IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William. Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF PAPER." A communication from abroad by Heinrich Voelter, of
Rue St. Sebastien, Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 24th April 1866, and dated the 27th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th November 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows:-
These improvements in the manufacture of paper apply to the machines
'for reducing wood to pulp and working it into paper, cardboard, papier maché
and all other articles of paper.
The Invention applies also to the refining and assorting of pulp by the wet
process.
The present Invention consists of improvements upon a process for which
Danted to me hearing date 28th December 1860, No. 3182.

page_text: The pulping apparatus is provided with an iron rake for the purpose of taking
hold of the largest splinters and pieces of wood, in order that they may not
be carried against an additional frame situate on the opposite side to the
rake. The rake is cleared of the useful fibres by a jet of water that is
allowed to flow in the form of rain from a pipe above. A projecting bar
or trap, as well as an additional sieve, serves for assorting the fibres. One
important improvement consists in the employment of wedges, which facilitate
the feeding forward of the wood to be reduced or operated upon.
In the refining apparatus a moveable basket is employed to sift in order
to retain the larger parts of the mass that arrive from the pulper. This
basket is placed at the head of the vat in which the refining cylinders work.
In order to remove as far as possible from the centre of the stones of the
refining mill the matters delivered by the cylinders which precede the
apparatus a small double shovel is adapted to the shaft of the moving mill-
stone.
The improvements relating to the apparatus for receiving, pulping, mixing,
and assorting apparatus have for their object the better regulation of the
speed and the progressive motion of the material to be acted upon, and to
determine the better working of these apparatus in obtaining a regular and
prompt manufacture. Rollers are also adapted to the working cylinders in
order to disengage them constantly from the excess of fibres, and the rollers
themselves are provided with scrapers which clean them constantly. These
apparatus are also furnished with agitators, which aid the manipulation of the
material which is operated upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the
year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth yearof Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
.Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and
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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," being
a communication to me from abroad by Heinrich Voelter, of Rue St. Sebastien,
Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for reducing wood
to pulp and working it into paper, cardboard, papier mâché, and all other
articles of paper.
The Invention applies also to the refining and assorting of pulp by the
wet process.
The present Invention consists of improvements upon a process for which
a Patent was granted to me, bearing date Twenty-eighth December, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, No. 3182.
The pulping apparatus is provided with an iron rake for the purpose of
taking hold of the largest splinters and pieces of wood, in order that they may
not be carried against an additional frame situate on the opposite side to the
rake. The rake is cleared of the useful fibres by a jet of water that is allowed
to flow in the form of rain from a pipe above. A projecting bar or trap, as
well as an additional sieve, serves for assorting the fibres. One important
improvement consists in the employment of wedges, which facilitate the
feeding forward of the wood to be reduced or operated upon.
In the refining apparatus a moveable basket is employed to sift in order to
retain the larger parts of the mass that arrive from the pulper. This basket
is placed at the head of the vat in which the refining cylinders work. In
order to remove as far as possible from the centre of the stones of the refining

page_text: or grinding mills the matters delivered by the cylinders which precede the
apparatus a small double shovel is adapted to the shaft of the moving
millstone.
The improvements relating to the apparatus for receiving, pulping, mixing,
and assorting the fibres have for their object the better regulation of the
speed and the progressive motion of the material to be acted upon, and to
determine the better working of these apparatus in obtaining a regular and
quick manufacture. Rollers are also adapted to the working cylinders in
order to keep them constantly free from the excess of fibres, and the rollers
themselves are provided with scrapers which clean them constantly. These
apparatus are also furnished with agitators, which aid the manipulation of
the material that is being operated upon.
By these various improvements a superior quality and also an increased
quantity of the product are obtained..
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation, partly
in section, of the improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the
same. I would remark that in this arrangement five pressers only instead
of sixteen are employed.
The improvements made by the Inventor, and which form the subject of
the present Invention, are as follows:-
Pulping apparatus.-First, in the vat K (under the rotary pulper or stone
S), in which the mixture of fibres of wood and waste are collected, is an iron
rake R, which serves to seize or take hold of the splinters and larger refuse
pieces in order that these latter may not be driven against the frame E, which
is mounted at the opposite side, and is provided with a fine sieve, and which
splinters might damage this sieve. The operation of the apparatus is also
greatly facilitated by means of this rake, which may be set at any desired
distance from the stone by means of a regulating screw. The useful fibres
are washed from the rake by means of water supplied from a pipe G.
Second, in order to effect the immediate assorting of the fine fibres the
curved incline D and sieve frame E are adapted to the apparatus. Upon
this sieve frame E is stretched brass wire gauze of the required degree of
fineness. The rotary motion of the stone is made use of for the assorting
process, as it throws the mass of fibres contained in the vat K over the
inclined plane D against the sieve frame. The large fibres which cannot
pass through run down through the pipe or channel F1 into the refining
apparatus, whilst the fine fibres which have passed through the sieve run
off through the pipe Fl direct into the pulpy mass coming from the
réfining apparatus in order to be there diluted.
.

