IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING AND MOULDING POWDERY AND PASTY SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING AND MOULDING POWDERY AND PASTY SUBSTANCES
"
which Invention has been communicated to me from abroad by James Mark
Willcox Gentlemen of the City and County of Philadelphia in the State of
Pennsylvania United States of America 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 machinery for solidifying and moulding by compression,
pasty or powdery substances, such as coal-dust, charcoal-dust, coke-dust, wood-dust,
resinous powders, cement materials, artificial stone materials, organic farinas
doughs, dampened and pasty, cement mixtures and the like, and has for its object
to obtain a simple efficient and comparatively inexpensive machine for the purpose.
The machine constructed according to this Invention comprises a pair of grooved
press rolls which are matched together so that their grooves coincide (very much in
the same way as the rolls of an iron rolling mill) in combination with "lifters "
that is to say means for disengaging from the grooves the moulded product. The
machine in this form would deliver its product in continuous or endless masses to
be broken up afterwards as desired-For some purposes however it may be desirable
to sever, or partly sever into pieces of definite length, the product at the moment
of compression, to which end there may be placed in the grooves at given intervals,
cross pieces or partitions to act as separators, or the same devices may be made to
act in the twofold capacity of "lifters and separators as well.
"
Substances like those hereinbefore named have been moulded by means of a pair
of iron rolls whose surfaces are covered over with sunken ellipsoidal half cells,
which must be so perfectly matched in both rolls that when the latter revolve
together all the half cells of the one roll will coincide with those of the other-thus
producing, when in operation, as many complete cells as there are matched half
cells. Such rolls however are extremely expensive, and difficult to make and keep
in order-The rolls herein described are much simpler and less expensive, and can
be much more easily and readilly made and kept in order, besides which they are
-

page_text: adapted to the manufacture of certain materials which cannot be produced by the
celled rolls.
The nature of the improvements and the manner in which the same are or may
be carried into effect will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of so much of a machine embodying the
Invention as needed for the purposes of explanation.
Figure 2 is a plan of the two press rolls.
Figure 3 is a cross section of a portion of the rolls, lifters and feed hopper.
Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of part of one of the rolls, showing
the position of the separators in the grooves.
Figure 5 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of one of the rolls, representing one
of the grooves with separators therein and also the upper end of the lifter which
works in that groove,
Figure 6 is a view of a modified form of separator.
In the particular form of machine shown in the drawing, one of the grooved -
rolls is provided with separators-This however may be varied; if the moulded
product is to be delivered in endless or continuous lengths, both rolls may be
without separators; on the other hand if the product is to be severed or partly
severed into pieces of definite length, both rolls can be provided with separators.
AA are the two press rolls, counter parts of one another. They are preferably
made of iron and have circumferential grooves B formed in them by planing or
turning. The grooves in the two rolls match and the rolls are set up in contact
with one another so that the dividing walls C of the grooves of the one roll shall
meet the dividing walls of the other roll.
The separators with which one of the rolls is provided, are shown at D. They
are set in the grooves at definite intervals apart and held in place by their screw
stems s which screw into holes tapped for them in the grooves. The separators
have rounded concave faces, and their edges which have contact with the walls of
the grooves, are curved to conform to the curvature of those walls.
In connection with the rolls are employed lifters f, one for each groove. These
lifters are finger like strips, which enter the grooves and lift out from them
the product that has been moulded-In case separators of the form shown in
Figures 4 and 5 are used, the ends of the lifters are forked as indicated in Figure 5
so as to straddle the separators. There may be used however separators of the
form shown in Figure 6-where the separator has a vertical central slot O formed
in it With à separator of this form the lifter need not be forked, for its upper end
can pass through the slot in the separator.
In operation the material passes from the hopper P and is moulded and
compressed between the rolls. The separators act to partially sever the product
at the moment of compression and as it passes along the lifters disengage it from 4
the rolls and allow it to drop.
The rolls may be so arranged that one of them-for example-the one with
separators will have greater peripheral speed than the other. In this case the
separators in the faster roll will act to push forward the partially severed sections
or divisions of the product, and so detach them.
In some cases it may be advantageous to make the grooves in one roll deeper
than those in the other, or to contract the walls or edges of the grooves of one roll,
so that they will take stronger hold on the compressed mass, in which case the
moulded mass will follow one roll continuously and be indented upon it and
separated into parts, by separators and lifters after being moulded.
In some cases, but one of the rolls may be grooved, the two rolls being arranged
together as before provided so as to exert moulding pressure upon the mass passing
between them.
In the machine represented in figures 1 to 6 inclusive the separators and
"lifters" are distinct devices.
The separators however may be so formed and arranged as to act also as
"lifters" and' such an arrangement is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 of the
E
E

