Improvements in Method of and Apparatus for Manufacturing Cork Boards.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1894-Accepted, 29th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Method of and Apparatus for Manufacturing
Cork Boards.
I FREDERICK WILLIAM EDDY of No. 41 Park Row, New York, in the
County and State of New York, United States of America, Writer, 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 relates to improvements in the method of and apparatus for
manufacturing cork boards, in which a concealed web of some suitable fibrous
material is provided upon its opposite sides with granules of cork compressed into
a tough, flexible, coherent sheet.
This invention consists in feeding continuously forward a web of some suitable
fibrous material prepared with an adhesive substance, and simultaneously with the
advance movement of the web, feeding granules of cork to the opposite sides of the
web, heating the layers of cork and web, and finally pressing the layers of cork
and interposed web into a compact sheet.
This invention further consists in the apparatus for carrying into effect the
method above stated.
In the accompanying drawings is shown, in vertical longitudinal section, the
apparatus for manufacturing the cork board.
The supporting frame consists of a pair of side frames quite similar in shape, one
of them, A, at the side of the machine opposite the observer, being represented in
the drawings.
Two endless belts, the upper, B, and the lower, C, are arranged to form the
upper and lower walls of a gradually contracting passageway between the sides of
the machine, for the advance of the fibrous web and the granules of cork to be
applied thereto. The upper belt B passes over guide rollers b, b', and underneath
compression rollers 62, 63, and 6, the latter also forming a guide roller at one end of
the belt.
The lower belt C passes over guide rollers c c¹, and over the compression
rollers cand c, the compression rollers c² and c forming at the same time guide
rollers to determine the general direction of the belt. The upper guide belt is
provided with an adjustable belt-tightening roller D, and the lower belt with a
similar belt tightening roller D'. The guides roller c for the lower belt, is located
at a suitable distance, in a horizontal plane, in advance of the roller b, a sufficient
distance being left between the two for the introduction of the hopper for feeding
the cork granules, and for the introduction of the web of fibrous material.
The belts B and C are advanced by means of a drive pinion e on a shaft E,
driven by a pulley e', connected by a belt e2 with a smaller pulley e on a shaft e*,
driven from a suitable source of power, not shown. The pinion e gears with a
larger gear wheel F, fixed to rotate with the compression roller c, and a smaller
gear wheelf, also fixed to rotate with the said roller is geared to the wheel G,
fixed to rotate with the upper roller 6. The wheel G is geared with a wheel f',
fixed
fixed to rotate with the lower roller c; the wheel f¹ is geared with a wheel
to rotate with the outer roller 68; the wheel is geared with a wheel f' fixed to
rotate with the lower roller c; and the wheel f2 is geared with a wheel g', fixed to
rotate with the upper roller 6. The rollers 62, 63, 64, and c³, c³, c³, are so located
with respect to one another, that the distances between them shall gradually
diminish. Thus, for example, the distance between 62 and 3 is somewhat less than
between and c; the distance between c³ and 63 is somewhat less than between ca
9,

page_text: and 62; the distance between e² and 63 is somewhat less than the distance between c³
and ; and the distance between c* and 6 is somewhat less than between 4 and 6³.
As a matter of economy in construction, and in order that the travel of the curved
surfaces of the several rollers may be synchronous, while at the same time the
curved surfaces of the rollers are arranged to approach each other, I gradually
reduce the number of gear teeth on the drive wheel of each successive roller, and,
at the same time, reduce the circumference of the roller, as compared with that of
the preceding roller, thereby rendering it feasible to employ gears of ordinary
pitch and length of teeth, and at the same time accomplish the result sought. The
contact of the rollers with the belts will carry the belts continuously forward
between the rollers, together with any material which may be inserted between the
belts.
Over the belt C, and in advance of the end of the upper belt B, I locate hoppers
for the discharge of the granulated cork. In the present instance, two hoppers are
shown for distributing different sized granules upon the lower belt, and two corre-
sponding hoppers for distributing different sized granules between the fibrous web
and the upper belt. The two hoppers for distributing the coarser granules, are
denoted respectively by H and H, while the two hoppers for distributing the finer
granules are denoted by h and h¹. These hoppers are made adjustable, in the
present instance, by means of elongated slots I and I', formed in plates secured to
the outer sides of the hoppers h, h¹, through which clamp-screws i and ¹ extend
into the side of the machine. The hoppers H and H₁ are made adjustable by
means of similar slotted plates secured to their upper ends, and provided with
clamping screws. By means of these adjustments, the inouths of the hoppers may
be moved nearer to or further away from the surfaces on which the granules of
cork are being distributed, so as to feed a lesser or greater quantity of granules, as
may be desired.
