Improvements in and connected with Machines for Shredding Canes and other Plants.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
Improvements in and connected with Machines for Shredding Canes
and other Plants.
I, GEORGE FLETCHER, of Masson and Atlas Works, Litchurch, Derby, in the
County of Derby, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to machines for shredding canes and others plants such as
sorghum and the like.
According to my invention I construct the cane-shredding machine of two side
frames bolted to back and front frames and forming guides along which can slide
the top cutter-shaft bearings which are each made in one piece instead of in two
sections as heretofore the said bearings being further guided by bars bolted on over
both the top and bottom cutter-bearings. By removing these bars either of the
shafts with its cutters can be taken out of the machine when required.
The top cutter-bearings are connected to screw threaded bars passing through
bridges and provided with nuts by means of which the distance apart of the cutters
can be regulated without stopping the machine.
Within the bridges are placed springs the pressure of which upon the bearings
can be regulated while the machine is at work in order to fix the pressure at which
a choke feed or foreign substance shall be allowed to pass between the cutters.
The teeth of the top and bottom cutters are alike and of small pitch the noses
being rounded off to avoid the liability of their being broken off and passing
between the cutters.
The cutters, made in several sections, are recved onto their shafts and are
prevented from turning upon the shafts by feathers or splines on the latter fitting
in key-ways in the cutter-sections. The end sections are secured upon the shafts
by means of nuts screwed upon the said shafts and of keepers, the extensions of
the end sections (covering the said Duts and keepers) being formed integral
with
the latter.
The ends of the bottom cutter-shaft project beyond their bearings and are both
made alike to allow of a driving pulley being placed on either end.
A wheel is mounted on each end of the top cutter-shaft and a brake strap is
applied thereto, the resistance or slip allowed being regulated by means of a spring
the tension of which can be adjusted in order to vary the fineness of the shredded
material and to allow of regulating the cutters to suit the varying degrees of
hardness of the material while the machine is at work.
The said wheels can however if required be controlled by belts.
Outside the top and bottom cutters and fixed to the removable bars is an angle
iron frame so constructed as to receive the end of the shoot from the cane-carrier.
The framing for supporting the shredder and cane-carrier has hitherto been
usually constructed of wood which has been found to be insufficiently firm, rigid,
and substantial and to warp and twist out of truth and to decay at the parts that
are inserted in the ground. I therefore build such framing wholly of iron or steel
having cast columns, rolled joists and diagonal struts the ends of the frame being
further supported by brackets carried on the mill framing. Columns are also
provided behind the shredder to carry the top cane carrier shaft such columns
being strengthened by diagonal struts from the main girders and back columns
the whole framing being independent of the roof or other part of the surrounding
mill building.

page_text: The engine that drives the shredder also transmits power by a belt to a pulley
on the shaft of which is a spur pinion gearing with a spur-wheel on the shaft of
which is a piich chain wheel to which is attached the friction brake gear for
regulating the feed to the mill.
by
The pitch chain wheel transmits power to the top cane-carrier driving shaft
pitch chain which is kept tant by an idler wheel.
a
The cane carrier can however if desired be driven from the mill roll in the
ordinary manner.
Dated the 19th day of May 1894
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Machines for Shredding Canes
and other Plants.
I, GEORGE FLETCHER, of Masson and Atlas Works, Litchurch, Derby, in the
County of Derby, 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:-
My invention relates to machines for shredding canes and other plants such as
sorghum and the like.
According to my invention I construct the cane-shredding machine of two side
frames bolted to back and front frames and forming guides along which can slide
the top cutter-shaft bearings which are each made in one piece instead of in two
sections as heretofore, the said bearings being further guided by bars bolted on
over both the top and bottom cutter-bearings. By removing these bars either of
the shafts with its cutters can be taken out of the machine when required.
The top cutter-bearings are connected to screw threaded bars passing through
bridges and provided with nuts by means of which the distance apart of the cutters
can be regulated without stopping the machine.
Within the bridges are placed springs the pressure of which upon the bearings
can be regulated while the machine is at work in order to fix the pressure at which
a choke fred or foreign substance shall be allowed to pass between the cutters.
The teeth of the top and bottom cutters are alike and of small pitch the noses
being rounded off to avoid the liability of their being broken off and passing
between the mill rolls.