page_text: Third, there is also an important improvement in the arrangement which
serves to conduct the pieces of wood to the rotary stone. The space in which
the pieces of wood to be ground into fibre are deposited was formerly formed
of plates of iron raised against the middle of the stone, so that the space
became narrower towards the bottom, which frequently caused the blocking of
the feed aperture by the pieces of wood and impeded the feeding operation.
This defect is remedied by substituting for the transverse plates of the
preceding form wedge-shaped plates Q',so that the two sides of the space are
parallel to each other.
Fourth, the wooden pressers P at their lower part where they rested upon
the wood to be ground by the stone had a plane surface. The result was that
the ground wood often took a wedge form, the edge of which was in the
direction of the rotation of the stone, and which was removed by the rotation
under the transverse iron plates Q in front of it, and which not only produced
shocks up above,and exposed the machine and the stone to injury, but more-
over these wedges acted as breaks, and momentarily absorbed a large portion
of the motive power, the result of which was very irregular working of the
machine and an unequal grinding operation. These defects are effectually
remedied by means of the two following arrangements:-The first consists in
forming the wooden pressers P as inclined planes, which rise from the middle
to the front, so that the formation of wedges is no longer possible. The other
arrangement consists in adapting above the wooden pressers india-rubber
buffers (enclosed within iron sockets), the pressure of which corresponds
to the normal pressure, and when this latter is exceeded, that of the rubber
buffers gives in a corresponding degree, so that neither the stone nor the
machine is exposed to injury, and consequently a more even movement and
more 'regular product will result. The iron socket H which encloses the
buffers J, and which is screwed upon the pressing wood P, is provided with a
cover, which is maintained in place by means of screws, these latter serving
at the same time to regulate the pressure of the buffers. On a greater
resistance taking place from below it will act first against the pressing wood
which transmits the pressure to the buffers (which are thus more forcibly
compressed),so that the socket will project above the cover, whilst the screwed
rod d does not alter its position or action; 'there is, therefore, in the pressing
wood a corresponding portion cut away for this latter. Steel springs might be
employed instead of india-rubber for the buffers.
Fifth, the springs r upon the ratchet wheels in the former machine were
frequently broken upon the attendants (through inadvertence) turning the
driving pullies in the reverse direction. This evil has however been remedied

