Improvements in Machines for Squeezing and Drying Leather and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Squeezing and Drying Leather
and the like.
We, BENJAMIN WRIGHT and DAVID WRIGIIT,, of the Firm of Messieurs B. and
D. Wright, of Oxford Works, Meanwood Road, Leeds, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of machines known in the trade as Sam-
ming Machines" which are employed for squeezing out the leather and drying
the hide or leather prior to the stuffing operation; and the object of this invention.
is to construct a machine that will automatically and evenly adapt itself to the
varying thicknesses of material operated upon without damaging the same.
According to this invention on suitable framework is mounted an adjustable
head to which are bolted slide blocks working in the slotted portions of the frame-
work and any desired number of rollers, say, for example five, constructed and
arranged as hereafter described.
In the adjustable head, which is carried in any convenient form of slides, say
as described, and arranged to be adjusted to and from its work by screws capable
of being actuated from, say, the centre of the front of the machine by a hand
wheel, shafts and gearing,--may be mounted, say of the same or varying lengths,
two rollers, namely a stay roller, and a top roller made of metal, and arranged one
above the other, in adjustable bearings. Immediately below the said two rollers
is a sectional roller, so called from being built up in parts or rings-which are
mounted loosely upon a shaft, carried in suitable bearings in the framework;
on which are also a number of bosses, so arranged that the periphery of each
section may be capable of rising and falling independently of the other sections.
The section roller is arranged to work between the back and front plates of the
machine which are respectively strengthened by longitudinal stays provided with
thickened upper edges upon which the back and front plates rest and are thereby
prevented from giving way or bulging at or near the centre of the machine and
thus removing any danger of spoiling or damaging the material operated upon.
An endless band of any suitable material such as leather, cotton or the like pass-
ing over say the section roller and one of the other rollers may be employed for
carrying the material operated upon safely through the rollers. Below the
sectional roller is what is termed a rubber roller--that is a roller having its
periphery covered with rubber or other suitable flexible or elastic material. This
roller is also mounted in suitable bearings in the framework, and it is strengthened
in turn by a stay roller made of wood, metal or other material carried in pendant
or other bearings or hangers fixed, say, to the said longitudinal stays. The said
rollers may be suitably geared together to which motion may be imparted from
any source through belting and pulleys. The bottom stay roller, and the sectional
roller may if desired be driven by friction only.
A table in front of the machine and holding bar or bars, as well as a trough
for catching the liquid may also be provided, as well as the rollers heated by steam

page_text: or hot air, or gas conveyed to the interior of the roller or rollers by any suitable
well known arrangement of pipes; valves, or their equivalents,
Dated this Second day of September 1898.
BENJAMIN WRIGHT,
DAVID WRIGHT.
Improvements in Machines for Squeezing and Drying Leather
and the like.
We, BENJAMIN WRIGHT and David Wrigus, of the Firm of Messieurs B. and
D. Wright, of Oxford Works, Meanwood Road, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 that class of machines such as are described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to David Wright, the 24th July 1897.
No. 17447, and which machines are known in the trade as Samming Machines,"
which are employed for squeezing out the leather and drying the hide or leather
prior to the stuffing operation; and the object of this invention is to construct a
machine that will automatically and evenly adapt itself to the varying thicknesses
of material operated upon without damaging the same.
In the drawings hereunto annexed we have shown a convenient method for
carrying the invention into practice, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation,
Fig. 2 an end elevation, and
Fig. 3 a sectional elevation on linea a Fig. 1.
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a sectional and an end elevation of section roller.
Like parts in all the views are marked with similar letters of reference.
A is suitable framework in which are mounted adjustable head B,--to which
the sliding blocks bare bolted and which work in the slotted portions of the
framework A as shown, and the whole are hereafter termed and included in the
term the adjustable head B, and any desired number of rollers, say for example
five, marked C, D, E, F, and F constructed and arranged as hereafter described.
In the adjustable head B,-which is carried in any suitable form of slides, say,
as just described and arranged to be adjusted to and from its work by screws G
capable of being actuated from, say, the centre of the front of the machine by a
hand wheel H, shaft H and bevel gearing H2-are mounted two rollers, namely
a stay roller C and a top roller 1 made of metal, and arranged one above the
other in bearings formed in the head B. The stay roller is made in two lengths
and the two portions when in line may be the same length as or a little shorter
than the roller D, and each portion of the roller is carried in the adjustable
bearings cc. The stay roller C is employed for strengthening and maintaining
the roller 1 level and rigid whilst the material is being operated upon.
Immediately below these said two metal rollers C, D, are the rollers E and F,
which are respectively mounted in bearings in the framework A and in the front
and back plates I and J, which are bolted to the framework. The roller E, which
is hereafter termed a sectional roller E, is built up in any desired number of
sections E on shaft e armed with bosses et fixed thereon by set screws e as shown
at Fig. 4, and it is mounted between the ends of framework A in such a manner
that the tops of the plates I and J form a bearing or trough in which it is carried.
The internal diameter of each section E, see Fig. 4, is larger than the diameter

