IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING TAN, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 20, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING TAN, AND IN THE MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE."-A communication from
abroad by Laurent Bréval, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles "Denton Abel at:
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th November 1866.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. :20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING TAK, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE," to be as follows:-
-This Invention.consists in extracting the liquor from tan as it is taken from
the pits by passing it through a cylinder press of peculiar construction
whereby it is at once rendered sufficiently dry to be applicable as fuel. For
this purpose a press is employed consisting of two, three, four, or more
revolying cylindrical rollers, pressed against each other in a yielding manner.

page_text: by means of weighted levers, between which cylinders the tan is made to pass
from a hopper by means of a distributing roller having helical grooves upon
its surface.
In the arrangement with two pressing cylinders the upper one (the surface
of which also has helical grooves) runs in bearings capable of moving up and
down in slots in the framing, and is pressed down by means of weighted
levers upon the lower roller which runs in fixed bearings. The tan as it
passes from the hopper between the distributing roller and upper cylinder has
already a portion of the liquor pressed out of it thereby; from between these
it passes on to a perforated plate or grating, upon which it is fed forward by
the helical grooves on the upper cylinder until it passes between the latter and
the lower cylinder. By the pressure exerted by these the whole of the liquor
is extracted from the tan, which consequently falls from between the cylinders
in front perfectly dry, while the liquor passes away at the back through the
before-mentioned perforated plate into a trough, whence it is conducted to
wherever required. A scraper removes the tan that may adhere to the lower
cylinder, and a revolving cylindrical brush is also made to clean the surface
of the distributing roller as it.revolves.
In the arrangement where three pressing cylinders are employed the upper
cylinder runs in fixed bearings, and the two lower ones are carried in adjustable.
bearings, and are pressed against the upper roller by means of weighted levers
in such a manner that the one nearest the distributing roller is pressed with
Jess force against the upper cylinder than the other one. The tan on passing
from between the first lower cylinder and upper cylinder is carried by the
latter over a second perforated plate to the second lower cylinder, where it is
subjected to greater pressure than before, and whence it passes away in a
perfectly dry state, as before described.
In employing four pressing cylinders an upper cylinder with adjustable
bearings and a lower cylinder with fixed bearings are added to the first-
described arrangement, the second upper cylinder being pressed down with
greater force upon its lower cylinder that the first one, and the tan passes
upon a perforated plate from the first pair of cylinders to the second pair. In
place of the perforated plates perforated-endless travelling aprons may be
employed for feeding forward the tan in either of the above arrangements.
Rotary motion is imparted to the upper and lower cylinders in reverse. direc-
tions by means of suitable gearing driven by a pulley and belt from a steam
engine, or other source of motive power.
By the 'above-described improved mode of drying the tan the great labour
of spreading it out upon large drying floors and continually raking it over,.as

page_text: heretofore effected, is obviated; and the improved apparatus may also be
employed with advantage in place of the hydraulic presses used heretofore for
this purpose, but, which have only partially dried the tan.
SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,,filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings; Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
,
i
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me,.. the said Charles Denton Abel, Her special licence that I, the said
Charles Denton Abel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time.
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom,
of Great. Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING TAN, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR THAT PURPOSE," a communication to me from abroad
by Laurent Bréval, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition.
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my executors or
adminstrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said. Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the. Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar.
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW. KNOW YE, that I, the said: Charles; Denton Abel, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly. described and ascertained in and by the following"
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:―
This Invention consists in extracting the liquor from tan as it is taken,
from the pits by passing it through a cylinder press of peculiar construction

page_text: whereby it is at once 'rendered sufficiently dry to be applicable as fuel. For
this purpose a press is employed consisting of two, three, four, or more.revolving
cylindrical rollers pressed against each other in a yielding manner by means
of weighted levers, between which cylinders the tan is made to pass from a
hopper by means of a distributing roller having helical grooves upon its surface.
In the arrangement with two pressing cylinders the upper one (the surface
of which also has helical grooves) runs in bearings capable of moving up and
down in slots in the framing, and is pressed down by means of weighted levers
upon the lower roller, which runs in fixed bearings. The tan as it passes
from the hopper between the distributing roller and upper cylinder has
already a portion of the liquor pressed out of it thereby, from between these
it passes on to a perforated plate or grating, upon which it is fed forward by
the helical grooves on the upper cylinder until it passes between the latter
and the lower cylinder. By the pressure exerted by these the whole.of the
liquor is extracted from the tan, which consequently falls from between the
cylinders in front perfectly dry, while the liquor. passes away at the back
through the before-mentioned perforated plate into a trough, whence it is
conducted to wherever required. A scraper removes the tan that may adhere
to the lower cylinder, and a revolving cylindrical brush is also made to clean
the surface of the distributing roller as it revolves.
In the arrangement where three pressing cylinders are employed the upper
cylinder runs in fixed bearings, and the two lower ones are carried in adjustable
bearings, and are pressed against the upper roller by means of weighted levers
in such a manner that the one nearest the distributing roller is pressed
with less force against the upper cylinder than the other one. The tan on
passing from between the first lower cylinder and upper cylinder is carried by
the latter over a second perforated plate to the second lower cylinder, where it
is subjected to greater pressure than before, and whence it passes away in a
perfectly dry state, as before described.
In employing four pressing cylinders an upper cylinder with adjustable
bearings and a lower cylinder with fixed bearings are added to the first-
described arrangement, the second- upper cylinder being pressed down with
greater force upon its lower cylinder than the first one, and the tan passes
upon a perforated plate from the first pair of cylinders to the second pair.
In place of the perforated plates, perforated endless travelling aprons may be
employed for feeding forward the tan in either of the above arrangements.
Rotary motion is imparted to the upper and lower cylinders in reverse
directions by means of suitable gearing driven by a pulley and belt from a
steam engine or other source of motive power.