page_text: by altering the teeth of the ratchet wheels and rounding the point of the
springs. By means of this improvement the driving pullies may be caused to
rotate in either direction without danger to the springs, even supposing the
apparatus should get out of order or be obstructed in any way. Usually,
however, instead of springs a strong click L is employed, which is only
pressed upon the ratchet wheel by a tightened cord of india-rubber C,or by a
steel spring. It is besides only means of this spring r (or click held at
tension by the india-rubber cord) that the motive power is transmitted from the
driving pulley to the shaft upon which the endless screw rests; it is therefore
no longer necessary for the ratchet wheel to be pressed against the driving
pulley, and driven by this latter by friction of contact.
Sixth,as the springs in the holders of the pressing spindles sometimes broke
the feet of the holders are now proportionately prolonged, and round their
extremities is passed an india-rubber cord r, which tends to open the holders
instead of springs.
Seventh, in order to maintain a regular working of the grinding apparatus
and to feed this latter conveniently, more or less, according to the increasing
or decreasing surface of the wood to be operated upon, or according to the
increasing or decreasing motive power, (that is to say,) in order to be able to
increase or decrease the speel with which the pressers move against the
stone, an arrangement of regulating apparatus is applied to the back of
the machine, which consists principally of two cones d and d¹,and a guide rod
8, with a fork f and roller p. By this means the old arrangement of different
gearing is completely done away with. The cone d receives its movement
directly from the main driving shaft, and communicates it to the cone d', the
shaft of which actuates the different driving pullies of the shafts by a band
passing over and under them, as seen in Fig. 1. According to whether the
attendant turns the hand wheel h from left to right, or vice versa, the feed
becomes weaker or stronger. On adding thereto a ball or other regulator
this arrangement might be easily rendered automatic.
The improvements above described relate to the machinery for reducing the
wood to fibre. I will now describe the improvements relating to the refining
apparatus. 1*, on referring to Fig. 1 at I it will be seen that in the casing B
of the cylinder A is a moveable sifter H,which retains the coarsest portions of
the mass which enter through a channel from the reducing apparatus. This
sifter is provided with an oscillatory, apparatus, which by an up-and-down
motion prevents it from being choked. The waste is removed from time to
time by hand. Instead of this vertical moveable sifter (or which may be
stationary if working on a small scale),a plain sieve frame might be employed

page_text: which would be introduced vertically and extend to the bottom of the casing,
in which case the rotation of the cylinder and a judicious choice of the size of
the sieve (which, owing to the present employment of a comb or toothed
guard outside the sieve drum, may be made with very coarse teeth) would
prevent the sieve from being choked. A horizontal reciprocating motion
might also be communicated to this frame (which might be done by a spring
action by the application of cords of india-rubber, as for the sieve frame shewn
at IV) by suspending it at the two sides, at bottom, or at the middle of its
height upon pivots, and closing it hermetically by means of leather for
instance.
1', the comb guard or sieve at the opposite side of the cylinder A has been
improved, insomuch that the two steel springs 6, by means of which the
scraper a throws into the reservoir E the coarse fibres collected by the guard,
have been replaced by an india-rubber cord z. The two extremities of the
scraper work as before in curved guides adapted to the sides of the cylinder
casing, by which two elbow levers w fixed to the guard behind the scraper a
are compressed, and when the scraper leaves this guide the india-rubber
cord z, which is attached to these levers, exert the force of a spring
upon them. Each of these levers n may also be provided with a similar
cord..
Secondly, when it is not desired to adapt a pumporother pouring apparatus
working continuously for returning into the vat II (for the purpose of being
further refined) the mass of coarse fibres supplied to IV., the distributing
apparatus N is adapted to the hopper T, from which the mass to be refined
is supplied, and from whence it is supplied little by little by the rotary
fluted cylinder Wadapted at bottom to the mass which flows out at I. The
distributing vat or hopper is supported by means of two vertical standards S
fixed above the framing of the apparatus. As the mass is not supplied all at
once, but little by little to the refining apparatus, I have adapted to one of
the inclined standards the shutter S, c, h, by means of which the quantity
of feed may be regulated when this has not already been done by the surface
speed of the fluted cylinder.
Instead of the distributing arrangement a somewhat coarse sieve might
be adapted between the agitator R and the board B, but the distribution
would not be so regular by this means. In the vat of the distributing apparatus
is adapted an agitator R, by which the mass is powerfully agitated or beaten
up, and whence it is regularly supplied diluted under the board B to the
receiving table of the cylinder A'.
Thirdly, the mass, instead of running into the vat, runs upon the top of the

