AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING PULP FROM WOOD AND VEGETABLE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Koch, of New York, in the County and Stato
of New York, in the United States of America, Engineer, for the Inven-
tion of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING PULP FROM WOOD
AND VEGETABLE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Koch at the Office.
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th July
1855.
I, LOUIS Kocu, of New York, in the County and State of New York, in
the United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING PULP FROM WOOD
AND VEGETABLE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of
crushing machinery for preparing pulp from wood and other fibrous substances
suitable for the manufacture of paper, cardboard, and papier maché, whereby
a cheaper and superior pulp is obtained than has hitherto been effected from
vegetable substances. The improvements consist in the employment of a series
of rollers, increasing gradually in diameter and speed in proportion as the sub-
stance which is introduced between the rollers, with the fibres or grain parallel
to the length of the rollers, is extended or pressed out. An increase of speed
is given to one of every pair of friction or crushing rollers, by which means

page_text: a slight dividing or separating motion is exerted on the substance under
treatment.
In place of making each pair of rollers of equal diameter, and giving to the
upper ones a different speed to the lower ones, each pair of rollers may be made
of different diameters relative to each other, and having equal speed, excepting
the feeding rollers, which must always be of equal diameters, and revolve
at the same speed. Before being passed through the machine, the wood or
other vegetable fibrous substance is soaked for some time in water, and then
introduced, as herein-before mentioned, sideways, or with the fibre parallel to
the axles of the crushing rollers. A plentiful supply of water is caused to flow
over the rollers and material during the process of crushing, for the purpose of
keeping it soft and wet, and facilitating its reduction into pulp.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Koch in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
KOCH, of New York, in the County and State of New York, in the United
States of America, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for IIerself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Louis Koch, Her special license that I, the said Louis Koch, executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis Kochi, my
executors, administrators, or 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING
PULP FROM WOOD AND VEGETABLE FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others)-that-I, the said Louis Koch, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 Louis Koch, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to an improved construction and and arrangement
of machinery for crushing or preparing pulp from wood and other fibrous sub-
stances suitable for the manufacture of paper, cardboard, and papier maché,
whereby a cheaper and superior pulp is obtained than has hitherto been effected
from vegetable substances.
The improvements consist in the employment of a series of rollers, increasing
gradually in diameter and speed in proportion as the substance which is intro-
duced between the rollers, with the fibres or grain parallel to the length of the
rollers, is extended or pressed out. An increase of speed is given to one of
every pair of friction or crushing rollers. by which means a slight dividing or
separating motion is exerted on the substance under treatment.
In place of making each pair of rollers of equal diameter, and giving to the
upper ones a different speed to the lower ones, each pair of rollers may be
made of different diameters relative to each other, and having equal speed,
excepting the feeding rollers, which must always be of equal diameter, and
revolve at the same speed. Before being passed through the machine, the
wood or other vegetable fibrous substances is soaked for some time in water,
and then introduced, as herein-before mentioned, sideways, or with the fibre
parallel to the axes of the crushing rollers. A plentiful supply of water is
caused to flow over the rollers and material during the process of crushing,
for the purpose of keeping it soft and wet, and facilitating its reduction into
pulp.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer to
the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical section taken
along the line I. and II., in Figure 3; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the
machine; Figure 3 is a plan, and Figure 4 a transverse section, taken along
the line III., IIII., in Figure 1.
A. A', are the main frames or standards of the machine; B. B, are the
feeding rollers; B', B", B, B, B, are the pressure or extending rollers,
increasing gradually in diameter and speed in proportion as the wood or vege-
table substance is increased or extended in surface. These rollers run in boxes
or bearings (m, m',) capable of sliding in suitable slots in the frames A, A¹.
pass-
h, h, hhhh are screws. attached to the upper boxes (m³), and
:

page_text: ing through the bars (C. C',) respectively, which latter are screwed firmly to
the frames A, A¹. By means of these screws the distances between the rollers
are regulated. The rollers have two deep recesses or grooves (n, a,) turned in
them near each end, into which grooves the plates P, P, are litted, running
the whole length of the machine between the rollers, and forming side plates to
guide the wood or vegetable substance. D, D, are plates. resting upon the
faces of the lower rollers, and attached to the side plates P, P, in such a
manner as to form a table between the rollers for the pressed out wood or pulp
to slide or pass upon from one set of rollers to the next, such plates answering
at the same time as knives for the lower rollers in case the wood or pulp
should adhere to such rollers. The lower or last plate D leads into a tub or
vessel X, in which the finished pulp is collected. D', D', are perforated plates,
attached to the side plates P, P', in such a manner as to be capable of being
regulated so as to bear against the faces of the upper rollers, and act as knifes
to scrape off the pressed out substance which might adhere to the rollers. A
stream of water is conducted over each one of the perforated plates D', running
through the holes in small streams, so as to be equally distributed over the
whole length of the rollers and the substance which is being pressed. Z is a
screw, placed on the front side of the machine, and running in bearings T, T,
attached to the frame A', and working into the worm wheels w. 01, 2011 20111,
On one end of this screw Z a handle V is attached to work the
machine by hand; or this screw may be connected through gearing to com-
municate to the same the proper speed with an engine to be then driven by
power.,,,,,, are shafts, one end of which run in bearings in
the frame A', and the other end in brackets s, s'. ",", s, respectively
attached to the frame A. 7, 7", 9, 7, 7", are spur wheels, and
20, 20, 2011, 2011, 2, are worm wheels fast on the shafts r. 2, 1, 111
,, respectively. The worm wheels are worked by the screw Z, as
above described. p, p, p, p, p, p, are eng wheels, respectively attached
to the axes of the lower roller B, B', B", B, B, B, respectively, and
gearing into their corresponding spur wheels q. 7' 7". q. The upper
feeding roller B is driven from the lower feeding roller through the gearing 1,
both wheels. being of equal diameter, so as to give the same motion to the
upper roller which is communicated to the lower one.
The upper pressure or
extending rollers B', B", B, B, B, are driven from their corresponding
lower rollers through gearing n', n", 2, 22, The gearing of each pair of
these pressure rollers is arranged in such a manner, that whilst the diameter of
cach pair of rollers is equal, their circumferences shall move at different speeds,
and so that the surface of the upper rollers B' moves at a greater speed than

page_text: the surface of its corresponding lower roller, and the surface of the upper roller
B moves at a less speed than the surface of its corresponding lower roller,
and so on, the surface of the upper roller moving alternately faster and slower
than the surface of its corresponding lower roller. Instead of making each
pair of rollers of equal diameters, and giving to the upper ones different
speeds, cach pair of rollers may be made of different diameter relative to each
other, and having equal speeds imparted to them, excepting the feeding rollers,
which must always be of equal diameter and work at equal speeds. Motion
being given to the screw Z, the same will be communicated to the shafts
,,,,, through the worm wheels w0, 201, 2011, 2011, 2011
and thence through the wheels q, q, q", q, q, g, and p, p, p, p, p,
p, to the lower rollers B, B', B", B, B, B, which again communi-
cate motion to the upper rollers through the wheels n, n', n", n, nas
herein-before described. The wood or fibrous vegetable substance of the
required length and thickness is first soaked some length of time in water,
and then introduced, as before mentioned, sideways, that is, with its fibres
parallel to the length of the rollers, and passes then between the different
rollers, by which the said substance is gradually pressed out or extended, and
by giving to the surfaces of each pair of the extending rollers different speeds,
I produce a grinding or dividing motion, by which the substance is gradually
separated whilst being pressed out and extended without disturbing the nature
of the fibres. A plentiful supply of water is made to run through the per-
forated plates D', D', upon the rollers and upon the substance, to keep the
latter continually wet and in as soft a state as possible, and to assist the sub-
stance in sliding easy over the plates D from one pair of rollers to the
following, while the process of extending and grinding or dividing the wood
or fibrous vegetable substance into a fibrous pulp is going out.
Ilaving now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for crushing or preparing pulp from wood or other suitable vegetable sub-
stance, as herein-before described.
Second, the combination of a series of crushing rollers increasing gradually

page_text: in diameter and speed in proportion as the wood or other fibrous vegetable
substance to be prepared into pulp is extended or pressed out.
Third, the peculiar construction, arrangement, and mode of working the
crushing rollers, wherein the surface or circumference of one of every pair of
the extending or crushing rollers has a greater speed imparted to it than to
the surface or circumference of its corresponding roller, for the purpose of
producing a slight dividing or separating action, which divides each fibre
without destroying the same, for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Koch, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.