IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING ENSILAGE IN SILOS
Year: 1884

page_text: We, ABRAM SEWARD and HENRY GRANT. WALTON, care of W. P. Thompson & Co,
at the Office for Patents, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Hot water Engineer and Foreman Engineer respectively do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING
ENSILAGE IN SILOS to be as follows :-
33
This invention has for its object a cheap, simple, and effective method of com-
pressing the ensilage by means of a series of levers, instead of piling it with heavy.
weights, or using the expensive and cumbrous mechanical arrangements now in
vogue.
Firmly fixed in the floor and extending up each side of the silo, I range a post
or series of posts, each directly opposite one of the other series. These posts can
be of wood or iron. Between these posts, and notched so as to enclose the posts,
I place a series of beams resting upon the transverse planks covering the ensilage.
Each of the posts is pierced with transverse holes at intervals all the way up.
On each beam close to each post, I place a raised fulcrum, and with each post
I use a board or lever with forked or notched end fitting the post as hereafter
described, and two iron pins.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The ensilage is covered with boards ranged side by side in short lengths, equal
to the distance apart of the posts, the centres of the boards coming opposite the
posts, from post to post over the boards are laid the beams, their ends embracing
the posts. A lever is then laid on the fulcrum of a beam and a pin placed in
convenient hole in the post to form the end fulcrum for the lever. The end of the
beam is then forced down as far as possible by the lever bearing on the fulcrum
and the pin, and a pin then passed through the lowest hole visible above the beam
before the pressure is taken off the lever, then the lever is removed and another
beam end pinned down, or a fresh hold taken by placing in a lower hole the pin
on which the leverage is taken, until no further compression is needful on any of
the beams, the lowest pin in each case being put through the lowest visible hole
רד *

page_text: to prevent the beam rising with the elasticity of the ensilage. Any time ensilage
is required, the levers are pressed down in the same way, the lower pins removed,
the beam and boards taken off, and when sufficient ensilage has been taken out
they are re-adjusted in the same manner. If one man's weight be not sufficient to
pull down the lever sufficiently, weights can be applied, or two or three men can
hang onto it, or a block and tackle can be fixed to the end of the lever, and a pin
in the lowest free hole in the opposite post, when any required pressure can be
brought to bear.
WM P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: CORELLIE
SPECIFICATION.
We ABRAM SEWARD and HENRY GRANT WALTON, care of W. P. Thompson
and Co. Office for Patents 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, Hot Water
Engineer, and Foreman Engineer, respectively; do hereby declare the nature of our
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING ENSILAGE IN
SILOS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object a cheap simple and effective method of com-
pressing the ensilage by means of a series of levers instead of piling it in heavy
weights or using the expensive and cumbrous mechanical arrangements now in
vogue.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings in which,
Figures 1 and 2 are transverse sections taken at right angles to each other, and
Figure 3 a plan the roof being omitted in all three cases.
Firmly fixed in the floor A and extending up each sile of the Silo we range a
post or series of posts B B each directly opposite one of the other series. These
posts can be of wood or iron. Between these parts and notched so as to enclose
the posts we place a series of beams C C resting upon the transverse planks D
covering the ensilage.
Each of the posts is pierced with transverse holes at intervals all the way up as
shown. On each beam close to each post, I place a raised fulcrum E, and with each
post I use a board or lever F with forked or notched end fitting the post-as here-
after described and two iron pins.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The ensilage is covered with boards ranged side by side in short lengths equal to
the distance apart of the posts, the centres of the boards coming opposite the posts,
from post to post over the boards are laid the beams C their ends embracing the
posts. The lever F is then laid on the fulcrum E of a beam and a pin placed in
convenient hole in the post to form the end fulcrum or abutment for the lever.
The end of the beam is then forced down as far as possible by the lever bearing on
the fulcrum and the pin. Another pin is then passed through the lowest hole
visible above the beam and the pressure is taken off the lever. The lever is
removed and another beam end pinned down or a fresh hold taken by placing in a
lower hole the pin on which the leverage is taken, and using the lever afresh, until
no further compression is needful on any of the beams; the lowest pin in each case
being put through the lowest visible hole to prevent the beam rising with the
elasticity of the ensilage Any time that ensilage is required, the levers are pressed
down in the same way, the lower pins removed, the beam and boards taken off, and
when sufficient ensilage has been taken out, they are readjusted in the same
manner. If one man's weight be not sufficient to pull down the lever sufficiently,
weights can be applied or two or three men can hang on to it, or a block and
tackle can be fixed to the end of the lever aud to an eye near the other end of the
beam or to a pin in the lowest free hole in the opposite post when any required
pressure can be brought to bear.

page_text: .
Now we are well aware that levers have been used from time immemorial for
compressive purposes, and also that even in Silos it has been proposed to form
notched or plain vertical beams to which are attached mechanism forming the
abutment against which special levers, screw jacks or other compressing apparatus
work, and we do not claim broadly such posts or mechanism.
A screw jack or lever bearing into a notch in a post or against a projection
thereon, or indeed against any other part than the central axis (or its equivalent
two points placed at equal distances on each side of it) must give rise to very
severe cross strains requiring very strong well supported posts, and similarly strong
mechanism our lever however bearing by means of the pin directly in the
direction of the axis and, either on the axis.or on two opposite and equidistant
points brings practically a tensile strength only to bear on the post while at the
same time our mechanism is of the kind that every farm labourer is accustomed
to-a very great advantage with agricultural mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1st In apparatus for compressing ensilage in Silos the combination of posts
having perforations and projecting pins with a lever having two forked ends
capable of passing one on each side of the post, and under the ends of a pin placed
through the post, substantially as described.
2nd The manufacture and use of apparatus for compressing ensilage in Silos,
consisting of a pair of posts firmly secured at the base, a beam between the two,
with ends partially encircling or forking round the post, and lying on the covering
boards and a lever capable of giving a vertical upward pressure (or resultant of
two vertically upward pressures) upon the axis of the post, substantially as
.described.
3rd The apparatus substantially as described for compressing ensilage consisting
of (1) a vertical post firmly fixed below (2) cover boards and a beam over them
held down at each end by adjuncts to the posts (3) a lever pressing on the heam
and using as an abutment the post, or an adjunct thereto, and (4) a block and
tackle hitched to the lever, and to a point near where the beam meets the opposite
post.