Improvements.in Pulverising Damp Flour and in Apparatus to be Used for this Purpose, Applicable more Especially in the Manufacture of Sago, Tapioca, and other Analogous Products.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1889-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements.in Pulverising Damp Flour and in Apparatus to be
Used for this Purpose, Applicable more Especially in the
Manufacture of Sago, Tapioca, and other Analogous Products.
1, HENRY DE MORNAY of No. 30 Chesterton Road, North Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
In the manufacture of tapioca and such like products the roots from which it is
obtained are after being washed reduced to a pulp by rasping and the pulp is
afterwards placed in a pulp washer by which the tapioca flour is reduced strained and
run off as a milky emulsion with the water into settling vats-where it is allowed to
settle and is subsequently dug out in the form of cakes or blocks.
At the present time these blocks after subsequent washing in vats and again
settling are broken up on tables with mallets or trodden down by men and then
sifted into flour as fine as can be so obtained. This process is not only a slow and
laborious one but in addition the flour obtained is more or less inferior in condition
for conversion into tapioca because as it is being sifted in a moist state the particles
tend to become rolled into small spherical pellets as the flour rolls over the surface of
the sieves.
It is necessary that the flour should be obtained in the state of a moist fine powder
in order that it may agglutinate in proper form when subsequently heated in the
agglutinating pans.
To remedy the disposition of the flour to roll into pellets and economise labor I
reduce the cakes or blocks which are dug out from the settling vats to the state
of fine flour by acting upon them with a revolving cylindrical rasp of special
construction.
I form the rasp of a number of flat serrated blades ranged radially at a uniform
distance apart around a shaft and parallel with it. The serrated blades are at a slight
distance apart from one another so that a current of air may pass through the
spaces between them when the cylindrical rasp is revolved so that all flour rasped
off by the blades is at once thrown off from them and clogging of the rasp is
avoided.
The blocks or pieces to be acted upon by the rasp I feed up to it through a
trough the bottom of which is at a lower level than the axle of the rasp.
I cause the blocks to be pushed along the trough by a pusher drawn forwards by a
band which is secured to it and which lies along the bottom of the trough and passes
downwards through a slot in the bottom and over a roller situated at the end of the
trough very near to the cylindrical rasp. The top of the roller I arrango to be slightly
above the top surface of the bottom of the trough so as to reduce the friction between
it and the cloth and deliver the block of material unimpeded on to the end of the
bottom plate of the trough and over this narrow portion of the plate to the rasp. The
block of flour rests upon the band and is carried forward with it. The flour as it is
rasped off from the end of the block is thrown down by centrifugal action from the
rasp into a box placed below it the rasp and box being encased in a suitable casing.
In this way the flour is obtained in the condition of loose fine powder as is required
in the manufacture of tapioca, sago and other analogous products in one operation
without sifting or other subsequent treatment.
To draw the band forward the band is secured to the circumference of a second
roller which can be turned by the action of a treadle or hand lever or by a descending
weight or in other ways as may be desired.

page_text: To be able to draw the pusher and band backwards along the trough the end of the
band which is secured to the roller above mentioned may be continued and secured
to the pusher.
Blocks of tapioca flour in a dry state or other flour either in a moist or dry
state may be pulverised by rasping apparatus constructed in the above manner.
Dated this Second day of November 1888.
HY. DE MORNAY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pulverising Damp Flour and in Apparatus to be
Used for this Purpose, Applicable more Especially in the
Manufacture of Sago, Tapioca, and other Analogous Products.
1, HENRY DE MORNAY, of No. 30 Chesterton Road, North Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, 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 :-
In the manufacture of tapioca and such like products the roots from which it
is obtained are after being washed reduced to a pulp by rasping from which pulp
the flour is strained through cloth with water in the form of a milky emulsion
and run into tanks where it is allowed to settle and is subsequently dug out and
thrown into vats in which it is stirred and washed and then again allowed to settle.
It is then dug out in blocks or pieces and broken up on tables with mallets or trodden
down by men and then sifted into flour as fine as can be so obtained. This process is
not only a slow and laborious one but in addition the flour obtained is more or less
inferior in condition for conversion into tapioca because as it is being sifted in a
moist state the particles tend to become rolled into small spherical pellets as the flour
rolls over. the surface of the sieves.
It is necessary that the flour should be obtained in the state of a moist homo-
geneous fine powder in order that it may agglutinate in proper form when subsequently
heated in the agglutinating pans.
To remedy the disposition of the flour to roll into pellets as well as to economise
labor I reduce the cakes or blocks of flour which are dug out of the settling yais
to the state of fine flour at once by acting upon them with a revolving cylindrical
rasp of special construction.
I form the rasp of a number of flat serrated blades ranged radially around a shaft
at a uniform distance from and parallel with it. The serrated blades are placed at
a small distance apart from one another and instead of the intervening spaces being
filled up by wedgo pieces as usual in ordinary rasps used for pulping roots against
which the flour would be rapidly accumulated and pressed into a cake burying the
teeth of the blades so that the block of flour operated upon could not reach them,
these spaces are left open such flour that is not thrown down by the centrifugal action of
the rasp dropping through these spaces into the box below so that the clogging of
the rasp is avoided and the free action of the teeth upon the block of flour under
reduction maintained.
The blocks or pieces to be acted upon by the rasp I feed up to it through a trough
so placed that the top of the block under reduction is at a lower level than the axle
of the rasp.
I cause the blocks to be pushed along the trough up to the rasp by a pusher
drawn forwards by an endless band to which it is fastened and which lies along the
upper surface of the false bottom of the trough and passes downwards through a
slot in the bottom over a roller situated at the end of the trough very near to
the cylindrical rasp. The top of the roller I arrange to be slightly above the top
surface of the bottom of the trough so as to reduce the friction between it and
the cloth and deliver the block of material unimpeded on to the end of the bottom
plate of the trough and over this narrow portion of the plate to the rasp. The

