Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 13th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 29th Mar., 1888
I, WILLIAM BERTRAM of St. Katherine's Works, Sciennes, Edinburgh, in the County
of Midlothian, North Britain, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to the drying of paper by means of air consists of an
arrangement of apparatus or mechanism for effectually carrying the aforesaid process
into practice.
The Invention consists in drying the air by passing it through or around tubes in a
chamber whose temperature is equally maintained or regulated and preferably heated
from a gas producer. The first effect of this heat is to expand the air and desiccate
the moisture therein. The rarified and dried air is next passed into or through a
condenser which cools it and causes the dried moisture to be condensed and precipi-
tated. The air is now in the cold state and in such state may be at once directed upon
the paper to be dried or it may be passed through a heater again before being caused to
act upon the paper.
When the paper is dried in the web in place of the web being carried over a series of
drying cylinders as hitherto it is carried over a series of rollers whose bearings are
lightly suspended on springs so that they may easily yield to any tension upon the web
and for the purpose of most effectually performing the operation of drying, the paper is
preferably maintained in a state of vibratory motion.
The air is applied by hollow spindles perforated or slotted passing through each of
the small rollers or drums which are hollow and formed with staves or bars to carry
the pipes. On these spindles are fixed the fans, these perforations or slots in the hollow.
spindles being between the fans, or the blades of these fans can be made hollow for the
purpose of discharging the air at their extremities.
J. H. JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
'Petitioner's Agents.

page_text: Improved Meenamism for Drying Iapor.
I, WILLIAM BERTRAM of St. Katherine's Works, Sciennes, Edinburgh, in the County
of Midlothian, North Britain, 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 :-
My Invention which relates to the drying of paper by means of air consists of an
arrangement of apparatus or mechanism for effectually carrying the aforesaid process
into practice.
My Invention consists in drying the air by passing it through or around tubes in a
chamber whose temperature is equally maintained or regulated and preferably heated
from a gas producer. The first effect of this heat is to expand the air and desicate the
moisture therein. The rarified and dried air is next passed into or through a condenser,
which cools it and causes the dried moisture to be condensed and precipitated. The
air is now in the cold state and in such state may be at once directed upon the paper
to be dried or it may be passed through a heater again before being caused to act
upon the paper.
When the paper is dried in the web, in place of the web being carried over a series
of drying cylinders as hitherto, it is carried over a series of rollers or drums whose
bearings are lightly suspended on springs so that they may easily yield to any tension
upon the web, and for the purpose of most effectually performing the operation of
drying, the paper is preferably maintained in a state of vibratory motion or instead of
carrying the bearings of the said rollers or drums in springs, the spars forming the
outor portions of tho said drums or rollers may be carried on springs, or both the spars
and rollers or drums may be carried on springs so as to render them sensitive to
variations in the tension of the web of paper or that of the driving belts or carrying
tapes.
The air is applied by hollow spindles perforated or slotted passing through each of
the rollers or drums, which are formed with spars or staves or bars at their circum-
ference to carry the paper. On these hollow spindles are fixed the fans. The perfora-
tions or slots in the hollow spindles are situated between the fan blades or these
blades can be made hollow for the purpose of discharging the air at their
extremities.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed :-
Figure 1, is a diagrammatic plan, partly in horizontal section, illustrating for the
most part in outline, and in some parts in detail as hereinafter more particularly set
forth, the general arrangement of the improved mechanism for drying paper constituting
my said Invention.
Figure 2, is a diagrammatic elevation of the same.
Figures 3 and 4, are respectively an enlarged plan and transverse section partly in
elevation of the apparatus for drying the air used in the process of paper drying as
hereinafter described.

page_text: Figure 5, is an enlarged plan shewing the chamber into which the dried air is
received from the heater and dryer shewn in Figures 3 and 4 and the manner in which
it is transferred to the machine whereon the web of paper is dried.
Figure 6, is a side elevation on a larger scale than in Figure 2, but partly in
diagram shewing the arrangements whereby the paper to be dried is led through and
received from the paper drying mechanism.
Figure 7, is a diagram shewing the arrangement of the continuous driving belt
whereby the several drums over which the web of paper passes are driven.
Figure 8, is another diagram, wherein the hard lines a, represent the driving bands
by which the fans at the interior of the drums over which the web of paper is carried,
are driven, whilst the dotted lines represent the travel of the paper which in point of
fact corresponds to the passage or mode of carrying the belt or band or rope, for
driving the said drum shewn in Figure 7.
Figure 9, is an end elevation shewn somewhat in detail and on a larger scale of.
either the lower right hand or left hand or middle division of the drying machine
corresponding to any one of the divisions shewn on a smaller scale at Figure 6.
