An Improved Apparatus for Grinding or Pulverizing Slurry Clay and other Materials Capable of being Reduced to Powder.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1898
An Improved Apparatus for Grinding or Pulverizing Slurry Clay and
other Materials Capable of being Reduced to Powder.
I, ALBERT EDWARD ROOTS, of 43, South Eastern Terrace, Strood, in the County
of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct and provide for use a simple and cheap
but extremely efficient apparatus that will grind or pulverize slurry clay and other
materials capable of being reduced to powder quickly surely and effectively whether
such materials are in a wet or dry or intermediate state.
To carry out this object I provide a shaft which can be rotated in any usual
manner by any suitable power being supported in any ordinary bearings or the
like. On this shaft are fitted by cotters or otherwise in the desired positions a
desired number of balls or spheres made of or covered with metal or other suitable
material and of the desired sizes whether similar or different and round each sphere
is fitted a corresponding casing of the desired proportionate size so that the
clearance between the outer surface of the sphere and the inner surface of the
casing is what is arranged for and these casings likewise are made of or lined with
metal or other suitable material while to the casings may be fitted or with the
same may be made collars or the like surrounding the shaft wherethrough and
whereby a passage is created from the one casing to the next casing.
The shaft is perhaps preferably arranged in a vertical position most conveniently
in such wise that it can easily be somewhat raised or lowered while the casings
are supported therearound preferably in a fixed position. The desired material to
be ground or pulverized can be fed through a suitable hopper or otherwise into
the uppermost casing and the shaft is duly revolved at the desired speed when
the material will be properly treated between the rotating sphere and the fixed
enclosing casing wherefrom it can pass to the casing next below being there
similarly treated and so on until it can be discharged after this treatment is
finished into a suitable receptacle.
The shaft may also be arranged in any other desired position the casings being
correspondingly arranged.
The surfaces of the spheres may be plane and smooth or may be ribbed or
grooved or otherwise treated as may be appropriate in each case
The casings can be so fitted and mounted that they can be rotated preferably
perhaps in a direction opposite to that in which the shaft is revolved or when
desired the shaft may be a fixture.
Any intermediate discharge apertures may be made in the walls of the casings
or collars or elsewhere which may be provided with sieves or the like with any
desired mesh or size of interstices."
100th dow of November 1897

page_text: An Improved Apparatus for Grinding or Pulverizing Slurry Clay and
other Materials capable of being Reduced to Powder.
I, ALBERT EDWARD ROOTS, of 43, South Eastern. Terrace, Strood, in the County
of Kent, 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:-
The object of this my invention is to construct and provide for use a simple
and cheap but extremely efficient and convenient apparatus that can grind or
pulverize slurry clay and other materials capable of being reduced to powder very
quickly surely and effectively whether such materials are in a wet or a dry or an
intermediate state and condition.
In order the more clearly to explain this my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I refer to the accompanying drawing wherein I have
shewn an elevation partly in section of my apparatus as constructed and fitted and
arranged in one and perhaps the most efficient and convenient and appropriate
style and manner.
A shaft A is erected in such wise that it can be rotated at any desired speed by
any suitable and convenient power in any usual manner and through any ordinary
appliances and devices it may be as is shewn in the drawing through a pulley or
drum B secured on this shaft A wherearound would pass a band or belt. The
shaft A can most conveniently be mounted in and be supported by a bearing or
toe pot C whereunder is fitted and arranged a wedge D by which the exact eleva-
tion of the shaft A can when necessary as is hereinafter mentioned be altered and
adjusted in the customary manner and when appropriate or expedient by reason of
the length of the shaft A or otherwise a bearing or plummer block L can be pro-
vided for and be fitted round the upper end of this shaft A.
diameter
On the shaft A are fitted and secured by cotters E or otherwise in the appropriate
positions a desired number of balls or spheres F it may be one or two or more as may
be desired having regard chiefly to the particular material that is to be treated in
and by this apparatus and these spheres F can be made of or covered with metal
or other suitable and hard material and can be of the desired sizes and diameters
whether similar or different and the surfaces thereof may be plane and smooth
or may be ribbed or grooved or roughened or otherwise not plane and smooth as
may be appropriate or preferable in each case having again regard chiefly to the
particular material that is to be treated in and by this apparatus.
For and round each sphere F is constructed and fitted a
casing G of the desired proportionate size and
corresponding
clearance between the outer surface of the sphere F and the inner surface of
SO that the 3
the casing G is what is arranged for and preferred and these casings G likewise
can be made of or lined with metal or other suitable and hard material and the
inner surfaces thereof may be similar to or corresponding with or complementary
of the outer surfaces of the spheres F as hereinbefore described. For and with
cach casing G are constructed two collars H wherethrough the shaft A can loosely
pass which collars H can terminate in and with flanges H whereby each casing Ġ
can be secured to the next casing G or elsewhere in its desired position and these
collars H are of such sizes and diameters whether similar or different that passages
are by the same created whereby and wherethrough the material can freely pass 4
from the one casing G to the next casing G. When as is perhaps preferable and as is
shown in the drawing the shaft is arranged in a vertical position an hopper K
is provided for the uppermost casing G being secured on and to the uppermost
flange H¹ through which hopper K the material can be fed into this apparatus for
4