page_text: cylinder A. By this means a better sifting of the mass of fibres is obtained,
and the finer particles are at the same time prevented from entering the refining
apparatus, and being there ground and deteriorated.
Fourthly, in order to lessen theamountof fall required, and consequentlyrender
a lesselevated localitynecessary, instead of thearrangement shewn in the former
Drawing, by which the matter is allowed to pass directly from the vat II.
into the.eye of the runner, whence it is removed by the small shovel G, the
arrangement of elevator shewn at U in the accompanying Drawing may be
employed for the purpose of delivering the matter to the surface of the stones.
As regards the application of the various kinds of natural or artificial grind-
ing surfaces to be employed, I would observe that they may be constructed
in the form of hollow cones working one inside the other.
;
In order to remove the matter more from the centre when horizontal
grindstones are employed, and to bring it within reach of the grinding surface,
instead of the three pushers formerly employed, the small moveable double
scraper g (see the apparatus III), mounted on the vertical shaft of the runner
and bent in the required manner, may be employed.
Receiving, mixing, and assorting apparatus.-In the front of the apparatus
marked IV is adapted a mixing vessel or reservoir H, into which the mass of
fibres flows from the refining apparatus, and which, instead of flowing as
before direct into the case of the cylinder A", are acted upon by the agitator
R2, in order to render the mass more fit for the assorting process. The sieve
frame V serves to retain the fibres which might be imperfectly refined; this
frame has a horizontal reciprocating motion imparted to it by means of two
cams y and levers x; this movement may have a spring given to it by means of
india-rubber springs e. The covers at the sides of the cylinders may also be
removed at pleasure, in order to give access to the interior for cleaning.or
repairs. From the mixing vessel the fibres pass under the board b to the
feeding table of the cylinder A", and from thence to the top of this latter,
which rotates in contact with the feed rollers above. In the casing of this
cylinder there is an agitator R³, in order to separate the fibres as much as
possible and render them more fit for sorting only at that side where the
cylinder is immersed, it carries with it those of the coarse fibres in its casing
which remain suspended from its periphery, and as a single take-off roll or
cylinder does not act efficiently upon the whole length of the cylinder, a second
one H¹has been added, by which the fibres are completely removed. At the
same time the wire gauze which surrounds the cylinder is kept clean by this
means, so that the finer fibres are not stopped in their passage. For this
purpose the rollers must be adapted in such manner that the mass shall be

page_text: supplied to the cylinder behind them. In order that the take-off rollers may
not injure the sieves upon which they run, they do not rest directly upon the
said sieves, but only upon the edges of the cylinders, which are made stronger
at their extremities, or for the purpose of rendering them more durable they
are provided with projecting rings K, see Fig. 2, of wrought iron or other
metal. In order, however, to enable the rollers to remove the mass it is
necessary after the commencement of the work to throw a certain quantity of
the mass which collects in the cylinder casing between the rollers and the
cylinder until a quantity of pulp corresponding to the height of the rings has
become wound round the roller. The scrapers i must also not rest directly
upon the take-off rollers if rollers with rings be employed, but they must be
at a distance from the rollers about equal to the thickness of the rings; or in
order to preserve the sieves, instead of making the rollers stronger at their
ends their weight might be counterbalanced. For this purpose, for example,
the bearings of the rollers might be placed upon levers proportionately
weighted.
Second, the cylinder 411 at IV is arranged in the same manner and for
the same reasons as the cylinder A",only the small spreader casing (after the
preceding operation) may be of more simple construction and of smaller
dimensions. As has been already stated in the description of the filtering
apparatus a pump or distributing wheel or other analogous apparatus of any
known construction may be employed for the purpose of again transporting
by mechanical means into the concentrating apparatus matter which has not
been sufficiently refined. By this means the substance obtained in IV (and
which may, for example, be directly pressed in a filtering press) is kept, and
when it is not to be filtered it is conducted into large reservoirs or decanting
vessels. In this latter case, instead of the pump a simple wheel or chain
pump of known construction may be employed. The improvement consists in
the immediate transmission of the matter direct from the cylinder casing as to
to the cylinder A by means of pumps or raising wheels. The Inventor also
claims the employment of the take-off rollers.
Third, at V., relating to the take-offrollers adapted to the two sides of the
cylinder A, precautions are also to be taken for preserving the sieves as in
the preceding cylinders. This part of the machine may be also furnished
with pumps or raising wheels. The case B of this cylinder is also raised
at B, in order that if the water by ordinary filling does not flow readily
through the sieve it may be further filled thereby, obtaining greater hydrostatic
pressure, and facilitating the flow of the water. Instead of causing the water
to flow down in the interior of the cylinder it may be caused to descend direct