The cutters, made in several sections, are reeved onto their shafts and are
prevented from turning upon the shafts by feathers or splines on the latter fitting
in key-ways in the cutter-sections. The end sections or cutters are secured upon
the shafts by means of nuts screwed upon the said shafts and of keepers, the
extensions of the end sections or cutters (covering the said nuts and keepers) being
formed integral with the latter.
The ends of the bottom cutter-shaft project beyond their bearings and are both
made al.ke to allow of a driving pulley being placed on either end.
A wheel is mounted on each end of the top cutter-shaft and a brake strap is
applied thereto, the resistance or slip allowed being regulated by means of a spring
the tension of which can be adjusted in order to vary the fineness of the shredded
material and to allow of regulating the cutters to suit the varying degrees of
bardness of the material while the machine is at work.
The said wheels can, however, if required be controlled by belts.
Outside the top and bottom cutters and fixed to the removable bars is an angle
iron frame so constructed as to receive the end of the shoot from the cane-carrier.

page_text: The framing for supporting the shredder and cane-carrier has hitherto been
usually constructed of wood which has been found to be insufficiently firm, rigid,
and substantial and to warp and twist out of truth and to decay at the parts that
are inserted in the ground. I therefore build such framing wholly of iron or steel
having cast columns, rolled joists and diagonal struts, the ends of the frame being
further supported by brackets carried on the mill framing. Columns are also
provided behind the shredder to carry the top cane carrier shaft, such columns
being strengthened by diagonal struts from the main girders and back columns,
the whole framing being independent of the roof or other part of the surrongling
mill building.
The engine that drives the shredder also transmits power by a belt to a pulley on
the shaft of which is a spur pinion gearing with a spur-wheel on the shaft of wich
is a pitch chain wheel to which is attached the friction brake gear for regulat ng
the feed to the mill.
The pitch chain wheel transmits power to the top cane-carrier driving shaft by a
pitch chain which is kept taut by an idler wheel.
The cane-carrier can, however, if desired be driven from the mill roll in te
ordinary manner
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is an end clevation of a machine for shredding cane and other plants
constructed according to my invention:
Figure 2 slews a section and an elevation of the top and bottom cutters :
Figure 3 is a front view of the shredder partly in elevation and partly in
section:
Figure 4, is an end view of one of the brakes applied to the top shaft of the
shredder/
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the same:
Fi
5 is section of one of the end cutters for the bottom shaft of the
shreddevided with nut and keeper:
Figure 6 is a section of one of the end cutters provided with nut aud keeper for
the top shaft of the shredder:
Figure 7 is a face view of the end cutter shewn in Figure 5 shewing nut and
keeper provided with fastening screws:
Figure 8 is a full size representation of the rounded nose of the teeth of the top
and bottom cutters :
Figure 9 shews the general arrangement of columns, girders, tie-beams, shoots,
driving engine, shredder, cane-carrier and crushing mill:
Figures 10 and 11 are a plan and elevation respectively of a shredder placed
vertically on the inill floor in conjunction with a crushing mill, a driving engine and
a carrier between the shredder and the crushing mill.
a, a are the side frames, the back, and c the front frame bolted thereto, d, d the
top cutter shaft bearings, e, e the screw-threaded bars secured to the bearings d,d by
the cottars e³, ³ and passing through the bridges f, and provided with check
Duts g, g and india-rubber washers h, h.
i, i are the springs inside the bridges f, provided with nuts j, j for regulating
the pressure, k, k are the cover bars bolted over the top and bottom bearings, the
removal of which bars allows either of the shafts with its cutters to be taken out.
1, 1, Figures 1 and 2, are the cutters, m, m the feathers or splines securing the
cutters to the top cutter shaft n and to the bottom cutter shaft, o; o' is the driving
pulley keyed to one end of the bottom cutter shaft, p, p are the wheels mounted on
each end of the top cutter shaft.
49, Figures 3 and 4, are the brake straps applied to these wheels and is the
spring the tension of which can be adjusted by the nuts s. t, t are segments of
hard wood attached to the central disc of the wheels p, p, these segments of bard
wood acting as non-conductors to guard against the heat caused by the friction of
the brake straps g, q.. u, u are segments, forming the outer rim of the brake, which

page_text: are bolted onto the wheels p by bolts v, v passing through the wood segments t, t.