page_text: block of flour rests upon the band and is carried forward with it. The flour as it
is rasped off from the end of the block is thrown down by centrifugal action from
the rasp into a box placed immediately below the casing of the machine. In this
way the flour is obtained in the condition of loose fine homogeneous powder as is
required in the manufacture of tapioca, sago and other analogous products in one
operation without sifting or other subsequent treatment.
To draw the pusher forwards the band is passed round and secured to a second
roller which can be turned by the action of a treadle or hand lever or by a
descending weight or in other ways as may be desired.
To be able to draw the pusher and band backwards along the trough the band
which is secured to the roller above mentioned may be made endless and attached
to the pusher..
Blocks of flour in a dry as well as a moist state may be pulverised by rasping
apparatus constructed in the above manner.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side elevation and Figure 3 an end view of apparatus
constructed as above described. Figure 4 is a section on a larger scale of part of the
apparatus. Figure 5 is a side elevation of the cylindrical rasp. Figure 6 is an edge
view with all the rasp blades removed but one and Figure 7 shews one of the rasp
blades separately.
In Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, A is the cylindrical rasp made to revolve rapidly by steam
or other suitable power. B is a removeable cover of the rasp below which the
casing is enclosed all round but with an opening in front where the block of flour
is presented and fed up to the rasp to be pulverised. C is a trough in which the
charge is placed for reduction. Flaps on the sides of the trough are provided as
shewn which are let down by the operator for his convenience in placing the block of
flour in the trough to be pulverised.
D is a pusher by which the block is pushed forwards. E is an endless band
passing over the false bottom of the trough and over a roller F at its front end and
over another larger roller G at its rear end. The bearings for the spindle of the
larger roller are as shewn carried by a weighted lever which tends to carry the
larger roller away from the smaller one and so keeps the endless band extended
between them. Any ordinary and suitable means may be employed for locking
the pusher to the endless band.
His a pulley on the spindle of the larger roller G over it is passed a cord I one
end of which is weighted whilst the opposite end is attached to a treadlo J. The
attendant by causing his foot to bear upon this treadle can turn the roller G and so
cause the pusher to gradually feed forward a block of material up to the rasp. When
the attendant removes his foot the weight on the end of the cord causes the pusher
to be drawn back to the end of the trough. K is a continuation of the bottom of
the trough situated between the roller F and the cylindrical rasp as is best seen in
Figure 4.
The casing below the cover B is made to open readily for access to the interior
when required and below it is a drawer which receives the flour thrown down by
the rasp. The drawer is placed on a wheeled platform or carriage by which it is
removed when full and replaced when empty.
The construction of the cylindrical rasp is clearly shewn at Figures 5, 6 and 7. In
these figures a a are two metallic discs fast in the spindle b. c care numerous radial
slots formed at the periphery of tho metallic discs a a as shewn. d d are serrateil
blades of hard metal to be firmly held in these radial slots-one in each slot. e e are
two rings by which the serrated blades are retained in place. They embrace
projections at the ends of all the blades and prevent them not only from moving
radially outwards from the slots in which they are placed but also from moving
endwise. The rings themselves are kept held up to the sides of the discs by clamps /
fixed to the discs by bolts g as shewn. The rasp blades may be firmly held in
place by any ordinary method not interfering with the special requirements previously
described.

page_text: If the rasp blades are made of thin flexible metal as customary in rasps used for
pulping Beet and other roots then a stiffening plate has to be introduced behind each
blade filling up the radial slots in the circumference of the metallic discs above
mentioned but in no wise interfering with the open spaces between the blades which
spaces are essential to the proper action of this rasp on the material it is required to
pulverize.
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 :--
1. The hereinbefore described process for pulverizing damp flour.
2. The combination of the enclosed casing, the revolving cylindrical rasp within
the casing and apparatus for feeding forward blocks of damp flour up to the
rasp.
3. The cylindrical rasp built up of serrated blades ranged radially at a uniform
distance apart around a shaft and with open spaces between the blades.
4. The construction of apparatus for pulverizing damp flour substantially as
hereinbefore described.