IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SUGAR CANE TO OBTAIN JUICE THEREFROM, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wise, of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City of
Westminster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SUGAR CANE
TO OBTAIN JUICE THEREFROM, AND APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication
from abroad by Monsieur Pierre Faure, Engineer, of Paris, in the Republic
of France.
Sealed the 10th October 1879, and dated the 23rd July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd July 1879.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SUGAR-CANE TO OBTAIN JUICE THEREFROM, AND
APPARATUS THEREFOR." (A communication from abroad by Monsieur Pierre
Faure, Engineer, of Paris, in the Republic of France.)
According to this Invention the sugar cane, before being treated in the sugar mill
to express the juice, is subjected to a process of laceration, disintegration, or separa-
tion of fibres, or, as my foreign correspondent terms it, "defibration" in a suitable
apparatus, and the Invention comprises apparatus for this purpose, denominated a
"difubréur."
Referring to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,―
G is an articulated cane carrier, of ordinary construction, by which the canes are
conveyed up to the feed plate of the apparatus on which they fall, passing thence
between the cylinder a, 6*, provided on its outer circumference with helicoidal
teeth or notches, and the plates d, d', fixed immediately below the cylinder a, b*,
to the frame of the apparatus in such manner as to form a curve eccentric to the
axis of the cylinder a, bx. The plates d, d, are also provided with helicoidal teeth
or notches, but the teeth or notches of the one plate are arranged in an opposite
direction to those of the other plate, as clearly shewn in Fig. 1.
are
The canes, by being passed between the cylinder a, b*, and the plates d, d',
lacerated or disintegrated, or have their fibres separated, and after treatment pass
away by the inclined plane D¹ (in a state resembling long brooms) to the sugar mill,
to which they may conveniently be conveyed by an articulated carrier resembling
that shewn at G.

page_text: The method of operating the apparatus will be readily understood from the
Drawings; Fig. 1 being a cross section, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the
apparatus with part of the toothed or notched cylinder shewn in elevation; A is
the cylinder shaft; B is the frame of the apparatus; E, E, are toothed wheels
whereby the cylinder a, bx, is caused to rotate; F is a spur pinion fixed to one end
of the shaft A, and which engages in a toothed wheel, adjacent to which is fixed
the pitch chain wheel R; G₁ is another pitch chain wheel fixed on the axis of the
cane carrier C; a is the inner body of the cylinder; bx, bx, are helicoidal toothed
plates, which in the Drawing are shewn fixed to the inner body a, but the teeth
may be formed in one with the body a of the cylinder. Although I have
described a novel and convenient arrangement of apparatus for treating the canes,
according to this Invention other arrangements of apparatus may be employed for
treating the canes, as hereinabove described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Lloyd Wise in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
January 1880.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING SUGAR CANE TO OBTAIN JUICE THEREFROM, AND
APPARATUS THEREFOR." (A communication from Monsieur Pierre Faure, Engineer,
of Paris, in the Republic of France).
This Invention consists in a new method of and apparatus for treating sugar
cane to augment the product of juice, and consequently of sugar, without changing
or altering the mills at present in use.
According to this Invention the sugar cane before being treated in the sugar
mill to express the juice, is subjected to a process of laceration, disintegration, or
separation of fibres, or, as my foreign correspondent terms it, "défibration" in
suitable apparatus, and the Invention also comprises apparatus for this purpose
denominated a " défibreur."
The ordinary mill acts but imperfectly upon the cane owing to the superposition
of cane upon cane, from which cause, and the fact that in passing between the rolls
the knots and skins of the canes frequently offer considerable resistance to crushing
force, much juice is lost.
My foreign correspondent has found this disadvantage is obviated and labor
saved by defibrating or splitting up the cane, as aforesaid, before passing it through
the ordinary mill. The increased product may also be obtained by finely tritu-
rating the cane in a bruising apparatus, but this involves considerable increase of
labour and substitution of continuous or other presses for the ordinary mills.
The improved apparatus forming part of this Invention is designed not to reduce
the cane into pulp or powder, but simply to split it up into fibre, and its construc-
tion will be understood from the description hereinafter contained, reference being
had to the Drawings, whereof
Fig. 1 is a transverse section of the improved apparatus, and
Fig. 2 is a side view, which shews the general arrangement.

