IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUEL FROM PEAT AND OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE, PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED IN THE FILTRATION AND DRYING OF SEWAGE DEPOSIT AND OTHER MATTERS, AND IN THE MOULDING OF BRICKS TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FORMED FROM PLASTIC MATERIALS."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Milburn, of 76, Church Lane, White-
chapel, in the County of Middlesex, and Henry Jackson, of 16,
Park Square, Leeds, in the County of York, for the Invention of
** IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUEL FROM PEAT AND OTHER
MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE, PARTS OF
WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED IN THE FILTRATION AND DRYING OF
SEWAGE DEPOSIT AND OTHER MATTERS, AND IN THE MOULDING OF BRICKS
TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FORMED FROM PLASTIC MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Milburn and
Henry Jackson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 30th August 1873.
We, ROBERT MILBURN, of 76, Ohurch Lane, Whitechapel, in the
County of Middlesex, and HENRY JACKSON, of 16, Park Square, Leeds,
in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUEL FROM PEAT AND OTHER
MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE, PARTS OF WHICH
APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED IN THE FILTRATION AND DRYING OF SEWAGE

page_text: DEPOSIT AND OTHER MATTERS, AND IN THE MOULDING OF BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER
ARTICLES FROM PLASTIC MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates principally to the manufacture of fuel from
peat, but certain parts of the apparatus which we employ is also suitable
for other purposes, as will be herein-after mentioned.
The peat is in the first place fed into the space between a revolving
drum and a curved shell, the arrangement being similar to the drum
and concave of a threshing machine. The effect of this part of the
apparatus is to reduce the peat to a pulpy state. The peat is then
filtered or partly dried by being fed between two endless travelling
aprons formed of perforated corrugated plates which are hinged
together, and are covered with webs of cloth or of a material suited to
form a filtering medium. The distance of the two aprons apart is
adjustable, the said distance being the greatest at the feeding end and
becoming gradually less towards the delivery end. The peat is subjected
to pressure between the said aprons, whereby water is expressed from
the peat and passes through the said filtering medium and the per-
forations in the aprons.
11.
In lieu of this arrangement we may employ a hollow bed, the top of
which is corrugated and perforated in connection with a travelling
apron which passes over the said bed and is stretched between endless
chains. A vacuum or partial vacuum is maintained in the hollow space
below the bed, and the peat is conveyed by the said apron over the said
bed, and the atmospheric pressure causes the discharge of water from
the pulpy mass. Either of the said arrangements for filtering may be
'employed in the filtration of sewage deposit, "slurry," or the wet
mixture from which cement is made; and in the filtration of other
matters. On leaving the filtering apparatus the peat is or may be again
subjected to the action of a drum and concave. We may then place
the peat upon a heated floor upon which scrapers are caused to travel to
and fro, as in an Invention' for which Letters Patent, dated July
Thirtieth, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, have been
granted to us. In addition to the transverse scrapers we use or may use
revolving stirrers formed with rows of teeth or with shelves, or with
both teeth and shelves, the said stirrers revolving transversly between
the scrapers. We so arrange the said teeth as that the peat is con-
tinually stirred, broken up, and moved to and fro in a direction across
"
זוי

page_text: the bed as well as in the direction of the length of the bed. The drying
apparatus when provided with the said stirrers may be employed in the
drying of sewage deposit, blood manure, brower's grains, and other
matters.
The peat when sufficiently dry is fed into a compression box or
cylinder which is fitted with a sliding door. The said box is formed in
lengths fixed end to end in a line. The internal dimensions of all the
lengths may be the same, or may be varied to some extent: A ram or
piston works to and fro in one end of the said box, and is actuated by
steam directly acting as in a steam hammer. The valve gear is
governed by means of a cam fixed on a shaft, to which a revolving
motion is imparted, and on the same shaft is fixed a cam which opens
and closes the said sliding door. When the said door is opened a
portion of the peat is admitted into the box, and the door being closed
the ram is moved forwards to push down the peat against the peat
which has already been compressed. The ram then gives a series of
forcible blows which compress the charge of peat into a hard block and
push forward the whole of the peat blocks which may be in the box.
We prefer to mount the apparatus upon a cast-iron bed upon which
are cast projections which sustain the thrust of each length of the com-
pression box, arrangements being made for readily taking out any single
length without disturbing the other lengths.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Milburn and Henry Jackson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 28th February 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
MILBURN, of 76, Church Lanc, Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex,
and HENRY JACKSON, of 16, Park Square, Leeds, in the County of York,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in, the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and. successors,

