Improved Apparatus for Separating Solid or Semi-solid Substances from Sludge or other Fluid or Semi-fluid Matters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Separating Solid or Semi-solid Substances
from Sludge or other Fluid or Semi-fluid Matters.
I WILLIAM BIRCH of Milton Street Iron Works, Lower Broughton Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
.
This invention relates to improvements upon the apparatus for which Letters
Patent No. 6535 were granted to myself dated April 5th 1892 for separating solid
or semi-solid substances from sludge or other fluid or semi-fluid matters, and the
principal objects of my present invention are to dispense with the angular guide.
rollers described in the above Specification and to provide simple and effective
means for counteracting the tendency of the endless pressing and filtering band
employed therein from running to and over the edge of the drum which expresses
the fluid from the sludge between it and the said band, such tendency arising from
the unavoidably uneven diameter formed across the width of fabric by the sludge;;
as it is being pressed.
According to this invention instead of driving the filtering band by the pressing.
drum I mount the latter loosely on its axle, and I fasten squarely across the said
filtering band a series of transverse laths of suitable strength, made of lancewood.
or other similar resilient material, and of sufficient width to be rigid edgewise.
The ends of these laths project beyond the edges of the band and of the sludge
pressing drum, at either end of which is a wheel or pulley keyed on the axle of
the pressing drum, and carrying a series of sliding rods or catches projecting
therefrom so as to act in turn as hereafter described against the underneath edgé
of one of the above described laths and carry the band and the pressing drum:
with it as the wheel or pulley rotates with its shaft until the sliding rod or
catch is withdrawn from the lath by means of a fixed incline, or other equivalent
means.
i
!
. These rods or catches return by their own weight, as they rotate, into position
to act against the laths, or they may be returned into such position by springs or
otherwise.
The rods or catches are set in corresponding positions at either end of the pressing
drum so that when the filtering band is straight the laths are driven from both
ends; but if one edge of the band runs at all in advance of the other, the laths
are inclined and the hinder end of eacli lath is driven by its catch wheel; and
by this means the laths will be gradually worked straight again, thereby counter-
acting any uneven.action of the filter band.
The laths as they are passing back from the tension roller to the pressing drum
are guided between fixed plates, which in guiding the ends of the faths serve to
keep the cloth in place upon the pressing drum.
:
I furthermore drive the endless band of scrapers which passes across the upper!
surface of the sludge pressing drum by means of bevel or mitre wheels on a vertical
shaft, similarly driven from the main driving shaft, and I thus obtain a quicker.
motion of the said scrapers.
2

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Separating Solid or Semi-solid Substances:
from Sludge or other Fluid or Semi-fluid Matters.
I WILLIAM BIRCH of Milton Street Iron Works, Lower Broughton, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, 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 improvements upon the apparatus for which Letters
Patent No. 6535 were granted to myself dated April 5th 1892, for separating solid
or semi-solid substances from sludge or other fluid or semi-fluid matters, and the
principal objects of my present invention are to dispense with the angular guide
rollers described in the above Specification and to provide simple and effective
means for counteracting the tendency of the endless pressing and filtering band
employed therein from running to and over the edge of the drum which expresses
the fluid from the sludge between it and the said band, such tendency arising from
the unavoidably uneven diameter formed across the width of fabric by the sludge,
as it is being pressed.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description on
reference to the annexed drawings of which Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a
side elevation of so much of one of my sludge presses as is necessary to illustrate
the present invention.
According to this invention instead of driving the filtering band a by the pressing
drum b, I mount the latter loosely on its axle c and I fasten squarely across the
said filtering band a a series of transverse laths a¹ of suitable strength, made of
lancewood or other similar resilient material, and of sufficient width to be rigid
edgewise.
The ends of these laths a¹ project beyond the edges of the band a and of the
sludge pressing drum b at either end of which is a wheel or pulley b¹ keyed on
the axle e of the pressing drum and carrying a series of sliding rods 62 or catches
projecting therefrom so as to act in turn as hereafter described against the under-
neath edge of one of the above described laths a¹ and carry the band a & the
pressing drum b with it as the wheel or pulley 61 rotates with its shaft c until the
sliding rod or catch 2 is withdrawn from the lath by means of a fixed incline 6³
acting against bowls 64 on the rods or catches 62 or other equivalent means.
These rods or catches 62 return by their own weight, as they rotate, into position
to act against the laths, or they may be returned into such position by springs or
otherwise.
The rods or catches 6³ are set in corresponding positions, at either end of the
pressing drum b as seen at Fig. 1 so that when the filtering band a is straight the
laths a are driven from both ends but if one edge of the band a runs at all in
advance of the other, the laths a¹ are inclined (as seen dotted on Fig. 2). and the
hinder end of each lath a' is driven by its catch wheel; and by this means
the laths a' will be gradually worked straight again, thereby counteracting any
uneven action of the filter band a.
The laths a' as they are passing back from the tension roller d to the pressing
drum b are guided between fixed plates d¹ (see Fig. 2) which in guiding the ends
of the laths a¹ serve to keep the cloth a in place upon the pressing drum b.
I furthermore drive the endless band carrying the scrapers ; which passes
across the upper surface of the sludge pressing drum b by means of bevel or mitre
wheels on a vertical shaft * similarly driven from the main driving shaft c,
and I thus obtain a rapid continuous motion of the said scrapers i, instead of an
intermittent motion as described in my previous Specification above mentioned.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with the endless filtering band of laths projecting beyond.
the edges thereof and actuated by wheels or pulleys carrying catches at either side
of the drum substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2. The means for guiding the endless filtering band by the combination with the
laths of guide plates fixed to each frame side, substantially as hereinbefore described.
and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
3. The means for imparting to the endless chains of scrapers a rapid continuous.
motion substantially as hereinbefore set forth and illustrated by the annexed
drawings.
Doted this 17th der of April 1896
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant..