IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR CANE MILLS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew McOnie, of the Firm of W. and A. McOnie,
of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR CANE MILLS."
led the 18th December 1877, and dated the 23rd June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew McOnie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd June 1877.
ANDREW MCONIE, of the Firm of W. and A. McOnie, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR CANE
MILLS."
This Invention has for its object the constructing of sugar cane mills in an
improved manner, and so that whilst ample strength is provided weight is saved,
and the component parts are made comparatively easy of transport.
The mill is of the three-roller class, and is made with a massive cast-iron bed or
base frame on which the headstocks, cheeks, or housings are secured.
These headstocks consist of vertical wrought-iron or steel plates, of which in one
modification there are four in each headstock. The cap of each bearing of the top
roller is held down by four long bolts, extending from the top to the bottom of the
machine, and passing down between the outermost headstock plates and those next
tliem.
The caps of the bearings of the lower rollers are movable horizontally, and the
screw bolts for securing them are fixed to the headstock plates either by means of
pins passing through eyes formed on their inner ends and through strengthened
eyes formed on the cheek plates, or by means of heads bearing on bridge or lug
pieces fixed to the headstock plates. The headstock plates are connected by pieces
of wrought iron or steel, of a channel or bar section, fixed between them, and they
may also be fixed to the vertical bolts.
In another modification each headstock is formed with two plates of wrought
iron or steel, and horizontal bars are rivetted or otherwise fixed in between them
above and below the bearings of the lower rollers. The screw bolts for securing
Uning R21

page_text: the caps of the bearings of the lower rollers may be connected to the horizontal
bars forming part of the headstocks, or these horizontal bars may themselves
be extended, and have their ends screwed to receive the nuts for holding on
the bearing caps. Or instead of the horizontal bars the two plates forming
each headstock may be made strong enough for the strains, and have bridge
or lug pieces fixed to them for holding the bolts by which the bearing caps
are secured.
The improvements admit of the lower rollers being arranged nearer to each
other with advantage, whilst risk of breakage is much reduced in consequence of
the tensile,strains being resisted by wrought iron or steel instead of cast iron.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Andrew McOnie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
December 1877.
ANDREW MCONIE, of the Firm of W. and A. McOnie, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR-CANE
MILLS."
My said Invention has for its object the constructing of sugar-cane mills in an
improved manner, and so that whilst ample strength is provided material is
economised, and the component parts are made comparatively easy of transport.
My improvements are susceptible of practical application under several modifi-
cations, but in every case the mill, which is of the well known three-roller class, is
made with a massive iron bed or base frame, on w ich the headstocks, cheeks, or
housings are secured.
These headstocks consist of vertical wrought-iron or steel plates, and in most of
the modifications the cap of each bearing of the top roller is held down by four long
bolts extending from the top of the mill down to the bed frame.
The caps of the bearings of the lower rollers are movable horizontally, and the
.screw bolts for securing them are fixed to the headstock plates in various ways in
the different modifications.
The improvements admit of the lower rollers being arranged nearer to each other
than heretofore with advantage, whilst risk of breakage is much reduced in conse-
quence of the tensile strains being resisted by wrought iron or steel instead of cast'
iron.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets of explanatory Draw-
ings to be herein-after referred to and representing sugar-cane inills as made with
various modifications of my improvements. In these Drawings the same reference
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings, is a plan partly in horizontal
section, and Figures and 3 are sectional end and front elevations of one modifi-
cation of my improved sugar-cane mills.

page_text: The mill is made with a massive cast-iron bed or base frame 1, which is to be
bolted down to a masonry or other suitable foundation, and which bed frame is
formed like a shallow trough to receive the cane juice, and with an inclined bottom
to lead it off by an outlet 2 in the usual way. The headstocks 3, which are secured
upon the bed frame 1, consist each of four vertical wrought-iron or steel plates.
The cap 4 of each bearing of the top roller 5 is held down by four long bolts 6
extending from the top to the bottom of the mill, and passing down between the
outermost headstock plates 3 and those next them. The caps 7 of the bearings of
the lower rollers 8 are movable horizontally, and the screw bolts 9' for securing
them are fixed to the headstock plates 3 by pins 10 passing through eyes formed on
their inner ends and through strengthened parts of the headstock plates 3. The
outer headstock plates 3 are connected to the inner ones by pieces 11 of wrought
iron or steel of a channel or bar section fixed between them by rivetting or other-
wise; the headstock plates 3 may also be rivetted or otherwise fixed to the vertical
bolts 6. Between the two inner headstock plates there is fixed a plate or block 12
of cast iron, which serves as a distance piece, and for which there may be substi-
tuted any expedient for holding the inner headstock plates 3 at the proper distance
apart. The headstocks are secured to the bed frame 1 at the corners by bolts 13,
the upper headed ends of which are countersunk in the seats of the bearing brasses
of the lower rollers 8.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section, and Figures 5 and 6 are vertical sections of one
headstock of a second modification of my improved sugar-cane mill. This headstock
is formed with two plates 3 of wrought iron or steel, and horizontal bars 14, also of
wrought iron or steel, are fixed between them above and below the bearings of the
two lower rollers 8. The screw bolts 9 for securing the caps 7 of the bearings of
the lower rollers 8 may be connected to the horizontal bars 14, as shown at the left-
hand side of Figures 4 and 5; or these bars 14 may themselves be extended and
have their ends screwed to receive the nuts for holding on the bearing caps 7, as'
shown at the right-hand side of Figures 4 and 5. In this modification the four
vertical bolts 6 pass on each side of the horizontal bars 14, and engage in checks
formed for them on those bars, as best seen in Figure 4. Flanged or channel section
pieces 11 are fixed across between the headstock plates 3 at the upper exterior
angles formed by the vertical bolts 6 and horizontal bars 14, and angle-iron
pieces 15 are rivetted to the inside of each plate 3 round the recesses for the
bearings of the lower rollers 8, whilst a flanged or channel section piece 16 is
rivetted to and connects the bottom edges of the plates 3. Cast-iron blocks or
distance pieces 12 are represented as placed between the middle parts of the head-
stock plates 3, but these may in some cases be dispensed with.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section, Figure S is a sectional elevation, and Figure 9 is
a vertical section of one headstock of a third modification of my improved sugar
cane mill.
This headstock is formed with two plates 3 of wrought iron or steel,
which are kept apart by a cast-iron block or distance piece 12. Flanged or channel
section pieces 11, 16, connect the plates at the upper exterior angles and along the
bottom edges, and pieces 15 are rivetted round the recesses for the bearings of the
lower rollers 8, whilst at the outer parts there are also rivetted strong lugs or bridge
pieces to catch and hold broad heads formed on the inner ends of the screw bolts 9
which secure in their places the bearing caps 7 of the lower rollers S.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 are horizontal and vertical sections of a fourth modifica-
tion of sugar-cane mill headstock, which consists mainly of a single thick or
"armour" plate 3 of wrought iron or steel. The bearing cap 4 for the top roller 5
is shown as being held down by nuts screwed on the ends of U shaped bars 17
rivetted to the headstock plate 3 round beneath the bearing, but long bolts (6) may
be used for this purpose as in other modifications, being rivetted or otherwise fixed
to the sides of the plate 3. The bearing caps 7 for the lower rollers 8 are held by
eye bolts 9, the eyes of the upper bolts being connected to the plate 3 by horizontal
pins. 10, whilst those of the lower bolts are held by vertical bolts 18, which also'
serve to secure the headstock to the bed frame (1).

page_text: Figures 13, 14, and 15 are horizontal and vertical sections of a fifth modification
of headstock which is suitable for comparatively small sugar cane mills. In this
case the headstock is composed of two plates 3 of wrought iron or steel, as in the
second and third modifications, but connected and kept apart by a solid bar 19
along the bottom, and by solid inclined bars 20 at the upper lateral parts, these
bars 19, 20, being of cast iron, wrought iron, or steel, and rivetted or otherwise
fixed between the plates 3. The bolts 9 for securing the bearing caps 7 of the
lower rollers 8 are made with heads at their inner ends, and catch between
checked or lug pieces 21 fixed to the insides of the plates 3. If considered
desirable these lug pieces 21 may be formed with projections on the inner
ends to engage upon the vertical bolts 6, as shown at the left-hand side of
Figures 13 and 14. In this modification each bearing cap 4 for the upper
roller 5 is secured by two long bolts 6.
Figure 16, on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings, is a sectional front
elevation, Figure 17 is a sectional end elevation, and Figure 18 is a horizontal
section showing a sixth modification of my improved sugar cane mill, in which each
headstock is made of two plates 3 of wrought iron or steel, whilst the four vertical
bolts 6 for securing the bearing cap 4 of the upper roller 5 are fixed to the outsides
of those plates 3 instead of the insides, as in the second, third, and fifth modifica-
tions. Between the headstock plates 3 there are fixed forgings or castings 22 of
wrought iron or steel of the forms shown in Figure 17.
Figures 19 and 20 are a sectional end elevation and a vertical section at right
angles thereto, showing a seventh modification of headstock, which differs from the
fourth modification in having three comparatively thin plates 3 of wrought iron or
steel placed in contact with each other substituted for the single thick or armour
plate. Any convenient number of plates inay be combined in contact with each
other in this way.
:
"
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
-recited Letters Patent is,
1. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill headstocks.
in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
2. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill headstocks
in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown in
Figures 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
3. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill headstocks
in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown in
Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
4. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill head-
stocks in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown
in Figures 10, 11, and 12 of the accompanying Drawings.
5. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill head-
stocks in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown
in Figures 13, 14, and 15 of the accompanying Drawings.
6. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill beadstocks
in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown in
Figures 16, 17, and 18 of the accompanying Drawings.
7. The combining together or arranging of the parts of sugar cane mill headstocks
in the improved manner herein-before described with reference to and shown in
Figures 19 and 20 of the accompanying Drawings.
8. The forming of each headstock of a sugar cane mill of two or more plates and
connecting pieces of wrought iron or steel, as herein-before described.
9. The forming of each headstock of a sugar cane mill mainly of a single thick

page_text: plate, or of two or more plates combined in contact, of wrought iron or steel, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew McOnie, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ANDREW MONIE, (L.S.)