page_text: give and grant unto us, the said Robert Milburn and Henry Jackson,
Her special license that we, the said Robert Milburn and Henry Jackson,
our éxecutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Robert Milburn and Henry Jackson, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FUEL FROM PEAT AND OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH
MANUFACTURE, PARTS OF WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED IN THE
FILTRATION AND DRYING OF SEWAGE DEPOSIT AND OTHER MATTERS, AND IN THE
MOULDING OF BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM PLASTIC MATERIALS,
upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said Robert Milburn
and Henry Jackson, by an instrument in writing under our 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 we, the said Robert Milburn and Henry
Jackson, 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 and accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :—
Our Invention relates principally to the manufacture of fuel from
peat, but certain parts of the apparatus which we employ are also
suitable for other purposes, as will be herein-after mentioned.
The peat is in the first place fed into the space between a revolving
drum and a curved shell, the arrangement being similar to the drum
and concave of a threshing machine. The effect of this part of the
apparatus is to reduce the peat to a pulpy state. The peat is then
filtered or partly dried by being fed between two endless travelling
aprons formed of perforated corrugated plates which are hinged together
and are covered with webs of cloth, or of a material suited to form a
filtering medium. The distance of the two aprons apart is adjustable,
the said distance being the greatest at the feeding end and becoming

page_text: gradually less towards the delivery end. The peat is subjected to
pressure between the said aprons whereby water is expressed from the
peat and passes through the said filtering medium and the perforations
in the aprons.
In lieu of this arrangement we may employ a hollow bed, the top of
which is corrugated and perforated in connection with a travelling
apron which passes over the said bed and is stretched between endless
chains. A vacuum or partial vacuum is maintained in the hollow space
below the bed, and the peat is conveyed by the said aprons over the said
bed, and the atmospheric pressure causes the discharge of water from
the pulpy mass. Either of the said arrangements for filtering may be
employed in the filtration of sewage deposit, "slurry," or the wet
mixture from which cement is made, and in the filtration of other
matters. On leaving the filtering apparatus the peat is or may be again
subjected to the action of a drum and concave. We may then place the
peat upon a heated floor upon which scrapers are caused to travel to and
fro, as in our Invention for which Letters Patent, dated July Thirtieth,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, have been granted to us.
In addition to the transverse scrapers we use or may use revolving
stirrers formed with rows of teeth, or with shelves, or with both teeth
and shelves, the said stirrers revolving transversely between the scrapers.
We so arrange the said teeth as that the peat is continually stirred,
broken up, and moved to and fro in a direction across the bed, as well as
in the direction of the length of the bed. The drying apparatus when
provided with the said stirrers may be employed in the drying of sewage
deposit, blood manure, brewer's grains, and other matters.
The peat when sufficiently dry is fed into a compression box or
cylinder. A ram or piston works to and fro in one end of the said box,
and is actuated by steam directly acting as in a steam hammer. The
valve gear is governed by means of a cam fixed on a shaft to which a
revolving motion is imparted, and when a portion of the peat has been
admitted into the box the ram is moved forwards to push down the peat
against the peat which has already been compressed. The ram then
gives a series of forcible blows which compress the charge of peat into
a hard block and push forward the whole of the peat blocks which may
be in the box.

page_text: made for the most part to a scale of about one inch to the foot, and
marked with letters of reference, similar marks indicating corresponding
parts in the various Figures.
Referring now to Sheet 1 of the said Drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagram
'illustrating the construction and action of the apparatus first herein
referred to. In the said Fig. A is the hopper into which the peat is
fed; B is the curved shell; and C is a drum to which a revolving motion
is imparted. The peat falling from the hopper into the space between
the said shell and drum is broken up by the action of the said drum,
and is delivered on to the end of the travelling apron D. The said
apron is formed of slabs corrugated on their upper and outer surfaces,
and perforated as indicated at *, the said slabs being hinged together so
as to form än endless apron which is sustained by the hexagonal
drums d, d, to one or both of which a revolving motion is imparted.
The said apron is 'covered with a web of felt, or cloth, or other suitable
filtering material. A second apron E works in relation 'to the apron D,
and is also 'formed of slabs hinged together, but such slabs need not
necessarily be perforated, and a covering of 'filtering material may be
applied, as in the case of the apron D, or be dispensed with as is con-
sidered to be advisable. It will be seen that the distance between the
opposed surfaces is greatest at the inlet end nearest to the hopper, and
becomes gradually less towards the outlet end, so that the aprons being
caused to travel in such directions that the said opposed surfaces move
in ünison towards the said outlet end; the peat is carried forward and is
subjected to a gradually increasing pressure, the effect of which is to
discharge a large proportion of the water which the peat has retained
by capillary attraction. The water so discharged is received into a
trough F, and flows thence through the outlet G.
Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrams representative of the second form of
filtering apparatus, wherein h, h, are chain pulleys which sustain and
actuate endless chains or bands formed or provided with teeth upon
which is stretched an endless apron of cloth or felt, or of any other
suitable filtering material or fabric. When the said chain pulleys are
caused to revolve the said apron is drawn over the surface of the hollow
bed I, for convenience formed in three parts which are perforated on
their upper surfaces, as indicated by Figs. 4 and 5, and are in communi-
cation 'by means of the pipes L with 'an air pump or set of air pumps.
Rollers K, K, are mounted between the beds I, I, to facilitate the move-