page_text: accompanying drawings, Figure 7 being a plan of the grooved compressing and
moulding rolls embodying this modification and Figure 8 a section on line 2-2
Figure 7.
A. B. are the two press rolls, C are the grooves therein, D are the walls dividing
the grooves.
The roll A is provided with separators E and the roll B with separators F.
These separators are thin partitions set in the grooves at definite intervals apart
and so placed as to match or meet one another as the rolls revolve-the latter
moving in unison or at the same peripheral speed. To cause the separators E, F to
act as "lifters" they are made slanting and arranged relatively to one another
substantially in the manner indicated in Figure 8. The slant of the partitions is
such that on the interior opposite faces of the rolls (where the compression is
effected) in each subdivision of the grooves, the upper face of the lower partition
of that subdivision in one of the rolls, as for instance, the partition F in roll B, will
form an acute angle with the bottom of the groove, while the under face of the
upper partition E of the corresponding subdivision in the other roll A will stand
at an acute angle to the bottom of the groove in that roll.
In each subdivision there will thus be an acute angle at the top of the
subdivision in one of the rolls, as for instance A, and an acute angle at the lower
and opposite corner of the subdivision in the other roll, as for instance B, and as
the partitions in each roll- have the same slant each set of partitions E, F, as they
meet, are in line and constitute a prolongation one of the other, as indicated in
Figure 8.
The result of this arrangement is as follows; supposing the rolls to be revolving
in the direction of the arrows in Figure 8, the compressed mass passing down
between the rolls will be jammed into the subdivisions of the grooves and squeezed
into the acute angle at the bottom of each subdivision in the roll B, and the acute
angle at the top of each subdivision in roll A. The compressed inass being thus
held at these two points, the forward or lower end of the mass will naturally leave
roll A and follow roll B and the rear or upper end of the mass will for the same
reason follow A and leave B. The lump therefore being held at one end by one
roll and at the other end by the other roll, will be detached from the grooves as the
latter diverge, and will finally when nearly in horizontal position drop froin the
rolls.
This action is indicated in Figure 8 where L represents a moulded lump, held at
the lower corner in the angle o¹ of roll B and at the upper diagonally opposite
corner in the angle o of roll A-By the divergence of the lower partitions of the
subdivision in question the lump has been detached from the roll A except at the
upper corner, and has been compelled to follow roll B-As soon as the rolls in their
revolution cause the upper partitions to diverge, the lump will be detached in like
manner from roll B and will be held ouly at the corners o o¹ until by the divergenco
of these corners it is detached therefrom and falls from the rolls.
It is manifest that the devices E. F can be varied considerably without departure
from the spirit of the Invention-What is essential is that in each subdivision there
should be such a formation or construction of parts that one roll will take sufficient
hold on the leading end of the lump to draw that end along with it far enough to
detach the body of the lump from the face of the groove in the other roll, and that
the other roll will take sufficient hold on the rear end of the lump to draw that end
along with it far enough to detach the body of the lump from the face of the groove
in the first named roll, and it is this formation or construction that is intended by
the term "slanting partitions."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First The combination of moulding or compressing rolls grooved substantially as
herein before provided, and lifters substantially as and for the purposes hereinbafore

page_text: Second-The combination of moulding or compressing rolls grooved substantially
as herein before provided, and separators carried by said rolls, and arranged in the
grooves therein substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore setforth.
Third-The combination of moulding or compressing rolls grooved substantially
as hereinbefore provided, separators, and lifters substantially as and for the purposes
herein before setforth.
Fourth-The combination with circumferentially grooved press rolls of slanting
partitions arranged with relation to one another and adapted to operate upon the
inoulded masses passing between the press rolls, substantially in the manner and
for the purposes hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 7 and 8 of the
accompanying drawings.