹ are then closed and the trap door i
after the gunny cloth has been put on as before described is brought
back to its original position by the weighted levers ¹ to close the lower
side of the chamber in which the bale is formed, and it is secured in its
place by the bolts 2, above described, and at the same time the rams g
and follower are moved back by the counterweight h¹ which is
suspended to chains passing over the pulleys ², and the follower lashing
plate having been clothed as before described the press is then in
position for commencing operations for a fresh bale.
I wish to remark here that I do not limit myself to the use of three
rams and cylinders for giving the final compression as the number may
be varied, or a single ram and cylinder may be used, nor do I limit myself
to the exact arrangement or mode of working the same.
The improved horizontal presses. above described will be found par-
ticularly suitable for up country establishments as they can be placed
horizontally on the floor of a shed, whereby the lofty and expensive
buildings heretofore generally required are dispensed with; the weight
of the press and the cost are also reduced.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is a side elevation, and Fig. 6 a plan of my
improved horizontal steam engine for working hydraulic presses, hoists,
and cranes; Fig. 7 is a cross section of the same through the line A, B,
on Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a section through the line C, D.
The engine consists of a foundation plate / to which are fixed the
three steam cylinders 1, 1, 1, the pistons and piston rods of which are
connected by rods to the crank shaft m. The plungers n of the force
pumps o are connected to the piston rods projecting through the ends of
the cylinders and the discharge pipes of all the pumps are connected to
the main pipe to convey the water under pressure to the presses, hoists,
or cranes to be worked. By this means a steady rotary motion can be
obtained without the aid of a fly wheel, thus preventing the frequent
bursting of the connecting pipes now mainly caused by the momentum

page_text: of the fly wheel when the supply of water from the pumps is suddenly
stopped against them.
Fig. 9 is a front elevation; Fig. 10, a side elevation; Fig. 11, a section
through the line A, B; and Fig. 12, a section through the line C, D, of
my improved vertical steam engine for working hydraulic machinery.
In this arrangement the pumps o are worked from the lower ends of
the piston rods, the cross heads of which are connected to the same
crank shaft m, as described in reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The steam engine shewn in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, is more particularly
adapted for working hydraulic presses, and that shewn in Figs. 9, 10, 11,
and 12, for hydraulic hoists and cranes.
.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I wish to remark that I do not intend
to limit myself to the details set forth as they may be varied or modified,
and I claim,-
First. The improved horizontal press shewn and described in which the
preliminary compression is given by a descending plate or box, and the
final compression by one or more hydraulic rams and cylinders.
And, Secondly. The improved steam engines shewn and described in
which the pistons and piston rods of three cylinders are united to one
crank or driving shaft for the object set forth.
In witness whereof I, the said Robert Wilson, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.