page_text: A is a shaft carrying a drum or cylinder, whose surface is provided with teeth
running preferably in a helicoidal direction, and which may be cast on, attached, or
cut out of the solid; B, a strong frame; C, an articulated cane carrier receiving its
motion from the defibrator itself, and capable of being put in and out of gear at
will; D, inclined plane bringing the canes or pieces of cane in front of the drum of the
defibrator; D', inclined plane for withdrawal of the defibrated canes, conducting
these canes on to the cane carrier which carries them to the mill rolls; E, strong
spur wheel fixed to one end of the shaft A, and receiving motion from the motor by
a pinion E; F, pinion fitted to the other end of the shaft A, and communicating
movement to another spur wheel F¹, in front of or behind which is placed another
toothed wheel R for a pitch chain; G, another toothed wheel for pitch chain fixed
to the axis of the carrier C; or I may place on the one or the other side a clutch
or friction connecting mechanism, which I may also place against the wheel R;
H, pitch chain transmitting a slow movement to the carrier C; A, drum of
polygonal form keyed on to the shaft A, to which are attached the cast or cut
teeth which serve to defibrate the cane; b, b, toothed plates attached by dovetailing,
or otherwise, to the drum. The teeth of these plates may be straight and form
eccentric cams, but they are made preferably to run in a helicoidal direction, and
to the toothed surface a perfectly cylindrical form is given; C, a double lower
counter plate formed of two distinct parts d, d', eccentric to the axis of the drum ;
d, front counter plate on the feed side where the opening is wider, and of which the
teeth project in the same direction as those of the drum, although inclined in an
inverse sense; these helicoidal teeth have for object to rectify the position of the
canes which are presented too much in an end wise direction. d¹, back counter
plate or working counterplate at the outlet side having teeth which project in a
direction opposed to those of the plate d. It is this latter counterplate d¹ which
effects the defibration of the canes which it tends to arrest, and which rolls on
them crushing them under the pressure of the teeth of the drum.
The combination of the two before described counterplates with teeth in reverse
directions, and their relative position, the one with regard to the other, constitutes
the most essential feature of the defibrating apparatus, and is specially claimed.
The small quantity of juice which results from the defibration passes through
small insterstices or holes in the plates d, d, into the channel provided underneath
these plates, whence it is conducted by suitable orifices and pipes to the juice
expressed by the mill rolls.
From the preceding explanation the essential features of the Invention will
be readily understood, I now proceed to give a short explanation of the modus-
operandi.
The canes in their natural state are conducted by the carrier C on to the
inclined plane D, which conveys them in front of the organs of defibration. These
might also consist of a toothed cylinder turning opposite a concentric counter-
plate, which would give an ever varying space between the drum and the counter
plate. Thus the operation would be intermittent by turn or fraction of a turn, and
the canes should be presented in order quite parallel to the axis. But this latter
condition is very difficult to realise, the canes being generally thrown pell mell
without care and without order on the conductor C. Now continuous and uniform
working, notwithstanding such irregular feeding, is attained by the machine
described, that is, with the crushing drum a provided with helicoidal blades or
teeth, more or less inclined, its surface being perfectly cylindrical and concentric to
the axis of rotation, whilst on the contrary, the double counter plate c is eccentric.
The canes conveyed by the carrier C fall into the opening of the defibrator, which
is always equally set. Carried away by the teeth b, b, of the drum a they are
soon pressed against the helicoidal teeth which are inclined in a direction contrary
to those of the first counter plate d, which rectifies the position of any canes which
might be presented to these teeth in a too and wise direction. The cane, whose
position is sensibly rectified, is carried on to the back counter plate with teeth in an

page_text: opposite direction, where it is crushed, defibrated, and finally delivered on to the
inclined plane D' in the form of a long fibrous broom.
By this arrangement the action of defibration is continuous and constant, and
by the shortness of the development of the double counter plate C, which eases the
crushing cylinder by working only at the lower part, it has been possible to con-
siderably increase the yield and diminish the effects of choking and wedging as
also the required motive power.
By making the bearings of the shaft A to slide, or simply by arranging screws
or wedges under the one or the other of the plates d, d¹, or under both, the space
in which the cane is crushed may be increased or reduced at will.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and explained the manner of
carrying it into practical effect, as communicated to me as aforesaid, I hereby
declare that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as
secured to me under the Letters Patent hereinbefore in part recited is,-
1. As an improvement in the treatment of sugar cane to obtain juice and sugar
therefrom the subjecting such cane to a preliminary process of defibration, division
into fibres or breaking, substantially as described, preparatory to its treatment in
the sugar mill or apparatus wherein the juice is expressed.
2. The combination in an apparatus for treating sugar cane of a horizontal drum
or cylinder provided at its periphery with teeth (preferably helicoidal), and a fixed
double counter plate arranged eccentrically to the said drum or cylinder, which
revolves in front of the said double plate, substantially as above described and
illustrated.
3. The constructing and arranging the lower double counter plate, substantially
as described, that is, of slight development in two fixed parts arranged eccentrically
to the drum axis, the one such part being next to the other, and each having a set
of helicoidal teeth, those of one part arranged the reverse way to those of the other,
substantially as herein above described and shewn.
4. Providing between a horizontal cylinder, having teeth and a fixed eccentric
compound counter plate toothed as described, a long open channel, the extreme
openings of which after having been once set remain constant, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
5. Arranging between a feeder of whole canes and a sugar mill or juice express-
ing machine apparatus, such as hereinbefore described, for defibrating, or breaking,
or dividing the cane into fibres, and feeding such fibres to the sugar mill or juice
expressing machine, all substantially as described and illustrated.
6. The combination of parts constituting the improved apparatus for defibrating
sugar canes, or breaking, or dividing them into fibres, constructed, arranged, and
operating as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lloyd Wise, have bereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.