page_text: treatment and a table M is provided round this shaft A whereon the lowermost
casing G can be supported being secured thereto by the lowermost flange H¹ and
on the underside of this table M is secured a collar N also surrounding the shaft A
and creating a continuation of the passage formed by the collars H which passage
in the collar N is closed by the bottom gland P but has a side outlet or discharge
passage R a little above such gland P.
In this apparatus therefore when the shaft A is duly revolved at the desired
speed the material that is to be ground or pulverized is fed into the hopper K in
the desired quantity and passing through the passage H enters the uppermost
casing G where it is properly treated by the rotating sphere F and gradually
descending in such casing G during such treatment passes thereout through the
passage H into the casing G next below and so on until when it leaves the lower-
most casing G it is discharged it may be in a finished state through the outlet
passage R into a suitable receptacle or the like.
.As is hereinbefore stated it is most convenient so to construct and fit this
apparatus that the exact elevation of the shaft A can be altered and adjusted and
thus the exact positions of the spheres F in respect of their surrounding and
enclosing casings G can also be altered and adjusted. In this case the shaft A
can be at such an elevation that the spheres F are concentric with the casings G
and the clearance between the outer surfaces of such spheres F
and the inner surfaces of such casings G may be the same
above and below the spheres F and throughout each of the casings Gas also
throughout all the casings G. Again the shaft A. can be at such an elevation that
the spheres F are not concentric with the casings G but the clearances between the
outer surfaces of such spheres F and the inner surfaces of such casings G are pre-
ferably greater above the spheres F than below the same also throughout all the
casings G. Furthermore the spheres F and the casings G may be so constructed
and arranged in respect of each other that the clearance between the outer surface
of the sphere F and the inner surface of the casing G may be greater in the upper-
most casing G than in the casing G next below which clearance may be again
reduced in the next below casing G and so on and this arrangement can be observed
and followed whether the spheres F and the casings Gare concentric or non-
concentric. It is I think sufficiently obvious that the aforesaid non-concentric
arrangement will as a general rule produce a more finely ground and pulverized
material than will the concentric arrangement and that the increased clearance in
the uppermost casing will allow the admittance of a larger coarser material for
treatment and gradual reduction and all this is sometimes highly to be desiderated.
Although this apparatus is as a general rule arranged vertically as is shewn in
the drawing which arrangement is 1 think the most efficient and effective yet when
for any cause it may be desired so to do the apparatus may be arranged in any
other position when obviously it would perform its function in a similar manner
only the feeding hopper and the discharge passage might have to be altered and
arranged correspondingly.
All the casings can also be so fitted and mounted on the table or elsewhere in
any usual and convenient manner that they can be rotated preferably perhaps in
a direction opposite to that in which the shaft is revolved although it may also be
in the same direction but at a different speed or when desired the shaft may be a
fixture and only the casings would rotate therearound.
In every apparatus and especially perhaps when there are many spheres and
casings any intermediate discharge apertures or passages may be made in the
walls of the casings or the collars or elsewhere whichi may be provided with sieves
or the like with any desired mesh or size of interstices to allow the exit of material
that has been reduced to the arranged for size and condition only.
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 combination with a revoluble or fixed shaft A and a desired number of

page_text: spheres F secured on such shaft A of a corresponding number of fixed or rotatable
complementary casings G separately surrounding such spheres F passages H from
the one casing G to the next casing Gan hopper K to feed the material to the first
casing G and a discharge passage R from the last casing G substantially as and for
the purpose herein before described and declared.
2. The arrangement and combination of parts and appliances constituting my
improved apparatus for grinding or pulverizing slurry clay and other materials
capable of being reduced to powder substantially as hereinbefore described and
shewn in the accompanying drawing.
BAR Way of August 1000.
HART & Co.,
Agents, 168, Fleet Street, London, E.C.