Figure 10, is a section partly in elevation corresponding to Figure 9, and shewing
the arrangement of branch pipes whereby the air is conveyed from the central pipe
and distributed so as to be discharged by the several fans against the interior or inner
side of the web of paper in the course of its traverse through, or carriage over, the
several paper carrying drums in the machine.
Figure 11, a transverse section corresponding with Figures 9 and 10, shewing
the connection of the main air pipe leading from the air dryer to the paper drying
machine and the mode of, or incans whereby, the said air is distributed from the
said main pipe to the axes of the fans or blowers from which it is discharged and by
the fans rotating on or with which the air is discharged against the inner surface of
the web of paper to be dried as it passes into the said rollers.
As will be seen from the general plan and elevation Figures 1 and 2, respectively,
as well as from the enlarged views Figures 3, 4 and 5, the air to be dried is pumped
or forced by air compressing engines A, of which some of the details are shewn in
the said Figures 1 and 3, (but which are not wholly there shewn for the reason
that any of the known systems of apparatus for blowing or forcing air may be
used for the purposes of this Invention). The air so forced is led by the pipe B,
into the pipe drying stove C, which more or less resembles in its construction some
kinds of air heaters used for drying the blast employed in connection with furnaces
for smelting iron or other ores and commonly known as blast furnaces. As will be
seen more especially by reference to Figures 1 and 3, the air so heated whilst being
discharged into the heater by the pipe B, passes out therefrom by the pipe D), and is
thence discharged into the chamber E, Figures 1, 2 & 5. The heat in the air dryer C,
is maintained as equally as possible from or by a furnace or fire place communicating
by a flue with the interior of the chamber C, or by preference so as to produce as
constantly as possible an equability of temperature. The chamber C, is heated by
means of a furnace connected with an ordinary gas producer. As these features of
arrangement for providing the necessary heat in the chamber C, are well understood
and do not in themselves constitute essential parts of my Invention, I have not, for
these reasons, shewn them in detail on the annexed drawings.
The effect of passing the air through the heater C, is to expand the air and to dry
the moisture therein. This rarified and dried air escaping from the heater C, through
the pipe D, next enters the condenser E. This condenser may be of any suitable
construction so long as it is of sufficient capacity to cool the air and condense the
dried moisture into the liquid condition, so that it becomes precipitated through the
cold and dry air, thereby leaving the air free to escape from the condenser without
carrying the moisture with it. The air now in the cold and dried state escapes from
the condenser E, by means of the pipe F, and from the pipe F, is led to the pipe G,
from which it is distributed by the several branch pipes H, to the several radial pipes I,
leading it to the axes of the several fans J, as will be seen more especially by reference
to Figures 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11. As the air passes into or through the hollow axes K,

page_text: of the fans J, it escapes through openings in the axes K, as shewn at Figures 9 and 11,
and as the blades of the fans J, rotate they cause the dried air thus escaping to be
impinged against the web of paper passing over the several drums L, and from the
property which dried air has of absorbing moisture the effect of thus impinging the
dried air on the moist paper is that the dry air absorbs the moisture and the web of
paper gradually becomes dried; so that, whilst the web of paper gradually passes
into the machine from the moist roll M, or direct from the couch or press rolls,
Figures 2 and 6, it emerges therefrom as a dried web at N, shewn also in the said
Figures 2 and 6. For the purpose of guiding the web of paper through the machine,
it is necessary to give it some kind of continuous support and for this purpose as will
be seen on reference more especially to Figure 6, of the annexed drawings, the moist
web of paper from the roller or beam M, is led between two sets of travelling tapes or
felts O, and 0', which are driven by means of the cross belt P. The web of paper as
it passes from between the travelling arrangement O, and O', at the carrying roller Q,
is thence led over the first drying drum L, and thence between the several continuous
tapes (tapes may or may not be used) and the successive drums L, L', L², L³, L, L,
and so on until following the course over the whole of the drums marked
successively from L to L20, it emerges in the dry state and is either wound up in
this state or is otherwise received as convenient accordingly as the manufacturo may
require. It is to be understood that the continuous tapes may be dispensed with
when drying some kinds of paper. In Figures 1 and 5, the improved paper
machine is shewn as being actuated from a prime mover by means of the belt R,
passing over a pulley S, on the driving shaft T. On this driving shaft T, another
pulley U, is shewn which by means of a belt U³, conveys motion to a similar pulley V,
on the shaft W, Figures 5 and 8. On the shafts T, and W, respectively there are
carried pulleys X, and Y, over which a flat driving belt passes and conveys positive
motion to the pulleys Z, and Z. On the same shaft T, and W, there are also
carried the grooved pulleys a, b, c, and d, respectively for imparting motion by means
of ropes or belts to the corresponding grooved pulleys on the axes of the several
fan shafts of which it is preferred that the fans in each series constituting the upper
and lower sets respectively as shewn at Figures 6, 8, 9 and 11, should be driven
separately although it is to be understood that all the fan pulleys may be driven by
one continuous belt or otherwise equivalently driven.