page_text: through the exit passage O, the diameter of which is nearly equal to that of
the cylinder; or it might pass through a hollow shaft of the cylinder and be
drawn off by means of a syphon. Generally, but especially in the employment
of the large drum, good joints are necessary between the case and the drum,
so that no loss of material may take place at that part, and that the water
may flow only through the fine covering of the cylinder. For this purpose
upon the lower half of the drum is a band ofleather or other suitablesubstance
firmly nailed and projecting beyond the surface of the wood; about twenty-
five millimetres over this band is stretched another band and stretched by
means of the wheel and click q. This part V. of the mechanism might also be
arranged in the same manner as the cylinder A", and instead of the take-off
rollers a small shovel or transporter might be adapted; or the pulp collector
might be covered inside instead of outside with a sieve of corresponding
fineness set at an angle to conduct the feed to the inside of the cylinder at its
upper extremity, by which the fibres which might have remained behind will
be lapped round its largest extremity and made finally to fall into a receptacle
underneath. In any case in order to prevent the fine wire casing from
becoming speedily choked it is desirable to adapta watering pipe C,extending
from end to end of the cylinder, between the second take-off roller and the
point where the cylinder dips. When the pulp is fed into the inside of the
cylinder the watering pipe should be adapted above at the side where the
agglomeration of the pulp takes place below and inside. The pipe may be
made of zinc, with a row of small holes placed somewhat close together, and
it may be connected with the water supply by means of an india-rubber pipe.
Allthose partsoftheapparatus where great strength and precisionarerequired,
such as the cylinders and rods for instance, are made of iron.
Having now described the nature of this Invention as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I desire it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim,→
Firstly, in the wood grinding casing the arrangement of the rake R for
retaining the largest shreds and the arrangement for separating the finest
fibres by means of the curved incline plane Daud the sieve frame E by the
rotation of the stone.
Secondly, the improvement in the arrangement for pressing the wood
against the stone by constructing the wood presses of a bevel form by adapting
spring buffers 1, or their equivalent, behind the pressers, and forming more
regular spaces by means of the transverse wedge-formed plates Q.
Thirdly, the improvement in the arrangement of the springs, and also the
use of the india-rubber cords or straps applied to the holders.

page_text: Fourthly, the arrangement for regulating the speed with which the presser
spindles move against the stone, whether this latter take place by means of
the hand wheel, as shewn in the Drawing, or automatically.
Fifthly, the basket Hor sieve frame V,as shewn at IV in the casing of the
cylinder A¹¹.
Sixthly, the improvement in the rotary comb at I.
Seventhly, the distributing apparatus constructed as above described,
namely, the case N with the distributing hopper T and the rotary roller W;
the application of the agitators R in the cylinder casings, and also the
elevator U,which may be employed in place of the small scraper G previously
employed.
Eighthly, the feeding at the top of the cylinders A', A", and A¹¹.
Ninthly, the employment of conical grinding surfaces for the refiner, and
for the other method (by the addition of a larger wheel with knives) the
employment of horizontal devices for conducting the material between the
crushing surfaces.
Tenthly, the improvements in the assorting apparatus, viz., (a) in the
rotation of the cylinders A" and 4" against the feed and with agitators below
them; (b) in the application of two take-off rollers, one on each side of the
assorting cylinders; (c) in the panels which may be closed inallthecylinders;
(d) in the means of working the cylinder sieves; (e) in the arrangement of
watering for cleansing the cylinder sieve V or pulp collector, also the various
constructions of the cylinder or its equivalent; (f) in the closing of the drums
or cylinders, as shewn at V,by means of the bands,and the method of keeping
them at tension; (g) in the employment of delivering or pump wheels for the
apparatus IV and V for the purpose of supplying the material to the presses
or reservoirs.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDen,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)