page_text: ments of the apron. The peat is delivered on to one end of the apron
by means of an apparatus similar to that marked A, B, and C in Fig. 1,
or by other suitable means, and is carried over the beds I, I, by the said
apron, an amount of vacuum being maintained within the said beds by
the action of the air pump or pumps, whereby the pressure of the atmo-
sphere tends to effect the discharge of water from the peat through the
apron and into the said beds, whence it is withdrawn by the said pump
or numns.
by means of an apparatus similar to that marked A, B, and C in Fig. 1,
or by other suitable means, and is carried over the beds I, I, by the said
apron, an amount of vacuum being maintained within the said beds by
the action of the air pump or pumps, whereby the pressure of the atmo-
sphere tends to effect the discharge of water from the peat through the
apron and into the said beds, whence it is withdrawn by the said pump
or pumps.
The apparatus represented on Sheet 1 may be also employed in the
filtration of such other matters as already herein indicated.
Fig. 6, Sheet 2, illustrates the method of construction and the action
of the scrapers which we employ in connection with a heated floor, as
herein aforesaid. In the said Figure M represents the surface line of
the floor, the construction of which may be such as is indicated in the
Specification of our former and herein-before referred to Letters Patent.
A portion of one of the two side frames is seen at O, and to the said
frames are attached the scrapers and pulverisers N, N. Tho said
pulverisers do not come into contact with the surface of the floor. A
reciprocating motion is imparted to the side frames O by means of con-
necting rods, one of which is seen at P, the said rods being jointed at
one end to the cross frame S which connects together the said side
frames, and at the other end to the crank pins of cranks, one of which
is seen at r, and which are fixed upon shafts to which a revolving
motion can be imparted. As the frame carrying the scrapers and
pulverisers moves in the direction towards the right hand in the drawing
bowls T on the cross frame S are acted upon by tilting inclines U which
raise the frame and the scrapers and pulverisers when they are nearing
the end of their traverse, and let them fall again when they have reached
the end of the traverse. The amount of "lift" can be regulated by means
of the screw V.
Our Intention with respect to the apparatus represented by Fig. 6
will be better understood on referring to the aforesaid former Specifi-
cation. Revolving stirrers are also mounted upon and move with the
said side frames, one such stirrer being seen at W, as many of them being
mounted upon the frames as may be considered desirable. The said
revolving stirrers are either formed with teeth and shelves or scrapers, as
indicated at W or with teeth alone, as indicated by Figures 7 and 8, and

page_text: in some cases we may fix the said teeth diagonally on their shafts, as
indicated by Figs. 9 and 10, in which case we either fix the teeth right
and left on each stirrer, or on separate stirrers so as to cause the peat to
be moved to and fro sideways on the floor. The peat is fed on to one
end of the floor and is raked to and fro thereon, and is gradually dried,
pulverised, and moved towards the delivery end.
Fig. 11 is an elevation partly in section, and Fig. 12 a plan of the
principal parts of our moulding apparatus. In the said Figs. A' is a
foundation frame on which are fixed the compression box Z and the
steam cylinder A². The peat is fed into a hopper X, from which it is
transferred by the valve Y to the said compression box, the said valve
being formed with four compartments, which as the valve revolves are
alternately filled and emptied. A piston A' is fitted to slide to and fro
within the said compression box, and is actuated by the steam within
the cylinder A³, and is controlled in its movements by the cam A* which :
acts upon the slide valve in the valve box A³, the said cam being so
suitably formed as that the piston A¹ shall be caused to first push the
peat along the compression box and then to give two or more forcible
blows. The shaft on which the said cam is fixed may be caused to
revolve by any suitable means. The peat thus compressed and propelled
along the compression box is gradually delivered at the other or open
end of the said box. In the Drawings the said compression box is
represented as formed in one piece, but we may form it in lengths
arranged end to end and firmly secured to the bed; and we may make
the bore of the said lengths become successively smaller towards the 2

page_text: Thirdly. The method of drying peat, substantially as indicated with
reference to Figs. 6 to 10 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the
several apparatus for drying such matters, as herein indicated, sub-
stantially as indicated herein and by the accompanying Drawings.
And lastly. The apparatus for compressing peat, arranged and acting
substantially as set forth and indicated herein and in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Milburn and Henry
Jackson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 25th day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.