As shewn at Figures 1 and 5 the several drums L, to L20, are driven by means of a
continuous belt g, passing over the wooden spars h, Figure 9, constituting the wooden
periphery of the said drums, that is to say, the driving belt g, follows the line of the
paper and tapes in their passage through the drying machine. The traverse of this
belt g, is more particularly shewn in Figure 7, where also stentering or stretching
rollers i, are also shewn at the under part of the machine but they may be otherwise
placed for the purpose of tightening or releasing the tension of the driving belt 9,
when required. The axes of the stentering or tightening rollers i, are carried in
adjustable bearings (not shewn in the drawings) which are operated by screws in a
manner well understood for the purpose of drawing the bearings backwards and
forwards as is commonly done in several classes of mechanism wherein a long driving
belt has to be adjusted to the requisite degree of tension accordingly as it becomes
unduly slack or unduly tight. In place of carrying the driving belt g, upon the ends
of the spars of the drums L, to L20, as hereinbefore described and shewn on the
annexed drawings, it may be carried upon ordinary belt pulleys attached to the axes
of, and revolving with, the several spar drums L, to L20.
The hollow axes of the several drums L, to L20, and of the fans J, revolving within
the same are mounted in radial brackets j, attached to the framing k. The bearing
blocks in which these axes are carried are lightly supported upon spiral springs 1,
as shewn in Figure 9, so that they may easily yield to any slight or accidental
tension of the tapes, paper or driving band, whilst they are adjusted at a fixed
distance in their outward movement by means of the several set screws m, by which
the outward radial movement of the several drums or rollers L, to L20, and their
contained fans J, is controlled. To permit of free radial movement inwards and outwards

page_text: of the several drums L to L20, and their fans J, the pipes I, by which the
air is led to the hollow axes K, of the drums L, are fitted with gland stuffing boxes n,
as shewn more particularly at Figures 10 and 11, whereby a free radial movement of
the axes K, is admissible.
It is to be understood that although I have in the annexed drawings shewn an
arrangement of driving pulleys and driving belts and ropes which will actuate my
improved paper drying machine for the purposes of my Invention, yet I wish it also
to be understood that the arrangement of the driving pulleys with their driving
belts or driving ropes, does not constitute an essential part of my Invention as the
same may be varied in many ways so long as the necessary motions for feeding the
paper from the moist web and carrying it through and receiving it from the said
machine continuously are duly, affected together with a proper equable drive of the
carrying tapes and drums L, to L, are observed and the requisite rotation of the
fans J, for impinging the dried air against the travelling web of moist paper are all
duly carried out.
It is also to be understood that although I have in the annexed drawings shewn
my invention as employing twenty carrying drums, namely the drums L to L20, and
their corresponding fans J, yet any other number of such carrying drums either greater
or less than twenty may be used.
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 arrangement or combination of parts consisting of an air forcing apparatus,
an air heating and drying or desicating apparatus, a condenser wherein the air is
cooled and the moisture separated from the cool and dry air, and from which the cool
and dry air is led to the hollow axes of the fans, which drive it against the continuous
travelling web of paper in the course of its passage through the paper drying
machine, substantially as herein before described and shewn upon the annexed sheets of
drawings.
2. In my improved paper drying machine, or in a machine substantially the same
as my said machine, the construction of the carrying rollers L, to I., with fans J,
rotating within each of the said rollers, the same being carried within elastic and
yielding and adjustable bearings substantially as herein before described and shewn upon
the annexed sheets of drawings.
3. The arrangement of fans J, together with their hollow shafts or axes and
radial openings or slits for the purpose of allowing the escape of the dry air
led thereto from the condenser so that the fan blades may discharge the said
dry air against the web of paper when dried substantially as hereinbefore described
and shewn upon the annexed sheets of drawings.
4. The fitting of the radial pipes I, with glands and stuffing boxes n, for the
purpose of allowing of the free radial motion of the drums L, to L20, and their contained
fans J, substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the annexed sheets of
drawings.
Dated the 11th day of February 1888
ST. JOHN V. DAY,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Applicant's Agent.