Intermediate of the hoppers H, H', I lead the fibrous web K from a supply
roll k, mounted in the upper portion of the frame, around a guide roller k¹ in
proximity to the mouths of a horizontal plane, about midway between the upper and
lower endless belts B and C.
Soon after entering between the upper and lower endless belts, the granu-
lated material and the treated web are brought under the influence of heating
surfaces arranged in proximity to the belt as follows:-The lower heater L
is fixed in position between the side frames with an upper flat face l, along which
the lower belt travels, and is provided with a chamber for applying heat to the
heater, conveniently in the form of steam. The upper heater M is pivoted at one
end, as at m, to the side frames, with its lower flat surface m³ in proximity to the
upper belt, and its free end in position to press downwardly upon the belt, and
thereby crowd the material between the belts into a more compact form. The
upper heater, like the lower, is provided with a chamber m², for receiving the heat-
imparting medium, such, for example, as steam.
After leaving the final compression rollers 64 and c¹, the pressed board is led
between a pair of polishing or surfacing rollers N and N¹, geared together, and one
of them, N, for example, provided with a pulley n, connected by a band n¹ with
the drive pulley on the shaft e¹, by which the said polishing or surfacing
rollers are driven at a speed greater than that of the compression rollers.
In operation, the web of fibrous material, having been inserted between the
upper and lower belts, and the hoppers provided with cork granulated to a fineness
suitable for the purpose in hand, and the belts started, the finer cork is first
received from the hopper h, upon the upper surface of the lower belt, and upon
this the coarser granules from the hopper H fall, the two layers being carried
along underneath, and together with the fibrous web K, and at the same time a
layer of corresponding coarser granules from the hopper H₁ is being distributed
upon the fibrous web; and upon this layer, a layer of finer granules from the
hopper is being deposited; the two layers being carried along between the
fibrous web and the upper belt. As the several layers, with the interposed fibrous

page_text: material, pass between the heaters, the adhesive material with which the fibrous
web has been previously treated, and which may be, for example, a solution of
amber, will become softened and will distribute itself under the pressure exerted
more or less throughout the interstices between the granules of cork. As the
assembled material passes on between each two compression rollers, it becomes still
further compressed, until, when it finally emerges from the final compression
rollers, it will have the nature of a tough, flexible, compact sheet, and after passing
between the surfacing or polishing rollers, its surface will be smooth and
bard.
It is obvious that the number of grades of granulated cork may be increased or
diminished at pleasure, by increasing or diminishing the number of hoppers for
feeding the layers of cork, and that the number of compression rolls may be
regulated to suit the demands in any particular instance, the greater the number of
compression rollers under ordinary circumstances, the greater may be the speed at
which the belts may be made to travel, and hence the more rapidly the formation of
the complete board.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of manufacturing cork board, consisting in feeding layers of
granulated cork between continuously moving walls of a conduit, and, simultaneously
therewith, interposing a web of fibrous material between the walls of the conduit
in engagement with the granulated cork, and compressing the layers of cork and
the web.
2. The method of manufacturing cork board, consisting in feeding layers of
granulated cork between continuously moving walls of a conduit, and, simultaneously
therewith, interposing a web of fibrous material between the walls of the conduit in
engagement with the granulated cork, and gradually compressing the layers of
cork and the web.
3. The method of manufacturing cork board, consisting in feeding layers of
granulated cork between continuously moving walls of a conduit, interposing a
treated web of fibrous material between the layers, heating the treated web while
in contact with the layers of cork, and compressing the layers of cork and web
while cooling.
4. Apparatus for manufacturing cork board, comprising endless belts arranged
to form a conduit between their adjacent faces, means for driving the belts,
compression rollers located upon opposite sides of the adjacent parts of the belts,
feed hoppers in position to distribute granulated cork between the belts, and a
guide for directing the web of fibrous material between the belts, in contact with
the layers of cork, substantially as set forth.
5. Apparatus for manufacturing cork board, comprising endless belts arranged
to form a conduit between their adjacent faces, means for driving the belts,
compression rollers located upon opposite sides of the adjacent parts of the belts,
adjustable feed hoppers in position to distribute granulated cork between the
belts, a guide for directing a web of fibrous material between the belts in contact
with the layers of cork, and surfacing rollers for receiving the compressed board from
the belts, substantially as set forth.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.