page_text: By the above-described improved mode of drying the tan the great labour
of spreading it out upon large drying floors and continually raking it over, aś
heretofore effected, is obviated, and the improved apparatus may also be
employed with advantage in place of the hydraulic presses used heretofore
for this purpose, but which have only partially. dried the tan.
Ilaving thus set forth the nature of this Invention I will now proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
:
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings shows a front elevation
of one, arrangement of the apparatus; Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the
same, and Figure 3 shows a transverse section thereof. Similar letters of
reference indicate similar parts in each of the Figures.
The tan is thrown into the hopper A, and descends through the passage B
on to the two cylinders C, D, having oblique. or helical grooves. formed on
their surface, and the rotary motion of which forces the tan to pass into the
space a between them. The small cylinder C is termed the "distributor;"
it's shaft runs in bearings fixed to the framing. The cylinder D is called
the " 'presser;" its shaft runs in bearings sliding in vertical guides in the
framing, and which are pressed down in. an elastic manner by means of the
levers. The cylinder E, which is termed the "table," runs in bearings fixed
to the framework; it is not grooved, and is provided with flanges h, h¹, at each
end for confining the layer of tan passing over it. The tan in passing between
the cylinders C and D under moderate pressure parts with a certain portion of
its moisture, and is then carried by the cylinder D over a perforated plate or
grating F, the surface of which is grooved, and which is mounted on. pivots
carried by the side surfaces of the passage B, through the perforations or
openings of which plate the liquor expressed from the tan escapes; from
this plate the tan passes between the cylinders D and E, where it is subjected
to such pressure that the remaining liquor is pressed out of it and is forced to
flow back on to the plate F, through the openings of which it escapes and
falls into the receptacle G, whence it flows through the opening H into a
passage or pipe-conducting it to a reservoir. The tan passes from the cylinder E
perfectly dry, and is detached from the surfaces thereof by the scraper J.
A cylindrical brush K is provided, revolving in contact with but in the reverse
direction to the cylinder c, in order to clear the latter from particles of tan.
The elastic pressure of the cylinder D is obtained by the strong levers M; M²,
of which the fulcra are supported by the links N, N', working on pins n, n¹,
carried by the framing; these levers bear upon the sliding bearings L, L',
of the cylinder shaft by means of rods O, O', working through guides o, o¹,

page_text: fixed over the grooves in which the bearings slide. The free ends of the
levers M, M², are connected by rods P, P¹, to the lower levers Q, Q¹, having
their fulcra at q, q', and from the free end of which are suspended the
rods S, S¹, carrying the weights T, T. By this system of weighted but
yielding levers the bearings L, L, to the cylinder D are capable of rising
or falling in their grooves, so as to adjust the cylinder according to the
thickness of the layer of tan passing through, while the pressure constantly
applied thereby is such as to cause the tan to pass from between the cylinders
more or less, perfectly free from moisture, and capable of being employed as
fuel. All the working parts of the machine are connected together and
supported by the two strong cast-iron frames R, and receive their motion
from any suitable source of motive power by means of the fast and loose
pulleys V, V, and the arrangement of toothed gearing shown at Figure 2.
Figure 4 shows a section of an arrangement differing only from that just
described in the addition of another adjustable cylinder. E' for exerting a still
greater final
pressure. For this purpose. the cylinder D. is in this case fixed,.
and E, E, are rendered adjustable by the elastic pressure of the system of
levers similar to that before described. After passing between the cylinders D
and E, the tan is carried over the second perforated plate or grating F', and
passes between the cylinders D, E³, whereby any remaining small quantity
of moisture is pressed out of it, and escapes through the plate F¹, while the
tan. issues from between the cylinders perfectly dry. J is, as before, a scraper
for removing the tan from the cylinder E¹.
Figure 5 shows a section of an arrangement similar to that first-described
with the addition of another pair of cylinders D¹, E¹, acting in precisely the
same manner as D, E, but exerting greater pressure, the tan being made to
pass between them from the cylinders D, E, over the second perforated
plate F, as in the previous arrangement. The cylinders E, E, are
fixed and D, D', are adjustable and acted upon by a system of weighted
levers similar. to that. shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper levers M, M³,
being mounted on one common fulcrum m, but acting separately. In any
of the before-described arrangements the tan may be brought from the hopper A
to the pressing rollers situated some distance off upon an endless travelling.
apron, on to which the tan would be delivered from the hopper by a distributing
cylinder situated at the mouth of the hopper.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
what I claim is.-

page_text: First, extracting the liquor or moisture from tan by passing the same
between cylinders exerting pressure thereon, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second, constructing apparatus for drying tan, consisting of a series of two,
three, four, or more cylinders, between which the tan is made to pass
successively, and which are so arranged as to exert a gradually increasing and
elastic or yielding pressure thereon, substantially as berein-before described
with reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
C. D. ABEL.
(L.S.)