Each of the brakes is prevented from turning with its wheel p by the pin p', which
holds the end q' of the brake strap g.
w is the angle iron framing fixed to the removable bars k, k outside the cutters,
which framing is adapted for receiving the end of the shoot a from the cane-
carrièr.
The end cutters of the bottom shaft are formed as shewn in Figures 3, 5 and 7,
and the end cutters for the top shaft are shewn in Figures 3 and 6; y, y are the
nut screwed on the ends of the cutter shafts and z, z the keepers for these nuts;
are the extensions or flanges formed integrally with the end cutters.
,3
'n Figure 9, which shews the general arrangement of shredder, cane-carrier, mill
driving engine, a', a' are the cast columns, 6, 6' the rolled joists and e¹, c' the
digonal struts composing the framing for supporting the shredder and cane-carrier;
are the brackets for further supporting the framing which are carried on the
ill framing e. flis the top cane-carrier shaft supported as shewn by the diagonal
ruts c' and the columns a².
is the engine transmitting power to the pulley of the shredder and to the
lley is a pinion on the shaft of the pulley gearing with the spur wheel j',
it shaft of which carries the chain wheel to which is attached the friction
brake gear for regulating the feed to the mill.
The pitch chain welk transmits power to the top cane-carrier shaft f' by the
chain which is kept tightened by the idler pulley m².
ay run
is a
Figures 10 and 11 shew an arrangement in which a shredder a² placed vertically
on the mill floor and standing on site frames & which, with the addition of a sheet
iron bottom, form a chamber for the leger end of the elevator d². e² is a
tightening block to compensate for wear in the levator chain which is driven from
the roll of the mill by means of the pitch clau². This elevator conveys
the shredded cane from the shredder to the mill. is a pipe connected to the
bottom of the above mentioned chamber for carrying off any juice that
down. is the engine driving the shredder a² by means of the pully
cane-carrier also driven by the engine conveying the cane to the shredder.
The resistance or slip to be allowed by the brakes q, q on the cutters of the top
shaft is regulated by adjusting the springs r, r by means of the check nuts s. By
regulating this resistance of the top shaft the relative fineness or coarseness of the
shredded cane is varied and consequently the cutters can be adjusted to suit the
degree of hardness or softness of the cane under treatment. This can be done
whilst the shredder is running at full speed with the greatest accuracy by observing
the quality of the shredded cane passing to the mill and adjusting the check nuts s, s
until the quality is considered to be satisfactory.
These brakes are substituted for the belts now usually employed to enable the
top shaft to revolve at such varying speed as may be found most suitable and also
to avoid the wear and tear of the belting and consequently the expense of
frequently renewing the same, but the brake wheels can, if desired, be controlled
by belts.
It will be understood that the end cutters shewn on the top shaft could be used
on the bottom shaft and those shewn on the bottom shaft used on the top shaft, if
desired, but the teeth of the cutters must always be in the same relative position,
that is to say, they must be arranged as shewn in Figure 1.
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. A machine for shredding cane and other plants having side frames and bars
covering the cutter shaft bearings so constructed that by removing the said bars
the top and bottom cutters and shafts can be readily taken out independently of
each other, substantially as described.
2. In a machine for shredding cane and other plants of the kind described in

page_text: Clain 1 forming the top cutter shaft bearings each in one piece and the cutters on
top and bottom shafts of the same form and of the same pitch of teeth.
3. In a machine for shredding cane and other plants of the kind described in
Claim 1 the arrangement of bridges, springs and adjusting screws on the outside of
the side frames of the cane shredder to enable the distance apart of the cutter
shafts to be regulated as set forth.
4. In machines for shredding cane and other plants brakes applied to the top
shaft provided with springs and nuts for adjusting the resistance or slip of the said
shaft to enable the quality of the shredded cane to be regulated substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In machines for shredding cane and other plants forming the cutters in
sections prevented from turning on the shaft by a feather or spline let into the
same and secured by nuts and keepers at each end, substantially as described.
6. In machines for shredding cane and other plants forming the end cutters for
top and bottom shafts as described and illustrated in Figures 3, 5, 6 and 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
7. The general arrangement of framing for supporting the shredder and cane
carrier and the means for driving the same as described and illustrated in Figure 9
of the accompanying drawings.
8. The general arrangement of the vertical shredder crushing mill, elevator,
carrier and driving engine as described and illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of February 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.