page_text: of the boss el on the shaft e so that the periphery of each sectional portion E is
loose and capable of rising and falling independently of the other sections. A
hole is provided in each section E larger in diameter than the shaft e, which
passes through it, but smaller than the diameter of the boss e¹. The sectional
roller E is arranged to pass between the two end pieces of the framework and to
pass between the plates I and J, or it may be mounted in bearings on the frame-
work. In either case it is arranged to work upon the roller F (carried in bearings
on the framework) the periphery of which is covered with india-rubber or other
elastic or flexible material.
The front plate I and back plate J are respectively strengthened by longitudinal
stays and provided with thickened upper edges i jupon which the front and
back plates rest, and are thereby prevented from giving way, or bulging at or near
the centre of the machine, thus removing any danger of spoiling or damaging
the material operated upon.
An endless band K, shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2, of any suitable material,
such as leather, cotton, or the like, passing over the section roller E, under the
top roller D, and round shaft L is employed for carrying the material operated
upon safely through the rollers. In some cases the endless band may be dispensed
with.
The rubber roller F, which is arranged in bearings below the sectional roller E
is strengthened by a stay roller ", made of wood, metal, or other material, carried
in bifurcated pendant or other bearings or hangers 7 fixed say to the longitudinal
stays I¹ J.
Motion is imparted to the rollers from the driving shaft L from any suitable
source through pulley M mounted at one end of the said shaft, and spur gearing
as follows, that is to say:
On shaft L is mounted a driving pinion m arranged to gear with the driving
spur wheel N mounted upon the stud pin n. On the boss of driving wheel N
is mounted and fixed a second pinion which gears with a spur wheel mounted
and keyed upon the shaft f of the india-rubber roller F. On shaft f is mounted
and keyed a second spur wheel P which gears with a spur wheel P¹ mounted upon
stud pin p fixed to the framework A. The spur wheel P¹ gears with a spur
wheel mounted on the shaft d of top roller D. On the same shaft is also
mounted a small spur wheel R which gears with a small spur wheel S on the
shaft of the stay roller C. The gear wheels P, P, Q, R, and S, and stud pin p
are in duplicate and arranged to be fixed at opposite ends of the machine. The
bottom stay roller F and section roller E are shown as being driven by friction
only.
A suitable table T may be made to slide in guides between the ends of frame-
work A so as to be removable therefrom at pleasure. Over the table T the
material operated upon is passed to and between the sectional roller E, and top
roller carried in the adjustable head B.
U is a trough which may be fixed to the framework in any suitable position
below the roller for catching the liquids extracted from the material during the
squeezing operation.
V is the belt shipping arrangement of ordinary construction.
The action of the machine is as follows:-
The material to be operated upon is placed and spread out upon the table T
and is fed between the section roller E and top roller D, which have previously
been adjusted by the hand wheel H, bevel gearing H2, and screws G so as to give
the required pressure.
By permitting the sectional roller E to work upon the india-rubber periphery
of roller provision is thereby made for the depression of any portion of the
roller E so that it may adapt itself to any inequalities in the thickness of the
material operated upon during its passage between the rollers D and E from
table T to the back plate J.
The operator keeps the material tightly spread out upon the table so as to allow

page_text: it to pass as evenly as possible between the squeezing rollers D and E for the
removal of the water.
By constructing the roller E in sections as above described damage to the
material is obviated. The hide or leather is then ready for the stuffing drum.
When desired one or both of the rollers D and E may be heated by steam for
drying purposes, such steam being conveyed thereto and from through suitable
inlet and outlet pipes and valves, not shown in the drawings, but arranged in
any ordinary and convenient manner.
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;
1. In a machine for squeezing and drying leather, and the like, the combi-
nation of a sectional roller E with the roller F, faced with india rubber or other
flexible material and the metal rollers C, D, with the stay roller F mounted in
adjustable pendant or other bearings under the roller F and the means for adjust-
ing the said metal rollers from the centre of the machine, substantially as and for
the purposes described and illustrated.
2. In a machine for squeezing and drying leather and the like, the use of the
longitudinal stays I J as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the machine for
squeezing and drying leather and the like substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
Dated this Second day of June 1800
BENJAMIN WRIGHT, .
DAVID WRIGHT.