Improvements in Machinery for Manufacturing Fuel Blocks and other articles from Plastic Material.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Manufacturing Fuel Blocks and
other articles from Plastic Material.
I, AUGUSTE DESGOFFE of Lille, France, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to machinery for manufacturing fuel blocks and
other articles from plastic material and has been specially designed for manu-
facturing peat into blocks but is also applicable to manufacturing other articles
such as bricks from plastic material. My improved machinery well mixes and
triturates the matter subjected to its action and at the same time compresses it, and
delivers it at the mouth or outlet of the machine in any desired section and of any
length required.
My improved machinery is composed of a male screw with any given number of
threads of equal pitch throughout mounted on a shaft to which rotary motion is
imparted by any suitable mechanism. This screw is surrounded by a concentric
casing on the inner surface of which is a female screw having likewise any given
number of threads and of equal pitch throughout. The female screw is the reverse
of the male screw that is to say one of them is right handed and the other left
handed. This combination of screws or spirals forms a series of small concentric
channels superposed but lying in opposite directions through which the material
when introduced at one end of the cylinder is forced by the rotation of the male
screw. In the concentric casing and beyond the delivery end of the male screw is
a piece of circular or other section which does not rotate with, but can move
independently of, the screw and constitutes a sort of core or inner mould so as to
produce in the material forced forward by the screw a continuous central aperture
of corresponding section, whilst the outer form given to the material will correspond
with the form of the die or mouth of the machine. The die and the central piece
or core are made removable so as to be replaced if required by others of different
form; the central piece or core will not be used when it is not required to form an
aperture through the moulded material. Instead of the male screw being made to
rotate and the casing being a fixture, the casing can be made to rotate and the
male screw remain fixed; or the two may be made to rotate in opposite directions.
The material can be supplied to the casing by means of a suitable hopper and in
order to facilitate the introduction of the material between the male and female
screws I in some cases empoly one or two drawing or feed rollers. If the machine
is intended to act on fibrous peat I preferably employ two fluted rollers driven in
different directions at different speeds; the flutings work into each other and while
drawing or feeding the peat effect a breaking action; if the peat is compact a
single plain roller will suffice.
In some cases more particularly for moulding coal dust or other material with
pitch or like material, I heat the casing and the die or mould so as to keep the
pitch in a more or less liquid state, this can be conveniently effected by providing
the casing and die with a steam jacket.
Dated thin 14th day of Mach 1900

page_text: COMPLETE-SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Manufacturing Fuel Blocks and
other articles from Plastic Material.
I, AUGUSTE DESCOFFE of Lille, France, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to machinery for manufacturing fuel blocks and
other articles from plastic material and has been specially designed for manu-
facturing peat into blocks, but is also applicable to manufacturing other articles
such as bricks from plastic material. My improved machinery well mixes and
triturates the matter subjected to its action and at the same time compresses it and
delivers it at the mouth or outlet of the machine in any desired section and of any
length required.
My improved machinery is composed of a male screw with any given number of
threads of equal pitch throughout mounted on a shaft to which rotary motion is
imparted by any suitable mechanism. This screw is surrounded by a concentric
casing on the inner surface of which is a female screw having likewise any given
number of threads and of equal pitch throughout. The female screw is the reverse
of the male screw, that is to say, one of them is right handed and the other left
handed. This combination of screws or spirals forms a series of small concentric
channels superposed but lying in opposite directions through which the material
when introduced at one end of the cylinder is forced by the rotation of the male
screw. In the concentric casing and beyond the delivery end of the male screw is
a piece of circular or other section which does not rotate and constitutes a sort of
core or inner mould, so as to produce in the material forced forward by the screw a
continuous central aperture of corresponding section, whilst the outer form given to
the material will correspond with the form of the die or mouth of the machine.
The die and the central piece or cpre are made removable so as to be replaced if
required by others of different form; the central piece or core will not be used
when it is not required to form an aperture through the moulded material. Instead
of the male screw being made to rotate, and the casing being a fixture, the casing
can be made to rotate and the male screw remain fixed; or the two may be made
to rotate in opposite directions.
The material can be supplied to the casing by means of a suitable hopper and in
order to facilitate the introduction of the material between the male and female
screws I in some cases employ one or two drawing or feed rollers. If the machine
is intended to act on fibrous peat I preferably employ two fluted rollers driven in
different directions at different speeds; the flutings work into each other and while
drawing or feeding the peat effect a breaking action; if the peat is compact a
single plain roller will suffice.
•
The accompanying drawing is a longitudinal vertical section of a machine
constructed according to my invention. a is the male screw the thread of which is
of equal pitch throughout; it is formed in a piece with or mounted on a shaft b to
which rotation is imparted by the mechanism hereinafter described or by any other
suitable means.
c is concentric casing surrounding the screw a; on the inside of
this casing is a female screw d the thread of which is of equal pitch throughout.
The female screw d is the reverse of the male screw a, one of them being left
handed, and the other right handed. is the opening by which the material is
introduced into the casing e from a hopper or receptacle ff above. Beyond the
delivery end of the screws is a piece g of circular or other section concentric with
the shaft 6 and entering a recess in the front end of the screw a so as to form a
bearing or support thereto. It constitutes a sort of core or inner mould so as to
produce in the material forced forward by the screw a continuous central aperture
of corresponding section whilst the outer form given to the material will correspond

page_text: with the form of the die or mouth piece h of the machine. The core 9 does not
rotate with the screw shaft 6 but is fixed to the die h by means of a cross bar j.
The die and core g are secured to the end of the casing c by means of a cap i and
can readily be removed so that another die and core may be substituted or so that
another core can be attached to the same die h in lieu of that previously attached
thereto.
The shaft bis driven by means of a toothed wheel n keyed thereon and gearing
with a pinion (not shown) on another shaft carrying the driving pulleys p p.
When the material under treatment requires it I employ one or more feed rollers,
plain or fluted, at the lower part of the hopper or receptacle f. A single feed
roller is represented at q; it is shown as driven by toothed gearing r r from the
shaft b. If two rollers be employed they can be driven in different directions and
at different speeds for the purpose already herein before stated.
C
In some cases, more particularly for moulding coal dust or other material with
pitch or like material, I heat the casing c and the die or mould / so as to keep the
pitch in a more or less liquid state; this can be conveniently effected by providing
the casing and die with a steam jacket as will be well understood, with the same
object the shaft b may be made hollow and be supplied with steam.
The number, depth and thickness of the threads of the screws or spirals a and d
should be determined according to the particular material to be operated upon and
the desired result as will be well understood. The number of threads may be the
same in both screws as in the machine shown or the number may differ. The
inclination of the threads is preferably 17° 40′.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
The combination or combinations of parts substantially as hereinbefore described
constituting improved machinery for manufacturing fuel blocks and other articles
from plastic material.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1892.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.